If you’ve been watching the hit hospital drama The Pitt on HBO Max, you might be surprised to learn that one of the actors on the show is from the Seattle area—and he’s an actual nurse. Ned Brower’s career has followed a winding path that started in the Pacific Northwest. Raised on the Redmond side of Bellevue, Brower has moved between acting, music and emergency medicine: experiences that now converge on The Pitt, where he plays a nurse with an expanded role in season 2.
Read on for Brower’s full story.
Born in North Carolina, Brower moved to the Seattle area at age 3 after his father accepted a medical job here. He caught the performance bug early according to The Seattle Times, landing the role of Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music at The 5th Avenue Theatre while in sixth grade.
At Bellevue High School in the ’90s, Brower sang in choir, performed in theater productions and immersed himself in the region’s grunge-era music scene. He helped turn a former Redmond firehouse into an all-ages venue that hosted bands like Fugazi and Jawbreaker, and he recalls meeting Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love there during their peak.
Though passionate about music and acting, Brower chose a different academic path, attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas to study film. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, where he signed with an agent, modeled, appeared in commercials and landed acting work, including a recurring role on Dawson’s Creek.
Music soon took over. Brower became the drummer and a backing vocalist for Rooney, which gained visibility after appearing on The O.C. in 2004. Once the band secured a record deal, he spent years touring and recording until the group disbanded in 2012.
After leaving Rooney, Brower made another dramatic career shift, becoming an EMT and eventually earning a master’s degree in nursing. He trained and worked in emergency departments in Los Angeles, later joining concierge ER practice Sollis Health, where he connected with The Pitt writer Dr. Joe Sachs.
Brower was ultimately cast on the show after initially being contacted about consulting. He still works as a nurse full time in between seasons, balancing nursing with acting on the show. Season 2 of The Pitt premiered January 8, with new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. Noah Wyle told The Seattle Times that Brower’s character Jesse “becomes a rather significant character in the second half of the (new) season,” so be sure to keep an eye on this Bellevue-raised multitasker if you watch.