What The Cast Of 7th Heaven Is Up To Today
One of the series that put the then-fledgling (and now defunct) WB network on the map (and that later became its longest-running show), "7th Heaven" was somewhat of a surprise hit. In the edgy, hip network TV landscape of the 1990s, where there weren't many primetime family dramas that kept things largely wholesome and truly family-friendly, "7th Heaven" stood out. It debuted in 1996 and went a remarkable 11 seasons, outlasting even the WB itself and having to move to the CW for its final season in 2006-2007.
Besides the parents who presided over the fictional Camden family and some of the other adults in their lives, "7th Heaven" was a show full of fresh faces and up-and-comers. Though some had already been acting for a number of years, for most of the ensemble, the show was their breakthrough role. With only a few exceptions, most of the main cast stayed active in show business in one way or another since "7th Heaven" ended its historic run. Seeing as how May 13th, 2022, marked the 15th anniversary of the series finale, it feels as good a time as any to see what the cast of the longest-running family drama in television history has been up to since it wrapped.
Catherine Hicks
The matriarch of the Camden family was Annie, played by Catherine Hicks. She appeared in all but one of "7th Heaven's" 243 episodes. Already 45 by the time the series debuted, Hicks had been steadily acting for 20 years prior to her turn on the drama. She began her acting career on the soap opera "Ryan's Hope," where she played the part of Faith Coolidge for over 200 episodes. Between that and "7th Heaven," she also had main roles on the "Bad News Bears" TV series as well as "Tucker's Witch." On the big screen, she had notable roles in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Child's Play," and "Peggy Sue Got Married."
After "7th Heaven" wrapped up, Hicks returned to live theater, which she hadn't done since performing on Broadway in 1978. Beyond that, she mostly worked in television, becoming a mainstay in Lifetime and Hallmark Channel movies. After a few years off, she returned to acting in 2020 to voice a character in the Adult Swim animated series "JJ Villard's Fairy Tales." Hicks also does charity and volunteer work with the Los Angeles Homeless Action Committee and the League of Women Voters.
Tyler Hoechlin
Even though most of the "7th Heaven" cast had roles before and after their time on that show, it remains the project that much of the cast is best known for. In the case of Tyler Hoechlin, who was a main cast member for the final four seasons of the show, "7th Heaven" feels almost like a mere footnote in his career compared to what he went on to do. Though he spent his first few post-"7th Heaven" years playing fairly minor television and movie roles, it wasn't long before his career picked back up in a major way.
Starting in 2011, Hoechlin spent four years as a regular cast member on MTV's "Teen Wolf" TV series. Fans were surprised when he quit the show unexpectedly in 2014, but his biggest role was yet to come. He made his debut as Clark Kent/Superman in the second season of the CW's "Supergirl" series, a part he continues to play in that universe up to and including the currently airing "Superman & Lois." Hoechlin's co-stars Adam Rayner and Alex Garfin have called him "perfect" in the role and the best since Christopher Reeve.
Jessica Biel
Another of only a few "7th Heaven" alums to have the show end up being a minor part of her overall acting resume, Jessica Biel was already breaking free from being associated with Mary Camden before the show even ended. Biel was only 14 when the show started, but soon found herself torn between wanting to do typical teenager things (like trying new hairstyles) and the expectations to not make drastic changes to her physical appearance without approval. As such, her role was drastically reduced in the 5th and 6th seasons, which ended up giving her the opportunity to devote more time to her budding film career.
Before "7th Heaven" came to an end, Biel was already a full-fledged movie star with roles in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Rules of Attraction," and "Blade: Trinity" under her belt. She continued a very busy movie career until around 2017, when she decided to give TV another shot. In addition to starring in and executive producing the anthology series "The Sinner," Biel also played herself in four episodes of "BoJack Horseman," was a main cast member of "Limetown," and most recently starred in the Hulu miniseries "Candy," which she also executive produced.
David Gallagher
Over the course of the 11 seasons of "7th Heaven," audiences saw Simon Camden go from a 10-year-old kid to a married college graduate. Actor David Gallagher was only one year older than Simon, which is unusual for television but is one of the things that made the performances of the show's young actors so believable. Gallagher began his career scoring what was no doubt a highly coveted role among young actors at the time: Playing Mikey (who was finally talking out loud) in the third installment of the "Look Who's Talking" trilogy.
Gallagher has steadily worked in film and television after "7th Heaven," but his biggest and longest-running role has been in a different medium entirely. Since 2002, he has voiced the character Riku in the video game series "Kingdom Hearts," a role he has played in every English language localization of the game up through 2019's "Kingdom Hearts III" and 2020's "Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory." Gallagher is 37 years old as of this writing, which means he has been playing Riku for over half his life—and given the recent announcement of "Kingdom Hearts 4" and the likelihood of Riku's return, that doesn't look like it'll change anytime soon.
