Erica Durance was born on June 21, 1978, in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Her parents Joel and Gail Durance, a truck driver and librarian respectively, raised Erica on a turkey farm along with her older brother and sister. When Erica completed high school, she relocated to Vancouver to begin work as an actress.

In 1996, at the age of 18, Erica married her first husband and took the last name of Parker. In 1999, the couple divorced, but she is still credited as Parker for some of her early acting jobs.

In 2002, Erica made her film debut in the Canadian film The Untold, known as Sasquatch in the United States. Durance played Tara Knowles, daughter of billionaire Harlan Knowles. Although the film had an approximate budget of $3 million, it received little notice.

In 2003, Erica landed her second film role in the adaptation of the popular zombie video game, House of the Dead. While working on the film, Erica started a relationship with costar David Palffy. Although the film had a wide release, it was not a success. That same year, Erica had a role in Devil Winds, a made-for-television movie about tornadoes. By this time, she was still a relatively unknown actress.

Erica made guest appearances on three popular television series in 2004: Tru Calling, Andromeda and Stargate SG-1. The exposure she received from these jobs led to her being cast as Lois Lane on the WB's Smallville in September 2004. Erica continues her work on Smallville, as this role has increased her notoriety significantly.

On January 8, 2005, Erica married David Palffy; the two recently purchased a home and currently reside in Vancouver.