Jill Hennessy

Last updated

Jill Hennessy
JillHennessyTIFFSept10.jpg
Hennessy at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Jillian Noel Hennessy

(1968-11-25) November 25, 1968 (age 55)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1988–present
Spouse
Paolo Mastropietro
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2

Jillian Noel Hennessy (born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is most known for her roles on the American television series Law & Order , on which she played prosecutor Claire Kincaid for three seasons, and Crossing Jordan , on which she played the lead character, Jordan Cavanaugh, for six seasons. She has also acted in films such as RoboCop 3 and Most Wanted, and the independent films Chutney Popcorn and The Acting Class , the latter of which she also wrote and co-directed.

Contents

Early life

Hennessy was born in Edmonton, Alberta. Her father, John Hennessy, was a meat salesman and sales/marketing executive, a job that required considerable travel and resulted in frequent moves for the family. Her mother, Maxine, a secretary, left the family in 1982, leaving her daughter to be partially raised by her paternal grandmother, Eleanor, in Kitchener, Ontario. [1] She has a younger brother, John Paul "J.P." Hennessy, Jr., an older sister, Faith and an identical twin sister, Jacqueline, who is a magazine writer and TV show host in Canada. Hennessy has Irish, French, Swedish and Italian ancestry on her father's side, and mostly Ukrainian Roma, as well as Austrian, ancestry on her mother's. [2] She attended Stanley Park Senior Public School and graduated from Grand River Collegiate Institute, both in Kitchener, Ontario, [3] and used to busk in the Toronto subway. [4]

Career

Hennessy in 2008 Jill Hennessy TIFF08.jpg
Hennessy in 2008

Hennessy and her sister, Jacqueline, made their acting debut playing twin call girls in 1988's Dead Ringers . She was short listed for the role of Dana Scully on The X-Files according to Gillian Anderson, the actress who eventually got the role. [5]

She appeared on Broadway in the musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story in 1990.

In 1993, she appeared as Dr. Marie Lazarus in RoboCop 3 .

Hennesey's big network breakthrough came in 1993, when Dick Wolf signed Hennessy as assistant district attorney Claire Kincaid in the hit NBC crime drama Law & Order . She played the role for three seasons, leaving the show in 1996.

In 1999, she appeared as Lisa in Chutney Popcorn. In 2000, Hennessy wrote, produced, and jointly directed (with Elizabeth Holder) an independent film mockumentary titled The Acting Class , which looked at the trials and tribulations of a dysfunctional acting class. The film co-starred her sister, Jacqueline, and included cameo appearances from a number of Hennessy's former Law & Order co-stars. She also starred in the film Nuremberg , as Elsie Douglas.

In 2001, she portrayed Jackie Kennedy in the film Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot. That same year she appeared in a small role as Commander Annette Mulcahy in the Steven Seagal action film Exit Wounds . She received particular praise from critic Owen Gleiberman who said "With the right role, Hennessy might just be a movie star." [6] In 2003, she made a cameo appearance in the film Abby Singer . From 2001 to 2007, she starred on the TV show Crossing Jordan as title character Jordan Cavanaugh. She also played the wife of Tim Allen's character in the 2007 film Wild Hogs . On June 9, 2007, she received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

During sessions in Austin, Texas, Hennessy recorded the album Ghost in My Head, [7] which was released in June 2009. She performed as a guest of the Indigo Girls on a November 2009 episode of Mountain Stage , [8] and was the focus of another episode of the show later the same month. [9] She performed at Lilith Fair in 2010. [10]

Hennessy performing in 2015 Jill Hennessy at The Mint - 13.jpg
Hennessy performing in 2015

Hennessy starred in the independent crime thriller Small Town Murder Songs in 2010. She also appeared as a veterinarian in the HBO series Luck , and promoted Zaxby's "Zalads" in a pair of television commercials in 2012.

In 2015, Hennessy appeared in several episodes of Madam Secretary , [11] [12] and in October of that year, her second album, I Do, was released. [4]

In 2018, she appeared on the Michael Weatherly series Bull as the mother of the deceased hacker character Cable McCrory. [13] Also in 2018, she began the role of Senator Huntington on the series Yellowstone .

Personal life

Hennessy is multilingual, and fluently speaks English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German. [14] She plays the guitar and sings, and enjoys riding motorcycles with her husband who she married in 2000. They had a second marriage ceremony in January 2001, which took place at New York City Hall with Mayor Rudy Giuliani officiating. Their first son was born in 2003, and a second was born in 2007.

