Created by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, the historical drama stars the likes of Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Carrie Coon.
It’s time to return to The Gilded Age, as we gear up for season 2 landing on our screens.
When the period drama from the Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes landed last year, it quickly drummed up its fair share of buzz, and was quickly renewed just weeks after its debut.
The historical series focuses on the boom years of the 1880s in New York City – otherwise known as the Gilded Age – and the tensions between two wealthy families.
The HBO series revolves around Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a 19th century woman who moves to New York to live with her old money aunts after the death of her father.
With the robber barons and railroad tycoons trying to break into high society, Marian finds herself stuck in a social war between her traditional aunts and their new money neighbours George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), in a tale of old versus new money.
This new season is set to bring us more of the same drama and scandal, widening the scope of the series to focus on characters old and new. Starring the likes of Christine Baranski and And Just Like That‘s Cynthia Nixon, The Gilded Age features a stellar cast of huge names.
With a cast list even bigger than the first season, it’s time to get reacquainted and introduced to the characters in the period drama. So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the cast of The Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age full cast list: Who stars in the Julian Fellowes period drama?
The full cast list for The Gilded Age season 2 is as follows. It’s a long one, but that’s because 11 out of the 12 season 1 regulars will be reprising their roles, with the only series regular not returning being Thomas Cocquerel, who played Tom Raikes, Marian’s love interest.
As well as this, Deadline announced previously that the series has expanded its cast in a big way, going from 12 to 24 series regulars.
The full cast list for The Gilded Age season 2 is as follows.
- Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
- Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
- Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook
- Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
- Morgan Spector as George Russell
- Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
- Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell
- Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn
- Simon Jones as Bannister
- Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
- Thomas Cocquerel as Tom Raikes
- Jack Gilpin as Church
- Kelli O’Hara as Aurora Fane
- Donna Murphy as Mrs Astor
- Debra Monk as Armstrong
- Kristine Nielsen as Mrs Bauer
- Taylor Richardson as Bridget
- Ben Ahlers as Jack Trotter
- Kelley Curran as Turner
- Douglas Sills as Baudin aka Borden
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs Bruce
- Michael Cerveris as Watson
- Erin Wilhelmi as Adelheid Weber
- Patrick Page as Richard Clay
- Sullivan Jones as T Thomas Fortune
- Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott
- Nathan Lane as Ward McAllister
- John Douglas Thompson as Arthur Scott
- Ashlie Atkinson as Mamie Fish
- Claybourne Elder as John Adams
- Ward Horton as Charles Fane
- Robert Sean Leonard as Rev Matthew Forte
- Laura Benanti as Susan Bane
- Christopher Denham as Robert McNeil
- David Furr as Dashiell Montgomery
- Ben Lamb as The Duke of Buckingham
- Matilda Lawler as Frances Montgomery
- Dakin Matthews as Mr Winterton
- Michael Braugher as Booker T Washington
- Nicole Brydon Bloom as Caroline Stuyvesant
- Rebecca Haden as Flora McNeil
Carrie Coon plays Bertha Russell
Who is Bertha Russell? Bertha is the ambitious wife of railroad tycoon George Russell. She is determined to establish herself and her family in high society but becomes frustrated by her neighbours’ snobbish attitudes to her new money fortune.
Where have I seen Corrie Coon before? Carrie Coon is best known for playing Nora Durst in The Leftovers and for her roles in FX’s Fargo, The Sinner, Widows, Gone Girl, The Post and Avengers: Infinity War, in which she played Proxima Midnight. She recently starred in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Nest, and is set to appear in upcoming film Boston Strangler.
Cynthia Nixon plays Ada Brook
Who is Ada Brook? Ada is Agnes’s sister, who is forced to rely on her charity after never finding a husband herself. While she is not naturally confrontational, she is capable of standing up for what she believes in and is far more open to change than her sister.
