An ‘80s bombshell who lit up the screen in a Sean Connery adventure and later became a familiar face on a hit hospital drama was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this week — now 73 and still effortlessly chic.
Before Hollywood came calling, she was already earning acclaim on the stage, even scoring a Tony nomination. Her big-screen breakthrough arrived in 1986 with a fantasy action film alongside Sean Connery. In the ’90s, she went on to spend four seasons portraying a dedicated nurse on a medical series created by David E. Kelley, the mind behind shows like Ally McBeal, Boston Legal and Big Little Lies.
More recently, she has appeared in projects with Al Pacino — including a film he directed — and popped up on popular shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, House, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and How to Get Away with Murder.
When she stepped out this week, she looked stylish in a breezy plaid blouse, gray jeans, sunglasses, a relaxed brimmed hat and a deep blue scarf. Recognize her?
It’s Roxanne Hart, beloved for playing Brenda Wyatt in Highlander and Nurse Camille Shutt on Chicago Hope.
Born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1952, Hart discovered her passion for acting in college after taking a course on Greek classics. By 30, she had earned a Tony nomination for Peter Nichols’ Passion Play, sharing the stage with Frank Langella.
Her film breakthrough came soon after with Highlander, led by Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod — a centuries-old immortal guided by Connery’s swordmaster Ramirez. Hart portrayed Brenda, a sharp forensic scientist whose investigation into mysterious beheadings leads her straight to MacLeod — and eventually into a romance. Though the film initially underperformed, it later achieved cult status and grew into a franchise, with a reboot reportedly in the works starring Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe.
From 1994 to 1998, Hart appeared on Chicago Hope alongside actors like Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin and Hector Elizondo. Over the years, she’s also made guest appearances on numerous major series, including Law & Order, ER and Criminal Minds.
In 2013, she shared the screen with Pacino and Jessica Chastain in Wilde Salomé, directed by Pacino and inspired by Oscar Wilde’s play about John the Baptist. Hart portrayed Herodias in the stylized production.
Off-screen, she has been married since 1984 to actor Philip Casnoff, known for the miniseries North and South. Together, they have two children — and a decades-long Hollywood love story of their own.
