Every day is a matter of life and death in a hectic New York City hospital, but for Nurse Jackie that's the easiest part. Between chronic back pain that won't quit, and a personal life on the constant edge of collapse, it's going to take a white lie here, a bent rule there, and a handful of secret strategies to relieve the pain, and stay one step ahead of total disaster. Three-time Emmy® winner Edie Falco stars in this critically acclaimed Showtime Original Comedy Series.

Season 4 Premieres Sunday, April 8 at 9 PM ET/PT

 

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SYNOPSES

 

Episode 401 – “Kettle Kettle Black Black”

Written By: Liz Brixius

Directed By: Linda Wallem

 

It’s business as usual at All Saints except for one small detail: The hospital has been purchased by the multi-national corporation, Quantum Bay, and the new director, the handsome, but serious, Mike Cruz, has arrived for his first day of work with a lengthy to-do list. Jackie is still separated from Kevin, who has moved to a new apartment, but regularly texts her, asking for a 2nd chance. Eddie’s still in love with Jackie, but when she rebuffs his advances, he gets drunk and pays Kevin a visit, admitting to Kevin that he, Eddie, had been sleeping with Jackie for years. Kevin beats Eddie. Jackie meets a mysterious stranger in a church and the next thing you know, they’re getting high and making out in the Peyton residence, until the mysterious stranger dies of a heart attack. Jackie calls O’Hara to help with the situation, and  standing amid the debris of addiction finally recognizes she has a problem and decides to enter rehab. Meanwhile at All Saints, Mike Cruz gives Akalitus an ultimatum: retire or go back on the floor as a nurse. Jackie and O’Hara stand outside of Wexler, the expensive rehab clinic, and O’Hara reveals that she is pregnant. Jackie enters rehab.

 

 

Episode 402 – “Disneyland Sucks”

Written By: Liz Brixius

Directed By: Linda Wallem

 

Jackie is detoxing in rehab. When she finally awakes, she meets her elderly roommate, an unfriendly klepto named Doris. Jackie goes to group therapy led by the kind, but tough rehab counselor, Laura. Meanwhile, back at All Saints, Akalitus is in scrubs and on the floor as a nurse. Mike Cruz’s innovations continue to irritate the whole staff, except for Coop. Particularly Cruz’s attention to avoiding lawsuits leads to him offending both Akalitus and O’Hara, who challenges Cruz, and deems him “no fun.” In rehab, Jackie escapes to a broom closet for some solitude only to find the 17-year old Charlie (on his 4th rehab). Charlie calls her out on her group therapy story, and Jackie admits she lied about the 1st time she used drugs: It wasn’t because she hurt herself, it was the stress of having her first child. Jackie  calls O’Hara and asks her to bring Grace to the rehab clinic.  When they arrive, Jackie pretends to be working the front desk. Jackie hugs her daughter, but Grace is distant, and wearing thick black eyeliner. When Laura finds out about Jackie’s insubordination, she threatens to expel her from rehab. That night, Jackie realizes Doris is having a stroke, and she saves her life.

 

 

Episode 403 “The Wall”

Written By: Liz Flahive

Directed By: Seith Mann

 

Worried about Grace, Jackie leaves rehab early and returns to a very different All Saints. Her counselor warns her that it’s too early to leave but she goes against medical advice. On top of the Quantam Bay takeover this is the first time she’s had to work sober. Almost instantly her nerves are rattled, even Coop hurts her feelings. Jackie takes refuge in Akalitus/O’Hara’s office. A bitchy woman comes in with her girlfriend complaining of stomach Pain only to find out she is having a heart attack. Zoey has second thoughts about her relationship with Lenny. Eddie tells Jackie he told Kevin about their affair. Kelly Slater gives Jackie a bag of Fentynal patches, which she almost uses but instead turns into Mike Cruz, ratting Kelly out. She then turns around and warns Kelly that he’s a wanted man and he quietly slips away. Jackie comes home to find that Grace has written a list of demands on her bedroom wall. She wants to live with her dad.

