Trudy Platt has manned a desk at the 21st District of the Chicago Police Department ever since the NBC procedural drama “Chicago P.D.” debuted in 2014. Trudy is driven by her need to protect the innocent due to having an abusive childhood. As a result of that abuse, she’s very warm and kind to any children who end up arriving at the precinct. When it comes to her colleagues, however, she can be one tough cookie, demanding they perform to their best and serve the public without error. She can sometimes come across as harsh towards those she admires, but it’s clear she cares about her coworkers.
Trudy married Randy “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte), a fireman who mainly appears on the sister show “Chicago Fire,” during Season 4 of “Chicago Fire,” making her an integral part of the “One Chicago” universe. But what do you know about the actor who portrays Trudy? Follow us as we take a tour through the highlights of Amy Morton’s career.
Amy Morton got her start as Dolly Parton’s on-screen friend
Amy Morton has a lot of theatrical experience under her belt — including directing for and performing in projects for Chicago’s storied Steppenwolf Theatre Company — but she also has a lot of film and television work attached to her name as well. Per IMDb, she got her start with a small role in the 1983 Pam Dawber-starring TV movie “Through Naked Eyes.” Morton then appeared in three episodes of the series “Crime Story” and two episodes of the original version of “The Equalizer” before landing her first film role.
In “Straight Talk,” a 1992 Dolly Parton romantic comedy, Morton plays the minor role of Ann, a friend to Parton’s Shirlee Kenyon. Shirlee has left her tiny southern hometown to find fame in Chicago and stumbles into success as a talk radio show host. The station pressures her into lying that she has a doctorate to give a little extra respectability oomph to her advice. Fame and riches arrive, but Shirlee finds herself in the crosshairs of Jack (James Woods), an investigative reporter who decides to pump Shirlee for information by pretending he wants to date her — only to develop an all-too-real interest in her. When the truth comes out, Shirlee has to figure out how to reconcile her reputation for honesty with her falsehoods.
She helped pitch a home run with Rookie of the Year
Amy Morton added a few more TV movies to her resume before landing her next major part — that of Mary Rowengartner in the film “Rookie of the Year.” Mary is the mother of 12-year-old Henry (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who finds himself pitching for the Chicago Cubs after a broken arm gifts him with superior pitching skills thanks to his tendons knitting back together too tightly. Henry subsequently must struggle with adult pressure and responsibilities. He tries to balance life as a kid with life as a professional pitcher, which proves more difficult than he anticipated. Mary, meanwhile, finds herself drawn to Henry’s colleague Chet “Rocket” Steadman (Gary Busey) in spite of her relationship with the boorish Jack Bradfield (Bruce Altman).
The family film wasn’t much of a critical hit (it sits at a 35 percent critical approval score at Rotten Tomatoes), but it’s become something of a family favorite in the years that have since passed. Nicholas and Morton were even invited to throw out the first ball during the Chicago Cubs opening day at Wrigley Field in 2015, per the Milford Daily News.
She appeared in Up in the Air with George Clooney
After appearing in the Nicolas Cage drama “8MM” as Janet Mathews and in the NBC medical drama “ER” in 2009, Morton next popped up in the George Clooney vehicle “Up in the Air.” The award-winning film centers around Ryan Bingham (Clooney), who works as a corporate downsizer flying from city to city to let people go from their jobs. Ryan’s career keeps him on the road most days of the year and leaves him majorly detached from his personal life, including his family members.
Amy Morton portrays Ryan’s older sister, Kara, who Ryan describes as “the glue” trying to keep everyone in the family connected, even though she doesn’t understand or approve of Ryan’s lifestyle. It’s Kara who convinces Ryan to save the day when their sister, Julie’s (Melanie Lynskey) wedding is almost ruined after fiancé Jim (Danny McBride) gets cold feet.
She’s a seasoned veteran of multiple hourlong dramas
Amy Morton appeared in the Vince Vaughn/Kevin James film “The Dilemma” before mainly returning to television work. Before she became a regular member of “Chicago P.D.,” she appeared in the Kelsey Grammer Starz original “Boss” for nine episodes. She also recurred on the CBS police procedural “Blue Bloods” as Amanda Harris for five episodes.
The actor also appeared in the independent drama “Bluebird” in 2013, a serious slice-of-life film about a tragedy that subsumes a rural Maine logging town. “Bluebird” has a 69 percent approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and did fairly well on the festival circuit, pulling in multiple awards nominations (per IMDb). She also notched guest spots in shows such as the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off “Private Practice,” the Showtime political drama “Homeland,” “Chicago Justice” and the HBO comedy “Girls.”
Morton is one of many “One Chicago” franchise actors who have appeared in all three NBC dramas, showing up as Trudy three times on “Chicago Med” in addition to her 176 “Chicago P.D.” appearances and 30 guest spots on “Chicago Fire.”