Decades have passed since their
last adventure in Colorado Springs, and the cast members of Dr. Quinn,
Medicine Woman have stayed busy with new shows, career changes, and a
controversial trip to Australia. Jane Seymour played Michaela Quinn, the
ambitious title character of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Throughout the show's six
seasons, Dr. Quinn dealt with gender bias, patients in crisis, and the harsh living
conditions of the Wild West. In real life, Seymour has faced her own harrowing struggles.
Before the show premiered, she was bankrupt and in desperate need of work. As she revealed
on NPR's All Things Considered in 2015, "I called my agent and I said, 'I will
do anything. Please tell the networks.'" Soon thereafter, Seymour received the script for
Dr. Quinn. Despite that lucky break, she didn't immediately think that viewers would be interested
in a Western series with a female protagonist. But the show's massive success ultimately speaks
for itself. Looking back, Seymour admitted, "One of the proudest things
I've done is Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. It was such a remarkable series." "You watch Dr. Quinn now,
and it's just so on-point to what's happening today.
It dealt with everything." In the years since, Seymour has remained plenty
busy, appearing on such shows as Smallville, Jane the Virgin, and The Kominsky Method. And in
2022, she became a small screen leading lady once again when she was cast as the title character
in the quirky detective series Harry Wild. Joe Lando was an unforgettable heartthrob to
legions of Dr. Quinn viewers. He played Sully, the tomahawk-throwing hunk who falls
in love with Dr. Quinn. His rugged appearance and luscious hair made
him a perfect fit for the role. As Dr. Quinn creator Beth Sullivan
told the Los Angeles Times in 1993, "[Lando's] real. He's not the typical star
jerk with any kind of pomp and ego trip." After the show ended, Lando cut his legendary
locks, a transformation that allowed him to play a broader range of characters. As
he admitted to Chicago Parent in 2010, "I always had to find a way to
fit the hair into the story. You can't play a banker and have
long hair and have it work." Lando has enjoyed an eclectic career that
includes several made-for-TV movies, soap operas, and horror flicks. He also maintains a close
relationship with his former castmates. In 2021, he reunited with Jane Seymour and William Shockley
to celebrate his 60th birthday. And he and Seymour rekindled their on-screen chemistry in 2022 when
they co-starred in the TV movie A Christmas Spark. Chad Allen played Matthew Cooper, the eldest
of the three children that Dr. Quinn adopts after their mother is killed by a snake.
He received several award nominations for his work on the show, but perhaps even more
newsworthy was an offscreen incident that happened in 1996. That was when he was publicly
outed by a tabloid. But he didn't let that slow him down, as he continued to work as an
openly gay actor for almost 15 years. But Allen has since given up showbiz for a
career as a clinical psychologist. Despite the shift, he's still grateful for
his time on screen. He said goodbye to acting in a 2015 video on his YouTube channel. "I am incredibly grateful today. I
have been, and I will always be." Jessica Bowman wasn't the first actor to
star as Colleen Cooper on Dr. Quinn. The role was originally played in seasons 1 and 2
by Erika Flores, who ended up leaving the show in the middle of Season 3. Rumors swirled
about the reasons for Flores' departure, though none were ever substantiated.
No matter what the real reason was, Bowman managed to inject new life
into Dr. Quinn's adopted daughter. Since her time on the show, Bowman has
appeared in a few TV movies with titles like Young Hearts Unlimited and Lethal Vows. She
was also in the big screen thriller Joy Ride, and she had an uncredited appearance
in the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore rom-com 50 First Dates. It seems that
she's chosen to live a more quiet, private life since then, as she hasn't had
any onscreen acting credits since 2011. Georgann Johnson played Elizabeth Quinn, Dr.
Quinn's proper East Coast mother. The veteran performer brought her impressive acting chops
to eight episodes of the Western drama between 1993 and 1997. After a decades-long showbiz
career, she died at the age of 91 in 2018. In addition to her time on Dr. Quinn, Johnson
could boast of a long list of credits that spanned Broadway, TV, and film. She appeared on other
popular TV shows like Seinfeld and Cold Case, and her stage work included the original
production of The Pajama Game. She was married to Jack Tenner, a Superior Court Judge in
Los Angeles. As her family wrote in her obituary, "She said some of her happiest times as
an actor were the improvisations she and Jack did to raise funds at the many events
they attended. She will be greatly missed." Playing the role of town saloonkeeper and brothel
owner Hank Lawson was William Shockley. Hank was known for his gruff, chauvinistic behavior,
though he did have a few redeeming moments. Fans of the show tended to have a bit of a
love/hate relationship with this character. For Shockley's part, he didn't mind playing a
quasi-villain. As he told Media Mikes in 2014, "I loved the privilege of developing a
character over a 6-year run [...] He was one guy on the surface and a totally
different person in his heart." Shockley first became interested in
acting when he was a teenager. His big break happened in 1987 when he landed
a role in the sci-fi movie RoboCop. "Your move, creep." Several years later, Dr. Quinn launched his
career to new heights. After the series ended, it was clear that he'd found his niche; he
co-wrote and acted in several Western films, including The Gundown, The Legend of 5 Mile
Cave, and Far Haven. In addition to all that, he also works as a production
company executive and a musician. Orson Bean was beloved as Colorado Springs'
general store owner Loren Bray. The character was crotchety and often troublesome, which
was a far cry from Bean's real personality. He brought his natural charm as a longtime
panelist on the game show Tell the Truth, as well as movies like Being John Malkovich
and TV shows like Modern Family. Bean was also a dedicated humanitarian who
founded a school and the arts-based organizations The Sons of the Desert and
the Pacific Resident Theater Ensemble. Sadly, Bean's life was cut short in February 2020
when he was hit by a car. He was crossing a street in Venice, California when he was clipped
by one vehicle and then struck by another. It was ultimately determined that Bean's
death was an accident. He was 91 years old. Dr. Quinn and Byron Sully's relationship wasn't
the only romantic plot line on the show. There was also the unlikely love story between Myra,
one of the sex workers at the local brothel, and Horace Bing, the town's telegraph operator.