 

 

Episode 404 “Slow Growing Monsters”

Written By: Ellen Fairey

Directed By: Seith Mann

 

Jackie is blindsided when Grace reveals she knows about rehab and goes to Kevin’s to make sure he knows everything before hearing it from someone else. She is shocked to find a scantily clad woman lounging on his couch when she arrives but continues with her confession. Jackie calls Charlie and asks him to meet her at an AA meeting and he shows up drunk. Jules, a belligerent young woman turns out to be terminally ill with a rare disease and connects deeply with Jackie, inside and outside of the hospital. Thor and Coop give advice to a man who fears he has broken his penis. Mike Cruz docks Jackie’s pay for supplies she stole while he was giving his welcome speech. Jackie gets a ‘gift’ from Jules that threatens her sobriety. Kevin shows up at All Saints looking for answers. Charlie camps out on his father’s boat, “CRUZ CONTROL”.

 

 

Episode 405 – “One-Armed Jacks”

Written By: Rajiv Joseph

Directed By: Bob Balaban

 

Jackie, making pancakes for the girls, realizes too late that the girls aren’t even home—they’re with Kevin. At O’Hara’s apartment, she admits that she’s just not adjusting well to living alone and,  against O’Hara’s advice, decides to call Kevin and invite him to lunch that day. Meanwhile, Zoey wants to move out of her mother’s place and is placing Old West WANTED posters around All Saints, looking for a roommate. Cruz is up to his usual innovations, and is now instituting uniform scrubs for the whole staff. Coop warns that this might be a bad idea, but volunteers to break the news the staff anyway. A trauma comes in—a young man and his girlfriend jumped off a bridge handcuffed to each other in a lovers leap pact. Both arms were torn off, and the girl is dead. As Jackie helps out, she pops her shoulder out and has to seek help in the pharmacy, where Eddie helps her wrap it up. Later, as Jackie waits for Kevin at a café, a man serves her with divorce papers. Coop’s attempt to sell the new scrubs to the staff goes  poorly. Jackie asks Zoey if she wants to live with her. Zoey, delighted, agrees. That night, Jackie makes them pancakes for dinner.

 

 

Episode 406 – “No-Kimono-Zone”

Written By: Liz Brixius

Directed By: Bob Balaban

 

Jackie wakes from a vivid dream about sex with Cruz and using again. Kevin suing for full custody prompts O’Hara to take action on Jackie’s behalf. Jackie and Zoey get accustomed to their new living situation at the Peyton home and ‘co-parenting” duties. Cruz confronts Jackie about her lack of employment history and exhibits a human dimension while treating a trauma patient. Jackie deduces that her positive drug test was never recorded. Zoey gets engaged to Lenny, but losing her ring raises questions about their relationship and her feelings toward Coop. Jackie,  O’Hara and Akalitus work as a team while treating a transgender teen. Coop grows persistent about his involvement with O’Hara’s  unborn child. Jackie finds a pill from her old stash, gives it to O’Hara instead of of popping it.

 

 

Episode 407 – “Day of the Iguana”

Written By: Wyndham Lewis

Directed By: Miguel Arteta

 

Jackie’s meets her high-powered divorce lawyer and is told to play hardball with Kevin, if she wants to keep her kids. Eddie becomes an unwilling participant in the Peyton divorce battle. Jackie keeps the others away while Cruz suffers a panic attack at work. Having a hard time breaking off her engagement to Lenny, Zoey surveys her co-workers for the right break-up strategy. A good-natured teacher demands an apology after suffering additional injuries at All Saints. Cruz, fearing a lawsuit, instructs the staff not to engage. Akalitus enlists the staff to participate in an elaborate charade when her former mentor, suffering from dementia, is admitted as a patient. Jackie accidentally ingests Vicodin, but is determined to stay sober. Coop furthers his case with O’Hara, to be part of her child’s life. Jackie comes to Charlie’s aid, following his arrest and finds out that he is Cruz’ son.

