Susan Dey To Jill Eikenberry: What L.A. Law's Leading Ladies Looked Like Decades After The Show

It's been 40 years since "L.A. Law" first hit screens on September 15, 1986. The series, created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, centered on the fictional Los Angeles law firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak. Like many legal dramas, it followed the lawyers as they dealt with courtroom battles, office politics, and, of course, drama from their not-so-private lives. One factor that set "L.A. Law" apart from other shows was its massive budget. They had really pricey sets, designer outfits, and a talented and expensive cast, full of incredible stars, like its gorgeous leading ladies.

All of the show's leading ladies, including Susan Dey, Jill Eikenberry, Susan Ruttan, Sheila Kelley, and Michele Greene, were already experienced actors before being cast in their parts. When the series ended, some continued to build successful acting careers, while others ditched Hollywood for good. Regardless of where their careers took them, the leading ladies of "L.A. Law" still look stunning, decades after it first premiered.

Susan Dey was one of the biggest stars of "L.A. Law," partly because she was one of the most famous leading ladies on "The Partridge Family," so she was incredibly popular. On "L.A. Law," Dey played Grace Van Owen, a tough Deputy District Attorney with a messy personal life. Coincidentally, the actor was dealing with messy challenges of her own in real life. Dey struggled with alcohol addiction and, due to the intense attention from the press, found it difficult to maintain her privacy while dealing with it. The actor eventually joined Alcoholics Anonymous only to have a tabloid reveal it against her wishes. 

Sharing the story with Parade in 1993, she revealed: "After I had been sober for a year, I was given a cake at [an AA] meeting. The tabloids ran a big story about it. I was furious that they had planted an informant in my AA group" (via Hello!). Eventually, Dey decided to leave Hollywood permanently and turned her sights to community service and advocacy. She helped raise awareness about campus rape, served on the board of UCLA Medical Center's rape treatment program, and became involved with a community development organization.

One of Dey's last major public appearances came in 2006, two decades after "L.A. Law" first aired. She attended a New York gala benefiting the Rape Foundation. At the time, she still had her blond bob, striking blue eyes, and impressively well-cared-for skin. Unfortunately for her fans, Dey clearly realized a private life was the way to go for her and hasn't been seen in public in a while. She may no longer appear on television, but this public appearance confirmed that she aged exceptionally well, and these side-by-side pics of Susan Dey show she can rock any hair length.

Before joining the cast of "L.A. Law," Jill Eikenberry was already a T.V. star, with a filmography dating back to 1971. On the show, she played Ann Kelsey, a role that was written by the director with her in mind. Kelsey was a strong, assertive attorney who made her place among the aggressive male attorneys of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak. Beyond the courtroom, one of her most memorable plotlines was the budding romance between her and fellow attorney Stuart Markowitz, played by Michael Tucker. The pair had a sizzling on-screen chemistry, which wasn't surprising given the fact that they were real-life spouses.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for them in real life. After the first episode was shot, Eikenberry was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tucker initially tried to back out of the role with her, but the producer, Steven Bochco, promised to make accommodations for her to leave early enough to get treatment every day. Luckily, the treatment was successful and, after "L.A. Law," Eikenberry continued her Hollywood career.

Today, she's still in the show business and recently stunned at the 7th Annual Hollywood Beauty Awards in 2022. The actor looked gorgeous in an orange armless dress with a scarf draped around her shoulders. She had her hair in a bob with bangs that wasn't too dissimilar from her style while on "L.A. Law." If you're feeling a bit nostalgic for her movies, you'll be pleased to know that her most recent project was the 2025 T.V. series "Elsbeth," in which she plays Phyllis Pierson.

Sheila Kelley's character, Gwen Taylor, wasn't initially meant to be a leading lady in "L.A. Law." She joined the show in 1990, four years after it began, as a secretary working under the promiscuous divorce attorney Arnie Becker. However, Kelley owned the role. Gwen's energy perfectly matched Arnie's cunning and confidence, giving viewers a thrilling dynamic that kept her on "L.A. Law" until 1993.

Even before "L.A. Law," she already had quite the filmography, so it's no surprise that she went on to appear in even more hits, including "The Sopranos," "The Good Doctor," and "The Hornbys." These days, Kelley is still pretty active in Hollywood. Kelley is married to popular actor Richard Schiff, and the pair grace the red carpet from time to time. One of their more recent appearances was at the 2025 Town Hall Spring Shout Benefit Concert, where Kelley stunned in a black-and-white dress paired with a leather jacket. She still had her signature brunette locks and showed why mid-length haircuts are perfect for older women. The cut framed her gorgeous features and gave her a young, fresh vibe.

Michele Greene's "L.A. Law" character, Abby Perkins, may have only appeared on the show for five of its eight seasons, but she starred in one of the series' most culturally relevant scenes. In her final season, Abby shared a kiss with Cara Jean "C.J." Lamb, a bisexual lawyer. Although the storyline never went anywhere, the kiss is regarded as the second lesbian kiss in American television history. More importantly, it was the first where the women's lips were actually shown, which was a big win for the LGBTQ community despite the protests it brought on.

After "L.A. Law," Greene went on to appear in other popular series, including "CSI," "Cold Case," and "Bones." One of her more recent public appearances was at the Hollywood Autograph Show at The Westin Los Angeles Airport in 2019. Her once-curly brunette hair looked different then. It had some streaks of gray, and it was styled into a short bob that highlighted her beautiful features.

Susan Ruttan is yet another actor who made something special out of an "L.A. Law" character that was meant to remain obscure. She played Arnie Becker's secretary, Roxanne Melman, who had a very small role in the first few episodes. However, that changed when Ruttan turned the character into a competent, gutsy woman who made herself indispensable and learned to stand up to the attorneys at the firm. Ruttan left "L.A. Law" in 1993 and went on to have a long Hollywood career filled with plenty of guest appearances and other roles.

These days, she is a frequent presence on the red carpets. In November 2024, Ruttan attended the Los Angeles premiere of "A Man on the Inside," which she starred in, with gray hair. Her once-brunette locks may have lost their vivid color, but she's nailed one of the trickiest parts of aging gracefully: transitioning to gray hair the right way. She's clearly not touching up her roots, and her gray transition looks natural while sporting a lob with bangs that frame her face nicely. Ruttan may be almost unrecognizable from her "L.A. Law" days, but she's undoubtedly aging well.