Jill Hennessy
Jill Hennessy | |
---|---|
Born | Jillian Noel Hennessy November 25, 1968 Edmonton, Alberta,Canada |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1988–present |
Spouse |
Paolo Mastropietro (m.2000) |
Children | 2 |
Jillian Noel Hennessy(born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her roles on the American television seriesLaw & Order,on which she played prosecutorClaire Kincaidfor three seasons, andCrossing Jordan,on which she played the lead character,Jordan Cavanaugh,for six seasons. She has also acted in films such asRoboCop 3andMost Wanted,and the independent filmsChutney PopcornandThe Acting Class,the latter of which she also wrote and co-directed.
Early life
[edit]Hennessy was born inEdmonton,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, inKitchener, Ontario.[1]She has a younger brother, John Paul "J.P." Hennessy, Jr., an older sister, Faith and an identicaltwinsister, Jacqueline, who is a magazine writer and TV show host in Canada. Hennessy hasIrish,French,SwedishandItalianancestry on her father's side, and mostlyUkrainian Roma,as well asAustrian,ancestry on her mother's.[2]She attended Stanley Park Senior Public School and graduated fromGrand River Collegiate Institute,both inKitchener, Ontario,[3]and used tobuskin theToronto subway.[4]
Career
[edit]Hennessy and her sister, Jacqueline, made their acting debut playing twincall girlsin 1988'sDead Ringers.She wasshort listedfor the role ofDana ScullyonThe X-Filesaccording toGillian Anderson,the actress who was eventually chosen for the role.[5]
She appeared onBroadwayin the musicalBuddy: The Buddy Holly Storyin 1990.
In 1993, she appeared as Dr. Marie Lazarus inRoboCop 3.
Hennesey's big network breakthrough came in 1993, whenDick Wolfsigned Hennessy as assistantdistrict attorneyClaire Kincaidin the NBC crime dramaLaw & Order.She played the role for three seasons, leaving the show in 1996.
In 1999, she appeared as Lisa inChutney Popcorn.In 2000, Hennessy wrote, produced, and jointly directed (with Elizabeth Holder) anindependent filmmockumentarytitledThe 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 formerLaw & Orderco-stars. She also appeared in the filmNuremberg,as Elsie Douglas.
In 2001, she portrayedJackie Kennedyin the filmJackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot.That same year she appeared in a small role as Commander Mulcahy in theSteven Seagalaction filmExit Wounds.She received praise from criticOwen Gleibermanwho said "With the right role, Hennessy might just be a movie star."[6]In 2003, she made a cameo appearance in the filmAbby Singer.From 2001 to 2007, she starred on the TV showCrossing Jordanas title characterJordan Cavanaugh.She also played the wife ofTim Allen's character in the 2007 filmWild Hogs.On June 9, 2007, she received a star onCanada's Walk of Fame.
During sessions inAustin, Texas,Hennessy recorded the albumGhost in My Head,[7]which was released in June 2009. She performed as a guest of theIndigo Girlson a November 2009 episode ofMountain Stage,[8]and was the focus of another episode of the show later the same month.[9]She performed atLilith Fairin 2010.[10]
Hennessy starred in the independent crime thrillerSmall Town Murder Songsin 2010. She also appeared as a veterinarian in theHBOseriesLuck,and promotedZaxby's "Zalads" in a pair of television commercials in 2012.
In 2015, Hennessy appeared in several episodes ofMadam Secretary,[11][12]and in October of that year, her second album,I Do,was released.[4]
In 2018, she appeared on theMichael WeatherlyseriesBullas the mother of the deceased hacker character Cable McCrory.[13]Also in 2018, she began the role of Senator Huntington on the seriesYellowstone.
Personal life
[edit]Hennessy ismultilingual,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 atNew York City Hallwith MayorRudy Giulianiofficiating. Their first son was born in 2003, and a second was born in 2007.
