Jillian Noel Hennessy

Jillian Noel Hennessy is a Canadian actress and singer. Most well-known for her roles in the American television series Law & Order (where she played Claire Kincaid, a prosecutor) and Crossing Jordan (where she played Jordan Cavanaugh for six seasons). She also appeared as an actor in films such as RoboCop 3 or Most Wanted as well as independent films like Chutney Popcorn, which she co-directed. Hennessy was born in Edmonton, Alberta. John Hennessy, her father, was a meat-salesman and an executive in marketing and sales. His work required a lot of travel, which resulted in many moves for the family. The mother of her child, Maxine, a secretary was a divorcee in 1982 and left her daughter to be partially raised by her maternal grandmother, Eleanor and her family located in Kitchener, Ontario. John Paul Hennessy Jr., her younger brother, is Jacqueline Hennessy, an identical twin who works as a journalist for a magazine as well as a host on TV in Canada. Hennessy is of Irish, French and Swedish descent, as well as Ukrainian Roma and Austrian ancestry. She was a student at Stanley Park Senior Public School. Grand River Collegiate Institute was where she graduated. She used to busk in the subway system of Toronto. Her sister and she made their acting debut as twin callgirls in 1988’s Dead Ringers. Gillian Anderson, who was the actress who ultimately got the part, claimed that she was shortlisted to play Dana Scully in The X-Files. She played the character for three seasons and then left the show in 1996.