# Cindy Sampson
**Cindy Sampson** (full name Cindy Marie Sampson, born 1978) is a Canadian actress, director, and producer from [Halifax, Nova Scotia](https://www.edgepedia.org/halifax-nova-scotia), best known for playing Lisa Braeden on the series *Supernatural* and private investigator Angie Everett on *Private Eyes*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; birth name Cindy Marie Sampson[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/) |
| Signature roles | Lisa Braeden on *Supernatural* (2007–2011, 13 episodes); Angie Everett on *Private Eyes* (2016–2021, 60 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) |
| Film work | Carmen in the horror film *The Shrine* (2010); co-starring role in *Live Once, Die Twice* (2006)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/) |
| Directing | Directed one episode of *Private Eyes* (episode 4x03, aired 16 November 2020), her directorial debut[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3715/cindy-sampson) • [5](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Private-Eyes-S4_SOP_FINAL.pdf) |
| Recognition | Nominated for a 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress, Comedy, for *Private Eyes*[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cindy-sampson/bio/3030871425/) |
| Family | Married Ryan Wickel on 7 July 2016; they have one child[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) |
## Early life and training
Sampson was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was raised there.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [7](https://www.globaltv.com/shows/private-eyes/cast/) She attended the Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts in Toronto and spent years singing and dancing on stage.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/) • [7](https://www.globaltv.com/shows/private-eyes/cast/)
Her first professional acting job came while she was still in high school, in the late 1980s, on the teen consumer show *Street Cents*, a Gemini and Emmy award-winning program.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/) She then moved into sketch comedy as a regular on the series *Sketch Troop*, which led to performing and writing sketches and appearing at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.[8](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/talent/?view=cindy-sampson) After performing at the festival she spent time in Los Angeles auditioning for multi-camera comedies.[9](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2016/05/25/jason-priestley-on-his-busy-year-recruiting-doug-gilmour-for-private-eyes/)
## Television and film career
Her screen career built gradually through television movies and guest parts. In 2006 she had a co-starring role in the made-for-TV movie *Live Once, Die Twice* with [Kellie Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/kellie-martin), and a small role in the romantic comedy *The Last Kiss*.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/)
**Supernatural.** Sampson originally auditioned for the role of [Bela Talbot](https://www.edgepedia.org/bela-talbot) on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s *Supernatural*; [Lauren Cohan](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauren-cohan) was cast instead, and a couple of weeks later Sampson was offered the part of Lisa Braeden.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/) Lisa, a single mother with a complicated relationship with Dean Winchester, became one of Sampson's best-known roles; she played it on a recurring basis from 2007 to 2011.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) She later described that stretch of her career as running from monsters and aliens and turning into demons.[9](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2016/05/25/jason-priestley-on-his-busy-year-recruiting-doug-gilmour-for-private-eyes/)
Her other credits from this period include the horror film *The Shrine* (2010), in which she played the lead, the Western-science-fiction television movie *High Plains Invaders* (2009), guest roles on *Being Human*, *Rookie Blue*, and *Durham County*, and a supporting role in the thriller *The Factory* with [John Cusack](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cusack).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/) • [8](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/talent/?view=cindy-sampson)
**Private Eyes.** In 2016 Sampson was cast opposite [Jason Priestley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-priestley) in the Global detective series *Private Eyes*, playing Toronto private investigator Angie Everett, partner to former hockey player Matt Shade. She went to the audition originally to help out a friend, but after reading about the character she wanted the role; Priestley said he knew she had it at the chemistry test.[9](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2016/05/25/jason-priestley-on-his-busy-year-recruiting-doug-gilmour-for-private-eyes/) The procedural ran five seasons, from 2016 to 2021, and Sampson appeared in 60 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) During the fourth season she made her directorial debut with the episode "The P.I. Vanishes," aired 16 November 2020, and said she intended to pursue directing further.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3715/cindy-sampson) • [5](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Private-Eyes-S4_SOP_FINAL.pdf) • [10](https://divine.ca/en/cindy-sampson-on-directing-fashion-designing-minds/) Her performance earned a 2019 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lead Actress, Comedy.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cindy-sampson/bio/3030871425/)
**Recent work.** After *Private Eyes* ended, Sampson took recurring roles in *Departure* (as Francine Quigley, 2022), *The Spencer Sisters* (2023), and *Sullivan's Crossing* (as Jane, 2024–2025), and starred in the 2026 film *Surfacing* as Jessica McCall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/) • [8](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/talent/?view=cindy-sampson) Across her career she has accumulated more than 60 film and television credits.[8](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/talent/?view=cindy-sampson)
## Private Eyes West Coast
In 2026 Sampson reprised Angie Everett in *Private Eyes West Coast*, a spinoff of the original series, again opposite Jason Priestley. The continuation jumps five years after the original finale: Shade and Everett have married, had a baby son named Declan, closed their Toronto agency, and moved to [Victoria, British Columbia](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-british-columbia), where they take on new cases.[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1294397/private-eyes-west-coast-jason-priestley-cindy-sampson-interview/) The series premiered on The CW on 5 October 2026 and on Global and STACKTV in Canada on 30 September 2026, and was renewed for a second season before its premiere, with production planned for 2027.[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1294397/private-eyes-west-coast-jason-priestley-cindy-sampson-interview/) • [12](https://www.smartentertainmentgroup.com/blog/private-eyes-west-coat-catching-up-with-jason-priestly-and-cindy-sampson) Sampson has said the motherhood angle gave her a personal connection to the older, more grounded version of Angie.[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1294397/private-eyes-west-coast-jason-priestley-cindy-sampson-interview/)
## References
1. [Cindy Sampson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/)
2. [Cindy Sampson Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120797/bio/)
3. [Cindy Sampson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cindy-sampson/)
4. [Cindy Sampson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3715/cindy-sampson)
5. [Global and Entertainment One announce start of production for Season 4 of Private Eyes, Corus Entertainment press release (22 July 2019)](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Private-Eyes-S4_SOP_FINAL.pdf)
6. [Cindy Sampson Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cindy-sampson/bio/3030871425/)
7. [Private Eyes cast, Global TV](https://www.globaltv.com/shows/private-eyes/cast/)
8. [Cindy Sampson bio, The CW Press](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/talent/?view=cindy-sampson)
9. [Jason Priestley on his busy year, recruiting Doug Gilmour for 'Private Eyes', CityNews (25 May 2016)](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2016/05/25/jason-priestley-on-his-busy-year-recruiting-doug-gilmour-for-private-eyes/)
10. [Cindy Sampson on Directing, Fashion & Designing Minds, DIVINE](https://divine.ca/en/cindy-sampson-on-directing-fashion-designing-minds/)
11. [Jason Priestley & Cindy Sampson Preview 'Private Eyes' Return in 'West Coast', TV Insider (4 October 2026)](https://www.tvinsider.com/1294397/private-eyes-west-coast-jason-priestley-cindy-sampson-interview/)
12. [Private Eyes: West Coast, Catching Up with Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson, Smart Entertainment Group (20 September 2026)](https://www.smartentertainmentgroup.com/blog/private-eyes-west-coat-catching-up-with-jason-priestly-and-cindy-sampson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames R to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license