From Chicago Fire to Sex and the City, David Eigenberg is a fan favorite on both series as Christopher Herrmann and Steve Brady, respectively. But after listening to both characters speak, you might be wondering: What is David Eigenberg’s accent? Here’s what his real voice sounds like versus Herrmann and Brady.
Chicago Fire is NBC’s popular drama series in the One Chicago universe that follows the stories of firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. Eigenberg has portrayed senior firefighter and lieutenant Christopher Herrmann at Firehouse 51 since the show premiered in 2012. His character is one of the last remaining original firefighters (along with: Kelly Severide; Randall “Mouch” McHolland; Joe Cruz; and Chief Wallace Boden) who’ve been with the show since its inception.
Along with Chicago Fire, Eigenberg also stars as Steve Brady in Seasons 1 and 2 of HBO’s Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That. (Eigenberg also played Steve, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon’s) love interest, on Seasons 2 to 6 of Sex and the City and the franchise’s two movies.) And Just Like That films in New York City, while Chicago Fire films in Chicago.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in February 2023, he touched on the irony that his Chicago Fire and SATC characters are both bartenders and part bar owners. “I think it is a coincidence but there’s something about my personality about that bartending thing,” Eigenberg said. “I find it weird because I’ve been sober for 34 years. I was never really a bar guy though. I don’t know how to make a drink, though I have done charity bartending events. But to be honest, I don’t even know how to make a cosmopolitan.”
He continued: “But if anyone needs me to pour some draft beer or a glass of wine, I’m your guy. I kind of know what goes into a screwdriver but I’m not really sure. It’s just a weird coincidence. I guess there’s just a part of me that I guess is part of me.”
So, what is David Eigenberg’s accent on Chicago Fire and Sex and the City? Hear clips of his characters’ voices and see how they compare to his real accent below.
What is David Eigenberg’s accent?
What is David Eigenberg’s accent? In an interview with Us Weekly in December 2021, the actor revealed that he does two different accents for Chicago Fire and Sex and the City.
“I’ve been doing salty, old firefighter for 10 years … And then you know, sweet, loving, caring take it on the chin Steve,” he said.
He added: “So, it was different, I kind of did a bad Brooklyn [accent] here and I do a bad Chicago dialect in Chicago. They’re different!”
But the Chicago Fire star is actually a windy city native, so his real accent might lean more toward his Chicago Fire character. The 50-year-old actor grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and moved back to film Chicago Fire. The actor admitted to West Suburban Living in May 2015 that his wife wasn’t a fan of Chicago.
“I brought my wife back with me because my folks were here. She got one taste of the winter here and said, ‘I’ll move anywhere with you for your job but don’t make me move back to Chicago.’” He also told the site that his wife became pregnant with their daughter Myrna while they were there, and she had a tough winter in the chilly Chicago climate. “Last year winter was tough, though, because my wife was pregnant and at the time, we lived in a second-floor walk-up with two dogs. She wasn’t really happy with me,” he said.
David Eigenberg’s accent on Chicago Fire
Check out Eigenberg’s Chicagoan accent as firefighter Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire.
David Eigenberg’s accent on Sex and the City
Check out Eigenberg’s Brooklyn accent as Steve Brady on Sex and the City and And Just Like That.
David Eigenberg’s real voice
Check out Eigenberg’s real voice in an interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada in June 2016.
In the interview, Eigenberg also admitted that it was “scary” stepping back into his SATC role for And Just Like That after two decades. “It’s been 20 years since the TV show almost. It was scary,” he also told the site. “I’ve always been an in and out guy. I say that on Sex and the City! I pop in and pop out, so I was trying to find my sea legs a little bit. But it was fun, we snapped back into it. It’s always great seeing the same lovely faces.”
The actor has also appeared in One Chicago shows like Chicago P.D., Chicago Med and Chicago Justice. He recently weighed in on Chicago Fire’s dramatic Season 11 cliffhanger, when his costar Mouch (Christian Stolte) was hit with gunfire. “I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I don’t want to lose Christian because it’d be a huge hole in my life,” Eigenberg told TVLine while promoting the new NBC docuseries LA Fire & Rescue. “There’s a lot of love on our show. When we come back from the strike, we’ll be in our 12th season. We’ve been together a lot. When you look at pictures of us from 12 years ago, we were a lot younger,” Eigenberg said. “We’ve been through stuff. We’ve been through a lot on our show.”
Chicago Fire is available to stream on Peacock.