Chicago Fire fans were left devastated when it was announced that Taylor Kinney would be taking a step back from his role as Lieutenant Kelly Severide in the NBC drama. The actor, who has starred in the role since 2012, has not spoken publicly about the move, but it was revealed in a statement that the decision is due to an "undisclosed personal matter".
The show will continue without him and the scripts have been written to accommodate his leave. Although his exit has not yet played out on screen, a promotional video for this week's episode teased trouble ahead for the character. Watch the video below to see what Severide and co. were faced with this week…
WATCH: Chicago Fire release promo for a new episode
The fan-favorite character's absence will be felt by viewers since he's a staple part of the Chicago Fire franchise – but did you know the actor's first major TV role was worlds apart from his current stint as Severide?
Taylor graduated from University in the early 2000s and although he majored in Business Management, he fell into acting and landed his first big TV role a few years later. In 2006, he began portraying the character Luke Gianni in the series Fashion House.
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Taylor is stepping back from Chicago Fire
For those unfamiliar, Fashion House was a night-time soap opera that aired on MyNetwork and told the story of fashion designer firm House of Gianni. Starring alongside Taylor was Bo Derek as his mother, Maria, the wealthy widow of Antonio Gianni who ends up running the company.
Taylor's character was described as equally "loyal to and disgusted with" his mother's actions in the business to try and save the firm from a cutthroat takeover.
Taylor pictured in 2006 when he appeared in Fashion House
Since then, the actor has gone on to land other big roles across TV and film. Following Fashion House, he went on to star in the series, Trauma, as Glenn Morrison, before landing a part in The Vampire Diaries. Taylor portrayed Mason Lockwood in the supernatural teen drama for seasons two and three.
In the world of film, Taylor has had parts in titles such as Least Among Saints, Zero Dark Thirty and The Other Woman, which also starred Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann.
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