ER changed the way TV series were shot and edited, creating an incredible new rhythm to go along with the craziness of an emergency room. The show started in 1994 and lasted for 15 years. Many actors came and went during the seasons, but its first batch of performers is still its most impressive, as many of those have had incredible careers after the show. Here’s where the cast of ER is today.

Anthony Edwards

     Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Anthony Edwards was Dr. Mark Greene, established as the chief resident in the pilot episode, and the character who set the tone for his ER team during his eight seasons on the show. He had marriage troubles, fell in love again, and had PTSD after someone attacked him. Dr. Greene’s death is still one of the most heartbreaking deaths in TV history. About the dynamic long takes in the hospital ER, Edwards told TV Guide: “The takes were long. They were like little mini-plays. They would take like two minutes or whatever the length they were in the scene because doctors don’t stop. It was the ballet of it.”

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Edwards was already known when the show started, as he had been Gilbert on Revenge of the Nerds and Goose in the original Top Gun. After ER, Edwards has been a supporting actor in movies and shows as different as Zodiac, Zero Hour, and Designated Survivor. His most recent appearance was as Dr. Charles Everett on the TV miniseries, Tales of the Walking Dead.

George Clooney

George Clooney played Dr. Doug Ross, a dedicated pediatrician, who also had a messy love life during the show’s first five seasons. Once he left, Clooney made the jump from TV to movies successfully; something that was very difficult back then. Since then, his career speaks for itself, as he has become one of our last traditional movie stars, making great movies and playing characters both in blockbusters like Ocean’s Eleven and indie darlings like O Brother, Where Art Thou. Clooney has also directed some movies, his best being Good Night and Good Luck. The actor has won two Oscars and has six more nominations under his belt. His last film, Ticket to Paradise, was just in cinemas and streaming, and is with another traditional movie star: Julia Roberts.

Sherry Stringfield

Sherry Stringfield played Dr. Susan Lewis, a capable and eager doctor, who still had to be more confident with her diagnosis so that other doctors didn’t barrel over her. The actress worked on the first three seasons of ER, for which she earned three Emmy Nominations. She came back to the show during season eight and stayed for four more years. After the show, Stringfield had roles in TV movies like Night and Day, and Who is Clark Rockefeller, and had a nine-episode arc on Under the Dome. Her last role was in 2017 as Karen Garret on the series, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies played nurse Carol Hathaway, who ended the pilot trying to kill herself after she had broken up with Dr. Ross (Clooney). Her character had many rough patches during the show, like getting suspended and having financial troubles. The character left the hospital and went to Seattle to rekindle her love story with Dr. Ross. Margulies was the only cast member who won an Emmy for her performance, and earned five more nominations.

After the show, Margulies had roles in Slingshot, Snakes on a Plane, and The Sopranos. She proved she could be number one on the call sheet, and became the lead actor on the great show The Good Wife; the show had a great cast, which ran for seven seasons and earned her two more Emmy wins. After the show, she had appearances on Dietland, The Hot Zone, and Billions. The last series where we’ve seen Margulies use her acting talents is The Morning Show.

Eriq La Salle

Eriq La Salle played Dr. Peter Benton, a cocky surgical doctor who came into conflict many times with Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) before becoming his mentor. La Salle earned three Emmy nominations for the role and left after eight seasons. After ER, La Salle had roles in 24, How to Make It in America, and Under the Dome. In the last few years, his career has been going more and more behind the camera, as he has become a reliable TV director. He has directed episodes from diverse shows such as Lucifer, CSI: Cyber, and Chicago P.D. (and is now an executive producer on the last series). After five years without acting credits, he appeared in front of the camera in 2022 in the Hallmark movie, A Second Chance at Love.

Noah Wyle

Noah Wyle played Dr. John Carter, who started as an intern in the pilot and, although not the most promising doctor, became essential to the ER because of his resilience and compassion for his patients. During the show, Carter had many tragedies happen to him, from getting stabbed and losing an intern on the same day, to drug addiction, and a son dying in the uterus. Wyle is the actor with the most ER episodes under his belt; 254, and although he left in season 12, he kept coming back to round out his character’s arc. He also earned five Emmy nominations for the role. About one of his characters’ greatest arcs, in which he becomes a drug addict, Wyle told Entertainment Weekly: “John Wells said “I want to make you a drug addict,” and I said that seems like a bit of a stretch for John Carter. (…) So you’re the least likely character to develop a drug addiction, and I think that is exactly why it should be you.”

After he left the show, Wyle landed three big leading roles on television. He was The Librarian in a series of TV movies and a posterior TV show (he also executive-produced, directed, and wrote for it); the lead character, Tom Mason, in Falling Skies; and you can see him right now as Harry Wilson on Leverage: Redemption.

Ming Na-Wen

Ming Na-Wen played Dr. Jing-Mei Chen, a doctor who started as a rival medical student to Dr. Carter, and who appeared as a regular cast member from seasons six to 11, as a medical resident. Her character was all about not being underestimated, and had many ups and downs during the show. Since she left ER, Na-Wen has had one of the better and most unique careers. She’s been a voice actor for Mulan, Phineas and Ferb, and the Guardians of the Galaxy animated show, and she’s also been an action hero, appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett. Her next role will be as Fong Wing on Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.

Gloria Reuben

Gloria Reuben played Dr. Jeanie Boulet, a physical therapist who Dr. Benton hired to care for her mother. She and Benton had an affair while she was married. Boulet ended up contracting HIV from her husband and had to cope with the diagnosis during her time in the hospital. The actress earned two Emmy nominations for the role, and left the show after season six. Since then, she’s been a staple on TV, having supporting roles in all kinds of shows: from Rising the Bar and Blindspot, to Cloak and Dagger, and the critically acclaimed Mr. Robot. For the last three years, she’s been playing Eloise Hastings on Kevin Bacon’s City on a Hill.

Goran Visnjic

Goran Visnjic played Dr. Luka Kovac for nine seasons. Kovac had PTSD and Survivor’s guilt, as his family had died during the Balkan War because of a bombing. During the show, he became a loving man again and healed. After ER, Visnjic appeared as a supporting player in movies like Elektra, The Beginners, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, before coming back to television in shows like Red Widow, Extant, and especially, Timeless. In 2022, you could’ve seen him in This is Us or Hellraiser.

Maura Tierney

Maura Tierney played nurse and then doctor Abby Lockhart for nine seasons. Lockhart started as a nurse and decided to become a doctor in one of the greatest character arcs in the whole series. She also had some heartache and drama, as she was an alcoholic with a bipolar mother. The character ends up marrying and having a kid with Dr. Kovac.

Tierney was already a known entity before ER, as she had been one of the leads on NewsRadio, and after leaving the medical show and battling breast cancer, she kept her career going, appearing in Rescue Me, The Whole Truth, and The Good Wife. In 2014, she became one of the leads of The Affair, and she won a Golden Globe for her performance. Her last appearances on screen were on Your Honor and American Rust in 2021.