ENDED TV SERIES

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Set shortly after the Civil War, the series follows Dr. Michaela Quinn (Jane Seymour) as she leaves her wealthy family in Boston, Massachusetts to forge a new life out west. Setting off after the death of her beloved father and mentor, Michaela arrives in the town of Colorado Springs to establish her own medical practice. Soon afterwards she is bequeathed a dying friend’s three children, Matthew (Chad Allen), Colleen (Erika Flores and Jessica Bowman) and Brian (Shawn Toovey), and forms a tentative relationship with Byron Sully (Joe Lando), a friend to the Cheyenne Indians and a man considered by most of the townsfolk with a degree of suspicion. Sully is mourning the loss of his wife and baby in childbirth, and while both he and Michaela are hesitant to enter into a relationship, neither can they deny the chemistry between them. Although the townspeople are at first reluctant to consult the woman they call Dr. Mike, she gradually succeeds in winning their trust and respect.

Dr. Michaela Quinn (Jane Seymour) – Dr. Mike is the fifth daughter in a family of girls. Defying convention to follow in her father’s footsteps as a doctor, she finds that their once thriving practice becomes almost non-existent after his death, prompting her to head out west to start a new life. Things don’t get off to a good start when she arrives in the town of Colorado Springs: the townspeople were expecting a male doctor and have no intention of accepting a woman. Dr. Mike, though, isn’t about to give up and refuses to go home, setting up her practice and renting a home from one of the few people willing to accept her presence there, Byron Sully. Though Sully is still grieving for his wife and child and Dr. Mike is hesitant to enter into a relationship after the death of her fiancé during the war, the chemistry between the two is evident from the beginning. To add to the complications, Dr. Mike’s one friend in the town, midwife Charlotte Cooper (Diane Ladd), is bitten by a rattlesnake shortly after Dr. Mike’s arrival and on her deathbed asks her friend to take care of her three children. Taking on another family isn’t easy, but over time Dr. Mike forms a bond with both the children and the town.

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Byron Sully (Joe Lando) – Sully is a ruggedly handsome mountain man and friend of the Cheyenne Indians. He is one of the first people Dr. Mike sees on arriving in Colorado Springs, and she does not quite know what to make of him. Charlotte, the midwife, tells her that despite her efforts, both Sully’s wife – the storekeeper’s daughter, Abigail – and his baby died during childbirth. He was a changed man after his loss, seeking a more spiritual life that eventually led to his friendship with the Cheyenne. Well-known as a man of his word, Sully is both forthright and a peacemaker, always on hand if anyone needs his help – especially if it is Dr. Mike or her children. And despite having no intention of becoming involved with another woman, Sully is irresistibly drawn to Dr. Mike’s beauty and compassion.

Matthew Cooper (Chad Allen) – Matthew is the oldest of Charlotte’s three children. After his father’s desertion and the premature death of his mother, brave Matthew has had to grow up fast. A caring and decent young man, he believes in looking after the ones you love – for Matthew that means his siblings, a girl named Ingrid (Jennifer Youngs) and, in time, Dr. Mike.

Colleen Cooper (Erika Flores and Jessica Bowman) – Colleen is the only daughter of Charlotte. She assists Dr. Mike in her work and over time decides that she too wants to become a doctor. She is a good cook, something which for which Dr. Mike – no cook herself – is particularly grateful. Her keen intellect sometimes deters potential boyfriends but that’s not going to make Colleen change, especially when Dr. Mike tells her she had the same experience growing up.

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Brian Cooper (Shawn Toovey) – Brian is the youngest of the three children and the one who at first seems to miss Charlotte the most. It isn’t long, however, before he looks upon Dr. Mike as his mother. He also finds a kindred spirit in Sully, and their shared grief at the loss of their loved ones helps them to break down the walls they’ve built around their hearts. Brian also becomes close to storekeeper Loren Bray (Orson Bean), who is deeply depressed after losing first his daughter and then his wife.

