For 11 seasons, television audiences were treated to a wholesome family experience in the family drama, 7th Heaven. The show centered around the Camdens, a large family led by Eric, a local Protestant reverend, and his wife Annie. Together, they raise several children and shelter many others as they live their lives as true pillars of their community.
The television program, which debuted in 1996, became the longest-running family drama in television history on the now defunct WB Network until the series finished with its final season being broadcast on The CW in 2007. During its time on the air, various topics dealing with morality and the consequences of mistakes made were featured within various plotlines. The show often portrayed various family and social-related situations that revolved around peer pressure, premarital sex, drug abuse, volunteerism, and so on.
For everything that the series was about, a lengthy cast was certainly needed to play each part of the family through each season. But what has happened ever since audiences last saw the heartwarming and inspiring stories of the Camdens?
Stephen Collins as Reverend Eric Camden
American actor Stephen Collins played the role of the family patriarch, Eric. Apart from leading his local church congregation every Sunday, he’s also a source of wisdom and safe advice not just within his household but to all his neighbors, and even strangers he encounters along the way. While he often does have the right answers, he, like the rest of the show’s characters, learns something new every now and then as they grow together.
While he’s most known for his role on 7th Heaven, Collins had been acting since the mid-1970s, appearing in many popular TV shows like The Waltons and Charlie’s Angels. But it was in the movies where he also gained popularity with supporting roles in All the President’s Men, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash, well into the eighties. Collins would also continue to work steadily on television during that time until being cast as Rev. Camden in 7th Heaven. After that show was over, Collins would continue with steady appearances on TV in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Office, as well as film appearances in Blood Diamond and the updated version of The Three Stooges in 2012. Two years after that, Collins would face heavy backlash after admitting to “inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors” earlier in his career, a revelation that would ultimately put his career to a complete halt, never acting again after 2014.
Catherine Hicks as Annie Camden
Annie, the leading lady, the reverend’s wife, “every-woman”, and mother of all the Camden kids is just as much a source of inspiration as Eric, throughout the series. When the show starts, Annie and Eric have only five children but then the family grows even further with twins who are born in season three.
Before being cast as Annie, Hicks had been an actress since the mid-seventies, taking small roles in the sitcom version of The Bad News Bears and as Marilyn Monroe in the TV movie Marilyn: The Untold Story. In the early eighties, she broke into film with roles in Peggy Sue Got Married, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Child’s Play. Hicks would continue on in the 1990s with steady side roles on both the small and big screen until her time on 7th Heaven. After the series ended, Hicks kept busy with even more appearances in numerous TV shows and movies, mainly indie projects that had limited theater release or went straight to video. She’s still considered an active performer but her most recent acting gig was actually voice work in 2020, for Adult Swim’s JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales.
Barry Watson as Matt Camden
As the eldest Camden child, Barry Watson was cast as Eric and Annie’s first-born son, Matt. He’s often a voice of reason and a source of stability whenever both of the Camden parents aren’t within reach. As the oldest child in the family, Matt did move away from the Camdens’ nest, leaving to become a doctor and get married along the way. These big changes in Matt’s adulthood had him returning in a guest-starring role during the later seasons of the show.
Prior to joining the Camden family, Watson earned small speaking roles on popular TV shows like Days of Our Lives, Sister, Sister, and Baywatch. Then came his big break in 7th Heaven, which also opened the door to some appearances in movies such as Teaching Mrs. Tingle, a cameo in Ocean’s Eleven, and a co-starring role in Sorority Boys. Straight off of 7th Heaven, Watson was able to star in two more television shows, What About Brian and Samantha Who? from 2006 to 2009. After that, Watson ventured away from movies to focus more on TV roles, having appeared in more popular programs such as Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, and Masters of Sex. He just recently had the main role of Greg in the short-lived superhero drama Naomi, which only ran in early 2022.
Jessica Biel as Mary Camden
Mary, the eldest daughter of Eric and Annie, was played by Jessica Biel. She too was occasionally a guardian to her younger siblings but then also experienced moments that many adolescent girls typically went through. And just like her other older siblings, Mary branches off the Camden family tree as she heads into adulthood. However, in this storyline, the character moves out to travel, among other life events, and returns in recurring and guest-starring capacities during the show’s final seasons.
