What Happened To The Cast Of Crossing Jordan?
Fans of crime drama got six full seasons of it in Crossing Jordan, which ran from 2001 to 2007. At the core of the show is Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, who is dedicated to solving crimes as a forensic pathologist. Played by Jill Hennessy, she might be the show's center, but she doesn't tackle these often disturbing puzzles on her own. The show is made whole by a strong ensemble cast of actors who use their respective skills to bring each character to distinct life.
The tireless dedication these people bring to solving mysteries through teamwork between police and medical professionals makes the show enormously compelling. This passion often comes with a price, however. We get to see that toll taken in all of Crossing Jordan's characters. Over the course of the series, these co-workers also develop different types of relationships with one another, ranging from romantic to adversarial, giving the show even more depth.
After 117 episodes, NBC pulled the plug on the series. Happily, most of its stars have continued working in the world of TV and film. We're here to look at what Crossing Jordan's cast has been up to since the show called it quits.
Jill Hennessy
From 2001 to 2007, Jill Hennessy starred on Crossing Jordan. As Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a forensic pathologist working for the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Hennessy mixed human traits both good and bad, broadening a character whose profession requires someone with an astute sense of rigidity and logic.
Jordan is obsessed with using her talents to solve murders, and the show finds her working with a mix of other medical professionals and detectives. Of course, friends and romantic interests pop in as well. The reason behind her drive? Her mom was a murder victim. In addition to the deep emotional turmoil this tragedy instilled in Jordan, it also initiated her desire for justice.
Crossing Jordan wasn't Hennessy's first foray into crime-solving on TV: She played an assistant district attorney on Law & Order in the '90s. Since Crossing Jordan, she's been on various shows, including The Good Wife, Yellowstone, and The Blacklist. You can currently find her as Jenny Rohr on Showtime's City on a Hill, another crime-oriented program set in Boston, where she's only one degree away from the show's star, Kevin Bacon.
Steve Valentine
Steve Valentine appeared on every season of Crossing Jordan as criminologist Dr. Nigel Townsend. In addition to examining the behaviors of killers and their criminal ilk, Townsend's sarcastic wit defines his character — he delivers cutting wise-cracks with ease. He's loyal to Jordan, often helping her solve cases, occasionally at the detriment of his own job.
Since Crossing Jordan ended its run, Valentine has continued to tackle a variety of roles, including appearing as Derek Jupiter in the rock-and-roll comedy I'm in the Band. Psych, NCIS, Supernatural, and Anger Management are some of the other shows he's graced with his presence.
Another thing that has kept Valentine busy is his career as a magician. This is something he's been doing for decades: In the 1990s, Valentine was doing magic shows to supplement his acting career while he built up his resume. He continues to tour and perform in productions like his one-man show, Steve Valentine's Life and Other Deceptions. Valentine has also been a staple at Los Angeles' premier private magic club, The Magic Castle.
Miguel Ferrer
Dr. Garret Macy, played by Miguel Ferrer, is Jordan's boss, the chief medical examiner. He has a cool, unaffected vibe, though he does carry around his own personal trauma — he just chooses to let it brew beneath the surface, rather than wear it on his sleeve. He's also got some addiction issues, which come heavily into play when it's discovered that his daughter Abby (Alex McKenna) is using heroin. Jordan's emotional nature is another landscape for him to travel. His character, like Jordan herself, is a reminder that we never know what's going on with someone, despite what we might assume.
Ferrer started acting in the '80s and caught a big break appearing in the blockbuster, RoboCop. Twin Peaks, Fallen Angel, and On the Air are just a few of the shows he appeared on prior to landing his part on Crossing Jordan. When that ended, he continued down that show's crime-centric path, appearing on NCIS and reprising his role as FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in 2017's Twin Peaks reboot, which sees the show pick up 25 years after its original air date.
Ferrer's dad was the notable actor Jose Ferrer, who was the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award. Sadly, Miguel Ferrer died of throat cancer in 2017, but you can still enjoy his work in the many classic movies and TV shows he appeared on.
Kathryn Hahn
Kathryn Hahn is one busy actress, and that has been consistent since she started actively working in the early 2000s. Her resume boasts a lengthy list of TV shows and movies: Parks and Recreation, Girls, Transparent, and the title role of Eve Fletcher in Mrs. Fletcher are among the series she's graced with her presence since playing Lily Lebowski on Crossing Jordan. Recently, she's blown superhero fans' minds with her jauntily enigmatic portrayal of Agnes on Disney+'s WandaVision, which merges old school sitcoms with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On Jordan, Lily Lebowski is another member of the medical examiner's team, a grief counselor with a good disposition and an eccentric personality. Her character also has some romantic liaisons with boss Dr. Garret Macy.
Hahn won't be slowing down any time soon. Her slate of projects includes The Shrink Next Door, a dark comedy starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. She plays Phyllis, the younger sister of Ferrell's character, Marty Markowitz. This isn't the first time she's worked with Ferrell, either: Step Brothers fans will remember Hahn as Alice, the unhappy wife of the jerky Derek (Adam Scott), who finds her dream guy in Dale Doback (John C. Reilly).
Ravi Kapoor
Ravi Kapoor portrayed Dr. Mahesh "Bug" Vijay on Crossing Jordan, a forensic entomologist working with the Boston crew. He has a couple of intense storylines throughout the series. One centers around his continued desire to connect with counselor Lily Lebowski. A harsher plot involves him going missing, only to be later discovered in the custody of Homeland Security, who have wrongly profiled him as a terrorist.
