The Cast of ER Then and Now

It may be hard to believe, but NBC's hit medical drama ER premiered over 25 years ago! It feels like just yesterday we were tuning in for this series every week, but that's probably just because we still binge-watch it on Hulu on a regular basis. 

Back in 1994 -- before the dark and twisty Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) dominated primetime TV -- ER debut and kickstarted the career of several household names like George Clooney, Julianna Marguiles, and Noah Wyle. And sure, most of us were too busy swooning over Dr. Doug Ross to give our full attention to goings-on of County General Hospital, but this primetime drama managed to create some historic storylines such as the shocking death of Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin), Jeanie's (Gloria Reuben) HIV positive diagnosis, and Romano's (Paul McCrane) helicopter accident.

Decades later, the cast is still moving and shaking with the best of them in Hollywood, and like a fine wine, they've only gotten better with age. From John Stamos to Ming Na Wen to Linda Cardinelli, check out what the cast is up to now all these years later.

In 1994, Noah Wyle introduced us to Dr. John Carter, the unfailingly dedicated and compassionate medical student.

All these years later, Noah Wyle is still shaking up the TV scene. He most recently starred in The Red Line, in which he played a man who was left to raise his daughter alone after a white police officer shot his Black husband.  

Another OG star, Julianna Margulies appeared as nurse Carol Hathaway from the pilot of ER until departing the series in Season 6.

These days, Margulies has a reoccurring role on Billions, but she's best known for her popular series The Good Wife, which ran from 2009-2016.

Eriq La Salle spent 8 years playing the abrasive but loyal Peter Benton on ER. 

These days La Salle is not only still acting, he's also moved on to become a respected director and producer for shows like Chicago PD and Lucifer.

Goran Visnjic joined the series in Season 6 as Croatian doctor Luka Kovac, who was haunted by his tragic past. 

In 2020, Goran Visnjic appeared on Doctor Who as Nikola Tesla and Season 2 of Amazon's hit series The Boys.  

You can catch Cardellini in her Netflix series Dead to Me these days. This dark comedy stars her and Christina Applegate as two women who form an unlikely friendship amidst tragic circumstances. 

Linda Cardellini joined the cast of ER in Season 10 as nurse and single mother Samantha Taggart. 

Gloria Reuben was another early addition to the cast of ER, and her character Jeanie Boulet became the center of a groundbreaking storyline when she tested HIV positive in Season 3.

Reuben has continued to act, both on TV and on the stage, but she's also enjoyed a music career. Her second album, For All We Know, will be released in 2020.

Mekhi Phifer joined ER late in the series' eighth season as Dr. Greg Pratt, an arrogant intern we eventually grew to love.

Phifer most recently starred in Hulu's Love, Victor as Harold Brooks. Phifer shared most of his scenes with Rachel Hilson who played his daughter, and Sophia Bush, who played his pregnant fiance. 

Maura Tierney first appeared on ER as a guest star in Season 6. She played OB nurse Abby Lockhart who helped Carol deliver her twin girls. She joined the show as a regular four episodes later!

Tierney's critically acclaimed series The Affair ran from 2014-2019, for which she was nominated for an Emmy and won a Golden Globe.

Though she wasn't an OG cast member of ER, Ming Na Wen joined the series in its first season as John Carter's rival, Jing-Mei Chen.

In 2020, Ming Na Wen's hit ABC series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to a close, which Wen has starred in for all seven seasons.  

Anthony Edwards starred as the show's main character Mark Greene when it first premiered in 1994. He was written off the show in Season 8 after Mark died of brain cancer.

In 2020, Edwards brought his one-man show The Tricky Part to streaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The play tells the true story of Martin Moran, who was sexually abused as a young boy. 

Originally introduced as a paramedic in Season 12, Stamos' character Tony Gates had a rebellious attitude that earned him the nickname "cowboy" from Dr. Gregory Pratt. 

Stamos returned to his roots to executive produce the Full House revival, Fuller House. In addition to producing, he also reprised his role of Jesse Katsopolis until the series ended in 2020. 

Laura Innes joined ER in Season 2 as Dr. Kerry Weaver, and she has the second-most number of episodes under her belt after Noah Wyle's John Carter.

Most recently, Innes starred in How to Get Away with Murder as the corrupt Governor Birkhead. Her character was killed off in a bloody massacre in the show's series finale in 2020.

Paul McCrane made his ER debut in Season 4 as the sarcastic Dr. Robert Romano. He was killed off the series in Season 10, when a helicopter crashed off the hospital helipad and crushed him.

McCrane currently stars on the CBS courtroom drama, All Rise, as Jonas Laski. 

Kellie Martin's character, Lucy Knight, had a short tenure on the show after joining the series in Season 5. She'd only been around for a year when she was stabbed by a schizophrenic patient and ultimately died of her wounds. 

Martin now dominates the Hallmark Channel with her Hailey Dean Mystery film series. She stars in and executive produces the series based on Nancy Grace's Hailey Dean Mystery novels.

Parminder Nagra first appeared on ER in 2003, at the beginning of the show's 10th season. She played Neela Rasgotra, a talented medical student from London. 

Most recently, Nagra played another doctor on 13 Reasons Why. Her character Dr. Priya Singh was a therapist brought into the show in Season 2 to be the school's new counselor. 

Shane West's Ray Barnett joined ER in Season 11, and in addition to being a capable doctor, he was also an aspiring rock musician. 

West has made the rounds on TV in recent years, appearing on shows like Salem and Gotham. 

Laura Cerón's character, nurse Chunny Marquez, had a long run on the series. She continued to star in the show intermittently from her debut in Season 1 all the way until its series finale. She appears in the third-most episodes after Laura Innes' Kerry Weaver and Noah Wyle's John Carter.

In 2020, Laura Cerón guest-starred in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Station 19. Her other recent credits include In the Dark, The Big Bang Theory, and Shameless.

Yvette Freeman played another character that had a long run on ER. Her beloved nurse Haleh Adams appeared in every season (one of only six characters to do so), whose mothering personality made her a fan favorite.

Freeman subsequently guest-starred on Deputy and Amazing Stories in 2020 and appeared in A Black Lady Sketch Show in 2019. 

Scott Grimes provided some much needed comic relief as Dr. Archie Morris. He first appeared in ER's tenth season and starred on the show until it ended in 2009.

Grimes continues to be excellent comic relief all these years later with his hilarious role of Gordon Malloy on Fox's The Orville. 

Arguably one of the most famous stars of ER, George Clooney played one of the original characters of the series, Dr. Doug Ross. 

Clooney returned to TV for the first time in over a decade in 2019 with Hulu's limited series, Catch-22, but has remained very active on the movie scene.

Alex Kingston played British surgeon Elizabeth Corday on ER from Season 4 to Season 11. She was married to Dr. Mark Greene until he died of a brain tumor in Season 8.

These days, Kingston is best known for her Doctor Who character River Song, but she also recently starred in the British TV series The Widow in 2019.

Sherry Stringfield was one of the originals cast member of ER. She played Dr. Susan Lewis, an eager and competent young doctor who has trouble standing up for herself.

Stringfield's most recent TV credit is Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, where she reoccurred as Karen Garrett.