 

 

Episode 408 – “Chaud & Froid”

Written By: Liz Flahive

Directed By: Miguel Arteta

 

Jackie comes clean to Cruz about rehab, while they tend to an intoxicated Charlie. Charlie bargains with Cruz for Jackie’s job, then returns to rehab. When he uncovers a history of All Saints employees facilitating Jackie’s drug habit, Cruz exacts revenge by  firing several of her closest colleagues. Faulty air conditioning puts the entire staff on edge. An 80 year old admitted for a tonsillectomy shares a bay with a 20 year-old candidate for hip-replacement. Eddie is deposed by Kevin’s lawyer and then offers crucial information supporting Jackie’s case. Following Zoey’s break-up, Lenny announces he is heading to Europe. Coop accompanies O’Hara to her OB/GYN appointment where she finally leans on him for a little support. Following a confrontation between Kevin and Jackie, Zoey offers to move out. Jackie asks

her to stay, knowing that her sobriety is tenous.

 

Episode 409 - "Are Those Feathers?"

Written By: Liz Brixius and Liz Flahive

Directed By: Randall Einhorn

 

Jackie, feeling guilty about Eddie and Akalitus getting fired has them over for brunch before their exit interviews.  Akalitus tells Jackie she expects her to keep her job.  To top off an already complicated morning, Grace refuses to go to school because Jackie hasn't made it possible for her to switch to public school yet.  When Jackie arrives at an overly crowded hospital (another ER in the area is diverting patients), the nurses are wearing armbands and raising money for Eddie and Aalitus.  Cruz sees this and makes them shut it down.  Instead of doing something, Jackie keeps her head down and works.  Zoey is upset and wants Jackie to do something.  O'Hara is feeling hormonal and overly pregnant.  After a long day of patients, Jackie prompts Zoey to go around Cruz to get a patient what she needs, he loses it on Jackie and starts to have a pulmonary episode.  Coop admits him upstairs get him out of Jackie's way.  And with a bunch of angry patients and an overflowing waiting room, Jackie takes over the ER:  Today, they're gonna do it her way. 

 

Episode 410 "Handle Your Scandal"

Written By: Liz Brixius

Directed By: Randall Einhorn

 

After a panic attack in the ER, Dr. Cruz wakes up in pulmonary. While he's admitted, Jackie goes over his head and takes control of the ER, doing whatever she needs to get the job done. Cruz, gunning for Jackie, provokes her to the point of insubordination and he fires Jackie, in spite of everyone’s protest. Meanwhile, Dr. O’Hara starts to go into labor, while Jackie applies her newfound freedom by yanking Grace out of Immaculate Virgin and helping her enroll in public school. Jackie pops into an AA meeting before meeting Eddie and Akalitus at a bar, where she finds out about O’Hara’s labor. She heads back to All Saints to be with O’Hara, despite Cruz wanting her banished. Back at All Saints, Charlie enters the ER as a patient and Cruz asks Jackie to be with him while he tries to save his son’s life.  

 

 

EDIE FALCO   (Jackie Peyton)        

 

EDIE FALCO has won the Emmy® for “Best Actress in a Comedy” thus making her the only actress to have won an Emmy® in both the comedy and drama categories. Other credits include winner in AFI’s Top Ten TV Programs of 2009, as well as a 2009 Golden Globe® and SAG nominee.  She became the only actress to ever receive the Emmy® Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series,’ the Golden Globe® Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic Television Series,’ and the SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama,’ all in the same year for her performance as ‘Carmela Soprano’ in the groundbreaking series The Sopranos’ debut season. She has subsequently been nominated for each award for every eligible television season, winning two additional Emmy® Awards, another Golden Globe® Award and SAG Award, as well as the American Film Institute’s Award for ‘Female Television Actor of the Year.’  Most recently, she appreared on Broadway with Ben Stiller in House Of Blue Leaves in which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress.

 

When she received the Television Critics Association Award (TCA) for ‘Individual Achievement in Drama,’ it was the first time in the history of the TCA that this Award was presented to a woman. She is also known to television audiences for her recurring roles in the dramatic series Oz and the acclaimed NBC series Law & Order and Homicide. Falco made her Broadway debut in the Tony® Award-winning play Sideman, which she originated in its off-Broadway production. For her performance, she received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.’ She went on to make her London stage debut in the West End premiere of Sideman, and thereafter opened the London production of the highly successful play The Vagina Monologues. When Falco starred opposite Stanley Tucci in the lauded revival of Frankie And Johnny In The Claire De Lune, the play broke four house box-office records at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre, making it the most successful play on Broadway all season.  More recently she appeared off-Broadway in the highly-acclaimed “This Wide Night.  

