What The Cast Of The Mentalist Looks Like Today

Every studio executive at every major television network is perpetually on the hunt for a new take on the well-worn police procedural, a way to make the perennial audience favorite feel fresh again. In 2008, CBS hit pay dirt with "The Mentalist," a drama centered around the California Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and their work with Patrick Jane, a pseudo-psychic played by Simon Baker. Although Jane doesn't actually have a mystical connection with the beyond or extrasensory perception, he does have two very important things that aid him in his work with the CBI: an ability to read crime scenes that would make Sherlock Holmes blush, and a powerful motivation in his single-minded determination to find the man who killed his family. Over the course of the series, he's on a quest to discover the identity of the murderer, although he proves his worth on a variety of other cases.

"The Mentalist" was immensely popular with audiences, running for seven seasons on CBS before being cancelled and earning praise for its ensemble cast. Many of its lead performers were established television and film actors before getting booked for "The Mentalist," so it's unsurprising that most are still going strong in the often fickle world of Hollywood. But where might you have seen them since? Read on to find out.

For all seven seasons of "The Mentalist," Simon Baker was the glue that held the entire show together as Patrick Jane, a former con man who uses his finely-tuned powers of observation in collaboration with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He helps solve crimes, yes, but what he's really in the game for is to track down Red John, the serial killer who killed his wife and daughter.

A native Aussie, Baker got his start on Australian television before moving stateside to further his career in Hollywood. He made his mark in films such as "L.A. Confidential," "The Devil Wears Prada," and "The Affair of the Network," but he's far better known for his work in television. Not only did he star in "The Mentalist," but he put in memorable performances on "The Guardian," "E Street," and "Home and Away." After "The Mentalist" ended, however, he returned to Australia to spend more time with his family rather than continue to grind in Los Angeles. That doesn't mean that he completely abandoned acting, though. In recent years, he appeared in "Limbo," "Boy Swallows Universe," and "The Narrow Road to the Deep North." These days, he typically prioritizes projects that film in Australia so that he can stay a little closer to home while still working.

Although Robin Tunney made an impression as Teresa Lisbon, the female lead of "The Mentalist" who was on the show as long as anybody, that's far from the only thing she's known for. If you were alive in the 1990s, you undoubtedly recognize her from her performances in teen cult classics "The Craft" and "Empire Records," where she brought an edgy sensibility to her roles. In 1996, she starred in "Niagara, Niagara," a performance for which she received the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival. Just before nabbing the role of Teresa, she was featured in 23 episodes of "Prison Break," which also starred her later "Mentalist" co-star Rockmond Dunbar.

In recent years, she has been featured primarily on television. 2019 saw her star in the short-lived legal drama "The Fix" as ex-assistant district attorney Maya Travis, and in 2024 she appeared in the miniseries "Dear Edward" about a young boy who is the only member of his family to survive a plane crash. Tunney currently has two upcoming projects in the works: the body horror film "Ugly Cry" from Emily Robinson and the drama "Divine Blood," which also stars "Game of Thrones" lead Lena Headey.

Alongside Simon Baker and Robin Tunney, Tim Kang is the only actor who appeared in all 151 episodes of "The Mentalist." He played Kimball Cho, another member of the CBI who is known for his serious temperament and dry sense of humor. A graduate of Harvard's acclaimed Master's program in theater, Kang has had no shortage of film and television credits to his name, both before and after "The Mentalist." You may also recognize him from episodes of "The Sopranos," "Third Watch," "Chappelle's Show," "Monk," "The Office," "The Vampire Diaries," "American Horror Story," and "Madam Secretary." 

His most prominent post-"The Mentalist" role has been on the remake of "Magnum P.I.," which ran from 2018 to 2024. There, he was a part of the main cast as Gordon Katsumoto, a detective for the Honolulu Police Department, where he made appearances in an impressive 94 episodes total — making him one of the most prolific actors on the show. Kang has also tried his hand at voice acting, and he was featured in two video games, "Mirror's Edge Catalyst" and "Prey."

As Wayne Rigsby, Welsh actor Owain Yeoman was featured in the main cast of "The Mentalist" from the first through the sixth season, when Rigsby and his wife Grace (Amanda Righetti) ride off into the sunset to form their own private detective agency. An Oxford and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) grad, Yeoman was more than qualified as a professional actor. In the years leading up to being cast in "The Mentalist," he appeared in the Brad Pitt-led action epic "Troy," as well as starring in "Kitchen Confidential" and "The Nines." 

