The sensuous, intelligent Reuben joined the cast of NBC's hit "ER" midway through the first season as Jeanie Boulet, the physical therapist hired by Dr. Benton (Eriq LaSalle) to look after his mother. By the start of the second season, the character had transferred to the Emergency Room as a physician's assistant, been romanced by Dr. Benton and had won the hearts of the audience when it was discovered she had contracted HIV from her ex-husband. Reuben has won particular attention for her skilled performance in this groundbreaking storyline.
A Canadian native, Reuben studied music and dance as a youngster and migrated to Los Angeles after making an early appearance in a small role in the CBS Schoolbreak Special, "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" (1987). Her early Hollywood work was minor: a maternity nurse in the film "Immediate Family" (1989) and a guest appearance on "Mancuso FBI". In 1994, she played Fielding opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the hit futuristic feature "TimeCop" which helped her win the role of Theresa Walker, a sex-crimes detective on three early episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC). There was talk of making her a "Homicide" regular, but word had spread through NBC and, instead, she was attached to "ER" as Jeanie Boulet. The sparks between Reuben and LaSalle were clear to the audience from the outset, and, by the start of the show's second season Jeanie had left her husband and was navigating a relationship with Benton. In 1995, she also played opposite Johnny Depp in the little-seen thriller "Nick of Time".