Where You've Seen The Cast Of Perry Mason Before

Every good hero needs an origin story, and almost a century after his first appearance in Erle Stanley Gardner's pulp novel, "The Case of the Velvet Claws," Perry Mason is getting one of his very own. The famed literary and televisual gumshoe-turned-defense attorney has appeared in 82 novels, a handful of short stories, several TV films, and, most famously, the CBS legal drama series in the '50s and '60s starring Raymond Burr.

A few years ago, HBO Max decided that the protagonist of the third all-time best-selling book series had enough lingering cultural cache to warrant an origin story. The first season of the new "Perry Mason," starring Matthew Rhys as the eponymous flatfoot, premiered in June of 2020 to generally favorable reviews with critics praising the show's performances, 1930s production design, and engaging mystery. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy awards during its initial eight-episode run — lead actor for Matthew Rhys and supporting actor for John Lithgow — and the series premiere garnered HBO's highest ratings since 2018.

Boasting a star-studded cast of familiar faces and the scriptural stylings of "The Knick" writers Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, Season 2 of the mystery series is set to premiere on HBO Max on March 6th of 2023. Before Perry Mason hits the streets of LA to solve his next mystery, we're helping you solve the mystery of where you've seen the cast of "Perry Mason" before.

Veteran character actor Shea Whigham plays Perry Mason's partner Pete Strickland. Talking with reporters from Collider, Whigham discussed his role in "Perry Mason" and revealed that some of his favorite roles are in period pieces like the 1930s-set mystery series.

Whigham got his start in the New York theatre scene in the late '90s and, after graduating from SUNY Purchase, started a theatre company, the Rorschach Group with his college roommate (via TJC). After working as an actor in New York for several years, Whigham got his big break when he was cast in the war drama "Tigerland" alongside Colin Farrell.

Whigham has worked regularly in film and television ever since, mostly as a character actor in smaller, supporting roles. In 2009, he played Stasiak in "Fast & Furious," a role he would reprise in "F9: The Fast Saga" in 2021. In 2012, he appeared in the David O. Russell comedy-drama "Silver Linings Playbook" and the following year worked with Martin Scorsese in "The Wolf of Wall Street."

On television, Whigham has lent his talents to several prestige dramas. He played Eli Thompson on the mafia drama show "Boardwalk Empire," and appeared in the 3rd season of the HBO crime anthology series "True Detective." In 2017, he played Moe Dammick in the third season of the FX crime anthology show "Fargo" and played Agent Duffy in two episodes of "Narcos."

Most recently, Whigham appeared in the miniseries "Gaslit" as G. Gordon Liddy, and in the Netflix action thriller "The Gray Man." He is also announced for a role in the upcoming "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning."

One of a handful of characters plucked from the Erle Stanley Gardner novels on which the show is based, Della Street is played by British actress Juliet Rylance. Della Street is the secretary of Mason's employer, E.B. Jonathan. In an interview with Gold Derby, Rylance revealed her excitement to reunited with writers Amiel and Begler, with whom she previously worked on the period medical drama "The Knick." 

Rylance's Hollywood career is relatively nascent, but she's already made quite a name for herself. A Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate, Rylance got her start in British theatre appearing in productions at Shakespeare's Globe in London and on Broadway. Her first major film role was in the 2012 horror film "Sinister." She followed up this debut with a part in the beloved Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach indie dramedy "Frances Ha" the same year.

In 2014, she played Eva in the comedy-drama "Days and Nights," the directorial debut of her former theater co-star Christian Camargo. The following year, she played chemist Marie Curie in the TV miniseries "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements." Her first television role, however, came the previous year when she joined the cast of "The Knick," as Cornelia Robertson. In 2016, she played Alison Hawthorne-Price in the crime drama "American Gothic." Her most recent role was in the 2022 drama "Jill."

The role of the Radiant Assembly of God preacher and leader Sister Alice McKeegan is played by Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany. Although it seems unlikely Sister McKeegan will return to "Perry Mason" after the conclusion of Season 1, in an interview with Gold Derby, Maslany said that she loved playing such funny and interesting character and that, "It was a joy to step into her shoes."

Maslany got her start on the Canadian TV show "2030 CE." She worked regularly in television until she landed a role as the voice of a dead girl in David Cronenberg's 2007 crime film "Eastern Promises" which kickstarted her Hollywood career. She would go on to appear several films in the coming years including "Defendor" in 2009 and "The Vow" in 2012. In 2013, she landed the lead role in the BBC sci-fi drama "Orphan Black," as Sarah Manning — as well as her numerous clones — for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in 2016.