Since leaving the show, he's continued to work in television. Some of his most well-known roles include playing the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold in "Turn: Washington's Spies," in addition to appearing in "Supergirl," "Elementary," "The Blacklist," "True Lies," and "CSI: Vegas." From 2019 to 2020, he played Benny Gallagher on the short-lived ABC thriller "Emergence." His most recent roles were in 2025, when he had one-off performances in "Tracker," starring Justin Hartley, and "Bosch: Legacy."

As Grace Van Pelt, Amanda Righetti played the new kid at the CBI on "The Mentalist," a young agent with an acuity for hacking and computers that made her essential in their work solving crimes. She was on the show for the first six seasons before making the decision to leave the CBI at the end of the sixth season, only returning for the show's finale. Before appearing in "The Mentalist," Righetti had been cast in recurring roles on a number of television shows, including "The OC," "North Shore," "Entourage," and "Reunion." 

During her run on the show, she made forays into film, with appearances in "Friday the 13th," "Role Models," and even "Captain America: The First Avenger." Since leaving "The Mentalist," Righetti has remained equally busy. She starred in the first two seasons of the science fiction series "Colony," and played the young version of Ronald Reagan's mother Nelle in "Reagan." Righetti has a new project in the works as well — she's playing the younger version of Jamie Lee Curtis's character Dorothy in "Scarpetta," which also stars her "Mentalist" co-star Simon Baker.

CBI Ron may not have gotten many moments in the spotlight on "The Mentalist," but he was pretty much always there in the background as one of the non-starring members of the CBI team. He was featured in 64 episodes, in fact, making John Troy Donovan one of the most familiar faces on the entire show. Sometimes he's just at his desk, shuffling papers and trying to look busy (relatable to anyone who works in an office environment), while in other episodes he gets a little bit more to do. But he's so much more than just a glorified extra.

Although Donovan was a fixture on "The Mentalist," his acting career was pretty limited. He appeared in a few other bit roles on shows like "The Ghost Whisperer" and "NCIS," but "The Mentalist" marked his last on-screen performance. Since then, he's maintained a fairly low profile. Aside from his work on "The Mentalist," he's best known for being the former guitarist for the Celtic-infused rock band Flogging Molly.

As FBI Special Agent Dennis Abbott, Rockmond Dunbar joined "The Mentalist" during its sixth season. The more we see of Abbott, the more we learn that he's calm on the surface, but he's not someone you want to cross. Dunbar got his big break back in the early 1990s, when he appeared on 20 episodes of the sci-fi series "Earth 2." Since then, he's had a steady career on both the big and small screens. He appeared in films like "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "The Family That Preys," as well as having recurring roles on "Soul Food," "Terriers," "Sons of Anarchy," and "Prison Break." 

After his brief but memorable time on "The Mentalist," he barely skipped a beat before locking down other major TV roles. He played Abe Gaines on "The Path," starred in 69 episodes of "9-1-1," and reprised his role as C-Note Franklin in the long-awaited fifth season of "Prison Break," which came eight years after the show was originally cancelled back in 2009. Most recently, he was featured in a 2024 episode of "Law & Order" and the BET+ original movie "The Accused" in 2025. 

Dunbar was also in the headlines this year, and not for a good reason. After losing his job on "9-1-1" due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, he filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming that he was unfairly fired and deserved an exemption on religious grounds. His bid was unsuccessful, as a judge ruled in favor of Disney in October 2025.

Every respectable cop drama needs a tech person to do all the computer stuff, and for the last two seasons of "The Mentalist," that task fell to Joe Adler as Jason Wylie. Adler got his big break in Disney's "Prom," where he played Rolo, local stoner extraordinaire. One-off performances in "Modern Family," "Bones," and "Workaholics" followed, which led to a three-episode arc on "Shameless" as Colin Milkovich, brother to Mickey Milkovich (Noel Fisher), and the role of Zart in the young adult thriller "The Maze Runner" starring Dylan O'Brien.

