About Jorja Fox's Career
The following questions pertain to Jorja’s career on TV and in movies.
For more questions about her personal life and advocacy, please read the FAQ about Jorja.
Jorja most recently starred in the first season of the CBS drama CSI: Vegas, a sequel to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
For a complete list of all her roles, please check her filmography.
She first played the Rooster, in a children’s production of Chicken Little. Her first professional role was as Myra Pavlov in The Kill-Off.
Since she wasn’t a main cast member on ER, Jorja Fox had the freedom to film a pilot for a UPN series, The True Story. The pilot ep was reworked into The Beat, which was sans Fox and was canceled after a handful of episodes. She was then in two movies, Food For the Heart (also known as The Hungry Bachelor’s Club) and Velocity Trap, which accounts for her time between ER and The West Wing, which became her next TV project.
Her role on The West Wing was only a guest-starring role, so when she got the call for CSI, she was able to audition for it - twice. Originally it had been hoped that she would continue to be a guest star on The West Wing, however her commitment to CSI kept her too busy.
Yes. During the filming of the final episode for the season, a limousine ran over her legs. Thankfully, there were no broken bones or other permanent damage, but when she auditioned for CSI she did so on crutches. Funny story, the nurses recognized her from being on ER.
While credited on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from the first episode, her character does not appear until the second episode. She was the last of the original main characters to have been cast.
Off camera they’re all friends, though Jorja’s probably closer with Eric Szmanda, Gary Dourdan and George Eads, as they’re nearer to her age. By all reports, Jorja’s friendly with everyone on the set, including William Peteresen and Marg Helgenberger.
Yes she was, for ‘breach of contract’ on July 16, 2004. Basically, CBS sent her a letter, asking her to sign it, that stated she wouldn’t form a sick-out to bargain for the raise she asked for. Jorja sent the letter back via registered mail, while everyone else used a Fax. CBS claimed not to have received the letter, however the sign-for date on the registered mail supports otherwise. Jorja was hired back once this was resolved, however refused to return until CBS also re-hired George Eads, who had been fired at the same time.
Of note, Jorja also did not agree to sign the contract extension (to remain on the show past season seven), which caused her not to receive a raise, like the rest of her co-workers. This may be related to why she chose to leave the show in season eight.
As of July 23, 2004 Jorja was officially rehired on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. If you want to follow the fun, go check the 2004 news section. There’s a lot to read.
In her own words:
There are all these things I want to do. Some are personal. Some are professional. And I really need to do some of them before I get too old. If I thought the show were on its last legs, I would have tried harder to stay the course. But I feel like its going to be around for a while, so if I don’t want some of those dreams to pass me by, I have to get off the ride for a while.
In season nine, Jorja came back to give William Petersen a great send off when he left the show.
In season ten, she came back because CBS asked if she’d be interested in coming back part-time, and she said yes. She stuck around for season eleven as a part time main cast member, returning to the credits, and stayed till the end.
They made a compelling offer with a script she liked. Also she got to work with William Petersen again.
She was in the first round of nominations for the 2007 primetime Emmys in the category “Supporting Actress, Drama” (for her work in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode Empty Eyes). However, she was removed from subsequent rounds of the nomination process. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been nominated (and has won) several times.
The TV shows ER, The West Wing and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have all been released on DVD. You can also find the movie Memento on DVD, however many of her other films are difficult to find on DVD or VHS. Her guest appearances on Ellen and Law & Order are both available on DVD.
The independent film Next Exit was looking to cast no-name actors for the small budget movie. Jorja knew the director and offered to play the role for no pay. The film aired at a Los Angeles area film festival in January 2005.