Loren Bray (Orson Bean) – Loren is the owner and storekeeper of the town’s mercantile. He is also Sully’s father-in-law, although he disowned his daughter Abigail when she married Sully against his wishes. Shortly after Dr. Mike comes to town, Loren’s wife, Maude (Verna Bloom), suffers a heart attack and dies. Always a gruff man, after his wife’s death he becomes withdrawn and bitter. In time, Brian Cooper finds his way into the old storeowner’s heart, bringing out a kinder and gentler side of Loren and leading to his eventual reconciliation with Sully.

Jake Slicker (Jim Knobeloch) – Jake is the town barber, and a man who likes both alcohol and prostitutes. Until Dr. Mike arrived, Jake was considered the town “doctor”, his sole qualification being that he’d managed to fix the odd ailment here and there. Despite owning his own business, Jake cannot read.

Robert E. (Henry Sanders) – Robert E. is the blacksmith. Known to be handy at fixing things, he is often called upon for help – but as a former slave he does not always get the respect he deserves. He finds allies in Dr. Mike and her family, as well as Sully, and over time the townspeople begin to recognize him as their equal. When Grace (Jonelle Allen) comes to town, it’s love at first sight for Robert.

Horace Bing (Frank Collison) – Horace is the sweet, simple and friendly telegraph operator. Somewhat bashful with the ladies, Horace nevertheless develops a relationship with one of the prostitutes, Myra, (Helene Udy). Despite coming from different worlds, Hank and Myra form a long-lasting bond.

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Hank Lawson (William Shockley) – Hank is the owner of the local saloon. A man with no interest in long term relationships, he is tall and handsome with a devilish smile. He ignores the disapproval of the townspeople, runs his bar and keeps his prostitutes; and although he doesn’t often show it, he has a kind heart.

Reverend Timothy Johnson (Geoffrey Lower) – Reverend Johnson is the town’s spiritual leader and source of guidance on all matters, religious or otherwise. He’s a kind man who’s prepared to go to great lengths to help someone, even when it occasionally goes against his own beliefs.

Cloud Dancing (Larry Sellers) – Cloud Dancing is a Cheyenne Indian and close friend, advisor and confidante of Sully and Dr. Mike. A medicine man, he and Dr. Mike often discuss remedies for cases, agreeing that sometimes the white man’s way is better and sometimes the Indian’s. He is married to Snowbird (Tantoo Cardinal), another good friend of Dr. Mike, and they have one son.

Grace (Jonelle Allen) – An excellent cook and wonderful with children, Grace runs the town’s only restaurant, “Grace’s Café”. She and Robert E. are in love with each other, but their relationship is tested when she finds out that she is unable to have children of her own. A strong woman, she is determined to conquer her fears.

Dorothy Jennings (Barbara Babcock) – Dorothy is the sister of Loren’s wife, Maude. She arrives in town one morning after leaving her abusive husband and is subsequently accused of murdering him, though she is cleared of the charges soon afterwards. She decides to stay in Colorado Springs and fulfill her dream of becoming a writer by starting a town newspaper, “The Gazette”. She lives with Loren, something which makes him very happy as he was in love with her many years ago and still feels the same way.

Myra Bing (Helene Udy) – Myra is a prostitute at the saloon in town. Sweet and loving, she falls for telegraph operator Horace and, despite the obstacles set in their way by Hank, they eventually marry. Over time, the rest of the town comes to respect and care for Myra, regardless of her former profession.

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Main Cast

Character	Actor
Dr. Michaela Quinn	Jane Seymour
Byron Sully	Joe Lando
Matthew Cooper	Chad Allen
Colleen Cooper	Erika Flores (seasons 1 thru mid-season 3) and Jessica Bowman (mid-season 3 thru 6)
Brian Cooper	Shawn Toovey
Loren Bray	Orson Bean (Guy Boyd in pilot)
Jake Slicker	Jim Knobeloch (Colm Meaney in pilot)
Robert E.	Henry G. Sanders (Ivory Ocean in pilot)
Horace Bing	Frank Collison
Hank Lawson	William Shockley
Rev. Timothy Johnson	Geoffrey Lower
Cloud Dancing	Larry Sellers
Myra Bing	Helene Udy
Dorothy Jennings	Barbara Babcock
Grace	Jonelle Allen

