NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider One Chicago

Who Was In The Chicago Fire Season 1 Cast?

Here's what Firehouse 51 looked like at the very beginning. 

By Megan Lasher

Chicago Fire first hit the screen in 2012, and soon became one of television's most beloved shows. In its 11 seasons, the show has introduced audiences to plenty of complex, endearing, and heroic firefighters and paramedics. 

How to Watch

Watch Chicago Fire Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC and next day on Peacock.

Plenty of those people have come and gone — including fan-favorite characters — so it can be hard to remember who the original Firehouse 51 crew was composed of. 

Here is everyone who was in the cast of Chicago Fire Season 1. 

Who was in the original cast of Chicago Fire?

Of course, the show couldn't exist without Firehouse 51's fearless leader, Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker). Under him were Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer), who were far from friendly with each other then. 

Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund), Leslie Shay (Lauren German), Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg), Brian "Otis" Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov), Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett), Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), Kevin Hadley (William Smillie), Harold Capp (Randy Flager), and Tony Ferraris (Anthony Ferraris) were also all a part of the firehouse that inaugural season. 

The cast of Chicago Fire from the pilot episode pose in front of a fire truck

Eamonn Walker as Chief Boden 

Seasons 1-11

Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walke) appears in a scene from Chicago Fire.

Chief Boden has been the frontman of Firehouse 51 for over 10 years, and his official title is Deputy District Chief. He's faced plenty of struggles over the years, like making hard calls during intense fires and dealing with relationship and friendship drama among the crew. 

Boden also had his fair share of romantic turmoil, between multiple ex-wives and his son, Terrance, and step-son, Jimmy. 

Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide

Seasons 1-11

Kelly Severide appears in Chicago Fire.

The son of Boden's old friend, Benny Severide (Treat Williams), Kelly Severide was a key player throughout all of Chicago Fire up until his mid-season departure in Season 11. In that season finale, Severide's wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) decided to track him down and bring him back to Chicago, so he may or may not return to his crucial role in 51 for Season 12. 

RELATED: Where Did Severide Go on Chicago Fire?

When audiences first met Severide, he was battling intense pain that he feared would keep him away from his job. His best friend and confidant, Shay, was helping him get medication under the table, which caused some hiccups for the pair in the first season. 

Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey 

Seasons 1-10

Jesse Spencer As Casey in Chicago Fire

Much like Severide, Casey is one of the people who shaped Firehouse 51. Throughout his time on Chicago Fire, he proved himself to be a valuable leader, good friend, and loyal partner. 

Casey's long-lasting relationship with Dawson — and their potential co-parenting of their foster son, Louie — was a focal point of his earlier seasons on the show.

RELATED: Who Is Louie From Chicago Fire?

He went on to date Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer), but ultimately had to leave her and Chicago behind to move to the west coast and care for the children of his late coworker, Andy Darden, in Season 10, Episode 5 ("Two Hundred"). 

RELATED: Casey and Brett's Chicago Fire Relationship History

Luckily for fans of Casey, he's reappeared throughout the last two seasons, visiting Chicago and his old 51 family regularly.

Monica Raymund as Gabby Dawson

Seasons 1-8

Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund) appears in a scene from Chicago Fire.

Casey's long-term partner, Gabby Dawson, was a force to be reckoned with during her time at 51. She began as a paramedic, and it was immediately clear that she was willing to put her life on the line for her patients. 

As time went on, Dawson decided to pursue her goal of being a firefighter, where her bravery shined even brighter. She ultimately left the show in Season 6, Episode 23 ("The Grand Gesture") so that she could be an emergency responder in Puerto Rico.

RELATED: What Happened to Gabby Dawson on Chicago Fire?

Like Casey, she returned back to the firehouse after her big goodbye, making a few appearances in Season 7. She also appeared in a video that Otis and Cruz found during Season 8, Episode 9 ("Best Friend Magic"). 

Lauren German as Leslie Shay

Seasons 1-3

Leslie Shay (Lauren German) in a scene from Chicago Fire.

Leslie Shay was a paramedic who worked alongside Dawson and was roommates with Severide. Throughout the first two seasons of the show, she went through the process of rekindling an old relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Clarice (Shiri Appleby) to the point that they were preparing to co-parent a child together, up until Clarice randomly left her. 

RELATED: What Happened to Leslie Shay on Chicago Fire?

Shay then tried to conceive a child and co-parent with Severide, but before they could take those steps, she was involved in a tragic accident. 

At the end of Season 2, in Episode 22 ("Real Never Waits"), the entire crew responded to a fire in a large building that ended up exploding. At the beginning of Season 3, it was revealed that Shay was fatally injured from the explosion, and the team dedicated an ambulance to her in a tearful goodbye. 

David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann

Seasons 1-11

Herrmann looking spent after fighting a fire

Herrrmann is one of 51's most lovable characters, and his paternal instincts stretch far beyond his large nuclear family. He is the proud owner of the popular watering hole, Molly's, where One Chicago heroes gather to unwind. 

