Since it debuted in 2012, “Chicago Fire” has experienced more than its fair share of cast shakeups. One of the most deeply felt losses came early, in the Season 2 finale, when Leslie Shay (Lauren German) died from injuries from an exploded building. A respected paramedic on Ambulance 61, alongside Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund), Shay made her first appearance in the pilot. From that point on, she was a central figure in Firehouse 51, often providing sardonic comic relief. Shay was also the show’s first queer character.
Shay was a fan favorite — a designation that turned out to be a blessing and a curse. According to executive producer Matt Olmstead, Shay was killed off precisely because she was so beloved. “Going into it, we knew if we were going to do it, it had to be someone who was going to give us a big impact, as opposed to going for a lesser-known character, which would equate to a pulled punch,” Olmstead told TV Line.
After German exited the show, she was promptly replaced by Kara Killmer’s Sylvie Brett. Fortunately for fans, German has stayed busy since leaving “Chicago Fire.
Lauren German had been acting professionally for over a decade before she joined the cast of “Chicago Fire,” appearing in the teen classic “A Walk to Remember,” and the horror films “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Hostel: Part II.” She also starred in the short-lived soap opera “Sex, Love & Secrets.” In 2011, she began playing DHS Special Agent Lori Weston in Season 2 of the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot series.
German wasn’t too miffed about being ousted from “Chicago Fire” at the end of Season 2. “There was some discussion that this might be happening, and she was very professional about it,” Matt Olmstead recalled in the same TV Line interview. “She joked that she wasn’t going to miss the Chicago winters.”
