Jayne Brook

An attractive leading and supporting player with something "extra" going on in her eyes, Jayne Brook has established herself on American TV in the 1990s first as an eager young news producer in "WOIU" (CBS, 1990-91), then as the gung-ho rookie cop on "Sirens" (ABC, 1993) and finally as the determined Dr. Diane Grad on CBS' "Chicago Hope" (from 1994 to 1999).

After obtaining her undergraduate degree from Duke University and spending part of her senior year at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, Brook went on to graduate work at Oxford University. She went on to spend five years working in London theater, appearing in productions of "Every Black Day," "Much Ado About Nothing," and "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea." Returning to the US, Brook was cast as Ann Hudson on the short-lived series "WIOU." Brook was then featured as the daughter who is unsure about having a baby in the acclaimed "Doing Time on Maple Drive" (Fox, 1992).

From there, she starred as a newly-married rookie female cop on "Sirens" before joining the cast of the medical drama "Chicago Hope" in a recurring role. The role of the dedicated research scientist was made a regular one during the show's second season. Brook also co-starred as the terminally ill sister of an Olympic medalist in "A Brother's Promise: The Dan Jansen Story" (CBS, 1996).

Brook's feature career has been slower to start. She made her debut in the bit role of a teacher in "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987) and continued in small parts, such as one of the tyke's parents in "Kindergarten Cop" (1990). Brook moved up slightly to a co-starring turn as an ambitious fashion junior executive trying to do in Christina Applegate in "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991).

Larger roles in "Clean Slate" (1994) and, particularly, as Paul Reiser's ex-wife in "Bye Bye, Love" (1995) followed. In 1996, she was chosen as Matt LeBlanc's love interest in LeBlanc's first feature starring role, "Ed," and was featured as Rob Morrow's romantic partner in Bruce Beresford's "Last Dance." In 1997 she had a supporting role in "Gattica" and in 1998 starred in the TV Movie "Mind Games."