What The Cast Of The Shield Is Doing Today

Back in 2002, well before everyone turned to binge-watching their favorite shows through streaming services, a gritty crime drama called The Shield premiered on FX. The Shield follows the exploits of crooked cops in Los Angeles, from their unethical dealings on the infamous Strike Team to the effect their shady doings have on their personal lives. In its very first season, the series managed to snag a Golden Globe, widespread critical acclaim, and a loyal audience. From week to week, the show kept everyone on their toes, making you wonder whether or not these officers would ever pay for their abuses of power.

In 2008, The Shield finally wrapped up its six-year run. As more than a decade has passed since that momentous finale, you might be wondering what your favorite cast members have been getting up to since their last scenes rolled. The answer is, essentially, everything: Performing in critically acclaimed films, having children, and writing books are just a few of the things The Shield's cast have spent their time on. Here's what the cast of The Shield has been working on since they said goodbye to the series.

Vic Mackey is an LAPD officer, leader of the Strike Team, and an iconic TV antihero. He can catch almost any criminal — and he isn't shy about utilizing illegal tactics like torture and planting evidence to do it. Mackey was played by Michael Chiklis, who portrayed the corrupt cop with absolutely chilling conviction. Critics and fans took notice of his powerful performance early on: Chiklis won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the show's first season.

Chiklis has kept his schedule packed since The Shield. After taking a short break from acting, he moved on to roles in series like No Ordinary Family and Vegas. He's gone on to land several recurring roles in other popular TV shows as well — you may remember him playing Del Toledo on American Horror Story or Nathaniel Barnes on Gotham. You'll next be able to catch Chiklis starring as border agent Ben Clemens in the upcoming drama, Coyote. 

Chiklis is also passionate about music, and in 2011, he and his band released their very first single, "'Til I Come Home." The single was written as a tribute to American troops serving overseas. Since then, Chiklis has also released his first solo rock album, Influence.

Catherine Dent played Sergeant Danielle "Danny" Sofer, who begins her career with the LAPD as a patrol officer aiming to become a detective. She works closely with several other members of the force throughout the series, including Julien Lowe and Tina Hanlon. She has an on-again, off-again affair with Mackey, and eventually becomes pregnant with his child — though the kid's paternity is kept secret for quite some time.

After her time on The Shield was over, Dent continued working in TV. She had recurring roles as Susan Darcy on The Mentalist and Abigail Kelsey on Touch. Dent also went back to her crime drama roots with a stint as D.A. Ellis on Gang Related, and more recently played General Hale on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She branched out in a new direction with the 2013 short film Silk, which she wrote, directed, and produced. Dent has a number of exciting projects coming up that range wildly in genre and tone: She is set to star in the TV drama La Brea, which follows a family separated by a mysterious sinkhole, and will play Jean in the upcoming film Blonde, which explores the mysterious inner life of Marilyn Monroe.

Walton Goggins' character, Shane Vendrell, is a bit too reckless for his own good. He often makes dramatic decisions he can never take back without thinking of the consequences. Eventually, his regrets drive him to a tragic end.

To say that Goggins has been busy since his days on The Shield would be a colossal understatement. He's earned roles in series like Sons of Anarchy, Vice Principals, and Deep State, and was even nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his performance as Boyd Crowder in the crime drama Justified. You might have also seen him playing Baby Billy Freeman in The Righteous Gemstones or Wade Felton on The Unicorn. He's been busy on the big screen as well — Goggins appeared as Clay Hawkins in Lincoln and Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and had the opportunity to work with famed director Quentin Tarantino on high-profile films Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.

In 2011, Goggins married screenwriter and director Nadia Conners. The couple has a son named Augustus. He's currently doing voice work for the upcoming animated series Invincible, and will also be lending his voice to the true-crime podcast Deep Cover: The Drug Wars.

