Why Clarice From Chicago Fire Looks So Familiar
Veteran viewers of the "One Chicago" action-drama "Chicago Fire" have had to keep up with a dizzying number of both regular and periodically appearing characters on the show. From mainstay firefighters and paramedics at Firehouse 51 to guest star cameos and on-again-off-again romantic partners, even the most dedicated fans would be overwhelmed trying to construct an accurate flowchart of all the faces showing up on this long-running "One Chicago" franchise.
Considering this large and continually rotating roster of personalities on the show, fans could be excused for occasionally having a déjà vu moment thinking they've seen a certain "Chicago Fire" actor somewhere before, but then struggle to put their finger on why a certain face rings a bell. One "Chicago Fire" cast member who fans are certain to feel looks very familiar is Shiri Appleby, who portrayed Clarice Carthage in a key story arc of the show's first season. But those same fans may wonder exactly when and where they saw Appleby both before and after her recurring role as the love interest of "Chicago Fire" paramedic Leslie Shay (Lauren German). Fear, not Chi-Hards, we have the full scoop on the many TV series and films where this remarkably experienced actor may have caught your eye.
Appleby has been acting since she was 4
Stepping in front of TV cameras for the first time at the age of four (per IMDb), Shiri Appleby's show business career began with a series of commercials for name brands like Cheerios, M&Ms, and Taco Bell. She landed her initial role as an actor in 1984 with a role on the soap opera "Santa Barbara." This was quickly followed up with additional parts on a variety of TV shows, including the series "Thirtysomething" and "The Bronx Zoo" in 1987 and, in 1988 at the age of 10, an appearance on the "Freddy's Nightmares" TV series in the episode "Freddy's Tricks and Treats."
Appleby's noteworthy work on the small screen led to her entering the world of feature films. Her initial appearance in a motion picture was a smaller role in the horror sequel, "Curse II: The Bite." Her next part on the big screen, 1990's "I Love You to Death," found her acting alongside Kevin Kline and Tracey Ullman.
She turned up in episodes of ER and Baywatch
After 1990, Appleby's acting career shifted from sporadically picking up small parts here and there in TV and film to finally seeing her hard work pay off with more consistent and more substantial roles. Working primarily in TV for the next few years, the young actor would first secure a recurring part as Rachel in the TV series "Sunday Dinner" (via IMDb). Produced by entertainment icon Norman Lear, "Sunday Dinner," with Robert Loggia and Teri Hatcher, only lasted a single season, but served as a showcase for Appleby, raising her profile with casting directors.
1992's made-for-TV movie "Perfect Family" was next for Appleby, with a succession of TV roles coming shortly after. She would play Molly Harris on the TV medical series "Doogie Howser, M.D." in 1993, then pick up appearances on shows including "Raven," "Against the Grain," "Brotherly Love," "ER," and "Baywatch" over the next several years –- and all of this while still attending high school!
Roswell gave her out-of-this-world popularity
After Shiri Appleby graduated from high school in 1997, her next professional jobs found her cast in the long-running family drama "7th Heaven" and "City Guys." During the late '90s, she would also take on roles in such landmark TV series as "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." Deciding to step back from acting at this point in her career, Appleby began taking classes at the University of Southern California, majoring in English. But the decision proved short-lived after she was offered the role of Liz Parker on the WB/UPN UFO-centric series "Roswell."
During its run from 1999 to 2002, "Roswell" would earn blockbuster TV-hit status, and Appleby's Liz Parker would turn up in a full 61 episodes of the series. Fueled by the cult-hit stature of "Roswell" with its young and fanatically devoted demographic, the young actor was suddenly on the covers of popular teen magazines, rocketing her to TV superstar-status both in the U.S. and internationally.
She starred in a series from the producer of Lost
In 2006, Appleby's star continued to rise when she was slated to appear in "Six Degrees," a new show from the producers of the mega-hit series "Lost" and "Alias." As the recurring character Anya, she was in six episodes of the show airing from 2006 to 2008. The actor's next major series appearances would include some of the most-recognized franchises on network television. Beginning in 2008, she would return to the smash-hit medical drama "ER" in the recurring role of Dr. Daria Wade. As Dr. Wade, Appleby would become part of "ER" for a total of 10 episodes (per IMDb).
Beginning in 2010, Appleby would receive top billing and star as Cate Cassidy for 26 episodes of the "Gilmore Girls"-esque TV series "Life Unexpected." After two years on that series, she would then go on to portray Lucy in 10 episodes of 2012's "Dating Rules for My Future Self."
She traveled from Chicago Fire back to Roswell, New Mexico
2012 was the year that Shiri Appleby found her way into the "One Chicago" universe of shows as she was cast in the role of Shay's pregnant girlfriend Clarice Carthage in the debut season of "Chicago Fire." She would continue in the series' Season 1 run on NBC for a total of six episodes. A standout character on the show, Appleby's last appearance on the series was in the episode "Viral" in 2013.
Moving on from "Chicago Fire," Appleby appeared as Natalia in four episodes of the breakthrough HBO hit "Girls" during that series' run from 2013 to 2014. She then landed another top-of-billing role as Rachel Goldberg on Lifetime's "UnREAL," where she would portray the character for a total of 38 episodes. More recently, the actor would make a pair of appearances in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and, bringing her "Roswell" work full circle, she would play Allie on the rebooted sci-fi series, "Roswell, New Mexico," and also go behind the camera to serve as a director on the series (via The Hollywood Reporter).
All the above being said, it's no wonder this particular actor looked totally familiar to long-time viewers of "Chicago Fire."