The Chicago Fire cast is back for season 12! Here’s a look at the actors then and now
When Chicago Fire premiered in 2012, few would have predicted it would become one of the hottest shows on TV and spawn a long-running franchise, including spinoffs Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and the short-lived Chicago Justice.
Created by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas with legendary Law & Order producer Dick Wolf, the high-octane series follows the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 as they fight to keep the city safe while dealing with romantic entanglements and interpersonal conflicts in and out of the station house. It’s been over a decade since ChiHards were first introduced to Severide (Taylor Kinney), Casey (Jesse Spencer), Boden (Eamonn Walker), and the rest of the team. And with over 200 episodes and counting, it looks like there are still many more dramatic rescues left for the heroes of the Windy City.
Read on to find out what your favorite Chicago Fire cast members were up to before and after setting viewers’ hearts ablaze.
The Chicago Fire cast is back for season 12! Here’s a look at the actors then and now
EW catches up with David Eigenberg, Taylor Kinney, and more of your favorite firefighting stars.
Jesse Spencer played the no-nonsense second-in-command, Captain Matt Casey.
The actor had his first big break on the soap Neighbours in his native Australia, then starred in a handful of films like the Brittany Murphy comedy Uptown Girls (2003). Before Chicago Fire, he was best known to American audiences as Dr. Robert Chase on all eight seasons of the hit Fox medical drama House (2004–2012).
“[House] was a very cerebral show and it was a really, really really, good show. Chicago Fire was just something different,” Spencer told EW in 2012. “It’s not cerebral. It’s more of a character-based show with a lot of action. After eight years of being an intellectual and spewing out medical terms, it was time to do something in the opposite direction. And running around in [firefighter’s] gear for 14 hours seemed like the right thing to do.”
Since joining the crew of Firehouse 51 in 2012, Spencer has made guest appearances on the spinoffs Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. He also returned to Neighbours for the long-running show’s series finale in 2022. After nearly nine years in the franchise, he left Chicago behind during the show’s 200th episode in 2021 but has since made a few appearances in seasons 10 and 11.
Spencer married neuroscientist Dr. Kali Woodruff Carr in 2020. He was previously in relationships with actresses Jennifer Morrison and Louise Griffiths, and professional surfer Maya Gabeira.
Taylor Kinney plays charismatic former ladies’ man Lieutenant Kelly Severide. The actor reminisced about shooting the pilot to EW ahead of the series’ 100th episode.
“There was a scene that we shot where I was repelling into the lake,” he said. “I remember not having a clue what the hell I was doing, and I’m repelling off of this bridge into the river off of Lake Michigan, and I have this goofy harness, this drysuit on, and all this gear, and I’m running my dialogue, and it just felt so bizarre and silly…The scene ended up turning out great… but it was kind of one of those instances where all I had was questions. I really didn’t know too much about everything that we were doing…”
Before strapping on 50 pounds of gear as the hotheaded fireman, Kinney climbed the Hollywood ladder with series regular roles on Fashion House and NBC’s Trauma, plus a guest star gig as sexy werewolf Mason Lockwood on The Vampire Diaries (2010–2011). He gained international attention when he starred in the 2011 music video for Lady Gaga’s You and I, leading to a five-year relationship with the singer. They were engaged in 2015 but the couple split one year later.
Since Chicago Fire’s debut in 2012, he has appeared in the comedies The Other Woman (2014) and Rock the Kasbah (2015) as well as the thrillers Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Forest (2016). Kinney also guest-starred on the Chicago spinoffs with lengthy arcs on Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. He took a leave of absence from the series midway through season 11 due to a “personal matter” but returned for season 12. The Juilliard grad introduced herself to TV viewers in 2009 as Ria Torres on the Tim Roth-led procedural Lie to Me. After the series was canceled in 2011, she had a recurring arc on season 3 of The Good Wife before being cast in the pilot of Chicago Fire.
While reflecting on her six-year journey with the character, Raymund told the Chicago Tribune in 2018, “…I loved being able to play a first responder. I don’t have anyone in my family that’s a first responder and I didn’t really know the different trials and tribulations that they face every day. So that was the greatest part about playing Gabby, that I got to get to know the paramedics, I got to know the firefighters in Chicago, and hopefully to the best of my ability, represent them honorably.”
Raymond left the series in 2017 after season 6 and made two additional appearances in seasons 7 and 8. Dur
