Jessica Steen

Not to be confused with Jessica Van Der Steen.

Jessica Steen
Steen at The Heart Truth celebrity fashion show in 2012
Born	(1965-12-19) December 19, 1965 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1974, 1981–present

Jessica Steen (born December 19, 1965) is a Canadian actress in both film and television, noted for her roles in Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Homefront, Earth 2, Armageddon, Left Behind: World at War, NCIS, Flashpoint and the CBC series Heartland.

Personal life

Jessica Steen was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Joanna Noyes, an actress, and Jan Steen, a director and actor. She is of Dutch and Scottish ancestry.

Aside from her entertainment career, Steen is an environmentalist and animal rights supporter. She supports David Suzuki, the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee, among others. She is a certified diver, and is skilled at several circus arts – including stilt-walking, and fire-twirling.

Career

At the age of eight, Steen was cast in her first role in the Canadian children's television series, The Sunrunners, co-starring with her mother. In the 1986 TV movie Young Again, she portrayed Tracy Gordon, the daughter of a character portrayed by Lindsay Wagner.

In 1987, she was the only female regular on the syndicated series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, which lasted one year. For her performance in the Captain Power episode, "Judgment", she was nominated for the Gemini Award in the "Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Continuing Dramatic Role" category in 1988. In 1987, she played Tracy Steelgrave on THE WISEGUY. In 1989, Steen broke onto the big screen with the movie musical Sing.

While in Toronto, Steen garnered roles on Canadian series and American made-for-TV movies until 1991, when she elected to move to New York City. Six weeks after arriving there, she was chosen to replace actress Noelle Beck, who was on maternity leave, on the soap opera Loving. Her portrayal of Patricia Alden Sowolsky Hartman McKenzie caught the attention of ABC's casting department and led to her being cast in the series Homefront. Set in a small Cleveland suburb immediately after World War II, Homefront was critically acclaimed for its writing, ensemble cast, and historical insights. The series lasted two seasons.

Steen at the Armageddon premiere, 1998

In 1994, she was cast as Dr. Julia Heller, a genetically enhanced doctor, in the NBC science fiction series Earth 2. While the show was canceled in 1995, the attention brought by the show allowed Steen to land guest appearances on other series, including The Outer Limits, ER, Murder One, The Pretender, The Practice, Due South, and Touched by an Angel. In 1994, she won the "Best Actress" Gemini Award, Canada's version of Emmy Awards, for her portrayal of Nora in the TV movie, Small Gifts.

In 1997, she was cast as District Attorney Elizabeth Gardner in the movie Trial & Error, working with Jeff Daniels and Michael Richards, to whom she gave his first screen kiss. She prepared for the role with the help of a friend who was going through law school and by watching the closing arguments of Marcia Clark during the O. J. Simpson trial. Her performance earned a rave review from Roger Ebert on his syndicated show, Siskel & Ebert.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recommended her for the role of the shuttle pilot in 1998's Armageddon because he remembered her portrayal of Cpl. Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase in Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. In 2004 Steen played Dr. Elizabeth Weir in "Lost City", the two-part finale of season 7 of Stargate SG-1. In Stargate Atlantis the part was instead played by Torri Higginson. She played lead roles in Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice and the Disney TV movies Smart House and Principal Takes a Holiday.

She played Myra Teal in a 2002 episode ("Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger") of Monk. She played a recurring character on the CBS crime drama NCIS, that of Special Agent Paula Cassidy, from 2004–07. In the fall of 2007 she landed featured multi-episode roles on two Canadian series, jPod and Heartland, both based on popular books of the same names.

Between 2009 and 2012, Steen appeared in eleven episodes of the acclaimed Canadian TV police drama Flashpoint (which was also broadcast on CBS in the U.S) as Strategic Response Unit Constable Donna Sabine. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her appearances in Clean Hands and The Perfect Family (Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series) in 2010, ultimately losing to Catherine Disher of The Border. She was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in the category of Best Performance in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series for Flashpoint episode A New Life in 2013. She lost to Gordon Pinsent for his guest performance in Republic of Doyle.