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Additional Cast

Character	Actor
Chief Black Kettle	Nick Ramus
Emily Donovan	Heidi Kozak
Olive Davis	Gail Strickland
Ingrid	Jennifer Youngs  (Ashley Jones in character’s first appearance)
Becky Bonner	Haylie Johnson
Elizabeth Quinn	Georgann Johnson  (also Mary Gregory and Jane Wyman)
Marjorie Quinn	Alley Mills
Rebecca Quinn	Elinor Donahue
Emma Morrison	Charlotte Chatton
Teresa Morales	Michelle Bonilla  (played by Alex Meneses in season 6)
Daniel Simon	John Schneider
Preston A. Lodge III	Jason Leland Adams  (he also played General Custer in season 3)
Andrew Cook	Brandon Douglas
Katie Sully	Alexandria, McKenzie and Megan Calabrese
Anthony	Brandon Hammond  (played by Brenden Jefferson for four shows in season 4)
Snowbird	Tantoo Cardinal
Charlotte Cooper	Diane Ladd
Alice	Andy Bakkum
Missy	Missy Flores
Swede	Craig Richards
Sergeant O’Connor	Patrick Kilpatrick
Jon	Christopher Keene Kelly
Sergeant McKay	David Beecroft
Sergeant	Tim De Zarn
Walks On Cloud	Zahn McClarnon
Major’s Wife	Mary Rings
Jared McAllister	Johnny Moran
Towner	Rick Blanchard
Kid Cole	Johnny Cash
Black Moon	Gregory Cruz
Dr. Cassidy	Jerry Hardin
Sister Ruth	June Carter Cash
Ethan Cooper	Ben Murphy

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Trivia

Jane Seymour’s (Michaela Quinn) real life pregnancy was written into the season four storyline.

Dr. Quinn was the last successful western series on television until 2004 when the HBO series Deadwood premiered.

Joe Lando (Byron Sully) insisted on doing nearly all his own stunt work. He said that it made the character feel more real to him, and that he would probably never again have the opportunity to do things like eat worms or run on the top of moving trains.

William Shockley (Hank Lawson) graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in political science.

Jane Seymour has been the official spokesperson for UNICEF, the International Ambassador for Childhelp USA and the Honorary Chairperson for City Hearts.

Jim Knobeloch (Jake Slicker) appeared in the 2005 movie King Kong.

Orson Bean (Loren Bray) was blacklisted by Hollywood movie studios in the 1950’s due to his outspoken and liberal views.

Geoffrey Lower appeared as a boyfriend of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) in an episode of Friends.

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When Frank Collison (Horace Bing) was just a boy, he played the part of the young Tad Lincoln for the centennial celebration of President Lincoln’s first inauguration in Washington, D.C. Collison’s father, John, was chosen to play the part of Abraham Lincoln himself.

In 2006 Henry G. Sanders (Robert E.) was in the film Rocky Balboa.

Joe Lando and Jane Seymour dated briefly before Seymour met and married actor/director James Keach.

Dr. Quinn was one of only a few shows that allowed fans full access to its sets. Fans were sometimes even invited to watch the shows being filmed each week, and members of the cast were known to chat and sign autographs between shooting breaks. In the final season, a website was created which is still active today.

Barbara Babcock (Dorothy Jennings) went to Wellesley College, where she and actress Ali MacGraw were classmates.

Chad Allen (Matthew Cooper) has been with his partner Jerry Glazer, also an actor, since 2005.

Joe Lando’s first job as an actor was as a patrolman in the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

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Jane Seymour’s mother, Mieke Frankenberg, died following a stroke in 2007 aged 92. She spent three and a half years in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II.

Jonelle Allen (Grace) made her Broadway debut as a very small child in a play called The Wisteria Trees, with Ossie Davis and Helen Hayes. Hayes told Allen’s aunt that she should “Keep the child in the theatre. She has a natural gift.” Twenty years later, Allen met Hayes again. Sure that the famed actress would not remember her after so much time had passed, she recounted the story. Hayes then took Allen’s hand in hers and said, “See…I was right.”