Frank Collison was the actor behind Horace. After the show ended, Collison remained
committed to acting in film, TV, and on the stage. He appeared on the big screen in such
notable movies as The Village and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He also graced TV screens on shows
like Monk and Star Trek: The Next Generation. As for the live theater portion of his career,
he helped found the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California. And he even appeared in
Zoom-based plays during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every good Western drama needs a reverend, and
the one on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was Timothy Johnson, who was portrayed by Geoffrey Lower.
He played Reverend Johnson for all six seasons, developing from a spurned lover to a blind man
dedicated to serving his parish no matter what. "How can I be a reverend when I can't
even see the people in my church?" Since Lower said goodbye to his
time playing Reverend Johnson, he's remained quite busy. He's continued
to work on both the stage and the screen, which has included appearances on popular TV shows
like NCIS and JAG, as well as plays like And The Band Played On and Johnny Skidmarks. Outside of
showbiz, Lower has also gotten his real estate and general construction licenses and started
flipping houses with his wife in Los Angeles. Some viewers might argue that Dr. Quinn, Medicine
Woman was ahead of its time in its willingness to embrace some pretty heavy issues. This was
certainly true in the case of Robert E., a formerly enslaved man who was separated
from his wife and children. Henry G. Sanders brought depth and emotion to
Robert E. throughout the show's run, perhaps drawing on his own tumultuous life
as inspiration. He spent time in the Army and served two tours in Vietnam before heading
out to Los Angeles to make it in showbiz. However, Sanders didn't originally
set out to become an actor. In fact, he went to L.A. in search of a publisher for
his novel. While that book never got published, the writer-turned-actor never put
down his pen. Since Dr. Quinn ended, he's written several plays that
have gone on to be produced. Barbara Babcock played Dorothy Jennings
beginning in Season 2 of Dr. Quinn, and the character remained a part of the show
until the sixth and final season. Babcock brought plenty of spunk and grit to the role, as Dorothy
was someone who didn't exactly have an easy life. As the editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, she
was always nearby when crazy things happened. She also survived a single mastectomy operation,
which was of course performed by Dr. Quinn. "I'll lose a part of myself, and
I'm not able to accept that." Since Dr. Quinn ended its run, Babcock
has remained busy. She spent some time traveling all over the world, from Kenya and
South Africa all the way to Peru. She finally put down semi-permanent roots in 2002 when she
moved back to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, to refurbish her old family home. As
she noted to Carmel Magazine in 2018, "I wanted to leave Los Angeles during
the 46 years I spent there. At that time, it was necessary as an actor to
be either in New York or L.A. I kept thinking of leaving but didn’t
want to give up the business yet." Two years after settling in
her newly renovated home, Babcock was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
But her story was far from over. As she revealed, "That was a big jolt, obviously
[...] I asked the doctor, 'How long do I have?' [...] His answer was,
'eight to ten years.' That was 14 years ago." Jonelle Allen played the
supporting character of Grace, an African-American woman who owned and
operated her own cafe. Allen was overjoyed at the opportunity to accurately
portray the strength, resilience, and beauty of Black people in the American West.
As she explained to ABC7 Los Angeles in 2020, "I used to believe, because of
seeing old movies and stuff, that Black people weren't in the Old West. Well, we were. We were there [...] We were very much
involved in the foundation of the old west." Allen's fight for social justice
didn't end with her time on Dr. Quinn. She's gone on to teach at the Young
American College for the Performing Arts, and she still performs around the country.
And she has no plans of slowing down. "The thing is, we persisted! And
that's what I always say: persist!" 21st century people might be horrified to learn
that barbers used to double as doctors. But that's indeed how it was back then. And that's exactly
what Jake Slicker, played by Jim Knobeloch, did in the town of Colorado Springs
— at least until Dr. Quinn showed up. Knobeloch brought the barber-surgeon to life for
all six seasons of the Western drama. Afterwards, he kept acting for a while, which included
a few TV shows and a bit part in the 2005 remake of King Kong. But then he headed
to a land Down Under. Alas, his wife, Dr. Quinn creator Beth Sullivan, denied
that they ever agreed to live in Australia, and the two ended up separating. As Knobeloch
claimed in their divorce proceedings, "I enjoyed living in Australia over
California, and it was my belief that [my wife] and I would live in Victoria, Australia
permanently, and raise our children there."
