{
  "id": 15405453,
  "title": "One Of Chicago Fire's Longest-Tenured Stars Is A Real Firefighter Who Was Hired As An Extra",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/one-of-chicago-fires-longest-tenured-stars-is-a-real-firefighter-who",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T12:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2285378/chicago-fire-star-real-firefighter-hired-extra-anthony-ferraris/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthony Ferraris, a veteran Chicago Fire Department firefighter, has appeared in over 250 episodes of the NBC series Chicago Fire. Initially hired as an extra in Season 1, Ferraris was promoted to a speaking role, Tony, despite his lack of acting experience. The showrunner, Derek Haas, upgraded Tony's part later in Season 1. Ferraris, a retired firefighter, is the only Chicago Fire cast member who could drive a fire engine at the time. Over the course of the 15 seasons, Ferraris has the seventh-most credits of any performer on the show. Fans may also recognize Ferraris from appearances in the spin-off shows Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. Ferraris, who spent 25 years with the Chicago Fire Department in real life, has portrayed Tony on Chicago Fire for over 14 years. He has praised the show's realistic depiction of firefighters' behavior during emergencies and their camaraderie when not on duty.",
  "summary": "This Chicago Fire star was a real firefighter who didn't have any intention of becoming an actor. Now he has over 250 appearances on the show.",
  "key_points": [
    "Anthony Ferraris is a Chicago Fire Department veteran firefighter.",
    "He started as an extra in Season 1, later became speaking role Tony.",
    "Ferraris has appeared in over 250 episodes of Chicago Fire."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}