In addition to Sedgwick ("The Woodsman," "Something to Talk About," "Hearts and Souls"), "The Closer" stars J.K. Simmons ("Spider-Man," movies, "Oz," "Law & Order"), Corey Reynolds ("The Terminal"), Jon Tenney ("You Can Count on Me," "Get Real"), Robert Gossett ("Arlington Road," "Silk Stalkings"), G.W. Bailey ("The Jeff Foxworthy Show," "Police Academy" movies) and Tony Denison ("Melrose Place," "Chasing Papi"). From The Shephard/Robin Company in association with Warner Bros. Television Production Inc., the series airs Mondays (9:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on TNT.
Critically acclaimed "The Closer" is such a ratings hit that it was ordered for a second season after only three airings. The series was the number one new drama of summer 2005. It premiered to more than 5.3 million households, making it ad-supported cable's top original scripted series telecast ever, and subsequent episodes continued the success.
In her first lead role in a dramatic series, Sedgwick plays a CIA-trained detective who has been brought from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up the Priority Murder Squad, a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Brenda (Sedgwick) is tapped to lead the team because she is a world-class interrogator, and when it comes to obtaining confessions, she is a closer.
When Brenda arrives in Los Angeles, she immediately finds herself thrust into a very different way of life. She struggles to leave past demons behind her while dealing with co-workers who resent the fact that she leapfrogged over many veteran cops to the elevated position of deputy police chief. Her quirky personality and hard-nosed approach to her job immediately rub her colleagues the wrong way, as does the fact that she is a tough-minded Southern woman in a department dominated by men. Though focused on her career, she's also trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to overcome her love of doughnuts, chocolate bars and other snacks and to reignite a personal life that has fallen by the wayside.
On the job, Brenda has a great talent for knowing a person's secrets and obtaining confessions, with skills that stem from understanding her own imperfections and experiences. She does whatever it takes to find out the truth, no matter the personal costs. Although she gets some support from her boss, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope (Simmons), for the most part she must fend for herself, working alongside Detective Sergeant David Gabriel (Reynolds), Brenda's right-hand man; FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard (Tenney), a close friend of Brenda's now living in L.A.; Captain Taylor (Gossett), head of the robbery homicide division; Detective Lieutenant Provenza (Bailey); and Detective Lieutenant Andy Flynn (Denison).
Michael M. Robin ("Nip/Tuck," "The D.A.," "NYPD Blue"), Greer Shephard ("Nip/Tuck," "The D.A.") and James Duff ("The D.A.," "The Agency") are the executive producers of "The Closer," which was created by Duff. Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney from 1992 to 2000, is a consulting producer.
KYRA SEDGWICK
(Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson)
Kyra Sedgwick has achieved success on stage and screen. She starred in "The Woodsman," which won the Jury Prize at the Deauville Film Festival and also received rave reviews at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Sedgwick received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead in the cable film "Cavedweller," which she also developed, produced and starred in. Other recent appearances include HBO's Emmy Award-nominated "Something the Lord Made" and the independent film "Loverboy."
In 2002, Sedgwick starred with Parker Posey in Rebecca Miller's independent film "Personal Velocity," winning the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Other recent credits include the Emmy Award nominated TNT movie "Door to Door," opposite William H. Macy, Helen Mirren and Kathy Baker; "Just a Kiss"; "Behind the Red Door," opposite Kiefer Sutherland and Stockard Channing; and "Secondhand Lions," starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment.
Other films include John Turteltaub's "Phenomenon," "What's Cooking?," "Labor Pains," "Critical Care," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge," "Singles," "Lemon Sky," "Hearts and Souls," "Montana" and "Losing Chase," which she executive produced, starring opposite Helen Mirren. "Losing Chase" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Golden Globe Award nomination and a CableAce Award nomination.
Sedgwick's theatre credits include The Culture Project's New York production of "The Exonerated"; "Twelfth Night"; "Ah Wilderness!," for which she won a Theater Award; and David Mamet's "Oleanna," for which she won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Drama Logue Award.
COREY REYNOLDS
(Detective Sergeant David Gabriel)
Corey Reynolds was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, beginning his professional career at age 16 performing around his hometown.
Reynolds made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical "Hairspray," in a performance that garnered him nominations for an Outer Circle Critics Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award. He performed in the national and international tours of the Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Café" and "Saturday Night Fever" and regional performances of "Parade" and "Avenue X."
Reynolds made his feature film debut in "The Terminal," with Tom Hanks, and went on to a supporting role in "Partners," with Julie Bowen.
Reynolds' television appearances include guest-starring roles on "Without a Trace" and "Eve" and a recurring role on "The Guardian."
JON TENNEY
(FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard)
Jon Tenney's professional career includes extensive work on stage as well as in feature films and television. Tenney has acted in more than 150 plays, beginning his stage career with the national touring company of Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." He went on to play the title role in "Tartuffe" as well as appearing in "Romeo and Juliet."
Tenney launched his television career in a guest-starring role on "Murphy Brown" and has been a series regular on several shows, including the critically acclaimed "Brooklyn South." He has also appeared in "Crime & Punishment," "Equal Justice" and "The Division."
Tenney's film career was launched when he appeared in "Watch It," opposite Tom Sizemore, John C. McGinley and Peter Gallagher. Tenney starred in "Fools Rush In," with Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek, and in the cable film "Twilight of the Golds," starring Jennifer Beals, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser. Tenney also had roles in the critically acclaimed films "Tombstone" and "Nixon." Other credits include "Music from Another Room," "With Friends Like These," "Entropy" and a starring role in the Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize Winner "You Can Count on Me," opposite Laura Linney and Matthew Broderick.
ROBERT GOSSETT
(Captain Taylor)
Gossett was born in The Bronx, New York. After high school, he landed his first professional gig in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" at the Mercer Arts Center in Greenwich Village.
Gossett performed in Lloyd Richard's Broadway production of "Fences," Hal Scott's "A Raisin in the Sun" and Donald McKayle's "The Last Minstrel Show." Other notable theatre performances include "Manhattan Made Me," "Sons and Fathers of Sons," "A Soldier's Play" and "Colored Peoples Time," all of which were performed with the famed Negro Ensemble Company of New York.
His awards include an NAACP Theater Award for Best Performance by a Male and a Drama Logue Best Actor Award for his performance in "Indigo Blues," directed by his wife, Michele Gossett.
In film, Gossett has starred with Jeff Bridges in "Arlington Road" and with John Travolta in "White Man's Burden."
TONY DENISON
(Detective Lieutenant Andy Flynn)
With Broadway theatre work under his belt, Tony Denison made a momentous television debut starring in producer/director Michael Mann's critically acclaimed drama "Crime Story." As Ray Luca in that show, he received a fistful of kudos, including Time magazine's recognition as television's best villain of the 1980s.
Since then, Denison has appeared in more than two dozen motion pictures, including "Art of Revenge." Following "Crime Story" came an impressive list of dozens of television appearances that include notable guest-starring roles on such shows as "The District," "JAG," "Cold Case," "The O.C.," "ER" and "Charmed." He also played recurring character Paul Harper in "The D.A."
During the 2003 television season, audiences again were charmed by Denison in the series "Playmakers."