The Minneapolis-based band Mollycuddle wrote the song "The Ballad of Jill Hennessy" in honor of the actress. [15] Hennessy was reportedly very pleased and offered to perform with the band on rhythm guitar. [16]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 Dead Ringers Mimsy
1993 RoboCop 3 Dr. Marie Lazarus
1993Trip nach TunisKathryn Darby
1994 The Paper Deanne White
1996 I Shot Andy Warhol Laura
1996Kiss & TellInterrogator Angela Pierce
1997 A Smile Like Yours Lindsay Hamilton
1997 Most Wanted Dr. Victoria Constantini
1998Weekend GetawayLilyShort film
1998Dead BrokeKate
1999 The Florentine Brenda
1999 Row Your Boat Patti
1999 Two Ninas Mike, The Bartender
1999 Chutney Popcorn Lisa
1999 Molly Susan Brookes
1999 Komodo Dr. Victoria Juno
2000 The Acting Class Amanda Smythe / Jill / Anonymous
2000 Autumn in New York Lynn McCale
2001 Exit Wounds Commander Annette Mulcahy
2002 Pipe Dream Marina Peck
2007 Wild Hogs Kelly Madsen
2007Game of LifeBrenda
2008 Lymelife Brenda Bartlett
2010 Small Town Murder Songs Rita
2011 Roadie Nikki Stevens
2012 Dawn Rider Alice
2013If I Had WingsSandy Taylor
2017 Don't Sleep Cindy Bradford
2019 Crypto Robin Whiting
2019 Standing Up, Falling Down Vanessa
2022 The Road to Galena Teresa Baird
2024 Madame Web National Security Agency (NSA) Agent
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Not My Department Twin Makeup ArtistEpisode: "Let's Make Gold"
1988 War of the Worlds PattyEpisode: "Goliath Is My Name"
1989 The Hitchhiker MarlaEpisode: "Striptease"
1989 The Hitchhiker ElisabethEpisode: "Pawns"
1989–1990 Friday the 13th: The Series Various4 episodes
1990C.B.C.'s Magic HourHookerEpisode: "The Prom"
1990 War of the Worlds ScottEpisode: "Max"
1990 Counterstrike LexEpisode: "The Dealbreaker"
1992 Flying Blind Lauren BenjaminEpisode: "Crazy for You... and You"
1993–1996 Law & Order Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid 68 episodes
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995–97)
1996 Homicide: Life on the Street Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid Episode: "For God and Country"
2000 Nuremberg Elsie DouglasTelevision movie
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2001 Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot Jackie Kennedy Television movie
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2001–2007 Crossing Jordan Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh115 episodes
Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2004–2006 Las Vegas Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh3 episodes
2011–2012 Luck Jo9 episodes
2012 Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Agnes LeacockTelevision movie
Nominated—Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film
2013 Jo Sister Karyn8 episodes
2014 The Good Wife Rayna Hecht2 episodes
2015 Madam Secretary Jane Fellows15 episodes
2017 Shots Fired Alicia Carr10 episodes
2017 The Blacklist Margot RochetEpisode: "The Harem"
2018 Crawford Cynthia12 episodes
2018 Yellowstone Senator HuntingtonEpisode: "Daybreak"
2018 Bull Ellen2 episodes
2019–2022 City on a Hill Jenny Rohr26 episodes
2023 Accused Lynn HarmonEpisode "Scott's Story"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sienna Guillory</span> English actress

Sienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress and former model. She portrayed Jill Valentine in several entries of the Resident Evil action-horror film series. Other prominent roles include elf princess Arya Dröttningu in the fantasy-adventure film Eragon, and the title role in the TV miniseries Helen of Troy. She has appeared in TV shows including Fortitude, Stan Lee's Lucky Man, and Luther.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha Mason</span> American actress

Marsha Mason is an American actress and theatre director. She has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Chapter Two (1979), and Only When I Laugh (1981). The first two also won her Golden Globe Awards. She was married for ten years (1973–1983) to the playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, who was the writer of three of these films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Clayburgh</span> American actress (1944–2010)

Jill Clayburgh was an American actress known for her work in theater, television, and cinema. She received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her breakthrough role in Paul Mazursky's comedy drama An Unmarried Woman (1978). She also received a second consecutive Academy Award nomination for Starting Over (1979) as well as four Golden Globe nominations for her film performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebe Neuwirth</span> American actress (born 1958)

Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Téa Leoni</span> American actress (born 1966)

Téa Leoni is an American actress. In her early career, she starred in the television sitcoms Flying Blind (1992–93) and The Naked Truth (1995–1998). Her breakthrough role was in the 1995 action comedy film Bad Boys. In later years, Leoni had lead roles in films such as Deep Impact (1998), The Family Man (2000), Jurassic Park III (2001), Spanglish (2004), and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). From 2014 to 2019, she starred as Elizabeth McCord in the CBS political drama series Madam Secretary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Jones</span> American actress (1930–1983)

Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress of television and film. She began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party (1957) and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising new actresses of 1959. Her film career continued for another 20 years. In 1964, Jones began playing the role of matriarch Morticia Addams in the black and white television series The Addams Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Peet</span> American actress (born 1972)

Amanda Peet is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television before making her feature film debut in Animal Room (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in The Whole Nine Yards (2000) brought her wider recognition, and she has since appeared in a variety of films, such as Saving Silverman (2001), High Crimes, Changing Lanes, Igby Goes Down, Something's Gotta Give, Identity, Melinda and Melinda (2004), A Lot like Love, Syriana, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), 2012 (2009), Gulliver's Travels (2010), Identity Thief, and The Way, Way Back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Esmond</span> British actress (1908–1990)

Jill Esmond Moore was an English stage and screen actress.

Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy from 1993 to 1996. She appeared in 69 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Allen (actress)</span> American actress (born 1950)

Nancy Allen is an American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Saturn Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Daly</span> American actor (born 1956)

James Timothy Daly is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Hackett on the NBC sitcom Wings and his recurring role as drug-addicted screenwriter J.T. Dolan on The Sopranos. He starred as Pete Wilder on the ABC medical drama Private Practice from 2007 to 2012. He is also known for his voice role as Clark Kent/Superman in Superman: The Animated Series and several animated Superman movies. From 2014 until 2019, he portrayed Henry McCord, husband of the Secretary of State, on the CBS political drama Madam Secretary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holland Taylor</span> American actress (born 1943)

Holland Taylor is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's The Practice (1998–2003) and she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Evelyn Harper on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men (2003–15).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Rhodes</span> American actress (1947– )

Jennifer Rhodes is an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cara Buono</span> American actress (active 1989–)

Cara Buono is an American actress. Emmy-nominated for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in Mad Men, she has played Karen Wheeler in the horror sci-fi series Stranger Things since its premiere in 2016. She also portrayed Kelli Moltisanti in the sixth season of The Sopranos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Blue Richards</span> British actress (born 1994)

Dakota Blue Richards is an English actress. Her film debut at the age of 13 was in The Golden Compass, as the lead character Lyra Belacqua. Other lead roles include the wayward teenager April in Dustbin Baby and Maria in the 2009 film The Secret of Moonacre. In 2011 she played Franky Fitzgerald in the third generation cast of British teen drama Skins. She has also played roles in television, film and on stage.

Amy Louise Robbins is an English stage, film and TV actress best known for her role as Dr. Jill Weatherill in the British television series The Royal. Before this, she played Police Sergeant Rachel James in the BBC One hospital drama Casualty. Robbins has appeared in many TV series including Emmerdale, EastEnders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Holby City, World's End, Where the Heart Is, Happiness, My Hero, Heartbeat, Dalziel and Pascoe, The Slammer, Doctors, People Like Us and Noah's Ark.

<i>Chutney Popcorn</i> 1999 comedy-drama film by Nisha Ganatra

Chutney Popcorn is a 1999 comedy-drama film starring, directed and co-written by Nisha Ganatra. Ganatra plays a young lesbian Indian American woman called Reena. Jill Hennessy plays her girlfriend Lisa, and Reena's mother and sister are played by real life mother and daughter Madhur Jaffrey and Sakina Jaffrey. The film explores the conflict between Reena's sexual and national identities as well as her mother Meenu's attempts to come to terms with the Western lives of both her daughters.

Tisca Zareen Chopra is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Flint</span> American actress (born 1977)

Jill Flint is an American television and film actress, best known for her role of Jill Casey in the USA Network TV series Royal Pains, and as the popular character Lana Delaney on CBS' award-winning series The Good Wife. She also played one of the lead characters, Dr. Jordan Alexander, in the NBC medical drama The Night Shift, and had a recurring role on Bull as Diana Lindsay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talitha Bateman</span> American actress (born 2001)

Talitha Eliana Bateman is an American actress. After making her acting debut in a 2013 episode of the sitcom The Middle, she has starred in the independent drama film So B. It (2016), the science fiction film The 5th Wave (2016), the supernatural horror film Annabelle: Creation (2017), the disaster film Geostorm (2017), the thriller film Vengeance: A Love Story (2017), the romantic comedy film Love, Simon (2018), and the horror film Countdown (2019).

References

  1. ↑ "Jill Hennessy Biography - Yahoo! Movies".
  2. ↑ "Jill Hennessy chat". The Baltimore Sun. April 27, 2000.
  3. ↑ Michelle Tauber (December 3, 2001). "Jill of All Trades". People. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "FNM Exclusive: Actress and Musician Jill Hennessy 'Used to Play Guitar in the Street For Money'". Fox News . February 21, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Shwiff, Kathy (October 13, 2013). "Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny Revisit the Origins of 'The X-Files'". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ Owen Gleiberman. "Exit Wounds". Entertainment Weekly .
  7. ↑ "Jill Hennessy.com".
  8. ↑ "Indigo Girls On Mountain Stage". NPR. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Jill Hennessy On Mountain Stage". NPR. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  10. ↑ Gil Kaufman (December 10, 2009). "Lilith Fair To Feature Mary J. Blige, Colbie Caillat, Jill Scott, More". MTV. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  11. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 20, 2015). "Jill Hennessy Joins CBS' 'Madam Secretary'". Deadline.
  12. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (July 20, 2015). "Jill Hennessy Boards CBS' 'Madam Secretary'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ↑ "Bull season 3 spoilers: Jill Hennessy signs on for significant role". July 25, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ James, Faye (October 8, 2009). "Jill Hennessy - Biography". hellomagazine.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  15. ↑ The Ballad of Jill Hennessy Archived June 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine audio
  16. ↑ Pop of Futures Past Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Jon Dolan, Minneapolis/St. Paul CityPages, February 3, 1999
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.