Throughout every season of The Shield, Julien Lowe, played by Michael Jace, struggles to find his place among his fellow officers. Although he's a member of the Strike Team, he feels like an outcast, firmly outside the team's central clique. His struggle to accept his sexuality plays a big role here: Rather than coming out of the closet as a gay man, Lowe resigns himself to an unfulfilling life as the husband of a passionately religious woman.

In the years following The Shield, Jace found work as a guest star on a number of other popular TV shows, including CSI, Rizzoli & Isles, and the medical drama Private Practice. He also had a recurring role as Terrell in the crime drama Southland. Jace's life took a dark turn in 2014, however, when he was arrested for the murder of his wife, athlete April Jace. Jace was found guilty in 2016 and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. He is currently incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison.

Detective Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach is the butt of many jokes told by those on the force. Played by Jay Karnes, Wagenbach is the closest thing to a moral center that The Shield has — which is probably why he's so frequently mocked by his ethically compromised colleagues. But Wagenbach stands firm: He keeps his own record clean and refuses to sink to their level. And despite all the quips at his expense, everyone knows who to turn to when they need to take down a serial killer.

Since putting his days on The Shield behind him, Karnes has continued working in television and appeared in the occasional film. Over the past few years, you may have spotted him in Brothers & Sisters or Burn Notice. Along with The Shield alum Catherine Dent, he also appeared on Gang Related. 

One of Karnes' most interesting projects after The Shield is the biopic Jayhawkers, which tells the story of basketball player Wilt Chamberlain's college years. The film explores Chamberlain's achievements and struggles against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. Karnes portrayed Chancellor Franklin Murphy, a powerful force for progress during Chamberlain's time at Kansas University.

Benito Martinez played David Aceveda, who isn't content to merely work in law enforcement — he also pursues an ambitious political career. In the first couple of seasons of The Shield, Aceveda is essentially running the show in "the Barn," the converted church that the Strike Team uses as their home base. He allies with Mackey when it's beneficial to him, but the two often operate as rivals. Eventually, he sets his sights on becoming the next mayor of Los Angeles.

Not long after The Shield ended, Martinez began playing Ronnie on Saving Grace. Along with Walton Goggins, Martinez also appeared on Sons of Anarchy, and has acted in dramas that have earned high praise from critics, like House of Cards, The Blacklist, and How to Get Away With Murder. For his role as Alonzo Gutierrez in American Crime, Martinez was nominated for a Critics Choice Award. You might also have caught him back in uniform as Sheriff Diaz on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Veteran detective Claudette Wyms, played by CCH Pounder, does everything she can to keep Mackey in line. She often finds herself at odds with him, but absolutely refuses to back down. She is determined to dig up enough dirt on Mackey to take him down, but never quite succeeds in this task. She also struggles with lupus, a disease she's been wrestling with since the age of 15.

Like several other Shield regulars, Pounder worked on the series Sons of Anarchy. You may have also caught her in episodes of Warehouse 13 or Brothers. In addition to her television roles, Pounder appeared in the films Orphan and Avatar and produced the drama Ayiti Mon Amour. Since 2014, she has probably been best known for her long-running role as Loretta Wade on NCIS: New Orleans. Pounder has also made waves as a voice actress, most prominently as DC Comics' formidable Amanda Waller in a variety of video games and animated productions.

Pounder is also a passionate art collector, and occasionally lends her collection out to museums for public exhibitions. Right now, she's hard at work on the next three Avatar films — meaning she'll be pretty darn busy for the next few years.

Mackey's wife Corinne, played by Cathy Cahlin Ryan, never feels truly secure in her marriage — and for good reason. Mackey's affairs and the family's domestic struggles create an unending loop of anxiety and mistrust. Eventually, she decides to build a case against her husband with Dutch and Claudette's help that could eventually put him in prison. In the end, she escapes Mackey forever when she and their three children are brought into the Witness Protection Program.