George Stults
The longest-running main character on "7th Heaven" who wasn't a Camden was Kevin Kinkirk, played by George Stults. He served as a big brother figure to the Camden kids once Matt Camden's role was reduced in Season 7 and beyond. He also eventually married Lucy Camden, thus officially joining the family. It was the first big role for Stults, who had previously only popped up in single episodes of various shows including "Will & Grace" and "Friends."
Since "7th Heaven," Stults has yet to join the main cast of another show, though he has had one-episode appearances on such series as "Zoo" and "Melissa & Joey." Like several members of the "7th Heaven" cast, he has found his niche in made-for-TV movies. Specifically, he often plays the male lead or other prominent character in Hallmark Channel Christmas films—giving him great job security, as there likely won't be a shortage of those anytime soon. Some of his most recent credits include "A New Lease on Christmas," "Hope for the Holidays," and "A Kiss on Candy Cane Lane."
Beverley Mitchell
Speaking of Lucy Camden, she wasn't always a wife and mother. At the beginning of "7th Heaven," she was the 12-year-old youngest daughter of the Camden brood and the token troublemaker of the bunch. Despite being only 15 years old when she started playing Lucy, actor Beverley Mitchell had already been in the business for six years, beginning with a role on the sitcom "Big Brother Jake" in 1990. Mitchell was also just beginning her movie career the same year "7th Heaven" debuted, but that movie was the poorly received "The Crow: City of Angels," so it was hardly the vehicle to launch her into Hollywood superstardom.
While Mitchell took a few more cracks at the big screen, most notably in "Saw II," she eventually realized that television was the place for her. She did a 26-episode stint on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," as well as playing a version of herself alongside fellow '90s child stars Jodie Sweetin ("Full House") and Christine Lakin ("Step by Step") on the 2017-2018 sitcom "American Darlings." In recent years, she too has joined the Hallmark Christmas movie circuit with films like "Candy Cane Christmas," "Rock 'n' Roll Christmas," and "Hometown Christmas."
Jeremy London
Right off the bat, it needs to be made clear which London twin is being discussed here. The one who played Chandler Hampton on "7th Heaven" was Jeremy London, who also starred in the movie "Mallrats" and the TV show "Party of Five." He's not to be confused with his brother Jason London, the actor who is famous for "Dazed & Confused." It doesn't help that Jason was also on an episode of "7th Heaven" during the show's seventh season, which coincided with Jeremy's two-season stint as a main cast member. So maybe none of this is all that clear after all; just know that it's only Jeremy who will be discussed from here on out.
Jeremy was already known for both "Mallrats" and "Party of Five" by the time he did "7th Heaven," and he's barely let up since—between 2004 and 2022, there isn't a single year where he doesn't have at least one acting credit, with five different years seeing him appear in at least five different movies or TV shows. Unfortunately, things haven't been smooth sailing for Jeremy in terms of his personal life, as he has long struggled with addiction and mental health issues and was arrested in 2018 after being accused of domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Barry Watson
Barry Watson, who played oldest Camden child Matt Camden, was already questioning whether he'd return to the show for its seventh season after struggling with the same personal life/show expectation conflicts as Jessica Biel. But that same year, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which forced him to take a break from the show anyway. He continued to make guest appearances as he battled (and eventually beat) cancer and was even tapped by "7th Heaven" creator and executive producer Brenda Hampton to write an episode of the show during that time.
After "7th Heaven," Watson had main or recurring roles on several shows including "Samantha Who?," "What About Brian," "Gossip Girl," "Hart of Dixie," and the currently airing superhero show "Naomi." After a break between 2005 and 2012, he also returned to movies in the 2010s, most recently in the 2019 film "A Dog's Way Home." Watson admits that all the roles he turned down earlier in his career probably hurt his chances at being a huge A-list star, but says he has "no regrets" and relishes that he is able to spend so much time with his kids as well as wife (and fellow actor) Natasha Gregson Wagner.
Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino
Initially played by real-life quadruplets, Sam and David Camden—who were born in Season 3 of "7th Heaven"—were eventually just portrayed by two of the four Brino quadruplets: Nikolas and Lorenzo. The two would continue to play Sam and David, respectively, for the entire run of the series. It's not often that a baby introduced on a TV series is allowed to age for a number of years in real time, as a show's producers often get restless and do rapid aging at some point, typically during a summer hiatus. But Nikolas and Lorenzo played the Camden twins for nine seasons, literally growing up on the set of "7th Heaven."
Interestingly, neither of the boys remained actors, with "7th Heaven" being the only credit for both of them. Both joined various social media platforms in the early 2010s, but neither was particularly active on them, seeming to prefer private, show-business-free lives. Sadly, in March 2020, Lorenzo was killed in a car accident when he lost control of his vehicle. He was the only occupant and no other cars were involved.
