Birth name
Jillian Hennessy
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Spouse
| Paolo Mastropietro | (1 October 2000 - present) 1 child |
Birth name
Jillian Hennessy
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Spouse
Paolo Mastropietro
(1 October 2000 - present) 1 child
Speaks Italian, French and Spanish.
Has Irish, Italian, Swedish, French and Ukrainian ancestry.
Jill moved almost every 3 years growing up because of her father's job as a meat salesman. Jill's parents seperated when she was 13. Soon after, her grandmother moved up from Phoenix, AZ to help raise the girls.
Jill's hobbies growing up included reading, baking and music - for which she received several awards for her prowess. Jill began to model at age 15. Jill married fellow actor Paolo Mastropietro on October 1, 2000. Jill first gained notoriety in her role as A.D.A. Claire Kincaid on "Law&Order." Studied Improv Comedy with Second City in Toronto.
Has a song named after her: "The Ballad of Jill Hennessy" by Mollycuddle.
Graduated from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada's Grand River Collegiate (high school).
Quotes by Jill:
"I like someone who embraces life; who wants to be on a long journey, but has no particular plan or destination in mind. An adventurous man, open to the concept of living life in the moment." (Jill commenting on her ideal man)
"I get paranoid when I know I'm going to be playing the same character for three years. I don't want to lose my acting muscles."
Jill goes on to add: "That's the cool thing about Jordan -- she's not very restrictive. There are so many layers to this character, I could see playing her for five years and still coming up with new stuff."
On Jordan: "She will take on anybody because she's used to living on the edge and not censoring herself. Jordan had to confront alot of difficult things when she was young, including the unsolved murder of her mother, so consequently she's unafraid of how people will react to her. She just immediately lets people know what's on her mind."
"I'm like Claire in that I'm diplomatic, but my vocabulary and how I dress are more like Jordan. On the whole, I'm more like Jordan -- my demeanor, my clothes. I'm a laid-back, guitar-playing chick!"
On what grabbed her about playing Jordan: "The fact that she's so imperfect. She's incredibly expressive, but she's not preachy -- she has the sincerity of a child who's trying to do the right thing. Emotionally, she's at the level of a 10-year-old girl, which can be a very interesting role to play."
On the pressure of carrying the show: "P-p-pressure? What are you talking about? Excuse me, I need to go pop a pill right now. Seriously, it is terrifying and it is intense. But a part of me really loves it. I'm honored and flattered at being given the chance." On having ever wanted to quit acting: "When I was about 19 or 20, I worked incredibly hard with an acting coach for a part that I wanted very badly. I went in for the audition, and felt really good about how I did. But as soon as I finished {they} took one look at me and said, 'I know a girl like you thinks she can get by on her looks, but it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to be a good actor, and God knows you need a lot of training!'"
Hennessy style:
Her apartment is filled with "throw-away furniture given to me by my friends. I just moved to Los Angeles from New York a few weeks ago to do the show, and my apartment is filled with two couches a friend was literally going to throw out." Her favorite style: Eclectic. "Integrating old with new, like really old antique wooden French furniture with ultra-modern Milanese furniture pieces."
Loves to walk on Sisal carpets.
awards & nominations1997 : [Nomination - SAG Awards] Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for: "Law & Order"
2001 : [Won - Golden Satellite Awards] Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for: "Nuremberg"
2002 : [Nomination- Golden Satellite Awards] Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for: "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot"
Bottom line: Jill Hennessy rocks!!!!