Blue Bloods’ Original Nicky Reagan-Boyle: What Happened to Marlene Lawston After Her Surprising Exit?

When Blue Bloods premiered on CBS in 2010, fans were instantly drawn to the tight-knit Reagan family – led by Tom Selleck’s stoic police commissioner Frank Reagan and Donnie Wahlberg’s hot-headed detective Danny Reagan.

Among them was Erin Reagan-Boyle’s (Bridget Moynahan) outspoken young daughter, Nicky, played by child actress Marlene Lawston in the very first episode.

In that debut, Nicky made quite the impression – candidly telling her uncle Danny that her mom was mad at their grandfather Henry (Len Cariou) and storming off after one of Henry’s teasing remarks. But after that single episode, viewers noticed something surprising: Nicky had a new face. From episode four onward, Sami Gayle took over the role, continuing to play Nicky for much of the series.

So, what became of Marlene Lawston?

Before Blue Bloods, Lawston had already worked alongside major stars like Jodie Foster in Flightplan and Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life. Yet, her brief appearance on Blue Bloods would mark the end of her acting career – and the beginning of a remarkable new chapter.

Stepping away from Hollywood, Lawston pursued higher education with passion and purpose. She studied at Colgate University and later attended the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. In 2020, she earned the prestigious NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholarship, allowing her to pursue both a Master’s degree and a PhD.

Her research now focuses on genetic disorders, using stem cell models and family-based genetic testing to better understand duplication and deletion syndromes at the cellular level. Lawston has shared that her drive stems from personal experience, saying her own childhood health challenges gave her a deep appreciation for medicine and inspired her to improve healthcare through science.

From Hollywood child star to promising medical researcher, Marlene Lawston’s story is one of quiet reinvention – proving that sometimes, life’s most meaningful roles happen off-screen.