I really like her as an actress, and the characters she played really fit her. The exotic psychic in Firefly (River Tam); The ruthless terminator in Sarah Connor Chronicles (Cameron). In both roles she's creepy (in a good way), a bit crazy (okay...
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I really like her as an actress, and the characters she played really fit her. The exotic psychic in Firefly (River Tam); The ruthless terminator in Sarah Connor Chronicles (Cameron). In both roles she's creepy (in a good way), a bit crazy (okay let's cut out that "a bit") and in a few words just perfect. Her non-sense dialogues in Firefly and occasional burst of action are simply lovely, as well as her typical terminator mentality in T. S. C. C. as well. She may be young, but she really knows what she does when acting, follow her, you won't regret.

I missed the Firefly episodes when they originally aired...
yet I did see the coming attractions for the film Serenity, still I failed to get a chance to see the movie too. Well, I remembered the interesting trailer when I finally got to a...
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I missed the Firefly episodes when they originally aired...
yet I did see the coming attractions for the film Serenity, still I failed to get a chance to see the movie too. Well, I remembered the interesting trailer when I finally got to a video store (I miss Suncoast) and asked my friend working there if the film was worth my while. I was thinking of buying the DVD - and the clincher was when he said it was "right up my alley".

Most of this took place because of Summer Glau - and Joss Whedon's predilection for creating projects that contain startling teenage dynamos. Her post-Gothic whirling dervish in the trailer stuck in my mind. My pal was correct. I loved the film and purchased the Firefly series a month later. Most of the Firefly cast is super and I've really liked a couple of the stars for years, but Glau is singular. I can picture a few actors who could portray the other roles as well if not better than the present cast. It's not so with River Tam. I can't imagine anyone touching that part now that I've seen Glau performing it.

Her acting, presence and appearance fill the needs of the character so well. There is a hypnotic component that falls into place in certain scenes. Whedon developed this vision so well his directors and cameramen capture it in nearly every episode. Sometimes it occurs for a fleeting moment (as in Objects in Space, River drifting to Mal while they're in their spacesuits) or for a sustained segment (like her conversation with Badger in Shindig). It's not just the intriguing darkness, the stealthy movements, her expressive eyes or those captivating feet - it's the rare magic of viewing a performer in a role that, most probably, will become her signature performance.

Summer Glau is from San Antonio. She is the oldest of three daughters. Her father and mother work as a general contractor and a school teacher, respectively. When she was younger, she was a professional ballet dancer. Her ballet training schedule...
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Summer Glau is from San Antonio. She is the oldest of three daughters. Her father and mother work as a general contractor and a school teacher, respectively. When she was younger, she was a professional ballet dancer. Her ballet training schedule required her to be home-schooled by her mother from Grades 3 to 12. She secretly wanted to become an actress.

Later on, she began to do some acting because of an injury she had that forced her to take a break from dancing. She started out slowly in the acting business. She was in a range of commercials and theatre productions.

However, she was finally noticed by Joss Whedon after being in an episode of Angel. Joss ended up casting her for the role of River Tam, in his new series Firefly.

She also appeared as a guest in episodes of Cold Case and CSI and made a short appearance in the movie Sleepover, before reprising the role of River Tam in the Firefly sequel-movie Serenity.

After that she made recurring guests in both The Unit and The 4400 and leads in the movie The Initiation of Sarah and made-for-television movie Mammoth.

She can be seen in the new series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

One of the best reasons why I watch "Terminator:the Sarah Conner Chronicles" is because of Summer Gleu. I like her a lot. she's not onl;y grogous, but she is very smart. She appeared on "Access Hollywood" about a month ago and seh's nothing like...
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One of the best reasons why I watch "Terminator:the Sarah Conner Chronicles" is because of Summer Gleu. I like her a lot. she's not onl;y grogous, but she is very smart. She appeared on "Access Hollywood" about a month ago and seh's nothing like the character on "the Terminator." Her character is fun to watch. I hope she gets a Emmy nomination for her role. she's the best thing about the writers strike ridden season. I'm looking forward to see her again next season. She'll be back. And when she does. I'll be there cheering. to me, every day is Summer Time!

I first noticed Summer Glau when I was watching the immensley under-rated science fiction/western show "Firefly". While her role was important, it ws one in an ensemble cast. What has made her stand out is her technique to communicate with her...
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I first noticed Summer Glau when I was watching the immensley under-rated science fiction/western show "Firefly". While her role was important, it ws one in an ensemble cast. What has made her stand out is her technique to communicate with her eyes, her expressions, and her body language. Her acting is captivating and mesmorizing. She is one of the most underappreciated and talented actresses I have ever seen.

