Jill Hennessy Biography (2)

Hailing from Edmonton, Canada, Hennessy began her acting career in Toronto appearing in the feature film Dead Ringers. She studied improvisational comedy with the famed Second City and also worked with a Toronto-based improv comedy troupe before landing a role in the Broadway-bound production of The Buddy Holly Story.

Once in New York, Hennessy starred in Ron Howard's feature film The Paper. Her additional film credits include: I Shot Andy Warhol, Chutney Popcorn, Most Wanted, A Smile Like Yours, Dead Broke, Row Your Boat, The Florentine, Two Ninas, Molly, Komodo, Autumn in New York and the box-office hit Exit Wounds. She also performed in The Acting Class, in which she also served as writer and co-director.

Television audiences know Hennessy best from the years (1993-96) she spent playing the role of assistant district attorney Claire Kincaid on the Emmy-winning NBC drama series Law & Order. Last season, she returned to NBC by starring as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the miniseries Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot. Hennessy can currently be seen starring in NBC's Crossing Jordan, where she plays a sexy, brilliant and fearless Boston medical examiner. She was nominated for a People's Choice Award in 2001 for her role in Crossing Jordan.

Hennessey has received a Golden Satellite Award (Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) from the International Press Academy for her work in the cable movie Nuremberg.

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