Laura Innes then:
Innes joined the show in its second season and went on to star in a whopping 249 episodes as the severe Dr. Kerry Weaver. Having worked mostly in theater, it’s no surprise that Innes’s performance felt so physical, giving the character a sense of weight that made for some unforgettable moments. Oh, and over a dozen award nominations.
Now:
While acting the character’s limp may have given Innes acute spinal damage, she didn’t let that stop her pursuing work after the show ended. She continued to star on stage and screen throughout the 2020s and has become a spokesperson for disabled actors due to the popularity of Dr. Innes, partnering with the Screen Actors Guild.
Anthony Edwards then:
Before appearing on the smaller screen, Edwards was famously known for his role as Goose, the wing-man of his jet-fuel-blooded co-star Tom Cruise in 1986’s Top Gun. From E.R.’s 1994 premiere to his devastatingly beautiful final arc in season seven, Dr. Mark Greene was a warm voice of reason that lead to his character being the first emerging series protagonist.
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Edwards continued his film and TV work long after Greene departed from the show. His standout roles include the 2019 political espionage thriller series Designated Survivor, as well as his performance in David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac. Edwards also played a key role in the #MeToo movement, writing an essay exposing abuse that he and his friends suffered at the hands of a producer.
George Clooney then:
Ironically, Clooney got his first break in a short-lived CBS show called E/R back in 1984, before rocketing to fame off the back of the more successful E.R. Dr. Doug Ross was a silver fox even way back in the 90s! His character’s paternal insecurities and how they weave into his work with kids cemented Clooney as the DILF he was born to be.
Now:
You’ve probably noticed, but Clooney has kept fairly busy since leaving E.R. In an explosion of fame rarely seen on this scale, the humble TV doctor became a global phenomenon. His face, voice, and disgustingly charming personality dominated the late 90s and never left. It landed him Academy Awards, the iconic mantle of Batman, and so, so much coffee through a lucrative Nespresso deal.
Eriq La Salle then:
Before his appearance in the pilot as Dr. Peter Benton, La Salle was already an established and celebrated performer. He graduated from NYU’s acting program and found steady work on and off Broadway, as well as playing Darryl Jenks in the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. His performance on E.R. was lauded, landing him multiple awards during his time on the show.
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La Salle stepped behind the camera in 1996 for his directorial debut, an HBO-produced street-basketball biopic with a star-studded cast, including James Earl Jones, Don Cheadle, and Forrest Whitaker. He’s since continued directing TV, including episodes of Lucifer, and performing on camera, co-starring in James Mangold’s Logan.
Alex Kingston then:
Kingston comes from an era when British actors were unafraid to keep their natural accents. House, The Good Doctor, and Dr. Strange, are all cowards who adopted a vaguely Californian dialect to blend in like chameleons. Joining in season four as Elizabeth Corday, her story was rooted in living up to the patriarchal legacy of her surgeon family.
Now:
While she hasn’t appeared in anything huge since her time on E.R., she has kept up steady TV, film, and radio appearances including Arrow and A Discovery of Witches. She has been open about how her divorce from long-time partner and fellow actor Ralph Fiennes impacted her mental health and now enjoys the lowlight with her husband, Italian TV producer Johnathan Stamp.