In the years since "The Mentalist" left the airwaves, Adler hasn't missed a beat. He was featured in the 11th through the 13th seasons of "Grey's Anatomy," where he played Dr. Isaac Cross, a surgical intern. Later, he appeared in 10 episodes of the Western crime drama "Damnation" as D.L. Sullivan, a reporter for the Depression-era town's local newspaper. And in 2025, he was featured in an episode of the short-lived "Suits" spinoff "Suits: LA."

Between the third and sixth seasons of "The Mentalist," Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston) is a perpetual thorn in the side of pretty much everyone at the CBI, as a director so corrupt he's considered a suspect as Red John. Gaston made his cinematic debut in Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet" in 1993 and has continued to act — primarily in serious, professional-type roles — since then. His career is not just surviving: It's thriving. 

On the television side, you can see him in everything from the tragically underrated "The Leftovers" to the just plain tragic "The Man in the High Castle" (as well as a memorable turn as Bert Peterson in "Mad Men"), in addition to performances in not one but two Marvel series ("Agents of SHIELD" and "Daredevil: Born Again.") On the big screen, he's acted in the well-regarded, award-winning "First Reformed" and "Bridge of Spies." And he's still going strong — he's slated to appear in an upcoming untitled Steven Spielberg film set for release in 2026.

Although Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor appeared in 17 episodes of "The Mentalist" as Madeleine Hightower, the chief officer at the CBI Sacramento office, her list of credits is so extensive that the show is probably not what you know her from. She's been acting since the mid-1990s, with her most prominent role of the decade as Officer Leslie Joyner in 26 episodes of "The Incident." She was also in "The Practice," "MDs," "True Blood," "The Good Wife," "Lovecraft Country," and "Justifed: City Primeval." 

On the film side of things, she's been equally prolific. In addition to performances in films like "Ray," "I Love You Philip Morris," and "The Taking of Pelham 123," Ellis-Taylor has made her mark on recent prestige cinema. She appeared in "The Help," "If Beale Street Could Talk," "King Richard," "The Color Purple," and "Nickel Boys," all of which were major Oscar contenders over the past few years. Over the course of her lauded acting career, she earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in "King Richard," as well as two Emmy nominations — one for "When They See Us," and one for "Lovecraft Country."

During the first two seasons of "The Mentalist," Gregory Itzin provided a strong guiding hand as Virgil Minelli, the CBI Special Agent in Charge. By the time he was cast on the show, he was already a 30-year television veteran, having made his on-screen debut in an episode of the game show "Whew!" But while he worked much more extensively on TV — he was especially well-known for his performance as Charles Logan on "24," which earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination — he also maintained a consistent presence in film.

After leaving "The Mentalist" when his character retired at the end of the second season, Itzin continued working steadily in television. He was on 25 episodes of the action drama "Covert Affairs," where he played Henry Wilcox, another prominent government law enforcement figure. Itzin also appeared on "Big Love," "Desperate Housewives," and even the frothy fairy tale melodrama "Once Upon a Time." And all of this was alongside his considerable film roles, as he was featured in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" as Supreme Court Justice John Archibald Campbell.

Sadly, Itzin died in 2022 at the age of 74, as the result of complications during surgery. He was mourned by family, friends, and colleagues — in the announcement of his death (via Deadline), his son Wilke reminisced about their shared love of acting, writing, "I remember watching him in the one-man show Shipwrecked by Donald Margulies and being blown away, in awe that the man on stage was my dad. He was in love with the theater, and even on his dying breath he could recite Shakespeare like he made the words up himself."

Emily Swallow as FBI agent Kim Fischer was a late addition to the cast, only appearing in the show's sixth and penultimate season. But it's a testament to her talent that she makes her mark on "The Mentalist" despite only appearing in 14 episodes. Although Swallow had many one-off television appearances — on shows like before booking the series, "The Mentalist" represents the biggest recurring role of her career at that point. 

And while she's had plenty of on-screen performances in the years since "The Mentalist" went off the air (including a brief but exciting turn on "Supernatural"), some of her most memorable roles have primarily involved voice acting. She played Emily in the video game sequel "The Last of Us: Part II," and took on the role of Lisa Tepes, Dracula's late wife, in the animated series "Castlevania." Fans of "Star Wars" will also undoubtedly recognize her voice, even if they didn't get a chance to see her face in a galaxy far, far away — she played the Armorer in "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett."