Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig (born November 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Meredith Gordon in Heroes, Kayley in Quest for Camelot, Lauren Davis in Boston Public, Gina Russo in Nip/Tuck, Det. Kelly Ronson in NYPD Blue, Terri Schuester in Glee, and as Siggy Haraldson in Vikings.
Also recorded as Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig

Rach · Flickr: Jessalyn Gilsig · CC BY 2.0
- Born
- 1967. · Montreal.
- Nationality
- Canada.
- Occupation
- actress.
- Education
- Harvard University, McGill University, Trafalgar School for Girls and Institute for Advanced Theatre Training.
- Honours
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
- Languages
- English.
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Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig (born November 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Meredith Gordon in Heroes, Kayley in Quest for Camelot, Lauren Davis in Boston Public, Gina Russo in Nip/Tuck, Det. Kelly Ronson in NYPD Blue, Terri Schuester in Glee, and as Siggy Haraldson in Vikings.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jessalyn Gilsig was a Canadian actor, actress and film actor, among other activities. The actor was born in Montreal. Jessalyn Gilsig studied at Harvard University, Institute for Advanced Theatre Training and McGill University, among others. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q233546 · wikipedia · Jessalyn Gilsig
In this article
Early life
Early life
Gilsig was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the daughter of Claire, a writer and translator, and Toby Gilsig, an engineer. She began her acting in a voice work part at age 12 for a National Film Board of Canada production, Masquerade. She is of Jewish descent.
Education
Education
Gilsig attended McGill University in Montreal, from 1989 to 1993, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1993. She later pursued her acting studies further at Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training.
Career
Career
Gilsig began her career as a voice actress. She has done voices in the films such as Masquerade, and for television series such as Young Robin Hood. She moved to New York City in 1995 where she appeared in several off-Broadway plays. However, it was her association with David E. Kelley that led to her starring role in Boston Public. After guest-starring in two episodes of Kelley's The Practice, Gilsig was cast in two episodes of another Kelley program, the short-lived Snoops. Although the series was cancelled before Gilsig's episodes were broadcast, Kelley wrote the part of Lauren Davis in Boston Public specifically for her, a series that premiered in September 2000 on FOX; Gilsig would leave the series after the end of the second season in May 2002. Following her departure from Boston Public, Gilsig joined the cast of Nip/Tuck in 2003 as Gina Russo, a role she continued until 2008. In 2004, she appeared in five episodes of NYPD Blue, followed by four episodes of FOX's Prison Break in 2005. In addition to her extensive credits in television and theatre, Gilsig has appeared in film, beginning with a small role in the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer. She then provided the speaking voice for Kayley in the animated film Quest for Camelot (1998), with Andrea Corr performing the character's songs. In 2004 she starred in Chicks with Sticks, appeared in See This Movie, and in one of the lead roles in the 2007 film Flood. In 2007–2008 she had recurring roles in two television series, playing Shelley, the sister of Tami Taylor, on NBC's Friday Night Lights, and Claire Bennet's biological mother, Meredith Gordon, on Heroes. Gilsig went on to play the main role of Terri Schuester on the Fox show, Glee, from 2009 to 2012. In 2013, Gilsig was a series regular, portraying Siggy Haraldson, wife of Earl Haraldson and paramour of Ragnar Lothbrok's brother, Rollo, on the History Channel series Vikings until 2015. In 2017 she joined the cast of Scandal. On January 24, 2020, Gilsig joined the cast of the Disney+ sports comedy-drama series Big Shot as Holly Barrett with John Stamos to replace Shiri Appleby.
Personal life
Personal life
Gilsig met and briefly dated Bobby Salomon as a high school student – he was the football team quarterback she described as a "cool guy". Salomon, a film producer, moved to Hollywood in 2002, and the two began dating again. They were married on January 1, 2005, in a traditional Jewish wedding (Gilsig's father is Jewish). Gilsig and Salomon have a daughter. Gilsig filed for divorce from Salomon on September 8, 2010, citing irreconcilable differences, having been separated since 2009. In 2013, Gilsig became an American citizen.

Jessalyn Gilsig 69th Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel New York, NY USA May 17, 2010
Peabody Awards · Glee
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Jessalyn Gilsig Biography, Birthday.
- 2.Jessalyn Gilsig, Biography, Theater Actress, Film Actress, Television Actress (1971–). Biography.com. 2013.
