13 Iconic Celebrities Fans May Forget Starred in ‘The Boys’

The Boys‘ third season has been a tremendous hit, with viewers anticipating a fresh episode each Friday. Additionally, with Jensen Ackles joining the cast this season as Soldier Boy, a pastiche of Captain America, viewers are anxious to see their beloved program reach a new level of excellence.

RELATED: ‘The Boys’ Showrunner Explains Soldier Boy and Homelander’s Surprising Connection

Despite the show’s concrete and incisive writing, The Boys‘ success must stem from a powerful and incredible cast, especially Antony Starr as Homelander, who deserves an Emmy for his performance. Furthermore, as one of today’s most popular TV shows, it’s not surprising that the production has drawn many celebrities over the program’s three seasons. Numerous celebrities have joined the cast of The Boys since 2019, and some of these appearances may have flown under the radar.

Shantel VanSanten

Shantel VanSanten played Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) missing wife and the mother of Homelander’s son in Seasons 1 and 2. VanSanten is best known for playing Quinn James in the CW teen drama One Tree Hill and Detective Patty Spivot in The Flash. She was also featured in several movies, including You and I, Something Wicked, and The Final Destination. Moreover, she has played Karen Baldwin in the space drama For All Mankind on Apple TV+ since 2019.

RELATED: Shantel Vansanten on ‘For All Mankind’ Season 2 and If She’s Coming Back for ‘The Boys’ Season 3

Ann Cusack

Ann Cusack played Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) mother, Donna January, during a few episodes of The Boys, but she is more recognized for her extensive acting resume. Cusack has acted in numerous critically praised films, including The Informant!, Sully, and Nightcrawler. She has also appeared in a number of popular television series throughout the years, including The Good Doctor, Fargo, Criminal Minds, and Better Call Saul.

Nicola Correia-Damude

Nicola Correia-Damude portrayed Elena, Queen Maeve’s (Dominique McElligott) ex-girlfriend. Maeve left her after she was forced to be a couple with Homelander. Most people are familiar with Correia-Damude from her recurrent roles in Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments as Maryse Lightwood. She also played major roles in various TV series, including Dino Dana, Coroner, and Annedroids, as well as movies like My Spy and Die in a Gunfight. Correia-Damude most recently appeared in Pillow Talk, a Crave Original TV series.

Christian Keyes

Christian Keyes played A-Train’s (Jessie T. Usher) older brother and coach, Nathan Franklin, who was recently paralyzed by Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler) in Season 3 of The Boys. Keyes is most known for his role as Levi Sterling in the Bounce TV television series Saints & Sinners and as Charlie Riggs in BET’s TV show, In Contempt. He also made appearances in several shows such as The Rookies, All Rise, and Legends of Tomorrow. Keyes’ latest drama TV series, At That Age, is currently in pre-production.

Jennifer Esposito

The role of Susan Raynor, the deputy director of the CIA, the federal agency that The Boys work for, was played by Jennifer Esposito. Despite her disdain for the Boys’ leader Billy Butcher, they had a sexual relationship. Esposito is widely known for her role as Brenda in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Andrea Belladonna in Samantha Who?

RELATED: 10 Wildest Moments From ‘The Boys’ We Still Can’t Believe Aired on TV

She also featured in several TV shows, such as Spin City, Blue Bloods, and Taxi Brooklyn, as well as feature films, including Speed Kills and Mary. Fans may see Esposito in a comedy-drama, Somewhere in Queens, which sets to hit the theater in 2022, and the upcoming crime movie, Fresh Kills, currently in post-production.

Simon Pegg

Hugh Campbell Sr., played by Simon Pegg, is Hughie Campbell’s (Jack Quaid) father, who is fiercely protective of his son in his own way. Pegg is a well-known figure in the film industry who starred in Edgar Wright’s films such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and co-starred alongside Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible series.

Moreover, he also featured in numerous massive franchises, including Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As Bejin Dunn, Pegg will soon return in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part I, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2023.

Jessica Hecht

In Season 2 of The Boys, Jessica Hecht portrayed Carol Manning/Mannheim, who counsels The Deep (Chace Crawford) in therapy sessions and implores him to delve deeper into himself. Hecht is widely known for her role as Susan Bunch in the TV sitcom Friends. She was also featured in various TV shows such as The Sinner, 10 Days, Dickinson, and, most recently, Tokyo Vice. Along with TV, Hecht’s list of credits for feature films includes A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Sisterhood of Night, Whatever Works, and more.

Laurie Holden

In Season 3 of The Boys, Laurie Holden portrayed Crimson Countess, a Payback member and Soldier Boy’s former lover. Holden is known as Marita Covarrubias to The X-Files fans and Andrea Harrison to The Walking Dead fans.

RELATED: ‘The Walking Dead’ Most Shocking Walker Transformations

In addition, Holden made appearances in several television shows, including The Shield, The Americans, and Proven Innocent, as well as movies like Dragged Across Concrete, Pyewacket, and Dumb and Dumber To.

Shawn Ashmore

In the first two seasons, Shawn Ashmore portrayed Lamplighter, a superhero with pyrokinetic powers and Starlight’s predecessor in The Seven. Ashmore’s most notable role is Bobby Drake a.k.a Iceman in Fox’s X-Men franchise.

He was also featured in many TV series, including The Following, Quantum Break, Conviction, and The Rookie. Ashmore will soon return to the role of Wesley Evers in The Rookie: Feds, a spinoff of The Rookie that will follow FBI Special Agent Simone Clark (Niecy Nash).

Brittany Allen

Brittany Allen portrays Popclaw, a failing superhero with drug issues and A-Train’s former girlfriend, in the first season of The Boys. Allen’s first prominent performance was on All My Children from 2009 to 2010, where she played Marissa Chandler. For this portrayal, she was honored with a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in 2011.

Over the years, Allen has also been in several films, such as Extraterrestrial, It Stains the Sands Red, The Prodigy, and the 2018 feature What Keeps You Alive. Fans may expect to see Allen next in her unreleased project, Grendel, an action-crime television series.

John Doman

John Doman portrayed Jonah Vogelbaum, a former Vought scientist and Homelander’s father figure for the show’s first two seasons. Doman is most recognized for his roles as Major William Rawls, the Deputy Police Commissioner, and the Superintendent of the Maryland State Police in the HBO series The Wire.

RELATED: Where Is ‘The Wire’ Cast Now?

He also appeared in several TV shows over the years, including Law & Order, Damages, and Gotham, as well as movies such as Blue Valentine, Cold Pursuit, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

David Andrews

David Andrew plays Oklahoma Senator Calhoun in Season 1 of The Boys. Calhoun was blackmailed by Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) into using his position to assist get the bill allowing Supes in the military past committee. Andrews is mostly known for his role as Lieutenant General Robert Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

He was also featured in numerous TV series, including The Whispers, Queen of the South, and most recently, The Black Hamptons. In addition to his TV work, Andrews has appeared in several films, including Fight Club, Apollo 13, andWorld War Z.

Paul Reiser

Before Madelyn Stillwell, Paul Reiser portrayed Senior Vice President of Hero Management for Vought International, The Legend, in the show’s third season. He occasionally allies with The Boys. Reiser is known for his role as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom My Two Dads, Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom Mad About You, and Detective Jeffrey Friedman in Beverly Hills Cop.

Most recently, fans will recognize Reiser as Jim Neiman in Whiplash and Dr. Sam Owens in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Reiser has two projects in pre-production, a TV series named Reboot and a feature film called The Problem with People.

KEEP READING: 7 Great Antony Starr Performances That Aren’t Homelander from ‘The Boys’