A year after the end of "Orphan Black," she co-starred with Nicole Kidman in the crime drama "Destroyer" and lent her voice to the animated comedy show "Animals" on HBO. After her role on "Perry Mason," Maslany returned to the "Orphan Black" world, joining the cast of the podcast series "Orphan Black: The Next Chapter." She also plays the lead role in the Marvel show, "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" which wrapped up its first season in 2022. She is set to star in the upcoming sci-fi horror film "Green Bank" which is currently in pre-production, and the TV series "Invitation to a Bonfire," which is scheduled for release this year.

Sean Astin is set to play Sunny Gryce in Season 2 of "Perry Mason." At the moment, not much is known about the role Astin will take on, but according to reporting from Variety, Sunny is "the embodiment of the American Dream ... to a fault."

Astin's first major film role came early in his career when he played Mikey in the 1985 film "The Goonies," alongside several other big names in Hollywood including Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, and Ke Huy Quan. In 1992, he appeared in the comedy film, "Encino Man," and the following year, played the title role in the sports drama, "Rudy." He continued to work regularly during the 1990s, appearing in a TV film version of the Kurt Vonnegut short story "Harrison Bergeron," and in "Courage Under Fire," with Denzel Washington. In 1994, his short film "Kangaroo Court" was nominated for an Academy Award for best short film.

In 2001, he landed what is perhaps his best-known character — Samwise Gamgee in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," a role he would reprise in the two subsequent films in the franchise. After "The Lord of the Rings," Astin appeared in the Adam Sandler comedies "Click" and "50 First Dates" and had a main role in the 5th season of "24." In 2017, he played Joyce Byer's boyfriend Bob Newby in Season 2 of Netflix's "Stranger Things." He has numerous upcoming projects, including a sequel to "The Goonies," which is currently in development.

Wallace Langham will also join the "Perry Mason" cast in March as a recurring character. He is set to play Melville Phipps, the attorney for a wealthy oil baroness.

Langham has stayed busy since beginning his career in 1985 and boasts 135 movie and television credits. Originally known as Wally Ward, his first role in a major project came about in the John Hughes comedy "Weird Science." In 1986, he appeared in seven episodes of "Fast Times," the television adaptation of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." During the late '80s and early '90s, he worked primarily in TV, appearing in numerous shows including "The Twilight Zone," "Matlock," and "21 Jump Street."

From 1992 to 1998, Langham played Phil on "The Larry Sanders Show," alongside Gary Shandling and Jeffery Tambor. He landed his most famous role in 2003 when he joined the cast of "CSI" as David Hodges. He appeared in 247 episodes of the police procedural and reprised the role in "CSI: Vegas" in 2021. He's no slouch in the film front either. His film roles include appearances in "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Social Network," "Hitchcock," and "Draft Day."

Langham's more recent roles included Dr. Granger in the Oscar-nominated "Ford v Ferrari," and small roles in shows like "The Boys," "Veronica Mars," and "For All Mankind," Before being cast in Season 2 of "Perry Mason," Langham played Auggie Cartwright in the Apple TV+ comedy-drama, "Physical."

The Los Angeles County district attorney Maynard Barnes is played by another versatile and long-working character actor, Stephen Root. With more than 250 credits to his name, beginning with a brief role as a DEA agent in "Crocodile Dundee II," we'd be surprised if you didn't recognize him from something.

In 1991, he appeared as Captain K'Vada in two episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and played two different characters in the original "Night Court" the following year. His film appearances in the 1990s include "Robocop III," "Dave," and "Night of the Scarecrow." Root also went on to appear as Mr. Lager, the bank manager who fields Kramer's greeting complaints, in "The Invitations" episode of "Seinfeld." He also had a starring role as eccentric media mogul Jimmy James in the '90s sitcom "NewsRadio." You might also recognize his voice from the animated comedy "King of the Hill," in which he voiced multiple characters.

One of Root's most famous roles came along in 1999 when he played the terminally overlooked pencil pusher Milton in the cult comedy classic "Office Space." The following year he played the radio station man who first records the Soggy Bottom Boys in the Coen Brothers' film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Another iconic role arrived in 2004 when he played Gordon in the sports comedy "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." In 2021, he reunited with Joel Coen to play Porter in "The Tragedy of Macbeth."

Root's career shows no signs of slowing down. He currently plays Monroe Fuches in HBO's dark comedy series "Barry," which wrapped its third season in 2022. He has several projects in development, including a "King of the Hill," revival.