Chicago Fire Cast: Then and Now — How Firehouse 51’s Original Stars Have Changed Since Season 1 [PHOTOS] md06

Over the last decade, we’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of our Chicago Fire favorites. But a few original characters have managed to stick around for years – and we love looking back at photos of the cast and comparing them to now. Check out our gallery below of the Chicago Fire cast then vs. now photos.

Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama series following the personal and professional lives of firefighters, paramedics and other rescue personnel at the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. The series — which premiered in 2012 and is created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI franchises — is the first show in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.

Keep scrolling to see the Chicago Fire cast then vs. now photos, including Kelly Severide, Matthew Casey, Christopher Herrmann, Otis and more.

Although Taylor Kinney is taking a break from Chicago Fire, his character Kelly Severide is a fan-favorite for a reason. From being known as a “ladies’ man” in earlier seasons to transforming into a dedicated leader of Firehouse 51, we’ve seen his character grow immensely over the last decade. We really hope that we’ll see Kinney again when Chicago Fire returns for Season 12.

While we thought we saw the last of Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey when the actor left in October 2021 – we were thankfully wrong! Casey has reprised his role on numerous occasions in Chicago Fire Season 11 and has not ruled out returning full-time in the future. But we love watching Casey in the show’s earlier seasons (especially the buildup to his relationship and marriage to Gabby Dawson).

Chief Wallace Boden has been a core member of the Chicago Fire cast since the very beginning. He’s a strong and inspirational leader who has helped Firehouse 51 through every major obstacle – good and bad. Over the decades-long run, we’ve also learned that Boden is a family man at heart and will do anything for any member of his team. For example, when Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) asks him to walk her down the aisle in Season 10 to her marriage to Kelly Severide.

David Eigenberg’s Chicago Fire character Christopher Herrmann will always put a huge smile on our faces. As a veteran firefighter, he’s been a staple of the cast since Season 1 and has proven that he has a lot of knowledge to share (whether it’s good or bad). But from Season 1 to now, we’ve loved seeing Herrmann’s relationship with his wife, Cindy, and their five kids, Anabelle, Lee Henry, Luke, Max, and Kenny James.

Unfortunately, there is a very good chance that Christian Stolte (aka Mouch) is leaving Chicago Fire in Season 12. After all, the last time we saw him in the Season 11 finale he was flatlining in the hospital after getting hit by shrapnel. Mouch’s potential death is making us super emotional, especially because his character’s been a favorite since Season 1 (and we’re so obsessed with his marriage to Chicago P.D.’s Trudy).

It’s been a while since we saw Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund) on Chicago Fire. The paramedic-turned-firefighter was one of the first female firefighters on the show and led the way for others (including Stella Kidd). Before her exit in Season 4, we saw happy moments (like her marriage to Matthew Casey) and sad moments (like the death of her best friend and fellow paramedic, Leslie Shay).

We have a lot of love for Joe Minoso, the actor who plays Josef Ignacio “Joe” Cruz, a Squad 3 firefighter and former driver of Truck 81, in Chicago Fire. Also an original castmate since the first season, it’s been incredible to see Cruz grow and ultimately meet and marry the love of his life in later seasons. In Season 10, his wife Chloe gave birth to a baby boy, making Cruz a father.

RIP to one of our faves. We’ll always remember Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (played by Yuriy Sardarov), the firefighter who could always make us laugh. He was a co-owner of the bar Molly’s and briefly dated Severide’s sister, Katie. Unfortunately, Otis was killed in a devastating fire in Season 8. Writers said that they chose to kill off Otis to start the season with a shock.

Although Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) isn’t an original star on Chicago Fire, she’s still been on the show since Season 3 (which was nine years ago!). Brett replaced Leslie Shay as a paramedic assigned to Ambulance 61. Since then, she’s been an integral member of the team and entered into a romantic relationship with Matthew Casey. We are anxiously waiting to see if she accepted his marriage proposal in the Season 11 finale!