Where You've Seen The Cast Of The Watcher Before
There's nothing quite like closing on a home sale, especially if that home is the spacious, beautiful home you've always dreamed of owning. Unfortunately, sometimes you can end up with a few surprises that weren't disclosed during the closing process, like noisy neighbors, bad traffic, or development plans for a new shopping mall down the street. When Derek and Maria Broaddus bought an idyllic house in a suburban New Jersey community back in 2014, the couple inherited something much worse — a stalker who so thoroughly terrified them that they sold the house for $400,000 less than they paid for it.
Shortly after they purchased the spacious six-bedroom home, they began receiving anonymous letters from someone who claimed that they were constantly watching the house. "My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s," they wrote (via The Cut). "It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out." The writer signed the letter "The Watcher."
This terrifying tale is the basis of Ryan Murphy's latest show, in which the targeted family and their neighbors are brought to life by actors you're probably familiar with. Here's where you may have seen them before.
Bobby Cannavale as Dean
Bobby Cannavale stars in "The Watcher" as Dean Brannock, whose recent home purchase in the sleepy New Jersey suburb of Westfield turns out to be anything but a sound investment after The Watcher's snail mail starts to show up. A New Jersey native himself, Cannavale has been acting since the 1990s when he got his start in theater. Over the past few decades, the actor has racked up a fairly extensive resume including two Tony nominations and two Emmy Awards for his work on "Boardwalk Empire" and for his role as Vince D'Angelo on "Will & Grace."
The actor has appeared in several prominent films over the years. In 1999, Cannavale played a detective on "The Bone Collector," and he would later appear in "Shall We Dance?" and "Snakes on a Plane." His more recognizable films include "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp." Cannavale also starred as Joe DiMaggio in the 2022 Marilyn Monroe biopic "Blonde." In terms of TV, you may have seen him as Dr. Mike Cruz on "Nurse Jackie," Richie Finestra on "Vinyl," Chef Jeff on "Master of None," and Colin Belfast on "Homecoming," to name but a few. He's also an experienced voice actor, having worked on the likes of "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Robot Chicken," and "Tom and Jerry."
Naomi Watts as Nora
Dean Brannock's wife Nora is played by British-born actor Naomi Watts, who got her start acting in Australian commercials like a lamb ad from the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation. Watts' film debut was in the 1986 Australian period piece "For Love Alone," a film set in the 1930s. A friendship with Aussie actor Nicole Kidman led to bigger roles including the 1991 film "Flirting" and a small role in John Goodman's 1993 film "Matinee." That same year, she was cast alongside Jimmy Smits in the film "Gross Misconduct" in her first leading role. Over the next few years, the actor would play minor roles in "Tank Girl," "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering," and "Babe: Pig in the City" before catching her big break in the David Lynch film "Mulholland Drive" as Diane/Betty.
One of Watts' more notable film roles is as Rachel Keller, the protagonist of "The Ring" and "The Ring Two." In 2013, Watts appeared as Princess Diana in the biopic "Diana." Despite her best efforts, the royal biopic was slammed by critics. Watts has also acted in several TV shows. In 1991, she had a regular role on the Australian soap opera "Home and Away." From 1997 through 1998, she appeared in the short-lived American sci-fi series "Sleepwalkers." She also played Janey-E Jones in David Lynch's 2017 "Twin Peaks" revival, which brought the series back for a third season. Watts went on to play the lead role in the Netflix series "Gypsy," which she also executive produced.
Jennifer Coolidge as Karen
Comedy actor Jennifer Coolidge is perfectly cast in "The Watcher" as real estate agent Karen Calhoun. She is best known for her work in several Christopher Guest films and as Stifler's mom in the "American Pie" series. Coolidge's early work includes appearances in "A Night at the Roxbury" and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." In 2000, she appeared in her first Christopher Guest mockumentary "Best in Show," going on to appear in Guest's future productions "A Mighty Wind," "For Your Consideration," and "Mascots." She also appeared as dog-loving manicurist Paulette Bonafonté in "Legally Blonde" and "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde."
You may also recognize Coolidge from her roles in the likes of "Pootie Tang," "Zoolander," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," "Date Movie," and "Shotgun Wedding." From 2007 through 2009, she had a handful of appearances on "Nip/Tuck," and, beginning in 2021, she played Tanya McQuoid in the critically acclaimed HBO series "The White Lotus," a role that scored her an Emmy Award. If none of these ring a bell, you might recognize her voice — Coolidge has also voiced characters in everything from "Rock and Morty" and "Gravity Falls" to the stop-motion series "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World."
Noma Dumezweni as Theodora
After the Brannock family begins receiving creepy letters from The Watcher, they do what most people would do and hire a private investigator. The family ends up turning to a woman named Theodora, played by Noma Dumezweni. Born in Swaziland, the British actor has worked in theater for many years and is best known for playing the role of Hermione Granger in the West End play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," for which she scooped a Laurence Olivier Award. "I arrived in this country as a refugee child with my sister and my mother," she said during her acceptance speech (via Time). "I suppose what I'm trying to say — this is my little political bit, if you don't mind — I am a refugee child."