 

For the feature film Cost Of Living, Falco received the American Film Institute’s ‘Best Actress’ Award. Her performance in the film Laws Of Gravity earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for ‘Best Female Lead Actor.’ Her other film credits include A Price Above Rubies, Copland, Trouble Corner, Private Parts, Hurricane, Layin’ Low, Breathing Room, The Funeral, The Addiction, Bullets Over Broadway, Trust, The Unbelievable Truth, Random Hearts and the title character in the award-winning film Judy Berlin. For her performance in John Sayles’ Sunshine State, Falco received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Online Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress.’ She also starred in the feature films The Quiet, The Great New Wonderful and Freedomland.

 

 

MERRITT WEVER (Zoey Barkow)


MERRITT WEVER graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts. Wever has appeared in such feature films as Righteous Kill, Into The Wild, Michael Clayton, Neal Cassady, Twelve & Holding, A Hole In One, Season Of Youth, Bringing Rain, Signs, Series 7: The Contenders, The Adventures Of Sebastian Cole, Arresting Gena, Tough (‘Best Actor’ award, First Run Film Festival), Greenberg, The Missing Person and Tiny Furniture.

 
Her television credits include Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Conviction, ¼  Life, NCIS, The Wire, Blue River and Something The Lord Made.


Her theater appearances include Sam & Lucy, Bad Girls, Smashing, Cave Dweller, Roulette, Cape Cod Souvenirs, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, Running On Earth, Here We Are, Children Of The Flames and Female of the Species.

 

EVE BEST (Dr. Eleanor O’Hara)

 

EVE BEST is an award-winning classically trained British actress. She has twice been nominated for a Tony Award: in 2008 for her portrayal of ’Ruth‘ in The Homecoming, , and in 2007 for the role of ’Josie,’ in Moon for the Misbegotten (in which she starred opposite Kevin Spacey). In addition to the Tony nomination for Moon, she won both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress.

 

After reading English at Oxford, Best trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She made her professional London stage debut starring opposite Jude Law in Tis Pity She’s a Whore, and won both the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer and the London Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer 1999.  In 2003, she won the London Critics Circle award for Best Actress in Mourning Becomes Electra, and in 2005. she won both the Olivier Award for Best Actress and the London Critics Circle Award for Hedda Gabler.

 

Her additional theater credits include Three Sisters, The Coast of Utopia, The Heiress, and The Cherry Orchard As You Like It The Misanthrope and Macbeth.

 

She starred as the title role in Dolley Madison for PBS in addition to such British television credits as The Shadow LinePrime Suspect VII,Lie With Me,Other People’s Children and Shackleton.

 

Her feature film debut was in the Academy® Award nominated The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, in which she plays Wallis Simpson,opposite Guy Pearce. 

 

PETER FACINELLI (Dr. "Coop" Cooper)

Peter Facinelli has established himself as one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors with distinctive, versatile, and impressive performances.

 

Facinelli can currently be seen as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1.” Since opening on November 18, it has made over $650 million worldwide at the box office. He also starred in the first three installments of the blockbuster franchise, “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” for Summit Entertainment. The Twilight film franchise is based on Stephenie Meyer's #1 New York Times bestselling literary series. All four films shattered multiple box office records. 3The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2” will be released in November 2012.

 

Facinelli recently wrapped production on season four of Showtime's critically acclaimed series “Nurse Jackie.” Facinelli appears as Dr. Cooper, a golden boy afflicted with a quirky variation of Tourette's Syndrome opposite Edie Falco. For its second season, “Nurse Jackie” earned 8 Emmy nominations, a record for the network, including a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. The show was also nominated for a 2011 Golden Globe Award in the Best TV Series Comedy category and a 2011 Writers Guild Award for Comedy Series. “Nurse Jackie” was also named one of the American Film Institute's Top Ten TV Shows of 2009.

