Why Zach From Longmire Looks So Familiar
Zachary "Zach" Heflin was first introduced on "Longmire" in Season 4 after the murder of Branch Connally (Bailey Chase). Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) hires him as the new sheriff's deputy shortly after. Heflin's approach to the job irks Archie "The Ferg" Ferguson (Adam Bartley) at first, compared to the way Branch did things. However, he also proves to be intelligent and thoughtful and is an odd but good-natured deputy.
Unfortunately, Heflin is fired at the end of Season 4 after he assaults Monte Ford (Stephen Louis Grush) and breaks into his place to find evidence against him. He returns in the final season to aid the sheriff's office in a neighbor's murder investigation and is eventually reinstated as a deputy. Zach also starts a relationship with Longmire's daughter, Cady (Cassidy Freeman).
Barry Sloane only appears in 10 episodes of "Longmire," but the British actor has been busy for nearly 25 years at this point. Here's where you've seen the actor before.
Sloane played a recurring character on Brookside
After making his debut in a small part as Ivan on the TV movie "In His Life: The John Lennon Story," Barry Sloane landed a part on the long-running British soap opera "Brookside." Set in Liverpool, the series focused on six households in a middle-class estate — or "close."
Sloane plays Sean Smith, the recent ex-husband of Ruth Gordon (Lynsey McCaffrey) and father of her son Luke (Callum Giblin). Sloane's introduction on the show was part of a general revamp of "Brookside" after declining ratings, where the writers introduced new characters and storylines into the series and wrote out other ones.
After the Gordons were largely removed from the series, Sean starts a relationship with Nikki Shadwick (Suzanne Collins). But 2003 was ultimately the last year "Brookside" produced new episodes, as Channel 4 decided to cancel it after more than two decades on the air. Still, the show remains one of the most celebrated British soap operas to date.
He was a major villain on Hollyoaks
After appearing in several television movies and theatrical films, Barry Sloane returned to the soap world with 85 episodes of the hit teen series "Hollyoaks." Sloane plays Niall Rafferty, the mysterious new Hollyoaks stylist first introduced in a 2007 episode. The hair stylist's origins remain unknown at first, but he eventually reveals himself as the illegitimate and rather vengeful son of Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber-Lane).
Niall then wreaks havoc on the lives of the McQueens by kidnapping his siblings, heavily manipulating everyone around him, and causing the death of his half-sister Tina (Leah Hackett). Despite his relationship with Steph Cunningham (Carley Stenson), he's truly determined to get revenge.
In a 2008 Digital Spy interview, Barry Sloane explained how despite the character being over-the-top evil, "We've tried as hard as we can to keep him within the bounds of reality." The actor, however, also acknowledged, "We know that it has to come to an end eventually."
And it did: in his final appearance on the spin-off "Hollyoaks Later," Niall threatens Steph and Cliff (Guy Burnet). But, realizing he has terrified the woman he loves, the character repents and dies by suicide.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
He was on 45 episodes of Revenge
Where Niall on "Hollyoaks" is dedicated to pursuing his vengeance, Barry Sloane's character on the ABC series "Revenge," Aiden Mathis, has reconciliation on his mind.
The ex-boyfriend of Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) aka Amanda Clarke, Mathis also trained under Satoshi Takeda (Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa). The two clashed when Emily was instructed to apprehend the Russian gangster (Timothy V. Murphy) Mathis believed responsible for his sister's disappearance. However, Mathis leaves Emily to find a lead on his sister, only returning to her life years later. The character then acts as one of Emily's key allies and an on-again, off-again lover. However, Mathis also warns her about the folly of her revenge against the Graysons.
Daniel Grayson (Joshua Bowman) also works with Mathis as well, not knowing about his alliance with Emily. However, at the end of Season 3, Victoria Grayson (Madeline Stowe) discovers he's trying to expose her for framing David Clarke (James Tupper). Victoria kills Mathis by smothering him with a pillow, then places his body in a normal position on Emily's couch.
He was Joe 'Bear' Graves on Six
After his time on "Revenge" ended, Sloane signed onto "Six," the History series focused on the lives of Seal Team Six during operations and at home. Sloane plays Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Joe "Bear" Graves.
The actor commented in a making-of featurette on how "the three pillars in Joe's life are God, his wife, and the Seals." In the first season, the operator has to rescue his mentor and former leader Richard "Rip" Taggart (Walton Goggins) from captivity under Boko Haram while looking into fertility treatments with his wife Lena (Brianne Davis).
In Season 2, after Taggart dies from gunshot wounds, Bear and the other Seals trace the terrorists responsible, including Marissa (Katherine Evans). Bear also tries to patch up his strained marriage with Lena. However, the show struggled with the ratings in the second season. When the cast's contracts expired, History chose to cancel the series rather than renew for a third go-around.
Sloane is Chris Fischer on The Bay
One of Barry Sloane's regular television roles is as a regular on ITV's crime drama "The Bay." He plays Chris Fischer, DS Jenn Townsend's (Marsha Thomason) long-term partner in the town of Morecambe. As of Season 4, The two live together with Erin (Georgina Scholes), Chris' daughter, and Jenn's kids Conor (David Carpenter) and Maddie (Emme Hayes).
Chris and Jenn have a tight relationship only challenged by the usual domestic issues, including Erin's becoming a teenager, as well as the sudden arrival of Chris' ex-wife Jacqui (Claire Goose).
However, where many of Sloane's characters have often been vengeful or outright murderous, Chris is a genuinely nice, normal man even in a small town dominated by secrets. The actor told BT, "I found it fascinating how each person in a family can deal with grief and loss in a totally different way with a totally different energy." Fans will have to wait and see how Chris deals with even more Morecambe drama in Season 5.
He's a violent mobster's son on The Company You Keep
Barry Sloane has only appeared on two episodes of the new hit ABC series "The Company You Keep" at the time of writing. But he's already made an impression as Connor Maguire, the bad-tempered son of mobster Patrick Maguire (Timothy V. Murphy).
After Patrick is captured by the government in the pilot episode, Connor comes to America to get back the $10 million Charlie Nicoletti (Milo Ventimiglia) and his family owe the Maguires. However, Connor is also clashing with his half-sister Daphne (Felisha Terrell) over taking control of the family Stateside. At the end of Episode 4, he even takes Charlie's millions meant only for Daphne.
It isn't clear yet if Connor will return for more episodes and continue feuding with his sister, as the character did get away with his money, while Terrell is scheduled to appear in more episodes. Hopefully, Sloane will be able to come back to the show soon and offer viewers even more of this angry gangster.