As ‘Blue Bloods’ Says Farewell, Take a Final Look at the Show’s Beloved Cast
Take a closer look at the cast as the series comes to a close.
When Blue Bloods made its debut on September 24, 2010, the concept of an Irish Catholic family working in law enforcement triggered more than a few yawns. But some 14 years later, this popular police procedural featuring the Reagans of New York City has enjoyed enormous success, the Blue Bloods cast was so dedicated that they and top producers actually agreed to a 25% pay cut in order to keep the show on the air for a 14th season.
But now, alas, we must bid farewell to Blue Bloods, its final eight episodes airing in the fall of 2024.
The series boasts an ensemble cast led by Tom Selleck as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, while other main characters include Donnie Wahlberg as an NYPD detective, Bridget Moynahan as an assistant district attorney, Will Estes as the youngest of the Reagan sons and an NYPD sergeant; and Len Cariou as Selleck’s TV dad and a former NYPD beat cop who became police commissioner. These main characters appear in the entire 14 seasons, each member of the family representing a different aspect of police work or the legal process.
The heart of each episode of Blue Bloods is the Sunday dinner where the Reagans gather each week for a sit-down meal with traditional “grace” being offered at the star. That idea came from Tom Selleck as a means of maintaining a sense of family. These scenes have traditionally been the longest ones to shoot.
The show’s title references both the “blue blooded” concept of nobility as it relates to the Reagan family’s powerful roles within the NYC criminal justice system, and the American concept of an entire family who dedicates their lives to the law enforcement profession as one that “bleeds blue.”
Let’s catch up with the main cast before they bid us adieu.
Tom Selleck as Commissioner Frank Reagan: Blue Bloods Cast
As NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan, Tom Selleck traded in his famous Hawaiian aloha shirts and Detroit Tigers baseball cap for a three-piece suit complemented with a red and blue tie. Yet he will forever be remembered as endearing, dimpled private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s TV series, Magnum P.I. for which he received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1985.
Born Thomas William Selleck on January 29,. 1945 in Detroit, the handsome actor built an extensive resume beginning with bit parts in films like Myra Breckinridge (1970), The Seven Minutes (1971) and Coma (1978).
Commercials loved him with his all-American looks, among them spots for Right Guard, Salem cigarettes, Chaz cologne and Close-up toothpaste. There were also numerous TV guest appearances, including shows like Marcus Welby, M.D., Mannix and The Rockford Files. His role as P.I. Lance White on the latter was a foreshadowing of things to come.
Loving the outdoors and proving to be a good marksman, those interests led him to cowboy roles in Western films such as The Sacketts, Concrete Cowboys, The Shadow Riders, Quigley Down Under and his 1997 role in Last Stand at Saber River, which won him a Western Heritage Award. Later TV parts include Dr. Richard Burke on Friends, A.J. Cooper on Las Vegas and Jesse Stone in a series of nine TV movies based on the Robert B. Parker novels.
In film, Selleck played bachelor Peter Mitchell in Three Men and a Baby (1987, as well as its 1990 sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady), Runaway (1984), Her Alibi and An Innocent Man (both 1989).
Proving he’s not a one-trick pony, in 2021, Selleck made his album debut, singing “Yessir, That’s My Baby” with Nicolas King. He is also the co-founder of the Character Counts organization. Selleck and his wife Jillie Mack keep a low profile living outside Los Angeles.
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Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Danny Reagan
Before Wahlberg joined the ranks of the NYPD as first Grade Detective Danny Reagan on Blue Bloods, he was an original member of the boy band New Kids on the Block beginning at age 15.
Although he attained teen heartthrob status, there were occasional bouts with the law. After 10 years, the band broke up only to be resurrected in 2008 with a new tour and new music. Their first album as a reunited group topped the American charts and went certified gold. As of 2024, Wahlberg remains a member of the “boy band”.
Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Jr., was known for his rapping skills alongside younger brother Mark Wahlberg. Outside of music, he pursued an acting career, first showing up on the big screen as a tough guy thug in Bullet (1996). Subsequently, he had roles in the Saw films, The Sixth Sense, Ransom, Zookeeper as well as in the role of Carwood Lipton in the WW II miniseries Band of Brothers.
He also starred in the crime drama Boomtown before landing his starring role in Blue Bloods. Donny also put on a producer’s hat and starred in Wahlburgers on A&E, Donnie Loves Jenny and Return of the Mac for POP TV.
Wahlberg currently hosts an internet radio show called “DDUB’s R&B Back Rub” as well as HLN’s “Very Scary People.”
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Bridget Moynahan as ADA Erin Reagan: Blue Bloods Cast
The actress and former model appeared in fashion catalogs and magazines such as Vogue and Elle, and appeared in television commercials before taking acting lessons. “Modeling was a crazy world that paid a lot of money. I liked being a model but I knew it would never last, so I looked into acting.”
She made her TV debut in a guest appearance on Sex and The City in 1999 that turned into a recurring role. Her feature film was Coyote Ugly, with supporting roles in such fare as The Recruit, Noise with Tim Robbins, I Robot with Will Smith, Lord of War with Nicolas Cage, John Wick and its sequel and The Sum of All Fears with Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, among others.
After just one season, the TV series Six Degrees was cancelled, but Moynahan hit it big with the role of Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan. It was Donnie Wahlberg who had encouraged her to take the role after working with her on the 2008 TV pilot Bunker Hill. She has also parlayed her good looks into lucrative advertising deals.
Born Kathryn Bridget Moynahan in Binghamton, New York, the family moved to Massachusetts, where she excelled at sports and became the captain of the girls’ high school soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. She admits that during her childhood, she was a tomboy.
Will Estes as Officer/Sergeant Jamie Reagan
This wasn’t Will’s first rodeo in primetime television, having amassed a diverse body of film and TV work. On the small screen, Estes received critical acclaim for his role as JJ Pryor in American Dreams (2002) and added to his resume with Law & Order: SVU,The Cleaner, In Plain Sight, Eleventh House and many more.
He counts among his big screen efforts the WWII film U-571 and The Dark Knight Rises, portraying another cop, Officer Simon Jansen. Other credits include See You In MY Dreams, Line of Duty and Magic Valley.
Born in Los Angeles, Estes landed his first major role when he was chosen out of 700 other children to play Will McCollough in the New Lassie series. He was nominated four times for the Young Artists Awards for that show.
Since then, he has dabbled in the music video industry, appearing in Bon Jovi’s video for “It’s My Life.” Bon Jovi personally requested Estes after seeing him in U-571.
When not in front of the bright lights of his busy acting career, Estes’ humanitarian efforts include advocating for renewable energy, conservation of wild lands and humane treatment of animals.
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Len Cariou as Commissioner (ret.) Henry Reagan: Blue Bloods Cast
Cariou made his first appearance in Damn Yankees on stage in Winnipeg in 1959, followed by two years at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario Canada. He returned to lead the company as Propero, Coriolanus, Brutus and Petruchio.
Today’s audiences know the Canadian born Cariou as the patriarch Henry Reagan, NYPD Police Commissioner (retired) rounding out the generations portrayed in the Blue Bloods cast. Cariou has a long and respected resume in film, theater and television. In 1973, he received his second Tony nomination for A Little Night Music with Elizabeth Taylor, his first for his starring role opposite Lauren Bacall in Applause.
As an actor and stage director, Cariou gained prominence for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd alongside Angela Lansbury for which he finally brought home the Tony for Best Actor.
He is also known for his film work: The Four Seasons, Thirteen Days, Flags of Our Fathers, and Prisoners, while receiving an Emmy nomination for the HBO film Into The Storm (2009).
The coveted actor also had recurring TV roles in Murder She Wrote, Brotherhood (2006) and Damages (2010).
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