 

Facinelli's career boasts over thirty feature films in which he has starred alongside award winning actors such as Matthew Broderick in the dramedy, “Finding Amanda,” which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. His portrayal in “The Big Kahuna” had Facinelli co-starring alongside Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito and earned him rave reviews. Other feature film credits include Penny Marshall's “Riding in Cars with Boys” opposite Drew Barrymore, “The Scorpion King” opposite Dwayne Johnson, a starring role in Walter Hills' sci-fi thriller “Supernova” with James Spader and Angela Bassett, “Tempted,” opposite Burt Reynolds and Saffron Burroughs, “Dancer, Texas Pop. 81” with Breckin Meyer, “Foxfire” opposite Angelina Jolie, and the cult classic “Can't Hardly Wait” opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt.

 

Facinelli also has an impressive television resume including a pivotal supporting role on the 2007 season of “Damages,” FX's award winning legal thriller starring Glenn Close. Additional television credits include a recurring role on the award winning HBO Series Six Feet Under,” for which Facinelli shared the cast's 2005 nomination for the SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama; as well as the starring role in McG's sexy one-hour drama “Fastlane” in 2003.

 

In 2010, Facinelli started a production company, Facinelli Films. Facinelli Films' first feature, “Loosies,” will be released by IFC in select theaters in January 2012. Facinelli wrote and stars in the fast-paced dramatic comedy about a successful pickpocket in the New York City subways. Facinelli Films has also acquired the rights to the autobiography “Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob” by Edward Mackenzie Jr. and Phyllis Karas. With an adapted screenplay written by Nick Gordon, the untitled film will tell the story of Edward Mackenzie Jr., a drug dealer and merciless “enforcer” for notorious Boston crime kingpin, James “Whitey” Bulger. Brookstreet Pictures will co-produce. Facinelli Films has optioned the rights to Jennifer Fosberry's New York Times bestselling children's storybooks “My Name Is Not Isabella” and “My Name Is Not Alexander” for film and television development opportunities. The storybooks explore some of the amazing people in history who have changed the world. Through a heartwarming story, the tales of these historical figures unfold and are told in a captivating way that inspire children to learn and let their own personalities shine. Facinelli has also written and will produce and star in “El Chico Blanco,” which is slated to shoot next year. The film follows the story of Ben Harper, a white kid growing up in a Hispanic community who rises against racial tension and a stint in prison to lead the most powerful and feared gang in the city. Facinelli Films is also adapting the documentary "The Last Word" into a feature film. "The Last Word" is the true story of Johnny Frank Garrett, a convicted and executed man in Texas, who professed his innocence until his last breath. On the night of his execution, Garrett cursed everyone that was involved in convicting him. Almost immediately after his death, others involved began to pass - seventeen in total. Facinelli recently wrote “Accidentally in Love,” which premiered on The Hallmark Channel in February 2010 and starred Jennie Garth.

 

Facinelli was born and raised in New York, and attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

 

 

DOMINIC FUMUSA (Kevin Peyton)

DOMINIC FUMUSA recently starred in Sarah Ruhl's critically-acclaimed Passion Play in New York.  Other recent stage work includes Stephen Belber’s hit play Fault Lines, directed by David Schwimmer at the Cherry Lane Theater. In New York and in London, Fumusa originated the role of ‘Toddy Koovitz’ in Richard Greenberg’s Tony® Award-winning Take Me Out, directed by Joe Mantello. In New York, London and Los Angeles, he created the character of ‘Vince’ (a role that was specifically written for him) in Stephen Belber’s Tape. He also starred in the New York premiere of Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award-winning Sic  at SoHo Repertory.  Fumusa made his Broadway debut opposite Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino in Wait Until Dark. Other Broadway credits include A Flea In Her Ear at the Roundabout Theater Company. In addition, he portrayed Mitch Albom in a six-month, twelve-city national tour of Tuesdays With Morrie, opposite Harold Gould. Regional credits include plays at the Guthrie, Huntington, Kennedy Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, Williamstown, NY Stage & Film, The Stratford Festival of Canada and Chicago Shakespeare.

