Jesse Lee Soffer Bio
Jesse Lee Soffer is an American actor and television director with a steady range of leading and supporting roles in film and television. He first drew attention for his work as Will Munson on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, a role that earned multiple Daytime Emmy nominations early in his career; he later starred as Detective Jay Halstead on the NBC drama Chicago P.D. from 2014 to 2022 and expanded his work behind the camera as a television director.
Early Life and Background
Jesse Lee Soffer was born in Ossining, New York, to Jill Hindes (née Bruning) and Stan Soffer. He spent part of his childhood in Tarrytown, New York, and moved to Newtown, Connecticut, at age ten. His father died in 1993, when Soffer was nine years old; family information available in public records and contemporary reporting identifies two older half-siblings from his father’s first marriage, Craig and Melissa Soffer, and two younger half-sisters, Shayne and Jenna Hindes, from his mother’s later marriage.
Soffer began working as a child actor, landing a Kix cereal commercial at age six and making his feature-film debut in the comedy Matinee in 1993. He boarded at The Gunnery and graduated in 2003, where he played soccer and was named to a prep-school all-star team during his senior season. He later took classes at New York University as part of his postsecondary studies.
Path to Celebrity
Soffer’s early screen work included the family drama Safe Passage and a pair of mainstream comedy features in the mid-1990s: The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel, in which he played Bobby Brady. He appeared in television movies and series through childhood and adolescence, including From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the ABC sitcom Two of a Kind with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. In 1999 he originated the role of Max Nickerson on the CBS soap Guiding Light, leaving the series after a short run to focus on his studies.
After graduating high school Soffer returned to more prominent television work. In 2004 he took over the role of Will Munson on As the World Turns and portrayed the character through 2008, later reprising the role in 2010. His time on the soap earned him multiple Daytime Emmy nominations in the category of Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series and a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination in 2005. During this period he also re-established a presence in feature films, appearing in the 2007 sports drama Gracie and the 2011 science-fiction thriller In Time.
Jesse Lee Soffer Career
Early Career (1990–2003)
Soffer’s professional career began in childhood in 1990 with commercial work and moved into feature film by the early 1990s. He worked on the 1993 feature Matinee and on family and teen-oriented projects through the decade, building experience with both film and television production. This period established him as a reliable young performer in supporting and recurring roles across network television and television movies.
Through the late 1990s Soffer continued to balance film appearances with television roles. He gained exposure in projects such as From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the Olsen twins’ sitcom Two of a Kind, and the short stint on Guiding Light in 1999. After stepping away to concentrate on education, he returned to the screen with more substantial dramatic material in the early 2000s.
Breakthrough (2004–2014)
Soffer’s most visible early career breakthrough came when he assumed the role of Will Munson on As the World Turns in 2004. His performance on the long-running daytime drama earned industry recognition, including multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series and a 2005 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Lead Actor. The soap role established him as a dramatic actor able to carry serialized, character-driven material.
While maintaining a presence on daytime television, Soffer broadened his range with film and primetime television work. He co-starred in Davis Guggenheim’s 2007 drama Gracie and in the science-fiction thriller In Time in 2011. He also guest-starred on a variety of procedural and prime-time series, including CSI: Miami, The Mentalist and Rizzoli & Isles. In 2012 he co-starred in the Fox medical drama The Mob Doctor and portrayed Travis Alexander in Lifetime’s television movie Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret.
In 2013 Soffer joined the cast of the NBC police procedural Chicago P.D. as Detective Jay Halstead, a character introduced on Chicago Fire. Chicago P.D. premiered in January 2014 and Soffer became part of the show’s main cast. He remained a central figure on the series for multiple seasons, performing a number of his own stunts and helping to define the show’s investigative ensemble dynamic until his last regular appearances in 2022.
Notable Works and Milestones
Soffer’s signature television roles—Will Munson on As the World Turns and Detective Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D.—represent the key milestones of his on-screen career, bringing both critical notice and audience recognition. He transitioned to work behind the camera while still active in front of it, directing his first Chicago P.D. episode titled “Deadlocked,” which aired on March 22, 2023, and directing another episode, “Inventory,” which aired on May 15, 2024. In June 2024 he was announced as a new series regular on the CBS drama FBI: International for its fourth season, joining that series as a new team leader following the departure of a prior cast member.
Jesse Lee Soffer Award Nominations
Across his career Soffer has received industry nominations for his work on daytime television, most notably multiple Daytime Emmy nominations in the category of Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Will Munson on As the World Turns. He also received a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Lead Actor in 2005. These nominations reflect early-career recognition from peers and trade organizations for serialized dramatic performance.
Jesse Lee Soffer Family
Publicly available biographical records list Soffer’s parents as Jill Hindes (née Bruning) and Stan Soffer. His father’s death in 1993 is noted in contemporary reporting. Soffer has two older half-siblings, Craig and Melissa Soffer, from his father’s first marriage, and two younger half-sisters, Shayne and Jenna Hindes, from his mother’s subsequent marriage. Family details in this account are drawn from published biographical summaries and contemporary coverage of Soffer’s early life.