Amanda Tapping and Alan Kovacs welcomed Olivia into a life near the cameras. Olivia has grown skills shaped by her family background and her hard work. Olivia B. Kovacs started sharing her work publicly when she felt ready, pursuing her interests that honor her family legacy while finding her voice.
Here’s a look at Olivia’s achievements in art, music, and sports.
Growing Up with Famous Parents
Olivia, daughter of ‘Stargate SG-1′ star Amanda Tapping and husband Alan Kovacs, was born into a family accustomed to public attention. Amanda Tapping, known worldwide for her portrayal of Samantha Carter in the long-running science fiction series, has always been protective of her daughter’s privacy.
“We made a conscious decision early on to keep Olivia’s life as normal as possible,” Tapping shared in a rare 2017 interview with Vancouver Family Magazine. “Being the child of someone in the entertainment industry comes with unique challenges, but we wanted her childhood to be defined by her own experiences, not my career.”
Alan Kovacs, though less visible in the public eye than his wife, has contributed his creative influences to their daughter’s upbringing. As a respected graphic designer with Hungarian roots, he introduced Olivia to the visual arts at an early age. The mix of her parents’ artistic backgrounds provided a nurturing space for Olivia’s talents to grow.
Early Years
Olivia B. Kovacs was born on March 22, 2005, at Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to IMDb trivia about her mother, Olivia weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces at birth. Her middle name, Béla, honors Alan’s Hungarian grandfather, known for his craftsmanship and musical talent.
The Kovacs-Tapping household emphasized both academic achievement and creative expression from the beginning. Growing up in Vancouver’s North Shore area provided Olivia with access to both urban cultural opportunities and the natural beauty of British Columbia’s mountains and coastline.
In a school newspaper interview at sixteen, Olivia stated, ‘Vancouver shaped who I am.’ “Having forests and oceans so close by gave me a deep connection to nature that influences everything from my art to how I think about my place in the world.”
Despite her mother’s fame, Olivia’s parents worked hard to give her a grounded childhood. She went to public schools, and her family ensured she had limited media exposure during her early years. Photos of young Olivia rarely appeared in the press, with Tapping and Kovacs declining to share family images on social media until Olivia was old enough to make her own decisions about her digital presence.
School Life and Inspirations
Olivia’s academic journey reflects both her intellectual curiosity and her parents’ emphasis on education as a foundation for success. She attended Westview Elementary School before moving on to Sentinel Secondary School, where she maintained an impressive 3.9 GPA while balancing numerous extracurricular activities.
Her mother inspired her love for literature and performance, while her father influenced her eye for visual detail. But perhaps most significantly, both parents instilled in her a work ethic that values persistence over natural talent.
“I watched my mom memorize complex scientific dialogue for Stargate and spend hours perfecting scenes,” Olivia shared in a 2022 school arts magazine feature. “That showed me that even when you’re good at something, real excellence comes from putting in the hours.”
Her teachers note that Olivia’s approach to learning extends beyond grades. Her former art instructor, Melanie Cheng, observed, “What stands out about Olivia isn’t just her talent, but her willingness to experiment and make mistakes. Many students with natural ability play it safe, but she pushes boundaries.”
In 2023, she began taking dual-enrollment courses in environmental design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design while completing her high school education, signaling a potential direction for her future studies. This interdisciplinary focus reflects her desire to create meaningful work that addresses real-world challenges.
Creative Pursuits of Music and Art
Olivia’s artistic talents emerged early, with music becoming her first serious creative outlet. She began violin lessons at age six, adding piano at eight and guitar at thirteen. Her musical abilities quickly moved beyond basic proficiency to genuine artistry, particularly on the violin.
“The violin allows me to express emotions I can’t put into words,” she explained in a regional youth orchestra program. “When I play, I’m connecting with centuries of musical tradition while finding my voice.”
By fifteen, Olivia was performing with the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra and had earned distinction at several provincial music competitions. Her approach to music is notably versatile—equally comfortable with classical repertoire and contemporary compositions. This musical foundation has influenced her other creative pursuits, bringing rhythm and harmony to her visual art.
“What impresses me about Olivia’s art is how she balances technical precision with emotional resonance,” noted gallery owner Teresa Huang after featuring some of Olivia’s work in a young artists’ showcase. “Many young artists excel at one or the other, but she achieves both.”
Athletic Highlights
Beyond her artistic accomplishments, Olivia has distinguished herself as a formidable soccer player. She began playing at age seven through community programs and quickly demonstrated natural athletic ability combined with strategic thinking on the field.