Take her latest endeavor in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronciles". She plays a terminator, a cyborg being sent to the past to protect the future leader of humanity. While she is disguised as a high school student, she seems perfectly normal, unlike other cyborgs who have been sent. When she gets into Terminator mode, however, she keeps her face perfectly expressionless. Her eyes show much determination, and her intensity is there. Since her identity has been revealed, her actions are much more akin to Arnold's portrayal in T2, trying to fit in, understanding human behaviour. This brings in alot of similarities to her Firefly character, but she still pulls it off while making it seem fresh.

Finally, there is her amazing athleticism that comes from years of dance training. To see her in action sequences is a thing of beauty, and even though she is easy on the eyes, she is definitely not one to pick a fight with.

She is so good in the scifi genre. An actress with the range of playing insanity like an art. From the helpless, crazy, insane, kill you with her brain, teenager assasin in Firefly to the 4400 skitzoid nobody does it better. An attractive young...
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She is so good in the scifi genre. An actress with the range of playing insanity like an art. From the helpless, crazy, insane, kill you with her brain, teenager assasin in Firefly to the 4400 skitzoid nobody does it better. An attractive young women who's roles will only get better. Summer Glau is now a favorite of mine to watch. Straight jackets are needed as props for her acting roles. With every show she is in the writing seems superb. So I will watch whatever comes her way in the future. Very underappreciated has an actress. The scifi channel should sign her for long term contract. If Carrie ever gets remade bingo heres your gal. Morbid and creeptifing I have no problem with.

Summer Glau, who began her entertainment career as a ballerina, is best known for her work with Joss Whedon. He used her in an episode of the show Angel as, of all things, a ghostly ballerina. Whedon decided her rigid physical training and...
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Summer Glau, who began her entertainment career as a ballerina, is best known for her work with Joss Whedon. He used her in an episode of the show Angel as, of all things, a ghostly ballerina. Whedon decided her rigid physical training and delicate beauty could be put to further use in his next project; Firefly. As the character River Tam, she captured a cult audience with her fragile portrayal of a damaged psychic girl. It wasn't until the film adaptation of the cancelled series, entitled Serenity, that we viewers got to see the full potential of Ms. Glau's action abilities. Since then, Summer Glau has appeared in such movies as Mammoth and The Initiation of Sarah. (While both films were a bit silly, in both cases it was her inclusion that made them watchable) It has been Ms. Glau's guest apperances in episode TV that has been showcasing her continuing abilities. Perhaps slightly typecasted as Tess Doerner in The 4400, none the less, her take on the former mental patient with the ability to control minds has helped to breath new life into the series. Possibly trying to get away from the roles as merely the insane, Summer Glau's most recent appearence on The Unit portrayed her a the beloved of a young military man. As proof of her popularity, the scene from the episode when she strolls about in a bikini was available on the internet shortly after. Indeed, her more recent publicity photos have shown a more mature young woman looking ready to make her mark in the industry.

River tam is played excellently by Summer glau. she is so flexible, she was the best person to play "a weapon" as she was known as in serenity. she has enormous grace, and her acting in serenity chokes me up- the part wher she says that...
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River tam is played excellently by Summer glau. she is so flexible, she was the best person to play "a weapon" as she was known as in serenity. she has enormous grace, and her acting in serenity chokes me up- the part wher she says that the memory is not hers- i don't understand how she could've done that so well. i was amazed.this girl is something special, and she ought to be recognised by all.

River Tam is a psychic. she was basically kidnapped by the alliance so that they could perform tests on her brain- tsest that are unethical, and would be considered torture by nearly everyone else. luckily her brother, Simon Tam, who loved her alot, saved her, and now the two are fugitives on the run from the intergalactic government. unfortunately, the torture has rendered river insane- she says anything that comes to her... poor girl...

her latest role was in Serenity ( i think) she was amazing. this girl was destined for great things, her acting is more than anybody could possibly be... Summer, i salute you.

This review is based on Summer Glau's role as River Tam in Firefly.

River must have been a difficult role to play; she was a young girl undergoing psychotic breaks from reality; her brain had been 'tinkered with' by the Alliance,...
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This review is based on Summer Glau's role as River Tam in Firefly.

River must have been a difficult role to play; she was a young girl undergoing psychotic breaks from reality; her brain had been 'tinkered with' by the Alliance, and she had special abilities. But Summer played this role with emotion and grace. There were times when River had to be scared and lost; Summer handled that most believeably. There were other times when River had to be strong and in charge, and Summer also handled those scenes with aplomb. There were also scenes where River was funny; and Summer carried that off well too. One of my favourite scenes from Firefly was the scene in which Simon 'threatens' Jayne by not threatening him, and says that they have to trust each other. River pokes her head around the corner and just tells him, "Also, I can kill you with my brain." It was hilarious and so well done. She was serious, but still managed to convey that she was just threatening him, but not necessarily willing to carry through with it.

I've heard it said that playing 'stupid' is one of the hardest types of roles to play. I imagine that playing psychologically damaged geniuses must be pretty hard too, but Summer Glau played this role magnificently!