Why Dr. David Downey From Chicago Med Looks So Familiar
NBC's One Chicago universe — created by legendary TV mind Dick Wolf, and featuring the shows "Chicago Fire" running since 2012, "Chicago PD" since 2014, and "Chicago Med" since 2015 — has become one of the biggest franchises in pop culture, filled with characters both lovable and complex. One of the more tragic characters to ever appear in any of the shows, though, is Dr. David Downey of "Chicago Med."
Downey appears in eight episodes throughout Season 1, beginning with Season 1, Episode 8, "Reunion," and ending with Season 1, Episode 18, "Timing." By the time we meet the ill-fated doctor, he has already been suffering from liver cancer for some time. It causes him to hurt himself in a car crash and eventually the cancer becomes terminal. Before he can succumb to it, he dies when given a lethal dose of morphine.
Sadly, though his death is tragic, the character seems to merely disappear without the proper amount of grief from the others. But the actor who portrayed the cardiothoracic surgeon is one many would recognize. He has been literally everywhere, in shows like "Magnum PI," "Matlock," and "Murder She Wrote." He also appeared in movies like "Scarface," "Payback," and "Jason Bourne." Who is the versatile character actor? And where have you seen him before? Here are some highlights from his storied career.
Gregg Henry was a prospective father-in-law in Gilmore Girls
With nearly 180 acting credits under his name (via IMDb), Gregg Henry is an actor you have seen for years and one you will likely see for years to come. One of the first places you might recognize him is "Gilmore Girls."
"Gilmore Girls" was a coming-of-age story for two different generations. Younger viewers related to Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), and they watched her go from a bright-eyed teenager to a beautiful adult with ambitions in journalism. Those a little older found entertainment and inspiration from Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), a single mother who never compromised herself or her morals when raising her daughter, even in the face of brutal breakups. The series ran from 2000 to 2007, with a revival in 2016, "Gilmore Girls: A Day in the Life."
Gregg Henry appears in three seasons and the revival as Mitchum Huntzberger. He is the father of Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), a primary character and on-again-off-again love interest of Rory's. Huntzberger is the CEO of his family's company and serves as the big shot in the Stamford Gazette. He raises his son more as an heir than a child of his own, causing the reckless behavior audiences see in Logan. And though he treats Rory better than his own children at times, he eventually tells her she doesn't have what it takes to be a journalist. His unabashed honesty and blunt delivery make him seem more coldhearted than he is, even though it is primarily a product of his upbringing than any malice of his own.
In 2016, while filming the revival, Henry tweeted a picture of himself and Czuchry with director Daniel Palladino, with the caption: "Great time seeing and working with director Daniel Palladino and Matt Czuchry again."
He was Thomas Jane's right hand man in Hung
While TV sitcoms have been through an interesting past few decades, one of the more underrated entries was HBO's "Hung," which followed Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane), a former athlete and high school basketball coach who decides to address his financial difficulties in an unorthodox way — namely, he uses his "assets" to become a sex worker. Gregg Henry appears as his assistant coach, Mike. He suspects Drecker's behavior and becomes paranoid he will be laid off when the school makes budget cuts. While the series follows Drecker down a path of criminal enterprise, Mike is his anchor to the real world. He is a reminder that life will eventually catch up with him.
When asked what it was like working with Jane, Henry said (via Media Mikes), "We have a great time. The producers of the show also did "The Riches," which I was on for two years. So I have a relationship with them. It's always great to work with them. The show is... again ... kind of a blend of things. You hear what the premise is and you think "this is going to be cheesy." And it ends up being a really human story...very funny but, again, kindly oddly moving at times."
He was Peter Quill's grandfather in Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn is a director taking Hollywood by storm with his superhero entries into both the Marvel Cinematic Universe ("Guardians of the Galaxy" Vol. 1 & and Vol 2, to be precise) and the DC Extended Universe ("The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker"). Gregg Henry is a frequent collaborator with Gunn as he appeared in 2006's "Slither" and 2010's "Super."
In his most recent appearance in a Gunn project, Henry earned a small part in the MCU. The opening of "Guardians of the Galaxy" sees a young Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) attend his mother's last moments before being kidnapped by Yondu (Michael Rooker) and thus launching forward on his path to becoming Starlord. Quill's family is present, and Henry appears briefly as Quill's grandfather, talking the young boy into saying goodbye to his mother before pursuing him out of the hospital. Since then, Quill's grandfather has not been seen again, either via flashbacks or in the present day, but that's at least partially because Star-Lord's only return to Earth, thus far, was in the midst of trying to save the universe from Thanos (Josh Brolin) in "Avengers: Endgame."
He channeled Donald Trump in Scandal
Virtually everyone in the country was constantly tuned into the 2016 presidential election that saw Donald Trump take the White House. As someone who doesn't shy away from activism or speaking out, Shonda Rhimes naturally couldn't miss an opportunity to parallel the race in one of her shows, "Scandal." After all, "Scandal" never hesitated to push the envelope, and this is where Hollis Doyle comes in.
Gregg Henry first appeared as the Texas Oil tycoon in Season 2, where he rigged the election for President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn). He eventually decided to run for himself in the election, paralleling the real-life election of Donald Trump. In an interview (via the University of Washington Magazine), Gregg spoke about what it was like to play this character, explaining that, "As Hollis ran, his politics became very Trumpian [...] I always took delight in playing this part. I love this part. But in terms of having some political edge to it, that was fun. He became more buffoonish in order to satirize Trump. And yes, I enjoyed that."
He was a depraved figure in Law & Order: Organized Crime
"Law & Order" has been running since the 1990s, and the slew of spin-offs, continuations, and similar shows that have spawned in its wake are too numerous to list. With that said, one of the latest spinoffs to hit the screens is "Law & Order: Organized Crime." The series sees the return of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" mainstay Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) going undercover and taking down organized crime elements in the city. The series is packed with nostalgic moments and callbacks to the other series with guest appearances and crossovers.
Gregg Henry appears in three episodes during Season 2 as Edmund Ross, a businessman involved with the Kosta Organization. In Season 2, Episode 5, "The Good, The Bad, And the Lovely," Ross throws a charity event attended by the Kosta Organization, where it is revealed that he is keeping trafficked girls on the premises.
By the end of the episode, Ross is arrested. He is not seen again until he is found dead in his prison cell by Stabler. With that in mind, it's extremely unlikely that his character will reappear on the series.