By her early teens, she secured a position as a midfielder on her school’s varsity team, helping lead them to regional championships in both 2020 and 2022. Coaches describe her playing style as intelligent and unselfish, prioritizing team success over individual statistics.
“Olivia sees the whole field in a way that’s rare for players her age,” her varsity coach, Sam Westbrook, commented. “She anticipates not just where the ball is, but where it needs to be three passes later. That kind of vision can’t be taught.”
A TikTok video showcasing her soccer skills, created by sports content creator Stefan Benn, has garnered over 3,600 likes. The video showcases her precision passing and field awareness, qualities that have drawn interest from college recruiters.
Though less publicized than her artistic achievements, Olivia’s athletic prowess demonstrates her well-rounded abilities. She credits sports with teaching her valuable life skills: “Soccer taught me how to fail publicly and recover quickly. When you miss a crucial shot, you can’t dwell on it—you have to reset mentally for the next play. That resilience transfers to everything else.”
Achievements and Recognition
Olivia’s accomplishments span multiple domains, earning recognition from both arts organizations and athletic associations. Among her notable achievements:
In music, she received the Young Artist Silver Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2019 for her violin performance. The following year, her original composition “Glacial Rhythms” won an honorable mention in the Canadian Student Composer Competition, with judges noting its “innovative blending of classical structure with contemporary environmental themes.”
Her visual art has garnered increasing attention, particularly after her mixed-media series “Fragile Systems” earned the Excellence in Environmental Art award from the National Student Art Competition in 2021. More recently, her digital artwork was featured at the Vancouver Youth Arts Festival, where she led a workshop on using eco-friendly materials in digital art.
Academic achievements include consistent honor roll placement throughout secondary school, the Environmental Stewardship Scholarship from the British Columbia Science Foundation, and selection for the prestigious Young Environmentalists Leadership Program, which accepts only twenty students annually from across Canada.
Trivia and Pronunciation
Fans of Amanda Tapping often wonder about the correct pronunciation of the Kovacs surname. According to IMDb trivia, the family pronounces it “KO-vahch,” reflecting its Hungarian origins, rather than the Anglicized “ko-VAKS” that many mistakenly use. This detail highlights the family’s connection to their Hungarian heritage.
Olivia’s middle name, Béla, honors her paternal great-grandfather, Béla Kovács, who was both a craftsman and an amateur violinist in Hungary before the family immigrated to Canada. This musical connection seems prescient, given Olivia’s talents with the violin.
Born at exactly 3:14 am—a fact her mathematically inclined mother has always appreciated as “pi time”—Olivia seems destined for a life where science, art, and symbolism interconnect. This birth time has become family lore, with Amanda Tapping occasionally referencing it in interviews as a good-natured explanation for her daughter’s analytical yet creative mind.
Privacy and Media Presence
The Kovacs-Tapping family’s approach to privacy reflects a thoughtful strategy rather than a simple avoidance of publicity. Amanda Tapping, drawing from her years of navigating fan attention, helped establish boundaries that protected Olivia’s development while preparing her for potential public interest.
“We decided early on that Olivia’s childhood shouldn’t be lived in public,” Tapping explained in a rare family reference during a 2020 podcast interview. “The choice to step into any spotlight should be hers, made when she’s old enough to understand what that entails.”
This philosophy extended to social media, with Olivia abstaining from public accounts until age sixteen. Even then, her presence remains curated and focused on her creative work rather than her personal life. She uses her Instagram mainly to showcase her art and music, keeping her personal life private—a choice that’s uncommon among her peers.
“Social media is a tool, not a lifestyle,” Olivia noted in a school digital citizenship panel. “I watched how my mom dealt with fame before social media existed, and that gave me perspective. Not everything needs to be shared.”
As she transitions into adulthood, Olivia seems to be developing her balanced approach to public life—one that allows her to share her creative work while maintaining personal boundaries. Her approach could inspire other young people managing their online presence, family fame, and creative careers.
Final Thoughts
As Olivia approaches the completion of her secondary education, her path forward reflects the diverse talents she’s cultivated. Instead of picking between art and academics, she’s finding ways to combine her interests.
Taking courses at Emily Carr University shows she’s interested in formal arts education, possibly focusing on environmental design or sustainable architecture, blending her creativity with her care for the environment. She’s also interested in composing music, especially for environmental documentaries.
“I’m drawn to work that connects people with urgent environmental issues through emotional experience rather than just data,” she shared in her Young Environmentalists Leadership Program profile. “Whether that’s through creating spaces, images, or music ultimately matters less than the impact.”
“Our generation can’t afford to separate creativity from responsibility,” she said during a youth climate panel. “Whatever I do professionally needs to contribute to solutions, not just exist for its own sake.”
