The Chicago Fire squad is very close off-screen, so losing one of their family members must have been particularly difficult for them. The Season 12 episode “Trapped” featured a touching tribute to a woman named Vivienne Marie, and fans have questions about who the late crew member is. Keep reading to find out more about Vivienne Marie.
Season 12 of NBC’s long-running procedural kicked off on Jan. 17, 2024, with tons of excitement. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) is finally back following his Season 11 hiatus and Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) are getting married. The third episode of the season ended on a more somber note, however, and an “in memory” card dedicated to a late crew member appeared just before the credits began rolling.
Naturally, fans are wondering who Vivienne Marie, the crew member honored, is and what happened to her. Below, learn more Vivienne Marie, including what her role on Chicago Fire was.
Who was Vivienne Marie from Chicago Fire?
Who was Vivienne Marie from Chicago Fire? Vivienne Marie was a standby painter on the Chicago Fire crew and an integral part of the production of the show. She recently passed away in January 2024 and was honored with a touching tribute at the end of Season 12, Episode 3. A title card before the credits simply read: “In memory of Vivienne Marie.”
A standby painter is always on call and helps enhance the visual storytelling of a movie or television show. They also liaise with the cameraman and make last-minute adjustments to anything in frame so that the shot is clean. Marie’s artistry expanded beyond just Chicago Fire, and the Chicago-based artist also worked as a scenic painter for theaters, museums, operas and commercial spaces, according to her website.
The cast members of the show have a very close relationship with their off-screen counterparts. During a 2022 interview with Looper, Miranda Rae Mayo (who stars as Stella Kidd) revealed how much she appreciates the crew members and the work they do. “The crew was so loving and warm and welcoming and really wanted me to succeed,” Mayo said about her first time on set. “That’s also what we saw onscreen with Stella Kidd’s character is that, from the jump, there was the support of Dawson’s character,” she added. “Since Dawson was supportive, everybody else hopped on board and was very quick to embrace her. That’s very much how my experience was off-camera.”