Larry Sellers (Cloud Dancing) has guest starred on a number of different shows including Walker, Texas Ranger, The Sopranos and Beverly Hills, 90210.

Three women played Michaela’s mother on the show. Jane Seymour was rumored not to get along with the second, Jane Wyman, and the character was played for the rest of the series by Georgann Johnson.

Jessica Bowman (Colleen Cooper #2) was the valedictorian of her graduating class…which consisted of only eight people.

Despite its popularity, issues with the cast saw the show cancelled after six seasons. Distraught fans fought a passionate campaign to save it, and two made-for-T.V. movies subsequently hit the screens. Unfortunately, they were not well received.

Erika Flores’s (Colleen Cooper #1) last television job was a guest spot in an episode of the series House in 2009.

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Though Helene Udy (Myra Bing) was born in New Mexico, she is a dual citizen with a British passport.

William Shockley was doing theatre in 1986, in Dallas, Texas, when he was unexpectedly cast in Paul Verhoeven’s film Robocop and moved to Los Angeles.

Geoffrey Lower (Rev. Timothy Johnson) was training to become a lawyer until his love for acting saw him transfer to the Juilliard School in New York City.

In 2000 Jane Seymour was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Frank Collison lives with his wife, Laura Gardner, and their three children in Los Angeles, California. His youngest son, Gabe, is a member of the Crescenta Valley track team, commonly known as the “dream team”.

Both Shawn Toovey’s (Brian Cooper) parents were full-time truckers.

Joe Lando’s contract for Dr. Quinn specified that he must keep his hair long.

The show’s executive producer, Beth Sullivan, was married to Jim Knobeloch.

Orson Bean had a recurring role as Roy Bender in the popular series Desperate Housewives.

The series included a number of historical facts: for example, the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania truly did exist and is today part of Drexel University College of Medicine. Chief Black Kettle, General Custer and the poet Walt Whitman, all of whom were dramatized in the show, were real people, and the Battle of Washita did take place, though in another state.

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Chad Allen has a twin sister named Charity.

Jane Seymour was the only member of the cast that appeared in every single episode. Shawn Toovey and Chad Allen made the next most frequent appearances.

Barbara Babcock has not taken any television or film roles since 2004.

Chad Allen, who has a position on the Honorary Board of Directors for the Matthew Shepard Foundation, joined Shepard’s mother Judy and around 800 others in a peaceful demonstration outside (coincidentally) Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the headquarters of “Focus on the Family”, a Christian organization.

As well as being an actor, Larry Sellers is a translator, stuntman and technical advisor. In addition, he has drawn on his Osage/Cherokee/Lakota Indian heritage as a historical consultant, educator and historian.

Jane Seymour met her husband, James Keach, on the set of Dr. Quinn. He guest starred in one episode and produced and directed several others.

Henry G. Sanders has appeared in television shows such as Married…with Children, The Rockford Files, Knots Landing and Knight Rider.

Jane Seymour’s real name is Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg. She took the name Jane Seymour after the third wife of King Henry III.

William Shockley was given a deal by CBS to develop a spin-off of the Dr. Quinn series. It was to be called California and centered on the character of Hank Lawson. The pilot episode was filmed but never shown.

Jane Seymour achieved international fame as a Bond girl in the movie Live and Let Die. She played the character Solitaire, and was ranked 10th in a Top 10 Bond Babes list.

Jane Seymour’s twin sons with husband James Keach, Johnny Stacy and Kristopher Steven, were named after friends of the family, Johnny Cash and Christopher Reeve, as well as Keach’s brother, Stacy. Reeve and Cash were godfathers to their respective namesakes.

After 20 years together, Keach and Seymour announced in April 2013 that they were to divorce.

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In 1993, People Magazine named Joe Lando one of its “50 Most Beautiful People”.

Like Jane Seymour and James Keach, Jim Knobeloch and Beth Sullivan have twins. Their names are Jack and Tess. Also like Seymour and Keach, Knobeloch and Sullivan are no longer together.