Where have I seen Cynthia Nixon before? Cynthia Nixon is best known for playing Miranda Hobbes in HBO’s Sex and the City – a role which won her an Emmy in 2004. She has since appeared in the show’s subsequent films and spin-off And Just Like That, as well as Too Big to Fail, Ratched, A Quiet Passion, Alpha House and The Big C. She also ran for Governor of New York in 2018 as a challenger to Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo.
Christine Baranski plays Agnes van Rhijn
Who is Agnes van Rhijn? Agnes is a proud aristocrat who refuses to accept that the world is changing and doesn’t want to get to know her new money neighbours. A wealthy widow who lives with her sister, Agnes reluctantly takes in her penniless niece.
Where have I seen Christine Baranski before? Baranski is an Emmy-winning actress who is best known for her roles in Cybill, The Good Wife and The Good Fight. She has also appeared in Chicago, Mamma Mia!, Into the Woods, The Big Bang Theory, Happy Family, The Birdcage and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Morgan Spector plays George Russell
Who is George Russell? George Russell is a ruthless robber baron who isn’t afraid to get involved in shady business. While a conscientious husband and family man, George is completely different when it comes to his professional life.
Where have I seen Morgan Spector before? Morgan Spector has appeared in Allegiance, The Drop, A Vigilante, The Plot Against America, The Mist and Pearson – but he’s best known for playing Dante Allen on Homeland.
Denée Benton plays Peggy Scott
Who is Peggy Scott? Peggy is an aspiring writer who after coming to Louisa’s rescue at the train station, takes a job as Agnes’s secretary. Staying in New York to avoid her parents, Peggy struggles with her father’s expectations for her.
Where have I seen Denée Benton before? Denée Benton is a Tony-nominated actress who played the role of Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton on Broadway and is best known for starring in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. She has also appeared in unREAL, 25 and Our Friend.
Louisa Jacobson plays Marian Brook
Who is Marian? Marian is a young woman who finds herself penniless after her father’s death and is taken in by her old money aunts in New York.
Where have I seen Louisa Jacobson before? The Gilded Age marks Jacobson’s first TV role. Jacobson, who is the daughter of Meryl Streep, previously appeared in a production of Romeo and Juliet at The Old Globe.
Blake Ritson plays Oscar van Rhijn
Who is Oscar? Oscar is the quick-witted son of Agnes who isn’t afraid to bend the rules of high society.
Where have I seen Blake Ritson before? Ritson has previously appeared in A Touch of Frost, Mansfield Park, Emma, Upstairs Downstairs, Da Vinci’s Demons, Krypton and Endeavour.
Simon Jones plays Bannister
Who is Bannister? Bannister is the van Rhijn family’s butler.
Where have I seen Simon Jones before? Jones is best known for starring as Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and for roles in Miracle on 34th Street, Brideshead Revisited, Downton Abbey, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and Spectropia.
Taissa Farmiga plays Gladys Russell
Who is Gladys Russell? Gladys is the under-confidant daughter of George and Bertha Russell.
Where have I seen Taissa Farmiga before? Taissa Farmiga is best known for appearing in American Horror Story, The Bling Ring, Mindscape, The Final Girls, Rules Don’t Apply, The Nun, The Mule and The Long Dumb Road.
Harry Richardson plays Larry Russell
Who is Larry Russell? Larry is the bachelor son of Bertha and George Russell, who takes a fancy to Marian.
Where have I seen Harry Richardson before? Australian actor Harry Richardson is best known for his roles in Poldark, Doctor Thorne, Death in Paradise and Dunkirk.
Audra McDonald plays Dorothy Scott
Who is Dorothy Scott? Dorothy is Peggy’s mother, who urges her to return home and make amends with her father.
Where have I seen Audra McDonald before? Audra McDonald is a Tony Award-winning singer and actress who has appeared in musicals such as Carousel, Ragtime, Porgy and Bess and Sweeney Todd. She has also appeared in films such as Beauty and the Beast, It Runs in the Family, Respect as well as shows like The Good Fight, BoJack Horseman, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.
What new cast members are joining for The Gilded Age season 2?