 

Fumusa’s television credits include Sex and the City, The Sopranos, SHOWTIME’s Brotherhood, Kings, NYPD Blue, Hack, Numb3rs, Threshold, Bones and numerous appearances on Law & Order and CSI.

 

His feature film work includes the upcoming independent comedy Not for Nothing and the recently released films Staten Island (opposite Ethan Hawke) and Helena From The Wedding.  Other features include Management (with Jennifer Aniston), This Is A Story About Ted And Alice (opposite Melissa Leo), Dealbreaker (directed and written by Gwyneth Paltrow), Grilled (opposite Burt Reynolds), The Guru and Chloe’s Prayer.

 

 

Paul Schulze (Eddie Walzer)

 

PAUL SCHULZE is a true New Yorker: he was raised on the East Side and attended S.U.N.Y. Purchase in Westchester County where he was exposed to theater. Not long after graduating, he landed his first feature film role in the critically acclaimed, independent film Laws of Gravity, which co-starred fellow S.U.N.Y. Purchase alum Edie Falco. Schulze went on to star in numerous films and television series, most notably in The Sopranos where he played ‘Father Phil Intintola,’ a priest with an arguably inappropriate fondness for ‘Carmela Soprano’ (played by Falco).  He also appeared for three seasons in the hugely successful series 24 as CTU director ‘Ryan Chappelle’ before his character’s unexpected and controversial demise.

 

Schulze’s other film credits include Panic Room, where he played the rookie cop opposite Jodie Foster in one of the film’s most memorable and intense scenes, and Rambo, the latest installment in the franchise, where he played missionary ‘Michael Burnett’ who continually butts heads with Sylvester Stallone’s character.

 

Most recently, Schulze turned in an emotional performance on the crime-drama Law & Order: SVU, playing ‘Patrick Holbart,’ a father who has unknowingly sold his children into a human trafficking ring. He will next appear in the USA series Fairly Legal.

 

 

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH (Mrs. Akalitus)

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH has performed in film and television as well as on stage. She is probably most recognizable in popular culture as ’Nancy McNally’the National Security Advisor on NBC’s hit, The West Wing

Smith has been featured in several films, including The American President, The Human Stain, Dave and Rent.  She was a regular on the CBS series Presidio Med.  She recently starred in the independent film Rachel Getting Married, starring Anne Hathaway.

Smith also has an active career in the theater.  She has been said to have created a new form of theater, which combines journalism, dramatic writing and keen acting skills.  She creates one-person shows, based on interviews, in which she portrays several characters – as many as 46 in one show.  Smith performed Twilight: Los Angeles around the U.S. and on Broadway. It received two Tony® nominations, an Obie, a Drama Desk Award, a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics and numerous other honors. President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President Al Gore attended her Washington, D.C. performance. She produced, wrote and performed the movie version of Twilight: Los Angeles for PBS.

Another one of her plays, Fires In The Mirror, examined a race riot that occurred in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (1991) when age-old racial tensions between Black and Jewish neighbors exploded. It received an Obie Award, numerous other awards and was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize. She performed the play around the U.S., in London and Australia. The film version of Fires In The Mirror was also broadcast on PBS.

Her newest play, Let Me Down Easy, will be touring in the spring of 2011.  The tour will begin in Washington and will visit several other cities.  The play ran with several extensions at the Second Stage Theatre in New York. The subject is the resilience and vulnerability of the human body. This play was inspired by work she did at the Yale School of Medicine, where she was a Visiting Professor.

Smith has received many awards for her work in the theater, among them the prestigious McArthur Prize.  She has also received many honorary degrees including those from Juilliard, Smith, Wesleyan and Northwestern. She is a professor at New York University.

 

STEPHEN WALLEM  (Thor)

STEPHEN WALLEM was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois  and worked as a stage actor and After Dark Award-winning cabaret singer in Chicago before moving to New York to make his television debut on NURSE JACKIE. National tours include Forever Plaid, Into The Woods and Scrooge with Richard Chamberlain. He accrued nearly 2,500 performances as both ‘Jinx’ and ‘Sparky’ in various companies of Forever Plaid, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver and the first national tour. 