She also played Sheriff's Deputy Kathleen Hudak in the Supernatural Season 1 episode "The Benders", a murdered cop/bodyguard in the Season 7 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Toe Tags), and was cast as Commissioner Eva Braden in the dark comedy Bullet in the Face.

Between 2018 and 2020, Steen made several appearances in various Hallmark and Lifetime made-for-TV movies: A Midnight Kiss, Matching Hearts, Chateau Christmas, The Babysitter aka The Baby Monitor Murders, and Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.

As of 2021, Steen continues to appear in the supporting role of Lisa Stillman on the CBC television series Heartland—the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in the history of Canadian television. The character first appeared in the 2007 Season 1 episode "Breaking Free", married series patriarch Jack Bartlett in the 2014 Season 7 episode "Be Careful What You Wish For", and has been absent from roughly half of the episodes due to her world-traveling career as a horse breeder.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Threshold	Tracy Vrain
1983	Gentle Sinners	Donna
1986	A Judgment in Stone	Melinda Coverdale
1986	Flying	Carly Simmons
1987	John and the Missus	Faith
1989	Sing	Hannah Gottschalk
1990	Still Life: The Fine Art of Murder	Nellie Ambrose
1996	Dog Watch	Janet	Video
1997	Trial and Error	Elizabeth Gardner
1998	Armageddon	Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts
1999	Question of Privilege	Andrea Roberts
2000	The Ride Home	Clara	Short film
2001	Apocalypse IV: Judgment	Victoria Thorne
2002	Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice	Jessie Dage	Video
2003	Flip Phone	Sue	Short film
2005	Chaos	Karen Cross
2005	Left Behind: World at War	Carolyn Miller
2008	Transit Lounge	Roberta	Short film
2013	The Sound of Willie Nelson's Guitar	Karen	Short Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Hangin' In	Darcy	Episode: "I've Got a Secret"
1983	SCTV Channel	College Student	Episode: "It's a Wonderful Film"
1984	When We First Met	Gail Pennoyer	TV movie
1984	The Edison Twins	Elaine	Episode: "Enemy of Weston"
1985	Workin' for Peanuts	Mellisa Stotts	TV movie
1985	Home Free	Daughter	TV movie
1985	The Littlest Hobo	Leslie 'Torque' Davidson	Episode: "Torgue"
1985	Striker's Mountain	Lowni Striker	TV movie
1985	Night Heat	Michelle Parker	Episode: "The Source"
1986	Night Heat	Angela Rivera	Episode: "Fighting Back"
1986	Kay O'Brien	Lindsay	Episode: "Little White Lies"
1986	The Truth About Alex	Kay	TV movie
1986	The Edison Twins	Elaine	Episode: "What Goes Up"
1986	The Campbells	Amanda Sims	Episode: "Blinded by Love"
1986	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	Tracy Gordon	Episode: "Young Again"
1986	Easy Prey	Wendy Robinson	TV movie
1987	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Kate	Episode: "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book"
1987	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Sally Carlyle	Episode: "Man on the Edge"
1987	Wiseguy	Tracy Steelgrave	Episode: "Pilot"
1987–1988	Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future	Corporal Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase	22 episodes
1989	C.B.C.'s Magic Hour	Jennifer McPhail	Episode: "High Country"
