Why Sloane From Blue Bloods Looks So Familiar
Fans of the long-running police procedural "Blue Bloods" were probably quite surprised to see actress Alex Kingston show up in Season 12, Episode 9 ("Firewall"), considering the actress has not appeared on a single episode of the series since a guest spot in 2016.
Kingston previously portrayed Commander Sloane Thompson in Season 6, Episode 17 ("Friends in Need") (via IMDb). In that episode, Sloane is introduced as a colleague of New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). Slaone visits the Big Apple along with a number of police co-workers from the United Kingdom who are seeking to learn more about counterterrorism strategies. In her first scene on "Blue Bloods," Sloane questions the integrity of the access the department is allowing its British colleagues. She later apologizes for her accusations at the behest of her bosses, but Frank tells her she doesn't have anything to apologize for and the two decide meet up for dinner. At dinner, Sloane invites Frank back to her hotel room for a drink. Though this scene is not portrayed onscreen, Frank ultimately accepts this invitation.
However, Kingston's filmography goes well beyond that of the CBS series. Here are a few other roles you may recognize her from.
She played Elizabeth Corday in ER
One of Alex Kingston's first big on-screen roles that television fans are likely to remember is her 160-episode run on "ER." Beginning in Season 4, Kingston starred as a series regular in a total of 8 seasons of the series and returned for two special-guest appearances in the final season (via IMDb). During her time on the legendary medical drama, Kingston portrayed Elizabeth Corday.
Corday first appears on the series in Season 4, Episode 1 ("Ambush") and is introduced as a British surgeon who has only recently relocated to the Chicago area. Since she is so new to the United States, Corday often finds herself struggling to adjust to a variety of typical American medical customs, including things like medical equipment terms and the fact that everyone wants to call her doctor, rather than "Miss" as she is accustomed to in the United Kingdom. After her fellowship ends, Corday opts to stay in the area and earn a license to practice in the U.S. She is later appointed to the position of Associate Chief of Surgery and in her last year as a regular on the series, she becomes Chief of Surgery.
She played River Song in "Doctor Who"
Whovians will also surely recognize Alex Kingston from her many appearances as River Song, the third incarnation of Melody Pond, on the 2005 reboot of the legendary, British time-travel series "Doctor Who." River is one of a handful of characters on the series who knows Doctor Who's real name.
During her 17 different appearances on the show, River Song encounters a number of different incarnations of the famous Doctor. In her first appearance on the series, Kingston guest starred alongside actor David Tennant's 10th incarnation of the Doctor in Season 4, Episode 8 ("Silence in the Library"). While she only appeared in two episodes with Tennant, Kingston went on to appear in a total of 14 episodes with Matt Smith's 11th incarnation of Doctor Who throughout Seasons 5, 6, and 7 (via IMDb).
In her final episode on the series so far, Kingston appeared in Season 9, Episode 13 ("The Husbands of River Song"), with the 12th incarnation of the Doctor, portrayed by Peter Capaldi (via IMDb).
She appeared in seven episodes of "Arrow" as Dinah Lance
Fans of The CW's so-called "Arrowverse" will also probably recognize Alex Kingston from her recurring role as Dinah Lance, the mother of Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) and Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). Though Dinah certainly didn't appear on "Arrow" nearly as much as her ex-husband, Quentin (Paul Blackthorne), or their super-powered daughters, Kingston made a number of memorable guest spots on the series. She is first introduced in "Arrow" Season 1, Episode 16 ("Dead to Rights") and appears in a total of three episodes of the inaugural season. In her first scene on the series, Dinah abruptly arrives at Laurel's apartment and insists that Sara is still alive, despite the latter's apparent death on board Oliver Queen's yacht, prior to the main events of the series. While Quentin and Laurel are initially skeptical of her claims, Dinah is ultimately proven to be right.
Sadly, however, Dinah's experience with losing children is only just beginning at this point. Sara is killed in Season 3, only to be resurrected in a Lazarus Pit by Laurel a few years later. Dinah is shocked to discover her daughter has seemingly come back from the dead twice. In fact, the experiences leave her with a sense of doubt when it comes to any death, in particular, the Season 4 death of Laurel (aka Black Canary). When Dinah returns for her final appearance on the series in Season 4, Episode 19 ("Canary Cry"), she expresses hope that Laurel might one day return, but is devastated when Quentin says he believes she is truly gone for good (via IMDb).