Emily Irene VanCamp, a talented Canadian actress, was born on May 12, 1986, in Port Perry, Ontario. She is the third of four daughters born to Cindy and Robert VanCamp, with her father being an animal nutritionist. VanCamp's first job was working for her father, delivering food to clients in and around her hometown.
As a child, VanCamp started studying dance at the age of three and was determined to become a professional dancer. At the age of 11, she convinced her parents to let her attend a summer training program in Montreal. Two years later, she was accepted into the École supérieure de ballet du Québec, the training program of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and moved in with a local French Canadian family.
In 1998, VanCamp became interested in acting after visiting her sister Katie on the set of the film Ladies Room. She started taking acting classes on Saturday afternoons and soon found an agent. After working on a few commercials, VanCamp was cast in the second part of the three-part season-seven premiere of the Canadian children's horror anthology television series Are You Afraid of the Dark?. Her character appeared in one scene, speaking no dialogue, and was played opposite a 17-year-old Elisha Cuthbert.
VanCamp's early career led to her landing the lead role on the WB series Everwood, followed by the ABC dramas Brothers & Sisters and Revenge. She also starred as Sharon Carter / Agent 13 in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. In 2018, VanCamp took on the role of the female lead in the Fox medical drama series The Resident, which debuted in January 2018 as a midseason entry in the 2017-18 US television season.