After her time on The Shield, Ryan landed guest spots on popular series like Numb3rs and Lie to Me. Ryan also provided the voice of Fred Goldman's wife on an episode of Family Guy. Most recently, she wrapped up a stint as Dr. Wendy Hughes on S.W.A.T. Ryan has also looked beyond acting, and begun experimenting with other roles in the film industry. Most prominently, she has produced, directed, and edited several episodes of the television miniseries Wrong Number.

As the Strike Team's resident surveillance expert, Ronnie Gardocki, played by David Rees Snell, keeps his own personal life private — he knows just how easy it is for information to fall into the wrong hands. In the sixth and final season of The Shield, Gardocki becomes the official leader of the Strike Team. But his unending loyalty to the team is not enough to protect him, and he ends the series behind bars.

Snell followed in the footsteps of his other Shield cast members when he landed the part of Agent Grad Nichols on Sons of Anarchy. You may have also noticed him on episodes of School and Board, Last Resort, or Cleaners. He popped up in a few episodes of Silicon Valley as a Ross Loma Capital Executive. In addition, Snell played an FPX Reporter on the crime drama Major Crimes, a spin-off of Closer, and also took on the role of Detective Burrows on S.W.A.T. alongside Shield castmate Cathy Cahlin Ryan.

Curtis Lemansky, played by Kenny Johnson, tries to abide by his own moral compass as a member of the Strike Team ... but he doesn't always manage to stick to the straight and narrow path. He feels loyal to Mackey, and goes along with the rest of the team's schemes even when it gives him a guilty conscience. Ultimately, he meets a violent end at the hands of one of his colleagues for fear that he would spill the Strike Team's secrets.

Following The Shield, Johnson became one of many Shield cast members to appear on Sons of Anarchy, and, like Benito Martinez, also landed a role on Saving Grace. He likely ran into other former cast members on the set of S.W.A.T., where he played Dominique Luca.

It wasn't long after The Shield ended that Johnson became a father. His wife, Cathleen Oveson, gave birth to their daughter in 2009. He's currently working on some interesting new projects: He'll be playing Levi in the horror film Howl, and you'll be able to catch him as Henry Killick in the thriller Don't Look There.

Steve Billings, played by David Marciano, never takes his job quite as seriously as his colleagues. In fact, his laid-back attitude often outright worries the other officers. Although his detective skills are a whole lot sharper than he lets on, he's typically more interested in pulling off silly schemes (and trying to rope other people into them) than actually dedicating his time to police work.

Since his time on The Shield came to a close, Marciano became a regular on the crime drama Homeland as Virgil Piotrowski. He also played Howard Utey on Shooter, and more recently, played Brad Conniff on the crime drama Bosch, which also takes place in Los Angeles. In 2019, he played Benjamin Kays in the short drama A Poet's Life, and he's slated to play Captain Donald Moretti in the upcoming film The Truth, which tells the story of an LAPD detective who is abducted by a radical group fighting against oppressive living conditions.

Autumn Chiklis played Vic Mackey's daughter Cassidy on The Shield. If you're wondering why their relationship always seemed so real on-screen, you might not be surprised to find out that she is Michael Chiklis' actual daughter! Unsurprisingly, their real-world relationship does not feature the secret children, constant lying, and frantic cover-ups that mark Cassidy and Vic's strained bond. 

After her time on The Shield was up, Chiklis took a decade-long break from acting: She didn't get in front of a camera again until she took on the role of Alyssa Becker in the 2018 short film, Brosa Nostra. She focused on school instead, and graduated in 2016 from the University of Southern California with degrees in theater and screenwriting. In 2018, Chiklis published her first book, Smothered, which explores the complicated relationship between a young millennial woman and her mother. Chiklis has said that it was partially inspired by the bonds she shares with her own parents, and that she and her mom would love to see the book turned into a movie one day. "My mom has been asking who's going to play her since the moment I started writing the book," Chiklis told The Hollywood Reporter.