# Jessica Steen
**Jessica Steen** (born 1965) is a Canadian film and television actress from Toronto, Ontario, best known for her recurring role as Lisa Stillman on the CBC drama *Heartland* and for roles in *Homefront*, *Earth 2*, *NCIS*, *[Flashpoint](https://www.edgepedia.org/flashpoint-tv-series)*, and the film *Armageddon*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/jessica-steen) She won a Gemini Award, English Canada's equivalent of the Emmy, in 1996 for her lead performance in the CBC television movie *Small Gifts*.[3](https://www.jessicasteen.net/jsp_faq.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) |
| Parents | Jan Steen, a director and actor, and Joanna Noyes, an actress[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/steen-jessica-1965) |
| Signature TV roles | Lisa Stillman on *Heartland* (2007–present); Special Agent Paula Cassidy on *NCIS*; Constable Donna Sabine on *Flashpoint*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/) |
| Early series regular | The only female regular on the 1987 syndicated science fiction show *Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future*, as Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) |
| Film work | Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts in *Armageddon* (1998); lead in the musical *Sing* (1989); *Trial and Error* (1997)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jessica-steen/umc.cpc.dt7ru30126268otk8i13ycfw) |
| Award | Gemini Award, 1996, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, for *Small Gifts*[3](https://www.jessicasteen.net/jsp_faq.html) |
| Recent work | Sarah on Paramount+'s *Mayor of Kingstown* (seasons 3 and 4); Doreen Boyd on Netflix's *Maid*; Hallmark and Lifetime television movies[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3511/jessica-steen) • [8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/) |
## Early life and beginnings
Steen was born in Toronto to two theater professionals: her father, [Jan Steen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jan-steen), worked as a director and actor, and her mother, Joanna Noyes, is an actress.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/steen-jessica-1965) She has described her childhood household as full of performers her parents brought home from the theater, with an annual costumed family Christmas skit.[9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html)
**Child roles.** Her first acting role came at age 8, in the Canadian children's television series *The Sunrunners*, an Ontario Educational Channel program that taught English to French-speaking children.[9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jessica-steen/umc.cpc.dt7ru30126268otk8i13ycfw) Through her teens she worked in Canadian features and television, including the children's series *The Littlest Hobo* (CTV, 1979–1985) and the primetime police drama *Night Heat* (CTV, 1985–1991), and appeared as the daughter of a character played by [Lindsay Wagner](https://www.edgepedia.org/lindsay-wagner) in the television movie *Young Again*, alongside her former schoolmate [Keanu Reeves](https://www.edgepedia.org/keanu-reeves).[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jessica-steen/umc.cpc.dt7ru30126268otk8i13ycfw) • [9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html)
## 1980s and 1990s television
**Captain Power and Earth 2.** In the mid-1980s Steen became a series regular on the live-action science fiction show *Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future* (syndicated 1987–88), playing Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase; she was the only female regular in the cast, and the performance earned her a Gemini Award nomination for best actress in a continuing dramatic role in 1988.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jessica-steen/umc.cpc.dt7ru30126268otk8i13ycfw) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/steen-jessica-1965) From 1994 to 1995 she portrayed Dr. Julia Heller, a genetically enhanced doctor, on the NBC science fiction series *Earth 2*, about colonists who crash-land on an Earth-like planet 22 light-years away.[9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html) • [10](https://www.jessicasteen.net/macleans_e2.html) In a 1995 *Maclean's* interview she said she was drawn to the show less by science fiction, of which she watched little, than by its environmental message.[10](https://www.jessicasteen.net/macleans_e2.html)
**Homefront and American work.** After co-starring in the Tri-Star musical *Sing* (1989), Steen moved to New York, where a five-week stint substituting for a pregnant actress on the ABC daytime soap *[Loving](https://www.edgepedia.org/loving-tv-series)* raised her profile enough to win a co-starring role as Linda, a union organizer, on the critically acclaimed ABC drama *[Homefront](https://www.edgepedia.org/homefront-american-tv-series)* (1991–93), set among an Ohio family during World War II.[9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/) The series won two Emmys and the People's Choice Award for Favorite New Dramatic Series but was canceled after two seasons because of low ratings.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/) Guest appearances followed on *ER*, *Touched by an Angel*, *Murder One*, *The Outer Limits*, and *The Practice*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html)
## Film work
Steen's best-known film role is Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts in [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay)'s 1998 disaster film *Armageddon*, produced by [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-bruckheimer), who had been impressed by her work on *Captain Power*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [11](https://www.jessicasteen.net/cinema_article.html) She appeared opposite [Jeff Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-daniels) and Michael Richards in the 1997 comedy *Trial and Error*, playing District Attorney Elizabeth Gardner; to prepare, she visited courts with a friend in law school and studied a tape of Marcia Clark's closing arguments in the O.J. Simpson case.[9](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html) Later film work included the direct-to-video *Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice* (2002) and the evangelical drama *Apocalypse IV: Judgment* (2001).[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/)