Like some of his fellow cast members, Kapoor appeared on NCIS after the show ended. He's been on other shows too, including The Kominsky Method and Little America. Kapoor is busy on the silver screen as well: Movie fans can catch him as Dr. Manmohan in The Starling alongside Daveed Diggs, Melissa McCarthy, and Timothy Olyphant.
Kapoor also has writing and directing credits under his belt. He co-wrote and directed 2015's Miss India America, a comedy-drama about high-achieving teen from Orange County who competes for the title of Miss India National.
Jerry O'Connell
In 1986, Jerry O'Connell played Vern Tessio in Stand By Me. He worked alongside a bunch of other then-young actors who have remained in the spotlight, like Wil Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland, and Corey Feldman. O'Connell has been going similarly strong since that movie debuted. His character on Crossing Jordan was Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Hoyt, a passionate police detective who works on cases with Jordan. He appeared on more than 80 episodes, becoming a regular in the fourth season. Hoyt has feelings for Jordan, but it takes her until the end of the series to come to terms with her own feelings about him. When she does, she lets him know that it's reciprocal.
Billions, Carter, and Star Trek: Lower Decks are some of the shows O'Connell has worked on since Crossing Jordan closed up shop. He is also an admitted fanatic of reality TV, particularly Bravo shows and The Real Housewives franchise. He's even hosted a show called Play By Play where he and a panel review various episodes of Bravo shows. Sometimes his wife, Rebecca Romjin, joins in the fun.
Ken Howard
Ken Howard's career started in theater in the late 1960s. Around that same time, film and television got added to his resume. He won a Theatre World Award for playing Thomas Jefferson in 1776, and a Tony Award followed the next year. He made a huge mark in the '70s on the TV show The White Shadow, playing a former professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls who takes a job coaching a team in South Central Los Angeles. The show covers a lot of pressing issues, including drug problems and child abuse.
Howard played Max Kavanaugh on Crossing Jordan, appearing in more than 50 episodes as Jordan's dad. Another somewhat troubled figure, Max is traumatized by the murder of Jordan's mom and left his job as a police officer under bad terms. He now lives his dream of running a bar, and he and Jordan often clash, each having strong personalities and being prone to stubbornness. By the show's end, the two come to an understanding that allows them to communicate better.
After Crossing Jordan, Howard worked actively until he died in 2016 at age 71. He is remembered for the wide range of roles he took on, in everything from daytime soaps like The Young and the Restless to comedies like 30 Rock.
Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei appeared on Crossing Jordan's second and third seasons. He played Dr. Peter Winslow, a medical examiner and recovering drug addict for 22 episodes. His character leaves the show without any fanfare or finality. Winslow does get mentioned by Nigel, though, so audiences can assume the character is still around in-universe.
Charmed fans know Sergei as Henry Mitchell, one of his post-Jordan roles. Other shows he's been in include Granite Flats, Twisted, and BH90210, a reboot of the popular Beverly Hills, 90210, which follows a group of friends from high school to beyond college. In this reboot of that show, Sergei plays Nate, Tori Spelling's husband. The two worked together back in the mid-'90s in the thriller, Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? In that classic, Sergei plays Spelling's obsessive, creepy boyfriend Billy Jones.
Sergei is busy on the silver screen as well, with roles in films like The Butterfly Guard.
Mahershala Ali
Now an Academy Award winner, Mahershala Ali spent a season on Crossing Jordan. He played Dr. Trey Sanders, who is working on a research grant. Sanders and Jordan don't always see eye-to-eye, but he's more jovial than not, enjoying being in the mix and working on cases with the team.
Crossing Jordan was actually the first TV show Ali appeared on. From there, his career became a blend of TV shows and movies. Since Crossing Jordan ended, he's appeared on The 4400, House of Cards, and Luke Cage. Notably, Ali starred as Wayne Hays on the third season of HBO's acclaimed series, True Detective. Most prominently, Ali won Oscars in 2017 and 2019 for his roles in Moonlight and Green Book, respectively.
In addition to acting, Ali is also a musician. He snagged a record deal in the late 2000s, and recorded a rap record as Prince Ali. It doesn't appear that there will be a follow-up musical release anytime soon, unfortunately. However, Ali's recent work does include parts in Swan Song, a sci-fi drama that explores human cloning, and the titular role in the MCU Blade reboot.
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb joined the Crossing Jordan family in the show's fifth season. She appeared on 14 episodes as Tallulah "Lu" Simmons, a psychologist and homicide detective. Her character is tasked with helping Woody Hoyt work through some of the trauma he's endured on the job. The two characters become romantically involved for a short stint.
Bibb worked for a solid decade before landing that role, appearing on several TV shows, Popular and The Big Easy among them. After Jordan, The Following and Burning Love were a couple of the shows on which she made multiple appearances. Movies are also part of her resume: In Iron Man and Iron Man 2, Bibb played reporter Christine Everhart. More recently, her films include the horror comedies The Babysitter and its follow-up, The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Horror is something she seems resolved to keep exploring, given her role in The Inhabitant alongside Dermot Mulroney. In terms of her personal life, Bibb keeps things a lot less spooky: For more than a decade, Bibb has been partnered with actor Sam Rockwell.