Dumezweni's first film role came in 2002 when she played Celia in the British thriller "Dirty Pretty Things." The actor has appeared in a number of British TV shows through the years, including "Shameless," "EastEnders," "Casualty," "Midsomer Murders," and the Benedict Cumberbatch-led series "The Last Enemy." She played Marchesa in "Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic," and Dumezweni played U.N.I.T. Captain Erisa Magambo on "Doctor Who" in 2008 and 2009. In 2017, she appeared in the Prime sci-fi anthology series "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams." More recently, she appeared in the main role of Fiffany on the HBO Max series "Made for Love."
Henry Hunter Hall as Dakota
When your house is getting stalked by a mystery stranger, you need a good security installation company. That's where Dakota comes in for the Brannock family. Played by Henry Hunter Hall, Dakota is the young owner of Vanguard Security Solutions, a local security firm. Hall was destined for show business as the son of two talented parents, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Kasi Lemmons, both of whom are actors, writers, and directors. Hall got his start as a child actor when his parents would use him in their films. He was only a baby when he appeared in the 1997 film "Gridlock'd," which was written and directed by his dad starring Thandiwe Newton, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and the late Tupac Shukar, who was murdered just months before the film premiered.
Hall appeared in another of his father's films titled "Waist Deep" in 2006 and his mother's 2013 production of the musical "Black Nativity," based on the Langston Hughes play and starring Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, and Nas. In 2018, Hall played Avery in the heist movie "American Animals," which starred Evan Peters and Ann Dowd. He went on to appear in the critically acclaimed 2019 film "Selah and the Spades," as well as the Harriet Tubman biopic "Harriet" and the crime mini-series "When They See Us." More recently, Hall played Cheeks Johnson in the Nazi-hunting thriller "Hunters."
Mia Farrow as Pearl
The Brannocks are surrounded by oddball neighbors, but brother-and-sister duo Pearl and Jasper are the weirdest of the lot. Pearl is played by horror veteran Mia Farrow. Not long after appearing in the1960s ABC primetime soap opera "Peyton Place," the actor played her most iconic role as the titular Rosemary Woodhouse in "Rosemary's Baby." Starring Ruth Gordon of "Harold and Maude" and John Cassavetes, the film revolves around a young married couple's move into a Manhattan Renaissance Revival apartment building, where Rosemary's pregnancy and relationship with the neighbors take a dark turn. In 1971, Farrow played a newly blind woman in the horror film "See No Evil," and she also appeared in the 2006 remake of the supernatural horror classic "The Omen."
Farrow also appeared in 13 Woody Allen films over the years during their years-long relationship, beginning with "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" in 1982 and ending with "Husbands and Wives" in 1992. She also voiced the eponymous unicorn who transforms into Lady Amalthea in the 1982 animated cult classic "The Last Unicorn." Other highlights of Farrow's extensive film career include voicing Daisy Suchot in the animated fantasy CGI series "Arthur and the Invisibles" and scooping a Golden Globe Award for "Guns at Batasi."
Terry Kinney as Jasper
Pearl's oddball brother Jasper is played by Terry Kinney. While attending Illinois State University in the 1970s, Kinney met and befriended Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry, eventually founding the now world-famous Chicago-based non-profit ensemble theater troupe Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Throughout his professional acting career, Kinney has continued to work as a stage director while racking up an extensive film and television filmography. After appearing in the 1985 teen movie "Seven Minutes in Heaven" starring Jennifer Connelly, Kinney got his start on TV the following year with an appearance on "Miami Vice."
Kinney's many film credits include the Richard Gere and Kim Basinger-starring thriller "No Mercy," "The Last of the Mohicans," "The Firm," "Sleepers," "Save the Last Dance," and "The Laramie Project." The actor also has a lengthy television resume including regular or recurring appearances on shows such as "The Good Wife," "Being Human," "Elementary," "Fargo," "Billions," and "Oz." More recently, Kinney appeared as Barry in the Anna Sorokin biopic series "Inventing Anna."
Richard Kind as Mitch
Richard Kind, who plays nosy neighbor Mitch on "The Watcher," has one of showbiz's most recognizable character actor faces. Kind's many television roles through the years include Dr. Mark Devanow on the Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser-starring 1980s series "Mad About You" and press secretary Paul Lassiter on "Spin City." From 2014 through 2017, Kind appeared on "Red Oaks," a dramedy about a Jewish country club set in the 1980s. Around that time, he also appeared as Mayor Aubrey James on "Gotham." In 2022, he appeared in the police procedural "East New York" starring Jimmy Smits and Amanda Warren. The actor has also had guest appearances on a long list of TV shows including "Young Sheldon," "The Good Fight," "Glee," "Psych," and "Burn Notice."
