One of the original cast members of “ER,” Sherry Stringfield returned to the series this season after a five-year absence to reprise the character of Dr. Susan Lewis -- a role for which she received two Emmy nominations.

Stringfield was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the first of three siblings. Her family briefly relocated to Albuquerque before settling in Spring, Texas (near Houston). In high school, she divided her time between running track and running lines in drama class until a teacher convinced her to focus her energy on an upcoming musical. "I was really wild back then, and theater just allowed me to sing, dance, jump and run around the stage playing all kinds of characters," says the actress. "It was like playtime. You were creating something, and there was a result that other people could enjoy."

Stringfield attended the Acting Conservatory of the State University of New York at Purchase and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor of fine arts degree. A few weeks later, she was working in a theater box office in New York when she was asked to audition for the daytime drama "The Guiding Light." This led to a three-year stint as the nefarious Blake (her character eventually ran away with her mother's boyfriend). She left the series to travel but soon was called back to Los Angeles to co-star in "NYPD Blue" as Laura Kelly, the Manhattan attorney and estranged wife of John Kelly (series star David Caruso).

When her “NYPD Blue” character was written out of the show after one season, Stringfield donned a lab coat and checked into “ER.”

After taking a break from “ER” in 1996, Stringfield stayed busy in New York. She taught acting at her alma mater (SUNY-Purchase), directed two one-act plays and appeared in the 1998 film “54.” She made a return to television in the TV movies “Border Line,” produced by her “ER” co-star Anthony Edwards, and “Going Home,” in which she starred opposite Jason Robards.

Earlier New York stage credits for Stringfield include "Goose and TomTom," "Hurlyburly" and "A Dream Play" at the Acting Conservatory. "I did a lot of seriously off-Broadway stuff," she says. "I was just having a great time in the city."

Stringfield married science writer Lawrence Joseph in October 1998, and the couple has a baby daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing and yoga. She also likes to read and travel. Her birthday is June 24.