Who is Lisbon? Lisbon is first introduced as police negotiator Raquel Murillo, who goes up against the Professor and his gang during their heist of the Royal Mint. The Professor approaches her under a civilian alter-ego and the two become close, with Raquel ultimately swapping sides to join their cause. She is now working alongside the Dali gang on the Bank of Spain heist. In season four, she was arrested and emotionally interrogated by Alicia Sierra, but The Professor was able to break her free and get her into the bank with the others.

What else has Itziar Ituno been in? Ituno’s most famed role came as the lead character Lourdes in the 2014 film Flowers. She recently starred in Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City and has several more projects in the pipeline.

Najwa Nimri plays Alicia Sierra

Who is Alicia Sierra? The heavily pregnant inspector has become a formidable opponent to the Professor and his squad. We first met her when she was brought in to torture Rio for information about the robbers, while she later had Nairobi shot after using her young son as bait. Needless to say, she’s ruthless. When her torture tactics were exposed to the press, she was instructed to take full responsibility to protect her superiors who had approved it, but refuses. Instead, she implicates them all in the scandal before going rogue, finding The Professor’s hideout – potentially foiling his plan once and for all.

What else has Najwa Nimri been in? Nimri joined Flores in Vis a Vis as Zulema throughout the run of the show. Nimri is most well known for roles in Open Your Eyes (1997), Sex and Lucia (2001) and Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998).

Miguel Herran plays Rio

Who is Rio? Rio was first enlisted to the Professor’s gang for his computer hacking skills and became Tokyo’s on-again-off-again boyfriend during preparation for the first heist. After the Royal Mint job was completed, the two of them lived together on a remote tropical island, but eventually Tokyo craved a busier life once more and left him. Rio was discovered by the authorities shortly after, who illegally detained and tortured him for information. Freeing Rio was the driving motivation behind the second heist and it worked – now they just need to get out of the Bank of Spain alive.

What else has Miguel Herran been in? Herran juggles his time on Money Heist with another Netflix series, Elite, in which he plays Christian. The 23-year-old found fame through his first role as Dario in Nothing in Return (2015).

Jamie Llorente plays Denver

Who is Denver? Denver is not particularly skilled or intelligent in any field, but was secured a place in the Professor’s gang by his father, former miner Moscow (who sadly died during the first heist). The Royal Mint job was also notable for introducing Denver to Monica Gaztambide, a hostage who he later becomes romantically involved with. Despite initial concerns that she is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, it soon becomes clear that the two genuinely love each other and they go on the run together after the heist is complete. However, working together on this second job has put a lot of strain on their relationship.

What else has Jamie Llorente been in? Llorente also features in Elite, alongside Money Heist co-star Herran, as Nano. He featured in the 2018 film Everybody Knows as Luis.

Esther Acebo plays Stockholm/Monica Gaztambide

Who is Stockholm? First introduced under her civilian name Monica Gaztambide, Stockholm was initially a hostage in The Royal Mint job, having worked there as secretary to then-director Arturo Román. She had been involved in a long-term affair with Arturo and became pregnant with his baby shortly before the first heist. However, when it became clear that he would not leave his wife for her,  she ultimately raised the child with Denver; the robber she fell in love with under the strangest of circumstances.

What else has Esther Acebo been in? Acebo has featured in a string of Spanish films including Los Encantados (as Amnesia Carrasco), Madrid DF (as Irene) and Baraka (as Laura Nunez).

Rodrigo de la Serna plays Palermo

Who is Palermo? Palermo is an old friend of Berlin, who dreamt up the idea for the Bank of Spain heist. He is an egomaniac who endangered the entire heist after he was ousted as leader by Tokyo. Palermo is also gay, having been in love with Berlin for years before his death in the first heist, while he has since struck up a casual relationship with Helsinki.

What else has Rodrigo de la Serna been in? De La Serna was nominated for Best Supporting Actor awards at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes for his role in The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) as Alberto Granado.

Darko Peric plays Helsinki

Who is Helsinki? The Serbian ex-soldier is the muscle of the group and not to be messed with. He has been a key figure in maintaining order of the hostages during the heists, but in later seasons we have seen a softer side to his personality. Not only did he form a treasured friendship with Nairobi, but he has also struggled to come to terms with his feelings for Palermo, who isn’t interested in having a serious relationship with him.

What else has Darko Peric been in? Peric has starred in Mar de Plastico (2016), A Perfect Day (2015) and Ahora o Nunca (2015) throughout his career to date.

