Jesse Lee Soffer

Jesse Lee Soffer, born on April 23, 1984, in Ossining, New York, began his acting career at age six with a Kix cereal commercial. His feature film debut came in 1993 at age eight in “Matinee.” Soffer continued to build his acting portfolio with notable roles in films such as “Safe Passage” (1994), and portraying Bobby Brady in “The Brady Bunch Movie” (1995) and “A Very Brady Sequel” (1996). His early television work included the ABC sitcom “Two of a Kind” (1998) and originating the role of Max Nickerson on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light” (1999). After a brief hiatus to focus on his studies, Soffer returned to television in 2004, taking on the role of Will Munson on “As the World Turns,” a role for which he received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series between 2006 and 2008. He reprised this role in 2010.

Soffer’s career progression saw him expand into various television series and films. He co-starred in the sports drama “Gracie” (2007) and the dystopian science fiction action thriller “In Time” (2011). His television guest appearances included “CSI: Miami,” “The Mentalist,” and “Rizzoli & Isles.” In 2012, he co-starred in the Fox medical drama “The Mob Doctor” and played Travis Alexander in the Lifetime original movie “Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret” (2013). A significant turning point in his career arrived in June 2013 when he joined the cast of NBC’s police procedural drama “Chicago P.D.” as Detective Jay Halstead. This role, initially introduced in “Chicago Fire,” led to his central presence in the “One Chicago” franchise, with crossover appearances in “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire.” Soffer was a main cast member for 189 episodes of “Chicago P.D.” from 2014 to 2022.

Following his departure as an actor from “Chicago P.D.” in 2022, Soffer returned to the series as a director. He made his directorial debut with Episode 16 of Season 10, titled “Deadlocked,” which aired on March 22, 2023, and went on to direct additional episodes in subsequent seasons, including “Inventory” (2024) and “Open Wounds” (2025). In June 2024, it was announced that Soffer would join the cast of CBS drama “FBI: International” for its fourth season as Supervisory Special Agent Wesley ‘Wes’ Mitchell.