After her car was stolen and involved in an accident, Helene Udy spent three days in an L.A. jail because the police thought she was the driver. When she was released she had no car and had to take a bus to get to the Dr. Quinn interview.

Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows) is a first cousin, twice removed, of President Calvin Coolidge.

Joe Lando’s sun-kissed complexion on the show was the result of make-up. He said that naturally he is as white as a ghost.

It was not common knowledge that Chad Allen was gay until 1996, when tabloid newspaper The Globe published photographs of him kissing another man. Since then, he has become a strong activist on LGBT issues and has appeared many times in LGBT magazine The Advocate.

Jane Seymour was given the script only one day before production on the pilot was to begin. She said that she was moved to tears when she read it and believed that she was born to portray Michaela Quinn.

Orson Bean and Alley Mills (Marjorie Quinn), whose characters on the show had a relationship, married in real life in 1993 and are still married today.  

Jonelle Allen grew up in Harlem’s Sugar Hill, with neighbors including Duke Ellington and Sonny Rollins.

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Henry G. Sanders was in the U.S. Army, served in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart as well as a Combat Infantry Badge.

William Shockley is in a band called “Seedy Side”.

Frank Collison was born on Valentine’s Day and had his first acting role at the age of six months – as a “theatre mascot” at a tent theatre.

Geoffrey Lower appeared in the Broadway play Happy Ending, for which he won a Drama Critics Award.

Jane Seymour has written several books, as well as co-authoring children’s books in the This One ‘N’ That One series with her former husband, James Keach.

Joe Lando has four children with his wife, Kirsten Barlow.

While filming the movie Live and Let Die, Seymour went to a psychic who told her that she would marry three more times in her life. Seymour, who had recently married her first husband, Michael Attenborough, found this shocking but the psychic proved to be correct.

Throughout the series, there were tensions between both the actors, and the writers and cast. One of the best documented disputes came during the show’s fifth season, when Joe Lando seriously considered leaving because of his concerns about the direction of his character and the show overall. John Schneider was asked to return for the next season with the intention that his character, Daniel Simon, could replace Lando’s Sully as Dr. Quinn’s love interest. The fans, however, were up in arms and campaigned to “Save Our Sully”. Lando returned, and though he was given part-time status after that, he remained until the end of the series.

Chad Allen only signed on to play Matthew Cooper in the series pilot. He needed the money to help pay for his college tuition fees and never thought that the series would be picked up.

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In 1996 Jessica Bowman won Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Dramatic Series for her portrayal of Colleen Cooper.

Jane Seymour has one brown eye and one green eye.

Shawn Toovey is a founding member of the Audrey Hepburn Hollywood for Children Foundation. He is also involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, The Braille Institute, Meals on Wheels, Camp Ronald McDonald, as well as several other child abuse prevention organizations.

Barbara Babcock’s father was a general in the U.S. Army. She spent a lot of her childhood in Tokyo, Japan and learned to speak Japanese before she learned to speak English.

Erika Flores was replaced with Jessica Bowman as Colleen Cooper midway through the third season. The rest of the cast had signed a five year contract, but Flores wanted either a shorter contract or more money. When CBS would not give her either, she was removed from the show.

Joe Lando first gained attention for his role as Jake Harrison on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live.

William Shockley is a partner in a restaurant in Austin, Texas, called “Café Josie”.

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Orson Bean’s father was the chief of campus police at the distinguished Harvard University.

Helene Udy is an acrobat in her spare time. Her disciplines are partner hand balancing and aerial silks.

Larry Sellers’s (Cloud Dancing) heritage includes Osage, Cherokee and Lakota Indian. His spiritual beliefs come from his Lakota heritage (the Lakota Pipe Beliefs) and he has participated in the Sun Dance, also known as the Wiwang Wacipi, for the past 17 years.

Jane Seymour became a United States citizen in 2005.

Jim Knobeloch was the prankster of the Dr. Quinn cast, even using horse manure on several occasions.

Jonelle Allen has been married and divorced twice and has no children.

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Barbara Babcock had a recurring role as Liz Craig in the well-known series Dallas.

Dr. Quinn aired in more than 100 countries.