Jillian Noel Hennessy

Jillian Noel Hennessy (19 November 1975) is a Canadian actor and singer. She is most famous for her role as Claire Kincaid, a US prosecutor in the television show Law & Order for three seasons. Crossing Jordan was six seasons. Jordan Cavanaugh, the lead character on Crossing Jordan, lasted six seasons. She also appeared as an actress in films such as RoboCop 3: Most Wanted as well as the independent film Chutney Popcorn (which she also co-directed) and The Acting Class (which was written by her). Hennessy was born in Edmonton, Alberta. John Hennessy was her father. He was a meat marketer and an executive in sales and marketing. This job required lots of travel, which caused frequent family changes. Maxine Hernnessy, Maxine's mother and secretary, passed away in the year 1982. Eleanor her paternal grandmother who lived in Kitchener (Ontario) was involved in the raising of her daughter. John Paul Hennessy Jr. is her younger brother. Jacqueline Hennessy is her identical twin sister. Jacqueline is a journalist in Canada. Hennessy is of Irish as well as French, Swedish, Italian and Swedish roots from her father, and most of her Ukrainian Roma and Austrian heritage from her mother. She was educated at Stanley Park Senior Public School and then graduated from Grand River Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario and busked in the Toronto subway. Hennessy was the sister of her brother who made their acting debut in 1988 as twin call-girls in the TV show Dead Ringers. According to Gillian Anderson (the actress who played the part) she was a finalist for Dana Scully's part in The X-Files. In 1993, Hennessy was signed by Dick Wolf as Claire Kincaid an assistant district attorney on the NBC crime drama Law & Order. She played the character for three seasons and then quit the show in 1996.