Due to Kind's very distinct vocal talents, the actor has acted extensively in animated films, TV shows, and even a handful of video games like "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom." He played the titular house cat in the 1993 film "Tom and Jerry: The Movie" and played Molt in "A Bug's Life." Kind also voiced characters in the "Cars" franchise, "Toy Story 3," and "Inside Out," just to name a few. Among his many animated TV gigs, the actor's more notable parts include the recurring role of Frugal Lucre in "Kim Possible," the "American Dad!" neighbor Al Tuttle, Andrew's dad Marty Glouberman on "Big Mouth," and Uncle Monty on "Tangled: The Series."
Margo Martindale as Mo
Margo Martindale plays alongside Richard Kind in "The Watcher" as the boundary-disputing Mo. The sister of pro golfer Billy Martindale, Margo is a character actor with an extensive television and film career going back to the 1980s. Martindale's long and storied film career includes appearances in "Days of Thunder," "The Rocketeer," "Lorenzo's Oil," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "Practical Magic," "28 Days," and "Orphan." In 2004, She played suffragist Harriot Stanton Blatch in the women's suffrage story "Iron Jawed Angels," which also starred Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston.
Martindale played Nina on the 2007 FX series "The Riches" starring Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard, and she appeared as Nurse Klowden in the NBC medical drama "Mercy" in 2009. She went on to appear in "Justified," earning a Primetime Emmy for her role as hillbilly matriarch Mags Bennett. She would later win two more Emmys for her work as Russian handler Claudia on the FX series "The Americans," and a Critics' Choice Award for her role in "The Good Wife," telling A&E winning was a "whole new world" for her. In 2020, Martindale played women's rights leader "Battlin" Bella Abzug in "Mrs. America," and she later appeared in Ryan Murphy's "Impeachment: American Crime Story" as Lucianne Goldberg.
Michael Nouri as Roger
Appearing as Roger Kaplan in "The Watcher," Michael Nouri is most recognizable for his many television appearances through the years, as well as his role as Nick Hurley in the 1983 film "Flashdance." Kaplan has been acting on stage since the late 1960s. He landed a lead role on the 1970s NBC soap opera "Somerset," which was a spin-off of "Another World." He appeared in the main cast of several 1970s TV shows including the World War I period drama series "Beacon Hill" and "The Curse of Dracula," playing the titular vampire. His career ran a similar course in the 1980s, with Nouri appearing in several short-lived TV series, including the dramedy "Bay City Blues" and the crime drama "Downtown."
In 2004, Nouri returned to his soap opera roots as a regular actor on "The Young and the Restless," later appearing as a main cast member on "All My Children." The actor also had a recurring role as Michael Hewes' male guardian on "Damages." Throughout the past few decades, Nouri has also worked steadily as a character actor, appearing in a wide range of TV shows including "House," "The West Wing," "Blue Bloods," and "Yellowstone," among others.
Luke David Blumm as Carter
The Brannocks' young son Carter is played by Luke David Blumm. Despite his young age, Blumm has already managed to build a fairly impressive resume. Fans of "The Walking Dead" universe may recognize the actor from his appearance in the 2019 episode "Scars." Blumm appeared as part of Jocelyn's group, a community of kids under the charge of Michonne's old friend, played by Rutina Wesley. Blumm played the feral and remorseless Linus, who ends up dead after he tries to harm Michonne and her expectant child. Blumm also appeared in the alternate history tale "Watchmen" the same year.
In 2020, the young actor appeared in "The Sinner" as Eli, the grandson of Detective Harry Ambrose. He would later appear in "The King of Staten Island" as Harold, a kid who befriends a troubled aspiring tattoo artist, played by Pete Davidson. He went on to play David, the eponymous offspring in the 2021 horror film "Son," and Little Tate in "Where the Crawdads Sing." You'll no doubt be seeing a lot more of this talented up-and-comer in the years ahead.
Isabel Gravitt as Ellie
The role of Ellie Brannock is played by Isabel Gravitt, who first began acting on screen in 2013 when she appeared in the short film "House Call." In 2015, she appeared in a comedy film titled "The History of Us," which looked at a group of people through three different points of view. The following year, Gravitt got her big break when she was cast on the Disney XD practical joker-themed comedy series "Walk the Prank." The actor landed an even bigger role that same year when she appeared on the ABC sitcom "American Housewife" in the recurring role of Alice McCarthy, the crush of the Otto family's teen son Oliver (played by Daniel DiMaggio).
In 2017, Gravitt appeared in the coming-of-age film "In Search of Fellini" as the younger version of Ksenia Solo's character Lucy. She went on to appear in the 2018 horror film "Cucuy: The Boogeyman," which found a young girl facing down the Mexican urban legend and child abductor El Cucuy. In 2020, Gravitt played April Jarvis in Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington's series "Little Fires Everywhere," playing the role of April Jarvis. Like her onscreen brother, she's destined for a bright future in Hollywood and will likely be popping up in more projects soon.