In popular culture
[edit]TheMinneapolis-based bandMollycuddlewrote 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 onrhythm guitar.[16]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Dead Ringers | Mimsy | |
1993 | RoboCop 3 | Dr. Marie Lazarus | |
1993 | Trip nach Tunis | Kathryn Darby | |
1994 | The Paper | Deanne White | |
1996 | I Shot Andy Warhol | Laura | |
1996 | Kiss & Tell | Interrogator Angela Pierce | |
1997 | A Smile Like Yours | Lindsay Hamilton | |
1997 | Most Wanted | Dr. Victoria Constantini | |
1998 | Weekend Getaway | Lily | Short film |
1998 | Dead Broke | Kate | |
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 | |
2007 | Game of Life | Brenda | |
2008 | Lymelife | Brenda Bartlett | |
2010 | Small Town Murder Songs | Rita | |
2011 | Roadie | Nikki Stevens | |
2012 | Dawn Rider | Alice | |
2013 | If I Had Wings | Sandy 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 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Not My Department | Twin Makeup Artist | Episode: "Let's Make Gold" |
1988 | War of the Worlds | Patty | Episode: "Goliath Is My Name" |
1989 | The Hitchhiker | Marla | Episode: "Striptease" |
1989 | The Hitchhiker | Elisabeth | Episode: "Pawns" |
1989–1990 | Friday the 13th: The Series | Various | 4 episodes |
1990 | C.B.C.'s Magic Hour | Hooker | Episode: "The Prom" |
1990 | War of the Worlds | Scott | Episode: "Max" |
1990 | Counterstrike | Lex | Episode: "The Dealbreaker" |
1992 | Flying Blind | Lauren Benjamin | Episode: "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 Douglas | Television 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 Cavanaugh | 115 episodes Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
2004–2006 | Las Vegas | Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh | 3 episodes |
2011–2012 | Luck | Jo | 9 episodes |
2012 | Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town | Agnes Leacock | Television movie Nominated—Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film |
2013 | Jo | Sister Karyn | 8 episodes |
2014 | The Good Wife | Rayna Hecht | 2 episodes |
2015 | Madam Secretary | Jane Fellows | 15 episodes |
2017 | Shots Fired | Alicia Carr | 10 episodes |
2017 | The Blacklist | Margot Rochet | Episode: "The Harem" |
2018 | Crawford | Cynthia | 12 episodes |
2018 | Yellowstone | Senator Huntington | Episode: "Daybreak" |
2018 | Bull | Ellen | 2 episodes |
2019–2022 | City on a Hill | Jenny Rohr | 26 episodes |
2023 | Accused | Lynn Harmon | Episode "Scott's Story" |
References
[edit]- ^"Jill Hennessy Biography - Yahoo! Movies".
- ^"Jill Hennessy chat".The Baltimore Sun.April 27, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon June 24, 2022.RetrievedApril 7,2018.
- ^Michelle Tauber (December 3, 2001)."Jill of All Trades".People.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
- ^ab"FNM Exclusive: Actress and Musician Jill Hennessy 'Used to Play Guitar in the Street For Money'".Fox News.February 21, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
- ^Shwiff, Kathy (October 13, 2013)."Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny Revisit the Origins of 'The X-Files'".Wall Street Journal.
- ^Owen Gleiberman."Exit Wounds".Entertainment Weekly.
- ^"Jill Hennessy".
- ^"Indigo Girls On Mountain Stage".NPR.RetrievedJanuary 24,2010.
- ^"Jill Hennessy On Mountain Stage".NPR.RetrievedJanuary 24,2010.
- ^Gil Kaufman (December 10, 2009)."Lilith Fair To Feature Mary J. Blige, Colbie Caillat, Jill Scott, More".MTV. Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
- ^Petski, Denise (July 20, 2015)."Jill Hennessy Joins CBS' 'Madam Secretary'".Deadline.
- ^Goldberg, Lesley (July 20, 2015)."Jill Hennessy Boards CBS' 'Madam Secretary'".The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^"Bull season 3 spoilers: Jill Hennessy signs on for significant role".July 25, 2018.RetrievedNovember 26,2018.
- ^James, Faye (October 8, 2009)."Jill Hennessy - Biography".hellomagazine.RetrievedMarch 27,2024.
- ^The Ballad of Jill HennessyArchivedJune 15, 2007, at theWayback Machineaudio
- ^Pop of Futures PastArchivedSeptember 30, 2007, at theWayback MachineJon Dolan, Minneapolis/St. Paul CityPages, February 3, 1999
External links
[edit]- 1968 births
- Actresses from Edmonton
- Canadian buskers
- Canadian film actresses
- 20th-century Canadian actresses
- Canadian people of Austrian descent
- Canadian people of Irish descent
- Canadian people of Italian descent
- Canadian people of Swedish descent
- Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
- Canadian women singer-songwriters
- Canadian television actresses
- Canadian women film directors
- Film directors from Edmonton
- Identical twin actresses
- Living people
- Musicians from Edmonton
- Canadian twins
- 21st-century Canadian women singers
- 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters
- Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States
- Singers from Alberta