RELATED: The Unexpected Way Herrmann Helps Cindy Through Chemo on Chicago Fire

Herrmann's personal life includes his wife, Cindy (Robyn Coffin), who was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of Season 11, and their five children. It's unsure what Season 12 will hold for him with his wife's health battle, but he's overcome health scares before, like in Season 4 when he was stabbed by a perpetrator and had to be hospitalized. 

Charlie Barnett as Peter Mills 

Seasons 1-3

Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett) appears in Chicago Fire.

Mills was the Firehouse's new recruit at the beginning of Season 1, and he had to go through a great deal of hazing before he was formally welcomed into the fire family. Mills's father had been a firefighter with the CFD alongside Cheif Boden, and much of the son's storyline was piecing together his dad's death and legacy.

Mills ultimately left the show at the end of Season 3. 

Yuri Sardarov as Brian "Otis" Zvonecek 

Seasons 1-8

Chicago Fire Otis Recap2

Otis was a central member of the Firehouse 51 family, and he spent the first season of the show invested in his podcast about the ins and outs of the job. Although his own coworkers poked fun at the creative endeavor, Otis later met with a firehouse in Morningside who were all massive fans of his work, so much so that he even considered leaving 51 to join them. 

RELATED: What Happened to Otis Zvonecek on Chicago Fire?

However, Otis realized that 51 felt too much like a family to ever leave, and he stayed on the squad until his tragic death at the end of Season 7. 

Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz

Seasons 1-11

Joe Minoso in Chicago Fire

Where there was Otis, there's Cruz. The second half of 51's beloved BFF pairing spent much of the first season trying to help his brother, Leon, who was tied up with a local gang.

RELATED: How Joe Cruz Became the Beating Heart of Chicago Fire

Cruz first found out the news when he showed up to a call about a shooting and found Leon injured in Season 1, Episode 7 ("Two Families"). He attempted to make a deal with the gang leader in order to help his brother, which ultimately ended in even more complications. 

Christian Stolte as Randall "Mouch" McHolland

Seasons 1-11

Mouch on Chicago Fire

The nickname "Mouch" is a portmanteau of "man" and "couch" — given to the firefighter because he spent so much time watching television — but there is much more to Randall McHolland than his love of TV. For instance, Mouch spent the first season attempting to learn Japanese so he could appease his online girlfriend, Mari.

RELATED: A Look at Mouch and Trudy Platt's Chicago Fire Love Story

Once they broke up, Shay convinced him to try dating on the site GoldenOldeez.com, which didn't work out well either. However, fans know that Mouch eventually ended up wooing Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) from Chicago P.Din later seasons. 

Teri Reeves as Hallie Thomas

Season 1

Hallie Thomas appears in a scene from Chicago Fire.

Though she was only on the show for the first season, Hallie Thomas (Teri Reeves) left a major mark, in part because of her relationship with Casey. The two had been engaged and were together for 8 years before Hallie left the country. She returned to Chicago during Season 1 and told Casey that she was working at the Lakeshore Clinic, which posed an issue as he was pursuing Dawson.

RELATED: The Most Devastating Deaths on Chicago Fire Across All 11 Seasons

At the end of the season, the crew was called to tend to a fire in the clinic, and it was revealed that Hallie had been murdered just before the fire was started. 

William Smillie as Kevin Hadley

Seasons 1-3

Ferraris, Hadley, Kelly Severide and Capp sit on a Fire Truck in Episode 121 of Chicago Fire

Hadley began the show as a normal member of Firehouse 51, but things quickly took a turn. The to-be-expected hazing of Mills ended up growing into something much worse under the reign of Hadley.

RELATED: The Biggest Villains from All 11 Chicago Fire Seasons

After taking things way too far, Hadley was transferred out of the firehouse. In Season 2, the team responded to a string of arson attacks that were later connected back to Hadley, who ended the show in jail with severe burn damage. 

Randy Flager as Harold Capp 

Seasons 1-11

Randy Flagler as Capp in his uniform in front of a fire truck on epsiode 318 of Chicago Fire

Although Capp is not often the star of major plot points, his place in Chicago Fire has stayed strong for all 11 seasons. Season 1 found Capp enmeshed in the normal Firehouse 51 shenanigans, and he assisted Hadley in some of the pranks pulled on Mills. 

In Season 1, Episode 20 ("Ambition"), Capp's dedication to his job became apparent when he got electrocuted during a call. He and Casey were attempting to deal with an electrical fire in a house when the incident occurred, but luckily he came back to consciousness quickly after they evacuated him from the building. 

Anthony Ferraris as Tony Ferraris

Seasons 1-11

Firefighter Tony on Chicago Fire episode 1121 pulling a rope in front of a firetruck

A real-life Chicago firefighter, Anthony Ferraris plays a version of himself on the show. He began as an extra in Season 1, but slowly worked his way into the Firehouse 51 core family, and has now been in 196 episodes of Chicago Fire. 

Ferraris told Wolf Entertainment that he responded to a call for extras that his friend had shown him, which led to him landing the NBC role. He also revealed that he's not the only real firefighter on set: The show often calls in extras from the actual CFD to help on intense plot lines. 

Watch all of Chicago Fire Season 1 (and then 10 more seasons!) by streaming it on Peacock