Jessalyn Gilsig

Jessalyn married her high-school sweetheart, film producer Robert Bobby Salomon, on January 1, 2005. They had started dating in 2002, and Robert was her prom date in high school.

She gave birth to her daughter, Penelope Salomon, on September 26, 2006. However, Jessalyn and Robert divorced in 2010, due to irreconcilable differences.

Jessalyn was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on November 30, 1971, to Claire and Toby Gilsig.

Her mother was a writer and translator, and her father was an engineer.

She attended the ‘McGill University’, Montreal, from 1989 to 1993, to attain her degree in English. She further attended the ‘Institute of Advanced Theater Training’ at the prestigious ‘Harvard University.’

During her training at ‘Harvard,’ Jessalyn appeared in a number of productions, such as ‘Henry V,’ ‘The Tempest,’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard.’

Her acting career began as a voice actor for a 1984 short film, ‘Masquerade,’ which was a production of the ‘National Film Board of Canada.’ Jessalyn was only 12 years old when she lent her voice to the movie.

After performing in various plays, she made her film debut with ‘The Journey Home’ in 1989 and then appeared in ‘Jacknife’ the same year. Jessalyn made her TV debut as a voice actor in the 1991 TV series ‘The Little Flying Bears.’

From 1991 to 1992, she lent her voice to another series ‘Young Robin Hood.’ She was part of 26 episodes of the series.

Her voice was also featured in ‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ a TV series that aired in 1992. She was the voice of ‘Folia’ in the series.

In 1995, she moved to New York to pursue acting seriously. She continued working in theater and plays and made several appearances in shows such as ‘To Have & To Hold’ (1998), ‘Viper’ (1998), ‘Seven Days’ (1999), ‘The Sentinel’ (1999). She also appeared in the TV movie ‘A Cooler Climate’ (1999).

She appeared in two episodes of ‘The Practice’ in 1999. However, her appearance in the TV show ‘Snoops’ (2000) failed to hit the right note with the audience.

She finally found a good role in ‘Boston Public,’ owing to her association with its producer, David E.Kelly. The show aired from 2000 to 2002, making Jessalyn a well-known face.

She played the role of ‘Lauren Davis,’ which was especially written for her by Kelley. She appeared in 44 episodes of the TV series.

After appearing in several other shows, such as ‘Haunted’ (2002) and ‘Without a Trace’ (2003), she appeared in the hit TV show, ‘Nip/Tuck.’ In the series, she portrayed the character of ‘Gina Russo,’ a nymphomaniac, for 17 episodes (2003–08).