 

Wallem portrayed ‘Judas’/‘Padre’ in the Court Theatre’s acclaimed production of Man Of La Mancha (After Dark Award for ‘Outstanding Performance,’ Joseph Jefferson Award for ‘Best Ensemble’) and reprised his performance at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. For the Ravinia Festival, he appeared with Tony® winners Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris and George Hearn in A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday In The Park With George and Doll with David Hyde Pierce (all directed by Lonny Price). In New York, Wallem originated the role of ‘Arvid’ in the Broadway workshop of Kristina, written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA. He also performed his cabarets Off the Wallem and Schwartz and All at Don't Tell Mama along with guest appearances in the Sondheim Unplugged series at the Laurie Beechman Theater.

 

Wallem is also a playwright, composer, and director. Along with longtime collaborator Danny Musha, he is the author of Something on My Mind, produced by Ben Vereen for Good Vibes and the musical Frozen River, which work-shopped at Lamb's Theater in Manhattan. He co-directed Is There Life After High School? at Chicago Academy for the Arts, and wrote and directed Crisis at Broadway High. Wallem and Musha's ballad "Another New Place" was recorded by cabaret duo Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael for their latest CD, Better Two-gether.    

 

 

ARJUN GUPTA (Sam)


ARJUN GUPTA will soon be seen starring in the independent feature Love, Lies and Seeta, a romantic comedy with an Indian flavor that tells the story of three guys that fall for one girl.  He made his feature film debut in Motherhood, opposite Uma Thurman and Minnie Driver. Set in Manhattan, a mother prepares for her daughter’s birthday party and has no idea of the challenges she’s about to face in order to pull off the event. Gupta portrays ‘Nikesh,’ a New York City bike messenger, who inadvertently develops an interesting relationship with the struggling mother.


Over the summer, Gupta traveled to Uganda to work with In Movement, a program that implements arts education to disadvantaged youth. He developed a workshop that incorporated dance, music, and acting training for the children. While there, Gupta also collaborated with Breakdance Project Uganda to teach beat boxing to underprivileged children.


Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Gupta currently resides in New York. He is a graduate of NYU, Tisch School of the Arts.

 

 

BOBBY CANNAVALE

SPECIAL GUEST STAR

 

Bobby Cannavale made his Broadway debut in 2008 in Theresa Rebeck’s Mauritius, for which he was nominated for a Tony. He also received rave reviews in the 2005 Off-Broadway revival of Hurly Burly. On television Cannavale won an Emmy Award for his performance as Will’s boyfriend on NBC’s Will & Grace.  His many television appearances include HBO’s Six Feet Under, and a starring role in the ABC comedy series Cupid.  Cannavale’s film credits include The Station Agent, (Audience Award Sundance Film Festival; SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture;) The Other Guys, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Diminished Capacity, Fast Food Nation, The Night Listener and most recently, Win Win.
He also appears in the upcoming films PARKER opposite Jennifer Lopez and LOVELACE.  He was most recently seen on Broadway opposite Chris Rock in the critically acclaimed play, The Motherfucker with the Hat, for which he was again nominated for a Tony.

 

GBENGA AKINNAGBE (Kelly Slater)

GUEST STAR

GBENGA AKINNAGBE is best known for his breakout-starring role as ’Chris Partlow,’ on the widely acclaimed series “The Wire.” Now being heralded for his arc on the award-winning CBS series The Good Wife, he recently appeared on the big screen in the Warner Bros. comedy Lottery Ticketwith a star-studded cast including Ice Cube, Terry Crews and Bow Wow.

Born in Washington,D.C. to Nigerian parents and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Akinnagbe was the first in a family of six to be born in the United States. Upon graduating college, Akinnagbe began working for the government while researching the craft of acting in his free time. However, when his father passed away, he knew that it was time for a change so he quit his job and began acting full-time.  Over the next few years, he appeared on the stage in such classics as Romeo and JulietCyrano de BergeracHambone, All in the Timing and Sophocles’ Trilogy of Oedipus

He made his big screen debut opposite Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney in the award-winning, Oscar® nominated independent film The Savages.  In addition, he has also proven his talent in such major movie blockbusters as The Taking of Pelham 123 alongside John Travolta and The Edge of Darkness opposite Mel Gibson. 

