- She used to busk (play the guitar and sing for money) in the New York City subway.
- Sometimes makes appearances at music events as a guest guitarist where she usually performs barefoot.
- Described by Miguel Ferrer as being a non-angry version of her Crossing Jordan (2001) character Jordan Cavanaugh.
- Has Irish, Italian, Swedish, French and Ukrainian ancestry.
- She loves to cook, and opened Hennessy's Tavern in Northvale, New Jersey in 1999. The Tavern served "comfort food." Hennessy's Tavern closed in 2011.
- Speaks Italian, French, Spanish and German
- Finalist for role of Dana Scully on The X-Files (1993).
- Has a twin sister, named Jacqueline Hennessy, with whom she used to perform in an act named (what else?) "Jack and Jill".
- Barely graduated from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada's Grand River Collegiate (high school), while her twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy, has a Master's degree in French Literature.
- She is such a fan of the folk duo Indigo Girls that a poster of the act hangs in the kitchen set of her character in Crossing Jordan (2001).
- Her grandmother, Eleanor Hennessy, was a huge influence in her early life. At fifteen, Jill began modeling in Toronto. Her grandmother drove her all over town.
- Had a second marriage ceremony on January 11, 2001 at New York City Hall with Rudy Giuliani officiating.
- Her father, John, was a meat salesman, which required considerable travel and resulted in frequent moves. Her mother, Maxine, left the family when Jill was small. She also has a younger brother, John Jr.
- Loves riding motorcycles with her husband.
- Has a song named after her: "The Ballad of Jill Hennessy" by Mollycuddle.
- Voted one of the "Fun and Fearless Females" by Cosmopolitan Magazine (2002.)
- Mother, with Paolo Mastropietro, of second son, Gianni Mastropietro, who was born on November 21, 2007 in New York.
- Credits Steven Hill, to whom she is a surrogate granddaughter, as her acting mentor and best friend; Hill took her under his wing when she was only 24.
- She has worked with Kyle Secor on three different series: Law & Order (1990), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), and Crossing Jordan (2001).
- Her mother, Maxine, is a secretary in Montreal and a fantastic cook. Jill's father, John Paul Sr., is a meat salesman and a sales & marketing executive in Canada. She has a twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy, who is an actress and a journalist, and a younger brother, John Paul Jr.
- She and Paolo Mastropietro welcomed a son, Marco Mastropietro, on 17 September 2003.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content