Jessica Steen is a Canadian actress in both

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, noted for her roles in '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'', '' Homefront'', '' Earth 2'', ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'', '' Left Behind: World at War'', '' NCIS'', '' Flashpoint'' and the CBC series ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization ...

''.

Personal life

Jessica Steen was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the daughter of Joanna Noyes, an actress, and Jan Steen, a director and actor. She is of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

and Scottish ancestry. Aside from her entertainment career, Steen is an

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

supporter. She supports

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

, the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee, among others. She is a certified diver, and is skilled at several circus arts – including stilt-walking, and fire-twirling.

Career

At the age of eight, Steen was cast in her first role in the Canadian children's television series, ''The Sunrunners'', co-starring with her mother. In the 1986 TV movie ''Young Again'', she portrayed Tracy Gordon, the daughter of a character portrayed by

Lindsay Wagner Lindsay Jean Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American film and television actress, model, author, singer, and acting coach. Wagner is best known for her leading role in the American science-fiction television series '' The Bionic Woman'' (197 ...

. In 1987, she was the only female regular on the syndicated series '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'', which lasted one year. For her performance in the ''Captain Power'' episode, "Judgment", she was nominated for the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

in the "Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Continuing Dramatic Role" category in 1988. In 1987, she played Tracy Steelgrave on THE WISEGUY. In 1989, Steen broke onto the big screen with the movie musical ''

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

''. While in Toronto, Steen garnered roles on Canadian series and American made-for-TV movies until 1991, when she elected to move to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Six weeks after arriving there, she was chosen to replace actress

Noelle Beck Noelle Beck (born December 14, 1967, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actress, best known for her role as Trisha Alden on the ABC daytime soap opera '' Loving''. Career Beck graduated from Baltimore School for the Arts. She portrayed ''Lo ...

, who was on maternity leave, on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

Loving Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * ''Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * Loving (1970 film), ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American fi ...

''. Her portrayal of Patricia Alden Sowolsky Hartman McKenzie caught the attention of ABC's casting department and led to her being cast in the series '' Homefront''. Set in a small

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

suburb immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, ''Homefront'' was critically acclaimed for its writing, ensemble cast, and historical insights. The series lasted two seasons. Jessica Steen

In 1994, she was cast as Dr. Julia Heller, a genetically enhanced doctor, in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

series '' Earth 2''. While the show was canceled in 1995, the attention brought by the show allowed Steen to land guest appearances on other series, including '' The Outer Limits'', '' ER'', '' Murder One'', '' The Pretender'', ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...

'', ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred P ...

'', and ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

''. In 1994, she won the "Best Actress"

, Canada's version of Emmy Awards, for her portrayal of Nora in the TV movie, ''Small Gifts''. In 1997, she was cast as

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

Elizabeth Gardner in the movie '' Trial & Error'', working with

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

and

Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom ''Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...

, to whom she gave his first screen kiss. She prepared for the role with the help of a friend who was going through

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

and by watching the closing arguments of Marcia Clark during the O. J. Simpson trial. Her performance earned a rave review from

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

on his syndicated show, ''

Siskel & Ebert Gene Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) and Roger Ebert (June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013), collectively known as Siskel & Ebert, were American film critics known for their partnership on television lasting from 1975 to Siskel's dea ...

''. Producer

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. His films include '' Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' ...

recommended her for the role of the shuttle pilot in 1998's ''

'' because he remembered her portrayal of Cpl. Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase in '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future''. In 2004 Steen played Dr. Elizabeth Weir in "

Lost City A lost city is an urban settlement that fell into terminal decline and became extensively or completely uninhabited, with the consequence that the site's former significance was no longer known to the wider world. The locations of many lost cit ...

", the two-part finale of season 7 of ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

''. In ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Coop ...

'' the part was instead played by

Torri Higginson Sarah Victoria "Torri" Higginson (born December 6, 1969) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles in the '' TekWar'' movies and series, and for portraying Dr. Elizabeth Weir in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' (2004–2 ...

. She played lead roles in '' Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice'' and the Disney TV movies '' Smart House'' and ''

Principal Takes a Holiday ''Principal Takes a Holiday'' is an American television film that aired on ABC's ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' anthology series. The film premiered on January 4, 1998 and stars Kevin Nealon, Zachery Ty Bryan and Jessica Steen. It was directed ...

''. She played Myra Teal in a 2002 episode (" Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger") of ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

''. She played a recurring character on the CBS crime drama '' NCIS'', that of Special Agent Paula Cassidy, from 2004–07. In the fall of 2007 she landed featured multi-episode roles on two Canadian series, '' jPod'' and ''

'', both based on popular books of the same names. Between 2009 and 2012, Steen appeared in eleven episodes of the acclaimed Canadian TV police drama '' Flashpoint'' (which was also broadcast on CBS in the U.S) as Strategic Response Unit Constable Donna Sabine. She was nominated for a

for her appearances in ''Clean Hands'' and ''The Perfect Family'' (Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series) in 2010, ultimately losing to

Catherine Disher Catherine Disher is a British-born Canadian actress. She has won two Gemini Awards: in 2005 for Best Actress for her role in the Canadian mini-series '' Snakes and Ladders'', and in 2010 for her role in '' The Border''. She was also nominated for ...

of ''The Border''. She was nominated for a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

in the category of Best Performance in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series for Flashpoint episode ''A New Life'' in 2013. She lost to Gordon Pinsent for his guest performance in ''Republic of Doyle''. She also played Sheriff's Deputy Kathleen Hudak in the ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' Season 1 episode "The Benders", a murdered cop/bodyguard in the Season 7 episode of

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

(''Toe Tags''), and was cast as Commissioner Eva Braden in the dark comedy

Bullet in the Face ''Bullet in the Face'' is a dark comedy television series developed by Alan Spencer. It premiered on IFC on August 16, 2012. It premiered in Canada on Super Channel on September 11, 2012. The series follows an ex-con, Gunter Vogler, who is recr ...

. Between 2018 and 2020, Steen made several appearances in various Hallmark and Lifetime made-for-TV movies: ''A Midnight Kiss, Matching Hearts, Chateau Christmas, The Babysitter aka The Baby Monitor Murders'', and ''Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.'' , Steen continues to appear in the supporting role of Lisa Stillman on the CBC television series ''

''—the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in the history of Canadian television. The character first appeared in the 2007 Season 1 episode "

Breaking Free "Breaking Free" is a song from the Disney Channel Original Movie ''High School Musical''. It also appears on the soundtrack of the same name. It is sung by Drew Seeley, Zac Efron, and Vanessa Hudgens. It was also released as a single on June ...

", married series patriarch Jack Bartlett in the 2014 Season 7 episode "

Be Careful What You Wish For Be Careful What You Wish For is an English phrase. It may also refer to: Books * ''Be Careful What You Wish For...'' (novella), the twelfth book in R.L. Stine's ''Goosebumps'' series * Be Careful What You Wish For (Potter novel), by Alexandra Po ...

", and has been absent from roughly half of the episodes due to her world-traveling career as a horse breeder.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Steen, Jessica Actresses from Toronto 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian people of Dutch descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Living people Year of birth missing (living people)