Callie Thorne

A theater-trained actress who steadily rose through the Hollywood ranks, Callie Thorne went from small roles in "Turbulence" (1997) and "Next Stop Wonderland" (1998) before landing the juicy role of detective Laura Ballard on "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99). She quickly booked supporting turns in everything from "Sidewalks of New York" (2001), "Hysterical Blindness" (HBO, 2002), "Analyze That" (2002) and the film and TV versions of "Strangers with Candy."

Television offered Thorne her highest profile roles, and she dazzled with important recurring roles on "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08) and "Prison Break" (Fox, 2005-09) and with a masterful leading performance as the widowed Sheila Keefe on "Rescue Me" (FX, 2004-2011), who tangled personally and professionally with Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary).

Ascending professionally, Thorne went on to topline her own series "Necessary Roughness" (USA Network, 2011-13), playing Dr. Danielle "Dani" Santino, a therapist to elite athletes. By paying her professional dues and honing her craft through increasingly demanding roles, Callie Thorne built an impressive career through a combination of hard work and talent.

Born Nov. 20, 1969 in Boston, MA, Calliope "Callie" Thorne studied theater and dramatic literature at Wheaton College and at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City. An experienced stage performer, she broke into screen acting with a series of small roles in projects as varied as the Lauren Holly/Ray Liotta thriller "Turbulence" (1997) and the Hope Davis indie charmer "Next Stop Wonderland" (1998).

She joined the cast of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99) as Laura Ballard, a seasoned homicide detective transplanted to Baltimore from Seattle, and reprised the role in NBC's made-for-TV movie in 2000. Thorne also landed supporting roles in the Amanda Peet black romantic comedy "Whipped" (2000), the Ed Burns dramedy "Sidewalks of New York" (2001) and the Uma Thurman drama "Hysterical Blindness" (HBO, 2002).

Thorne next played an FBI agent in the Billy Crystal/Robert De Niro comedy "Analyze That" (2002) and notched fun cameos in both the film (2005) and TV (Comedy Central, 1999-2000) versions of "Strangers with Candy." Television continued to provide the actress with her juiciest roles, and she recurred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) as well as "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009).

Audiences took even more note of Thorne when she booked long-term appearances as Elena McNulty, ex-wife of Baltimore detective James McNulty (Dominic West) in "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08) and of Pam Mahone, ex-wife of FBI agent Alex Mahone (William Fichtner) on "Prison Break" (Fox, 2005-09).

Even more acclaimed by critics, however, was her role as the widow of a firefighter who perished on 9/11, which put Thorne at the center of the controversial drama "Rescue Me" (FX, 2004-2011) from the beginning. She played Sheila Keefe, whose deceased husband was lead character Tommy Gavin's (Denis Leary) cousin and best friend. Serving as a conscience of sorts at first, Sheila began a romance with Tommy that offered the actress a powerful dramatic showcase.

Thorne ascended to an even more impressive level of stardom when she landed the starring role in the sports psychology drama "Necessary Roughness" (USA Network, 2011-13). As Dr. Danielle "Dani" Santino, Thorne played a tough-as-nails therapist who discovers her talent for treating professional athletes and other high-profile clients in the well-liked drama based on the true story of Dr. Donna Dannenfelser. A low-profile success, it came as a delightful surprise to many when Thorne scored a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination.

By Jonathan Riggs