Childhood & Early Life
Jessica Steen was born on December 19, 1965, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Jan Steen and Joanna Noyes. At a young age, Steen decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother who established herself as an actress in the early-70s.
Steen made her acting debut at the age of eight, when she was cast alongside her mother in the Canadian television series ‘The Sunrunners.’ After reaching adulthood, she decided to pursue a career in acting.
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Career
Jessica Steen made her film debut in 1981, when she was cast to play Tracy Vrain in Richard Pearce-directed science fiction film ‘Threshold.’ In 1983, she played Donna in a film titled ‘Gentle Sinners.’ In the same year, she also appeared in a couple of TV series, namely ‘Hangin' In’ and ‘SCTV Channel.’
She continued playing TV roles throughout the mid-80s. In 1984, she played Gail Pennoyer in a TV movie titled ‘When We First Met’ and then portrayed Elaine in one of the episodes of ‘CBC Television’ network's children's television program ‘The Edison Twins.’ In 1985, she appeared in three TV movies, namely ‘Workin' for Peanuts,’ ‘Home Free,’ and ‘Striker's Mountain.’
In 1986, she appeared in several TV series, including ‘Night Heat,’ ‘Kay O'Brien,’ ‘The Edison Twins,’ and ‘The Campbells.’ In the same year, she also played prominent roles in a couple of TV movies, namely ‘The Truth About Alex’ and ‘Easy Prey.’ She also returned to playing film roles in 1986, portraying Melinda Coverdale in ‘A Judgment in Stone’ and then Carly Simmons in Paul Lynch-directed drama film ‘Flying.’
Jessica Steen received her big breakthrough in 1987, when she became the only female regular in the science fiction TV series ‘Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.’ Her performance in an episode titled ‘Judgment’ from the series earned her a ‘Gemini Award’ nomination for ‘Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Continuing Dramatic Role’ in 1988.
In 1989, she was cast to play Hannah Gottschalk in Richard J. Baskin-directed American drama film ‘Sing.’ The following year, she appeared in a couple of TV movies, namely ‘Christmas in America’ and ‘Knights of the Kitchen Table.’ She then played Nellie Ambrose in a film titled ‘Still Life: The Fine Art of Murder.’
Steen moved to New York City in 1991. Soon after moving to the US, she landed the recurring role of Linda Metcalf in the American television drama series ‘Homefront.’ She played Linda from 1991 to 1993, appearing in 42 episodes. In 1994, she landed another recurring role when she was cast to play Dr. Julia Heller in the science fiction television series ‘Earth 2.’ She played Dr. Heller from 1994 to 1995, appearing in 21 episodes.
Jessica Steen’s popularity increased after appearing in ‘Earth 2.’ Subsequently, she landed opportunities to make guest appearances in many TV series, such as ‘ER’ (1996), ‘The Outer Limits’ (1996), ‘Murder One’ (1997), ‘Touched by an Angel’ (1997), ‘The Pretender’ (1999), ‘Due South’ (1999), and ‘The Practice’ (1999).
Meanwhile, film producer Jerry Bruckheimer suggested her name for the role of Captain Jennifer Watts in the 1998 Michael Bay-directed science fiction disaster film ‘Armageddon.’ While filming for ‘Armageddon,’ Steen got an opportunity to work with actors like Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler among many other prominent American actors.
In 2001, she was cast to play Victoria Thorne in Andre Van Heerden-directed thriller film ‘Apocalypse IV: Judgment.’ The following year, she played prominent roles in three TV movies, namely ‘Society's Child,’ ‘Untitled Secret Service Project,’ and ‘The Pact.’ She then started making guest appearances in many TV series, such as ‘L.A. Dragnet,’ ‘Mutant X,’ ‘Charmed,’ ‘Kojak,’ and ‘Eyes.’
In 2005, she was cast to play Dr. Francine Klepp in seven episodes of crime drama television series ‘Killer Instinct.’ In 2005, she also played Karen Cross in Tony Giglio-directed action thriller film ‘Chaos’ and then played Carolyn Miller in Craig R. Baxley-directed thriller film ‘Left Behind: World at War.’
In 2007, she landed the supporting role of Elizabeth 'Lisa' Stillman Bartlett in the long-running television series ‘Heartland.’ In 2015, ‘Heartland’ surpassed a legal drama series titled ‘Street Legal’ to become the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian television history.
From 2009 to 2011, Steen portrayed Donna Sabine in 10 episodes of the popular Canadian police drama television series ‘Flashpoint.’ In 2012, she played Sonja Sterling in three episodes of comedy-drama series ‘Republic of Doyle’ and then played Eva Braden in six episodes of dark comedy television series ‘Bullet in the Face.’ In 2018, she was cast to play Dr. Rebecca Froy in one of the episodes of popular American medical drama television series ‘Grey's Anatomy.’
Family & Personal Life
Jessica Steen is of Scottish and Dutch origin. While her mother, Joanna Noyes, is a popular actress, her father, Jan Steen, is a writer, producer, director, and actor. Joanna Noyes is best known for playing important roles in films, such as ‘Imaginaerum,’ ‘Wicker Park,’ and ‘Affliction.’ After divorcing Jan Steen, Noyes went on to marry a professor named Yves Saint Pierre.
Apart from being an actress, Steen is also an animal rights supporter and environmentalist. She is an ardent supporter of environmental activist David Takayoshi Suzuki. She is also a certified diver and is proficient in various circus arts, such as fire-eating, fire-twirling, and stilt-walking.