Ashlee Simpson
In the early 2000s, Ashlee Simpson was eager to step out of the shadow of her sister and forge her own career. Like Jessica, Ashlee tried both music and acting, and first broke into the latter by way of a 2001 appearance on the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." The following year, she made her big-screen debut in "The Hot Chick" and began her two-season stint as a "7th Heaven" main cast member. Simpson played Cecilia Smith, initially a girlfriend of Simon's who—as always seems to happen once someone enters the family's orbit—ends up sticking around as something of an honorary member of the Camden clan for a time.
Simpson's biggest acting role since she wrapped up her time as Cecilia was as a series regular in the short-lived "Melrose Place" reboot. She also had her own reality show, "The Ashlee Simpson Show," that ran for two seasons on MTV between 2004 and 2005. The bulk of her on-screen appearances between her time on "7th Heaven" and today have been reality-based. She's appeared as herself on shows like "The Dog Whisperer," "America's Next Top Model," and a 2018 reality series called "Ashlee + Evan" where she co-starred with Evan Ross, son of Diana Ross and half-brother of Tracee Ellis Ross.
Mackenzie Rosman
While not literally born during the show's run like the actors who played the Camden twins, Mackenzie Rosman was still a mere 7 years old when she first started playing Ruthie Camden on "7th Heaven" and was 18 by the end of its run. One can argue that, of all the young actors in the cast, it was she who truly grew up on "7th Heaven." In addition to a brief stint on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" (alongside "7th Heaven" co-star Beverley Mitchell), Rosman only has about a half-dozen other acting credits. It seems as though she has decided that acting is only going to be a small aspect of her life.
It's not that Rosman has completely given up performing; it's just that she prefers to do so on horseback. She's an accomplished show jumper and even has "equestrian athlete" listed at the top of her Instagram bio above actress. Rosman has also been heavily involved in charity work, particularly with organizations that focus on cystic fibrosis after losing her sister to the disease in 2008. She posted an image on Instagram of herself on the set of a Western film called "The Bountess" in February of 2022 that suggests a pending return to acting after a nearly decade-long break.
Rachel Blanchard
A number of characters were added to the main cast of "7th Heaven" for Seasons 7 and 8, likely in an attempt to counterbalance the decreased presence of both Barry Watson and Jessica Biel during that time. Among those additions was actor Rachel Blanchard as Roxanne Richardson, a colleague of Kevin's of whom Lucy is initially jealous before the two women become pals. Blanchard was already nearly 20 years into her career as an actor when she joined the cast of "7th Heaven," dating all the way back to her debut on "The Kids of Degrassi Street"—the first incarnation of the "Degrassi" franchise—at age 8.
Since "7th Heaven," Blanchard has been a main or recurring cast member on several more TV series, including "Peep Show," "Fargo," and the upcoming Amazon Prime series "The Summer I Turned Pretty." She also played Sally in two memorable appearances on HBO's musical comedy series "Flight of the Conchords." On the big screen, she has appeared in an eclectic mix of films that includes "Without a Paddle," "Snakes on a Plane," and the recently released, Ben Affleck-starring erotic thriller "Deep Water."
Adam LaVorgna
A recurring cast member in Season 4 of "7th Heaven" who was upgraded to a main role for Seasons 5 through 7, Adam LaVorgna played Robbie Palmer. During Robbie's time on the show, he dated Mary Camden, Lucy Camden, and Roxanne Richardson, and yet is still one of the characters that the Camden family ends up taking in for a time as one of their own. This being "7th Heaven," it doesn't come off as slimy and soap opera-y as it could have, but it's still quite the character arc for a main cast member of a wholesome family drama.
Before wooing half the women on "7th Heaven," DaVorgna previously made both his big and small screen debuts in 1991 in "29th Street" and "Brooklyn Bridge," respectively (it's only a coincidence that one sounds like it could be a spin-off of the other). He would go on to have far fewer roles after "7th Heaven" than he did before it, mostly minor parts in movies and one- and two-episode stints on various TV shows like "Power," "Cold Case," and "CSI: Miami." This is owed in part to LaVorgna rediscovering his connection to his faith and wanting to get away from the various temptations that celebrity brings.
Stephen Collins
The Camden family was led by father Eric Camden, who begins the series as a reverend but has a crisis of faith and quits church entirely in Season 7. His reconnection with his faith ends up being one of the character's most significant arcs, in addition to his ongoing health issues related to his heart. Rev. Camden was played by Stephen Collins, whose long acting career goes all the way back to a 1975 appearance on "The Waltons," followed by a role in the classic political thriller "All the President's Men" the next year. Sci-fi fans knew him as William Decker from the first "Star Trek" film.
While Collins initially had a busy acting career after "7th Heaven" that included roles in the movie "Blood Diamond" and main roles on the TV shows "No Ordinary Family" and "Revolution," a dark revelation about his past was soon made public and completely derailed his career. A leaked tape found its way to "TMZ" in which Collins is heard admitting to having inappropriate sexual contact with three different girls who were all minors at the time. While he faced no legal recourse for his actions, his career was effectively over, and "7th Heaven" reruns were taken off the air for a time.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).