 

During his successful three years on The Wire, Akinnagbe became a series regular on the SHOWTIME series Barbershop. He has appeared on TV’s biggest shows including Law and Order SVU, Fringe, Cold Case, Numb3rs and Conviction.  He currently can be seen in the recurring role as ’Pastor Isaiah Easton‘ opposite Julianna Margulies in CBS’ The Good Wife. 

 

Currently living in New York City, Akinnagbe works as a representative for such nonprofits such as All for Africa, Rewired for Change and Shine on Sierra Leon.

 

LIZ BRIXIUS &  LINDA WALLEM    (Executive Producers/Writers)

LIZ BRIXIUS and LINDA WALLEM began working together in 2005.Linda Wallem grew up in Rockford, Illinois, studied theater at the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of the Helen Olsen School of Jazz, Tap and Ballet. She began her career as an actress in both television and feature film, before becoming a writer on television’s Cybill, That ‘70s Show and The Comeback.

Liz Brixius grew up in Greenwood, Minnesota, and began her writing career as a poetry teacher at the University of Massachusetts.  She moved to the west coast, where she was hired to write feature films for Sandra Bullock and Katherine Heigl, only to find herself back on the east coast with Nurse Jackie, where she couldn't be happier.

 

 

RICHIE JACKSON  (Executive Producer)

 

RICHIE JACKSON is the president of Jackson Group Entertainment, a production and management firm. His producing credits include the Broadway musical A Catered Affair (‘Best Musical,’ Drama League Award) written by Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino, directed by John Doyle, and the film Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Jackson recently produced the highly-acclaimed off-Broadway play “This Wide Night” starring Edie Falco.        

 

 

 

Nurse Jackie

SEASON 4

 

Cast and Production Credits

Cast Credits

Jackie Peyton ……………………………………………………EDIE FALCO

 

Dr. Ellie O’Hara.….…………………………………………………EVE BEST

 

Zoey Barkow.………………………………………………MERRITT WEVER

 

Eddie Walzer…………………………………………………PAUL SCHULZE

 

Kevin………………………………………………………DOMINIC FUMUSA

 

Mrs. Gloria Akalitus……………………………….ANNA DEAVERE SMITH

 

Grace……………………………………………………………RUBY JERINS

 

Fiona…………………………………………………MACKENZIE ALADJEM

 

 

Dr. Fitch Cooper…………………………………………PETER FACINELLI

 

Special Guest Star

 

Miguel Cruz ……………………………………………BOBBY CANNAVALE

 

Guest Starring

Thor………………………………………………………STEPHEN WALLEM

 

Sam……………………………………………………………ARJUN GUPTA

 

Lenny……………………………………………………LENNY JACOBSON

 

Laurel Vargas………………………………………………AIDA TURTURRO

 

Jules……………………………………………………………ROSIE PEREZ

 

John………………………………………………BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG

 

Dick Babbit…………………………………………………………JOEL GREY

 

Wayne………………………………………………….CARMELO ANTHONY

 

Kelly………………………………………………….GBENGA AKINNAGABE

 

 

 

Production Credits

 

Executive Producers…………………………………………….............LINDA WALLEM

 

………………………………………………………………………LIZ BRIXIUS

 

………………………………………………………………RICHIE JACKSON

 

………………………………………………………….CARYN MANDABACH

 

Producers…..BRAD CARPENTER, LIZ FLAHIVE, MICHELE GIORDANO

 

Associate Producer/Technical  Consultant………..JENNIFER A. CADY, RN, BSN

 

Associate Producer…………………………………….BARBARA MILETICH

 

Costume Designer…………………………………………….INGRID PRICE

 

Music by………………………….WENDY MELVOIN and LISA COLEMAN

 

Music Supervisor………………………………………………MICHAEL HILL

 

 

NURSE JACKIE is a co-production of Showtime and Lionsgate