You never know who might stroll into the Emergency Department next on Chicago Med, but Gaffney was just graced by Outer Banks star Charles Halford.
Season 11’s “The Story of Us” was in no shortage of tears as several Gaffney doctors found themselves tackling grueling diagnoses. As she continues to suffer in silence due to her GSS diagnosis, Dr. Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos) connected with a patient who arrived with a minor complaint, only to uncover a far more serious medical crisis. Halford delivered a heart-wrenching performance while giving Lenox some much-needed perspective.
It’s far from the first time Halford has stolen the show with a dynamite guest starring role, which is why we’re taking a look at some of his biggest projects.
Why SVU fans may recognize the latest Chicago Med guest star
Fans of Dick Wolf’s vast procedural universe might recognize Halford for a certain nefarious role he had on Law & Order: SVU. Halford played Johnny Drake, a serial rapist and sex trafficker, and most importantly, the biological father of Benson’s adopted son, Noah Benson. Halford appeared in SVU Season 16, Episode 15, “Undercover Mother” and the Season 16 finale, “Surrendering Noah.”
Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was responsible for saving Noah after he was abandoned as a young baby; Noah’s mother was one of Johnny’s sex workers. Benson arrested Johnny for his many crimes, but Johnny attempted to leverage his status as Noah’s biological father as a get-out-of-jail card.
Johnny’s infuriating insistence on getting Noah back culminated in a grueling courtroom showdown wherein Johnny eventually held the courtroom at gunpoint after stealing an officer’s gun. After shooting SVU alum Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) in the leg, Amaro returned fire and took Johnny down after a white-knuckled shootout.
Halford boasts a prolific entertainment career, known for many iconic roles. Halford recently made waves as Big John in Outer Banks after delivering goosebumps as the suspicious red herring Reggie Ledoux in the Emmy-winning drama True Detective.
Some of Halford’s other notable recurring television projects include Constantine, The Walking Dead, and Rectify. Halford also guest starred in a Season 8 episode of Chicago P.D., so he’s no stranger to raising the stakes on a procedural. Halford has lent his gravely voice to several hit video games, such as Injustice 2, God of War, Fallout 4, and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
Charles Halford played a grieving widower on Chicago Med
Halford made his way to Chicago Med as Jabo Higgins, a tattoo artist who visited Gaffney after accidentally cutting an artery while giving himself a stick-and-poke tattoo. The heavily-inked Jabo was curious if Lenox had any tattoos, and she revealed she had none.
During her treatment, Lenox soon realized Jabo was anemic, which required a transfusion. Jabo theorized he’d become anemic due to the grief he felt over his late wife, whom he recently lost to lung cancer. Jabo and his wife had lived a quiet life in a cabin, and he was now feeling depressed without her, sparking his memorial tattoo stick-and-poke fiasco.
Jabo asked Lenox about the ring on her necklace and encouraged her to get some ink to process the pain she was harboring. Just as Jabo saw through Lenox’s iron exterior, he fainted.
After Jabo was rushed into surgery, Lenox deduced that Jabo had become anemic due to arsenic poisoning. The well water at his cabin had caused the issue and had likely led to his wife’s health complications, as well. Jabo was devastated but relieved to learn the truth, viewing his unfinished memorial stick-and-poke as a divine twist of fate.
Meanwhile, Lenox took away many lessons about love, loss, and letting go of pain. As the episode ended, Lenox took off her necklace and checked out her new birdcage tattoo with pride.
Watch Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
