Succession is a unique show that surprised everyone when it premiered in 2018. The series has sharp dialogue, is a window into how the richest live, and has incredible performances. For most of the cast, this has been their breakout roles, but you’ve probably seen them before in smaller parts. Here’s where you’ve seen the cast of Succession before:

Jeremy Strong

     Columbia Pictures

Kendall Roy’s role will probably be the one for which Jeremy Strong will be remembered, as it’s an incredibly tragic character, and acted beautifully by the actor. It’s one of his best performances ever, and one of his first as a lead, but Strong has been playing supporting roles in Hollywood for years. He has worked with incredible directors, who might have seen all the talent and commitment Strong brings to each of his characters.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Before Succession, he had worked with Steven Spielberg in Lincoln, Kathryn Bigelow in Zero Dark Thirty, Ava DuVernay in Selma, and Adam McKay in The Big Short. McKay is one of the producers of Succession, so that probably was one of the reasons they knew Strong could make wonders with the character of Kendall Roy. His last role is also with an incredible director: James Gray in the film Armaggedon Time.

Brian Cox

     Warner Bros. Pictures Releasing

Brian Cox’s role as the patriarch Logan Roy in Succession looked not long for this world when he had a stroke in the pilot episode. Since then, his character has not only come back, but has become the biggest villain in the whole show, and Cox has raised to the occasion, giving one of the best TV performances of the last few years. Before this role, Cox was already a known quantity in Hollywood, as he has more than 200 roles, and he’s been in the industry since the ’60s. He has played all kinds of roles: good and bad (mostly bad), real and fictional people, animation, and even video game voices. His most notable roles were in X2: X-Men United, as the villain William Striker; Troy as Agamemnon, and in The Bourne Supremacy as Ward Abbot.

Sarah Snook

     Universal Pictures International

Australian actress Sarah Snook has been a revelation as Shiv Roy. She’s the most capable, smartest, and savviest of the siblings, but she has two problems: she doesn’t know how to swim in the corporate world, and her father doesn’t want her to be the boss. Snook has played Shiv’s character beautifully, always showing she believes she’s doing everything for the greater good and being the best sibling, and while all that might be true, she also shows how she has gigantic blind spots (especially in her marriage), and her frustrations as the corporate world don’t work as a meritocracy.

Snook’s career before Succession wasn’t the longest, although she had a run on the West End with Ralph Fiennes on a production of Ibsen’s titled The Master Builder, and appeared twice in movies with Kate Winslet: in Danny Boyle’s Jobs and The Dressmaker. Since Succession, she has been getting more lead roles, and it looks like 2023 might be her year, as she already has three projects on deck.

Kieran Culkin

     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Roman Roy might be the most incompetent, ambitious, damaged, sensitive, snarky sibling of all the Roys; always ready with a hurtful joke, an inappropriate comment, and something to mess up. And yet, he’s still falling upwards. It’s a tricky character to play, and it wouldn’t work at all without Kieran Culkin. The actor started his career as a child actor in his brother’s movies, like Home Alone. With time, he started making a name for himself, and although he’ll always be Macaulay Culkin’s brother, many people know him for his performances. Be it Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Igby Goes Down, or Father of the Bride.

About Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Culkin told Edgar Wright and The Guardian: “I’m so proud of that film. It’s not only one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on, but it also led to lasting friendships, like with you and [cast mate] Michael Cera.”

Alan Ruck

     Paramount Pictures

Connor Roy is the family’s black sheep. From a previous marriage, he’s always on the outside, to the point that when his younger brother Kendall says he’s the first born, no one corrects him. The character could be a one-note joke, but Alan Ruck has imbued him with some graciousness, and soul, even if his plans to be President don’t make any sense. Ruck has had a long career, and for most people, he’s Cameron, Ferris Bueller’s best friend in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He did that role when he was thirty, but he still captured the awkward, insecure teenager vibe. He was also one of the leads on Michael J. Fox’s TV show, Spin City. He also appeared in both Twister and Speed.

Nicholas Braun

Nicholas Braun plays awkward cousin Greg (aka “Greg the Egg”) to perfection. He’s learning how the corporate world works and is starting to get some money of his own, while still making us laugh with the most strange, silly observations. His chemistry with Tom is incredible, and they make the not-so-secret best combination of the whole show. This is Braun’s breakout role, although not his first. He was a superhero in the kids’ movie Sky High, was in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and on the TV show Friend Me. Since Succession started, he’s getting a lot more opportunities, from Zola to Documentary Now! and he even appeared on The Simpsons as cousin Greg.

Matthew Macfayden

     Universal Pictures

Tom Wambsgams started Succession as a joke: the incompetent boyfriend of Shiv, who was always a yes man, trying to ingratiate himself to Logan Roy for any opportunities to get a big job in the family’s business. During the last three seasons, Matthew Macfayden’s character has been learning how to work the system, who to trust, and even starting to talk out for himself in front of his now-wife. This evolution wouldn’t have been possible without someone with Macfayden’s talents, as he’s able to sell us a pathetic, insecure person, and still make us like him. His scenes with Nicholas Braun are legendary, and it’s impossible not to laugh at their exchanges, as they compliment one another perfectly.

Before Succession, MacFayden had a long career in Britain, both in movies and TV, where he played Athos in the Paul W.S. Anderson version of The Three Musketeers, was Det. Insp. Edmund Reid in Ripper Street, and, especially, Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice. About that film, Macfayden told Indiewire: “I didn’t feel very Mr. Darcy–ish,” he said. “I felt like a bit of a middle-aged dad.”