DR. KERRY WEAVER, Chief of Emergency Medicine: When Dr. Kerry Weaver first came to County General as chief resident and, later, attending physician in the emergency room, she had few fans. Now she is elevated to chief of emergency medicine. Direct, abrasive and undaunted by a physical disability that requires her to walk with a crutch, Dr. Weaver is a highly talented physician with less-than-gracious social skills and a penchant for over-management.

Laura Innes, who stepped into a recurring role as Dr. Kerry Weaver during the second season of "ER," became a series regular during the third season and has received two Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of the fiercely independent doctor. In addition, she has received four nominations for Best Supporting Actress from Viewers for Quality Television. Innes has twice stepped behind the camera to direct episodes of "ER," including the critically acclaimed "Be Still My Heart," in which Kellie Martin's character, Lucy Knight, was fatally stabbed. She has also directed an episode of NBC's "The West Wing."

Before joining television's top-rated drama, Innes was perhaps best known for her comic turn as Bunny, the promiscuous but sweet ex-wife of Lowell (Thomas Hayden Church) on NBC's "Wings." One of six children, Innes was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and raised in nearby Birmingham. She remembers her father, a college English instructor, taking the family to the famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario when she was small. It was there that she got her first taste of professional theatre and decided to follow her father's advice to "Do what you love."

After graduating from high school, Innes attended Northwestern University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in theatre. Work in Chicago theatre followed, including a role at the renowned Goodman Theatre, playing Stella opposite John Malkovich in "A Streetcar Named Desire." She continued working in Chicago for four years and originated the lead role of Glenna in David Mamet's "Edmond" before traveling with the production to New York City.

Innes' other theatre credits include "Two Shakespearean Actors," opposite Eric Stoltz at Lincoln Center; "Our Town," with Campbell Scott at the Seattle Repertory Theatre; and "Three Sisters"--which also starred Nancy Travis, Phoebe Cates and Jon Lovitz--at the La Jolla Playhouse.