## Recurring drama roles, 2000s and 2010s
From the 2000s onward Steen settled into recurring work on top-rated dramas. She played Special Agent Paula Cassidy on CBS's *[NCIS](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncis-tv-series)* for three years, appearing in six episodes between 2004 and 2007, and played Constable Donna Sabine, an ill-fated tactical police officer, in the Canadian-American action series *Flashpoint* (CTV/CBS, 2005–2013).[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3511/jessica-steen) In 2012 she played Commissioner Eva Braden, a police commissioner described as sexually voracious, in the IFC black-comedy miniseries *Bullet in the Face*, written by Alan Spencer.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/)
**Heartland.** Steen was cast as Lisa Stillman on the CBC family drama *Heartland*, a role initially intended as a guest stint that became a long-running recurring part; she has appeared in more than 40 episodes since 2007.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3511/jessica-steen) *[Heartland](https://www.edgepedia.org/heartland-canadian-tv-series)* is the longest-running scripted drama in Canadian television history, and current seasons stream on CBC Gem in Canada and on Up Faith & Family in the United States.[8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/)
## The Stargate recasting
Steen played Dr. Elizabeth Weir in the two-part seventh-season finale of *Stargate SG-1*, "Lost City" (2004), a role producers intended to carry into the spin-off series *Stargate Atlantis*; the part was instead recast with [Torri Higginson](https://www.edgepedia.org/torri-higginson).[12](https://www.gateworld.net/news/2021/06/jessica-steen-finally-reveals-why-stargate-recast-dr-weir/) For years fans speculated about the cause, with a popular theory being that Steen did not want to move to Vancouver, where the spin-off filmed; she dismissed that account herself, noting she has family near Vancouver.[12](https://www.gateworld.net/news/2021/06/jessica-steen-finally-reveals-why-stargate-recast-dr-weir/) In a 2021 interview on the Stargate interview show *Dial the Gate* with host David Read, she gave her own explanation: she had asked the writers and producers many questions about her character and the show's lore, saying "I think I actually drove the writers/producers bananas — to a not good degree," and she had also been committed during filming to organizing an interactive acting community at the [Burning Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/burning-man) event, which gave producers a negative impression of her commitment to the franchise.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6-0zmBAq3I) • [12](https://www.gateworld.net/news/2021/06/jessica-steen-finally-reveals-why-stargate-recast-dr-weir/)
## Recent work
Between 2018 and 2020 Steen appeared in a run of Hallmark and Lifetime made-for-television movies: *A Midnight Kiss*, *Matching Hearts*, *Chateau Christmas*, *The Babysitter* (also known as *The Baby Monitor Murders*), and *Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story*, along with guest roles as Dr. Rebecca Froy on *Grey's Anatomy* and Devorah Silver on the CW's *Charmed* reboot.[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/jessica-steen) • [8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/) She played Doreen Boyd in the Netflix series *Maid* (2021) and Liz in the Hallmark movie *The Journey Ahead* (2022).[8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/) • [14](https://jessicasteen.com/filmography/) On Paramount+'s *Mayor of Kingstown* she plays Sarah, the owner of Don's Diner, appearing in seasons 3 and 4.[8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3511/jessica-steen) She can also be heard as Susan in *Stream Queen*, a scripted comedy podcast with Brenna Coates written, directed, and produced by Hayley Tyson.[8](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/)
## Awards
Steen's Gemini Award in 1996 recognized her lead role as Nora in the CBC Christmas movie *Small Gifts*.[3](https://www.jessicasteen.net/jsp_faq.html) Her earlier nomination came in 1988 for *Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future*, and she received a DVD Premiere Award nomination for best actress in 2003 for *Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice*.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/steen-jessica-1965)
## References
1. [Jessica Steen, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0824763/)
2. [Jessica Steen (born 1965) — actress, VALÉORINE](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/jessica-steen)
3. [Jessica Steen FAQ, The Jessica Steen Page](https://www.jessicasteen.net/jsp_faq.html)
4. [Steen, Jessica 1965-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/steen-jessica-1965)
5. [Jessica Steen - Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jessica-steen/)
6. [Jessica Steen Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jessica-steen/umc.cpc.dt7ru30126268otk8i13ycfw)
7. [Jessica Steen, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3511/jessica-steen)
8. [Bio - Jessica Steen](https://goodmedicinebook.com/bio/)
9. [Jessica Steen Biography, The Jessica Steen Page](https://www.jessicasteen.net/biography.html)
10. ["A Second Chance," Maclean's (January 2, 1995), via The Jessica Steen Page](https://www.jessicasteen.net/macleans_e2.html)
11. [Jessica Steen Armageddon article, Cinema (July 1998), via The Jessica Steen Page](https://www.jessicasteen.net/cinema_article.html)
12. [Jessica Steen Finally Reveals Why Stargate Recast Dr. Weir, GateWorld (June 29, 2021)](https://www.gateworld.net/news/2021/06/jessica-steen-finally-reveals-why-stargate-recast-dr-weir/)
13. [Jessica Steen: "I Drove the Stargate Producers Bananas" (Dial the Gate), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6-0zmBAq3I)
14. [Filmography - Jessica Steen, official site](https://jessicasteen.com/filmography/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames R to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license