Rachelle Lefevre was born in Canada, where her journey in the entertainment industry was kickstarted by a Canadian film producer who discovered her while she was waiting tables. This chance encounter led to her landing her first acting gig, and she soon made the move to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams.
Before making it big, Lefevre worked at a Montreal sushi restaurant as a teenager, where a regular customer took notice of her passion for acting and put her in touch with a casting director. This connection ultimately led to a role on a Canadian sitcom, marking the beginning of her career in the entertainment industry.
Her big break came when she appeared on several episodes of David E. Kelley's Boston Legal in 2004, which in turn led to a lead role in his 2008 U.S. adaptation of the BBC hit series Life on Mars. Her versatility as an actress was on full display as she took on the lead role in the show.
Lefevre's family has a rich cultural heritage, with her father's family being of French descent. Although she grew up speaking mostly English, she eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2004 due to a lack of English-speaking parts in Montreal.
Her biggest film role to date was in Catherine Hardwicke's adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, the first installment in a series of popular teen novels about vampires.