1989	The Rocket Boy	The Rocket Boy's Girlfriend	TV movie
1990	Christmas in America	Eileen Morgan	TV movie
1990	Knights of the Kitchen Table	Marla McDermott	TV movie
1990	Street Legal	Karen MacNeil	Episode: "Softsell"
1991	The Great Pretender	Kate Hightower	TV movie
1991	Tropical Heat	Patricia Poston Phd.	Episode: "Dead Men Tell"
1991	Loving	Patricia 'Trisha' Alden Sowolsky Hartman McKenzie	5 episodes
1991–1993	Homefront	Linda Metcalf	42 episodes
1993	Herman's Head	Heather	Episode: "When Hairy Met Hermy"
1994	Small Gifts	Nora	TV movie
1994	To Save the Children	Kathi Davidson	TV movie
1994–1995	Earth 2	Dr. Julia Heller	21 episodes
1996	ER	Karen Hardy	Episode: "True Lies"
1996	The Outer Limits	Gina Beaumont	Episode: "The Refuge"
1997	Murder One	Paige Weikopf	4 episodes
1997	Touched by an Angel	Sarah Bingham	Episode: "Full Moon"
1998	Principal Takes a Holiday	Celia Shine	TV movie
1999	The Pretender	Rachel	Episode: "The Assassin"
1999	Due South	Constable Maggie MacKenzie	Episode: "Hunting Season"
1999	Smart House	Sara Barnes	TV movie
1999	The Practice	Brianna Hatfield	Episode: "Marooned"
1999	The Outer Limits	Stephanie Sawyer	Episode: "Essence of Life"
2000	On Hostile Ground	Allison Beauchamp	TV movie
2000	The Outer Limits	Kathrine	Episode: "The Grid"
2001	The Practice	Dr. Sarah Ford	Episode: "Inter Arma Silent Leges"
2002	Society's Child	Terry Best	TV movie
2002	Untitled Secret Service Project	Maureen Gage	TV movie
2002	Monk	Myra Teal	Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger"
2002	The Pact	Det. Anne-Marie Marrone	TV movie
2003	The Paradise Virus	Susan Holme	TV movie
2003	L.A. Dragnet	Amy Wenzel	Episode: "The Cutting of the Swath"
2003	Mutant X	Dr. Sara Stanton	Episode: "The Taking of Crows"
2003–2007, 2015	NCIS	NCIS Special Agent Paula Cassidy	6 episodes
2004	Stargate SG-1	Dr. Elizabeth Weir	Episode: "Lost City: Part 1" Episode: "Lost City: Part 2"
2004	Nip/Tuck	Amy Connors	Episode: "Kimber Henry"
2005	Charmed	Ruth Brody	Episode: "Ordinary Witches"
2005	Kojak	Kate	Episode: "Pilot"
2005	Eyes	Holly Gibson	Episode: "Shots"
2005	Killer Instinct	Dr. Francine Klepp	7 episodes
2006	Supernatural	Deputy Kathleen Hudak	Episode: "The Benders"
2006	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Donna Basset	Episode: "Toe Tags"
2006	Rapid Fire	Linda	TV movie
2007–present	Heartland	Lisa Stillman	91 episodes
2008	Canooks	Katherine 'Kat' Baines	Web Series/Those Damn Canadians
2008	jPod	Freedom	3 episodes
2008	Vipers	Dr. Collins	TV movie
2009	My Nanny's Secret	Julia	TV movie
2009–2012	Flashpoint	Donna Sabine	11 episodes
2012	Republic of Doyle	Sonja Sterling	3 episodes
2012	Bullet in the Face	Eva Braden	6 episodes
2018	Grey’s Anatomy	Dr. Rebecca Froy	Episode: “Beautiful Dreamer”
2018	A Midnight Kiss	Barbara Pearson	Hallmark Movie
2019	Charmed	Elder Devorah Silver	2 Episodes
2020	Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story	Judge Marianne Aho	Lifetime TV Movie
2020	The Babysitter aka The Baby Monitor Murders	Jennifer	Lifetime TV Movie
2020	Matching Hearts	Barbara	Hallmark TV Movie
2020	Sacred Lies	Arwen Reed	Episode: “Chapter Nine: Bloodlines”
2020	Chateau Christmas	Renee	Hallmark TV Movie
2021	Maid	Doreen	Netflix Series

External links

• Official website
• Jessica Steen at IMDb