- 3.McCabe, Daniel. Alumni Profiles [Jessalyn Gilsig]: Grateful for a Gleeful Gig. McGill News. McGill University. Spring–Summer 2010.
- 4.Rowan, Terry. Character-Based Film Series Part 1. Terry M. Rowan. 176. 2016. 9781365021282.
- 5.London, Todd. 15 After 20, Part 1: Actors Who Trained Together in the Mid-'90s, and Where They Are Now. AMERICAN THEATRE. August 31, 2015.
- 6.Tough Lesson – Vol. 56 No. 21. People. November 19, 2001.
- 7.Gilsig Makes A 'Public' Exit. tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. March 2, 2003.
- 8.Catching Up With. Jessalyn Gilsig. Backstage.com. June 23, 2004.
- 9.Fernandez, Maria Elena. A fond farewell to 'Prison Break'. Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2009.
- 10.Jessalyn Gilsig. South Beach Magazine. September 3, 2004.
- 11.Canadian Independent Visual and Digital Media Association. Chicks with Sticks. Northernstars. June 30, 2016.
- 12.Seth Meyers and Jessica Paré's absurd Montreal movie. Cult MTL. September 6, 2015.
- 13.Dodd, Stacy. Jessalyn Gilsig. Variety. February 15, 2006.
- 14.Jessalyn Gilsig to Appear on New Season of 'Friday Night Lights'. buddytv.com. September 13, 2007.
- 15.Jessalyn Gilsig Returns for 'Heroes' Season 3. buddytv.com. June 3, 2008.
- 16.Case of the Ex: Glee's Jessalyn Gilsig on Terri's Return — and Why It's Necessary. TVGuide.com. November 15, 2010.
- 17.Radish, Christina. Jessalyn Gilsig Talks "Vikings," Being Part of the History Channel's First Scripted Series and Her Character's Dynamics, Plus Her Upcoming Projects. Collider. March 10, 2013.
- 18.Monte J. Jessalyn Gilsig Talks About Being Siggy on 'Vikings,' the Historical Role of Viking Women. STAGEDOORdish. March 27, 2013.
- 19.Ausiello, Michael. Scandal Recast: Glee Alum Takes Over Role of Jake's Wife in Season 6. TVLine. August 5, 2016.
- 20.Andreeva, Nellie. 'Big Shot': Jessalyn Gilsig Joins Disney+ Series From David E. Kelley In Recasting. Deadline Hollywood. January 24, 2020.
- 21.Bloom, Nate. Celebrity Jews: Gilsig and Gitelman. jweekly.com. February 9, 2007.
- 22.Shira, Dahvi. Glee Star Jessalyn Gilsig Files for Divorce. People. October 13, 2010.
- 23.Staff. Actress Jessalyn Gilsig welcomes a daughter. People. November 13, 2006.
- 24.Us Weekly Staff. Glee Star Jessalyn Gilsig Files for Divorce. Us Weekly. October 13, 2010.
- 25.Dustin Putman's Review: The Stepfather (2009) – [TheMovieBoy]. www.thefilmfile.com.
- 26.'Nip/Tuck' Actress Joins the Cast of NBC Pilot. buddytv.com. August 9, 2007.
- 27.Destination: Infestation (2007) – Dread Central. Dread Central. July 11, 2007.
- 28.Rants & Reviews – The Futon's First Look: "Apostles, The" (FOX) TheFutonCritic.com. www.thefutoncritic.com.
- 29.Exclusive: Nip/Tuck Diva Relocates to CSI: NY. tvguide.com. March 4, 2008.
- 30.XIII – TV Review. The Hollywood Reporter. February 6, 2009.
- 31.Imaginary Bitches: Sexy Single Chicks and a Not-So-Imaginary Bitch. daytimeconfidential.com. March 17, 2015.
- 32.Smart Cookies: Hallmark Channel movie a delight. NewsOK.com. August 15, 2012.
- 33.Levine, Sydney. Golden Maple Awards'15 Winners Include Brandon Jay McLaren and Amanda Crew IndieWire. www.indiewire.com.
- 34.Jessalyn Gilsig in Angels and Ornaments Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.
- 35.Andreeva, Nellie. Parminder Nagra & Jessalyn Gilsig To Co-Star In 'Evil Men' USA Pilot. Deadline. November 25, 2014.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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