Hovik Keuchkerian plays Bogota

Who is Bogota? A metallurgy expert drafted in for the Bank of Spain job, where the gang intends to melt several tons worth of gold. He develops feelings for Nairobi during the job and is left heartbroken by her death.

What else has Hovik Keuchkerian been in? Keuchkerian is a former Spanish heavyweight boxing champion who turned his hand as a comedian, writer and actor. He starred as Ojeda in the 2016 film adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed video game series alongside Michael Fassbender.

Enrique Arce plays Arturo Roman

Who is Arturo Roman? Arturo is the character fans love to hate. He was the Director of the Royal Mint during the first heist and proved a nuisance to the gang by constantly scheming to foil their plans. When he was finally released at the end of the job, he spun the experience into a media career, adopting the persona of a noble hero – in reality, he is far from it. Arturo willingly entered the second heist to bolster his public image, but his plans are constantly endangering fellow hostages. Most recently, he took a very dark turn by drugging and sexually assaulting a fellow hostage. Let’s hope justice is served in season five.

What else has Enrique Arce been in? Arce played the role of a Catalan Ambassador in the History Channel show Knightfall starring Mark Hamill. He currently enjoys the role of De la Hoz in Ines del Alma Mia on Spanish TV.

Belén Cuesta plays Julia/Manila

Who is Julia/Manila? Julia is Denver’s childhood friend, who he secures a role for in their second heist after her father is sent to prison. In the Bank of Spain job, she initially works undercover pretending to be a hostage, but when things get out of control, she reveals herself to be part of the gang. She adopts the city-inspired pseudonym, Manila.

What else has Belén Cuesta been in? Cuesta has previously lent her voice to animated films The Lego Ninjago Movie and Klaus.

José Manuel Poga plays César Gandía

Who is Gandía? Gandía is the head of security at the Bank of Spain. He puts up a strong fight when the crew begin their heist, but they do manage to restrain him with the other hostages. When Palermo is ousted as leader, he facilitates Gandía’s escape out of spite for the rest of the group and it has grave consequences. The highly trained operative wreaks havoc on their carefully made plan and murders Nairobi in cold blood.

What else has José Manuel Poga been in? Poga collaborated again with Money Heist creator Alex Pina on Netflix thriller, Sky Rojo.

Miguel Ángel Silvestre plays René

Who is René? René was Tokyo’s first love and partner in crime, but he was killed in one of the heists they attempted together. Years later, she still feels a lot of pain over the loss.

What else has Miguel Ángel Silvestre been in? Silvestre is another Sky Rojo alum to find his way to Money Heist, while Netflix viewers may also recognise him from Sense8.

Patrick Criado plays Rafael

Who is Rafael? Rafael is the son of Berlin, who wishes to be nothing at all like his father.

What else has Patrick Criado been in? Criado broke out with a role on Spanish adventure series Águila Roja.

José Manuel Seda plays Sagasta

Who is Sagasta? Sagasta is the cold and ruthless Commander of the Special Forces of the Spanish Army – and he has his sights set on taking down the Professor’s gang once and for all.

What else has José Manuel Seda been in? Seda recently played Armando in Spanish soap opera Amar es Para Siempre.

Pedro Alonso plays Berlin

Who is Berlin? Berlin is The Professor’s brother and acted as his second-in-command during the Royal Mint job. But while his mastermind sibling is relatively honourable, Berlin proved himself to be a coldhearted sociopath on several occasions. He stayed behind at the end of the first heist to give his associates enough time to escape, where he was gunned down by a police squad.

What else has Pedro Alonso been in? Alonso starred in 136 episodes of the hit Spanish series Padre Casares as Horacio Casares between 2008 and 2015. More recently he appeared in Netflix series The Ministry of Time as Cerezo.

Alba Flores plays Nairobi

Who is Nairobi? Nairobi is a master of forgery and counterfeit, brought into the first heist to ensure the bills printed by the gang at The Royal Mint are only of the highest quality. She also proved to be an excellent motivator, with the hostages in her command often enjoying remarkably high morale and even some admiration for her. She was also very popular with her fellow gang members – particularly Tokyo and Helsinki – making her shocking death in season four a terrible loss.

What else has Alba Flores been in? Flores enjoyed the role of Saray in TV series Vis a Vis between 2015-2019, though Money Heist has proven to be her biggest work to date, like many of the actors in the show.

Money Heist season 5 part 1 is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 3rd September. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what else is on.