Robert Sean Leonard as Rev Matthew Forte
Who is Rev Matthew Forte? A jovial, congenial man who recently transferred from Boston, Matthew is the new rector of the church attended by all the highest in New York society.
Where have I seen Robert Sean Leonard before? Leonard is perhaps best known for his roles in House, Falling Skies and Dead Poet’s Society. He has a long history performing on Broadway in shows like The Invention of Love, To Kill a Mockingbird and Candida.
Laura Benanti as Susan Bane
Who is Susan Bane? Recently widowed by a rich (but somewhat dull) man who was much older than her, Susan is a very glamorous woman living in Newport, who hires Larry as her architect for a major renovation on her Newport home.
Where have I seen Laura Benanti before? The actress and singer has a long-spanning Broadway career, but in terms of TV, has starred in Supergirl, the new reboot of Gossip Girl, Younger and The Detour.
Christopher Denham as Robert McNeil
Who is Robert McNeil? Robert is wealthy but is known as being rather uptight. He works as a banker and, along with his wife, is trying to navigate New York high society.
Where have I seen Christopher Denham before? Denham was most recently seen in box office hit Oppenheimer as Klaus Fuchs, but is also known for other supporting roles in Being the Ricardos, Billions, Shining Girls and Argo.
David Furr as Dashiell Montgomery
Who is Dashiell Montgomery? Dashiell is Agnes’s nephew by marriage and is wealthy and widowed, meaning it probably won’t be long before he has a romantic interest in the new season. He’s recently moved to New York with his daughter Frances.
Where have I seen David Furr before? Furr has featured in numerous productions both off and on the screen. He’s received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Noises Off, but as for film and TV, he has appeared in Bull, New Amsterdam and The Equalizer.
Ben Lamb as The Duke of Buckingham
Who is The Duke of Buckingham? The Duke is a wealthy British nobleman who has recently arrived in New York.
Where have I seen Ben Lamb before? The English actor has starred in Divergent, Now You See Me 2, and is perhaps most recognisable as King Richard in the A Christmas Prince film series.
Matilda Lawler as Frances Montgomery
Who is Frances Montgomery? Frances is Dashiell’s daughter and is a naturally charming, good-mannered teenager who is adapting to her new life in New York.
Where have I seen Matilda Lawler before? Lawler is best known for her roles in Flora & Ulysses and the HBO Max miniseries Station Eleven.
Dakin Matthews as Mr Winterton
Who is Mr Winterton? A very rich widower, Mr Winterton married his new, young wife after an extremely short courtship – so short she hadn’t yet met any of his society friends, and is unaware of her past.
Where have I seen Dakin Matthews before? Matthews has a long-spanning career as an actor, and also as a playwright and theatre scholar. He is best known for his role as Reverend Sikes in Desperate Housewives and as Hanlin Charleston in Gilmore Girls, but has also starred in My Two Dads, Charmed and King of Queens.
Michael Braugher as Booker T Washington
Who is Booker T Washington? Washington is a famed educator, and in the new season, invites journalists Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones) and Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) to tour his new school in Tuskegee.
Where have I seen Michael Braugher before? Braugher made his Broadway debut in To Kill a Mockingbird, but The Gilded Age is set to be his TV debut.
Nicole Brydon Bloom as Caroline Stuyvesant
Who is Caroline Stuyvesant? Caroline is a socialite who Oscar immediately gravitates towards as the perfect heiress for marriage and a great match for his wit.
Where have I seen Nicole Brydon Bloom before? The rising actress has starred in 1BR, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and A Small Family Affair.
Rebecca Haden as Flora McNeil
Who is Flora McNeil? Flora has lived at the top of New York society and has been brought up to believe the lie that her father deserted her and her mother.
Where have I seen Rebecca Haden before? Haden has featured in series such as Madam Secretary and NCIS: New Orleans.
The Gilded Age season 2 is exclusively available from Monday 30th October on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. Sign up for Sky TV here. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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