Who is Jessalyn Gilsig?
Jessalyn Gilsig is a well-established Hollywood actor, best known for her roles in TV shows such as ‘Glee’ and ‘Vikings.’ Born in Canada, the actor has worked extensively in a large number of TV shows and movies, making her one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. She started as a voice actor and gradually made her way to the top. Some of her well-known films are ‘The Horse Whisperer,’ ‘Prom Night,’ and ‘The Stepfather’ among others. Jessalyn had her big break in the TV series ‘The Practice.’ However, she caught the attention of the audiences when she played the role of ‘Lauren Davis’ in the series ‘Boston Public.’ Her other well-known TV shows include ‘Nip/Tuck’, ‘Prison Break,’ ‘Law & Order,’ ‘Heroes,’ ‘CSI:NY,’ ‘The Good Wife,’ and ‘Scandal.’ Her latest appearance was in ‘Scandal’ in 2016.
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Childhood & Early Life
Jessalyn was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on November 30, 1971, to Claire and Toby Gilsig.
Her mother was a writer and translator, and her father was an engineer.
She attended the ‘McGill University’, Montreal, from 1989 to 1993, to attain her degree in English. She further attended the ‘Institute of Advanced Theater Training’ at the prestigious ‘Harvard University.’
During her training at ‘Harvard,’ Jessalyn appeared in a number of productions, such as ‘Henry V,’ ‘The Tempest,’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard.’
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Early Career
Her acting career began as a voice actor for a 1984 short film, ‘Masquerade,’ which was a production of the ‘National Film Board of Canada.’ Jessalyn was only 12 years old when she lent her voice to the movie.
After performing in various plays, she made her film debut with ‘The Journey Home’ in 1989 and then appeared in ‘Jacknife’ the same year. Jessalyn made her TV debut as a voice actor in the 1991 TV series ‘The Little Flying Bears.’
From 1991 to 1992, she lent her voice to another series ‘Young Robin Hood.’ She was part of 26 episodes of the series.
Her voice was also featured in ‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ a TV series that aired in 1992. She was the voice of ‘Folia’ in the series.
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Career
In 1995, she moved to New York to pursue acting seriously. She continued working in theater and plays and made several appearances in shows such as ‘To Have & To Hold’ (1998), ‘Viper’ (1998), ‘Seven Days’ (1999), ‘The Sentinel’ (1999). She also appeared in the TV movie ‘A Cooler Climate’ (1999).
She appeared in two episodes of ‘The Practice’ in 1999. However, her appearance in the TV show ‘Snoops’ (2000) failed to hit the right note with the audience.
She finally found a good role in ‘Boston Public,’ owing to her association with its producer, David E.Kelly. The show aired from 2000 to 2002, making Jessalyn a well-known face.
She played the role of ‘Lauren Davis,’ which was especially written for her by Kelley. She appeared in 44 episodes of the TV series.
After appearing in several other shows, such as ‘Haunted’ (2002) and ‘Without a Trace’ (2003), she appeared in the hit TV show, ‘Nip/Tuck.’ In the series, she portrayed the character of ‘Gina Russo,’ a nymphomaniac, for 17 episodes (2003–08).
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Her other notable appearances were in successful shows such as ‘Prison Break’ (2005), ‘Law & Order’ (2006), ‘Friday Night Lights’ (2007–08), ‘Heroes’ (2007–08), and ‘CSI:NY’ (2008). Her role of ‘Meredith Gordon’ in ‘Heroes’ lasted for 10 episodes.
Her most popular role was in the popular ‘FOX’ comedy series ‘Glee.’ She played ‘Terri Schuester,’ wife of glee club director ‘Will Schuester.’
‘Glee’ aired from 2009 to 2012 and again in 2015.The show was a massive hit and made Jessalyn a star.
Another memorable role of Jessalyn’s was in the ‘History Channel’ show ‘Vikings,’ in which she played the character of ‘Siggy Haraldson.’ She was part of the main cast of the series.
She also appeared in ‘The Good Wife’ (2013) and in ‘Scandal’ (2016). She has appeared in a handful of films, such as ‘The Horse Whisperer’ (1998), ‘Chicks with Sticks’ (2004), ‘See This Movie’ (2004), ‘Flood’(2007), ‘Prom Night’ (2008), and ‘The Stepfather’ (2009) among others.
Her most recent films include ‘About Fifty’ (2011) and ‘Somewhere Slow’ (2013).
Awards & Achievements
In 2010, Jessalyn, along with the entire cast of ‘Glee,’ won the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series’ for ‘Glee’.
In 2013, her movie ‘Somewhere Slow’ won the honor of the ‘Best Narrative Feature’ at the ‘Brooklyn Film Festival.’
In 2015, she was nominated for the award of the ‘Best Actress in a TV Series’ at the ‘Golden Maple Awards,’ for her role in ‘Vikings.’
Personal Life
Jessalyn married her high-school sweetheart, film producer Robert Bobby Salomon, on January 1, 2005. They had started dating in 2002, and Robert was her prom date in high school.
She gave birth to her daughter, Penelope Salomon, on September 26, 2006. However, Jessalyn and Robert divorced in 2010, due to irreconcilable differences.
Trivia
Jessalyn loves to paint. She painted all the art pieces in the episode ‘The Station Agent’ of ‘Boston Public’ (2000).