Biel was originally performing in musicals and commercials, and also working as a model before making it big as Mary in 7th Heaven. Just after getting started on that show, she gained even more praise for her award-winning role in the 1997 drama, Ulee’s Gold. Her performance there opened the door for Biel to focus more on movies as she ended up starring in Summer Catch, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Illusionist, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Valentine’s Day, and The Book of Love, to name a handful. After taking some time off previously to wed Justin Timberlake and grow a family of her own, she has continued to star in several other movie and TV productions over the years. Since May of 2022, Biel is playing the lead role in the biographical crime drama, Candy, for which she’s also the executive producer.
Beverley Mitchell as Lucy Camden-Kinkirk
Lucy, played by Beverley Mitchell, is the third-born child of Eric and Annie. She has originally had a flair for the dramatic, often due to living in her older sister’s shadow, but she does grow in kind, along with her brothers and sisters. And by the time the series came to an end, Lucy got married, had a family of her own, and began following in her father’s footsteps as an associate pastor.
Before 7th Heaven, Mitchell had done mainly television work, appearing in shows like Big Brother Jake, Quantum Leap, and Baywatch. She had also had a small role in the cult classic film, The Crow: City of Angels, just before getting cast in 7th Heaven. Her role on the show won her three Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series and helped her gain roles in more movies like Right on Track, Saw II, and Saw III. Before her days as Lucy were through, she also released a country music album in 2006, with a second one that came out just a year later. Since then, she had a regular role in the popular ABC Family drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager and several Christmas-themed TV movies. Her last appearance was in 2020, in a TV movie titled Candy Cane Christmas.
David Gallagher as Simon Camden
Playing the second-born Camden son was David Gallagher, as Simon. As the fourth-born child in the household, he has a clever penchant for money and dogs, which quickly came to fruition when his mother helped Simon’s dream of a family pet become a reality. In the show’s later seasons, Simon nearly gets married while going through college, also while enduring some baby-mama drama. However, it is implied that he does indeed settle down and earn his college diploma, though his character isn’t seen in the final season.
Before this show, Gallagher had been a child actor since he was only two years old, appearing in commercials before he was Mikey in the 1993 sequel Look Who’s Talking Now. A few years later, he also co-starred in Phenomenon just before joining the cast of 7th Heaven. With his character of Simon heading off to college, Gallagher did the same thing in real life but still made several appearances during and after 7th Heaven ended. He played the lead in Ri¢hie Ri¢h’s Christmas Wish, Little Secrets, and The Quiet, then made numerous television appearances in Numb3rs, The Vampire Diaries, and Criminal Minds. He last made a live-action appearance in a 2020 episode of the CBS action-drama S.W.A.T. And in that same year, he also did voice work, reprising his role as Riku, in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, a role he’s actually played in that series of video games since 2002.
Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden
Ruthie, played by actress Mackenzie Rosman, is the fifth Camden child and was the last until twin boys Sam and David were born during season three. She’s adorably mischievous during her younger years and then uniquely forges her own path — including several boyfriends, much like her older sisters — into becoming a young adult by the end of the series. Also, like her older brother Simon, she leaves high school early but travels the world instead of going for higher education.
7th Heaven was Rosman’s first acting role, one which earned several nominations and one Best Performance in a TV Drama Series award win at the 2004 Young Artist Awards. Her role on the show was practically the only work she did during all 11 seasons, but afterward she did find more work with a few small indie movie roles in Proud American, The Tomb, and Fading of the Cries. Rosman also had a recurring role on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, in 2010. She also appeared in the 2013 Syfy horror movie Ghost Shark and hasn’t acted since.
Lorenzo and Nikolas Brino as Sam and David Camden
Not to go unnoticed are Sam and David Camden, the twin boys and last of Eric and Annie’s children. The twins came along in season three and went from featured appearances to joining the regular cast from season six on. These were the only acting roles for both brothers in their respective careers. And while Nikolas hasn’t acted since, his brother Lorenzo sadly passed away in March of 2020 at the age of 21.
