Misplaced Pages

The following is a list of characters who appear in Succession, an American satirical comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong centering on a super-rich and dysfunctional family who own a global media conglomerate.

Cast timeline

Key

  Main cast (receives star billing)

  Recurring cast (credited as guest starring in two or more episodes)

  Guest cast (credited as guest starring in one episode)

  Co-starring cast (credited as co-starring in one or more episodes)

Notes

1. ^ Credited as guest starring in the opening titles, unlike other guest stars.
2. ^ Credited only in the episodes in which they appear.
3. Pilot only.
4. FitzGerald appeared in the promotional trailer for season 4 and was slated to appear in episode 6 however ultimately made no appearance in the season.

Roy family members

Logan Roy

• played by Brian Cox

Logan Roy is the billionaire founder of media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo. He is a brash leader whose primary focus was his company rather than his four children Connor, Kendall, Roman and Siobhan.

Logan was born in 1938, to abject poverty in Dundee, Scotland. His mother Helen died when he was four years old, and he and his elder brother Ewan fled Dundee shortly afterwards during World War II in a convoy traveling to Canada. The two were then raised in Quebec by their aunt and uncle, who sent Logan to boarding school, during which Logan and Ewan's infant sister Rose was brought to Canada. Logan detested boarding school and eventually returned home; Rose died of polio shortly afterwards, which Logan's aunt and uncle blamed on him - Logan continued to carry the guilt into his adulthood. Logan's uncle Noah subjected him to vicious physical abuse throughout his childhood. In his adulthood, Logan used money bequeathed to him by his father to buy an advertising business, which formed the seed for the family holding company he started with Ewan. He then bought out Ewan's shares in the company and purchased the Waystar newspaper in 1967, going on to grow his company into a global media and entertainment empire under the name Waystar RoyCo. His leadership of the company estranged him from Ewan, who despises his politics.

Logan has a son, Connor, with his first wife (who was committed to a psychiatric institution), and three children (Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan) with his second wife, Caroline. While married to Caroline, he had a passionate affair with a woman named Sally-Anne; eventually, he divorced Caroline and went on to meet his third wife, Marcia. Logan is shown to have been emotionally withdrawn and abusive to his children to varying degrees throughout their upbringing, leading all of them to continue clamoring for his approval as adults. As a business leader, Logan is shown to be extraordinarily shrewd, ruthless and well-connected; he holds significant influence over the sitting President of the United States (known within the family as "The Raisin"), who won election in large part due to support from Waystar's right-leaning news network, ATN.

At the beginning of the series, the Roys gather to celebrate Logan's 80th birthday, where it is assumed he will step down as CEO and name Kendall as his successor. However, he shocks his family when he announces he will stay on as CEO and hands them documents naming Marcia as his chief trustee upon his death. Logan suffers a debilitating stroke later that day and is admitted to the hospital, where the rest of his family and inner circle debate how to steward the company while he is incapacitated. Logan soon recovers and announces at a gala event that he will remain CEO, but continues displaying erratic behavior. Kendall plots a vote of no confidence against his father along with Roman and several members of the company's senior management, but it ultimately fails, in part because Logan refuses to leave the room during the vote and instead berates several board members into siding with him, while firing everyone who voted for the motion (including Kendall).

Over the following months, Logan remains at odds with his children: Shiv goes to work as a political consultant for presidential candidate Gil Eavis, a Senator vehemently against Logan and Waystar, while Kendall - a recovering addict - relapses and derails a family therapy session intended to allay public concerns over the company's stability. At Shiv's wedding, Logan learns that Kendall has plotted a hostile takeover of the company alongside his friend Stewy and Logan's nemesis Sandy Furness. After a drug-addled Kendall suffers a car accident that results in the death of a caterer from the wedding, Logan covers up Kendall's involvement and uses the crime as leverage to force him to back down from the takeover. A traumatized Kendall becomes fiercely loyal to Logan, who uses his subservient son to help him combat the takeover bid.

With Stewy and Sandy's takeover bid shoring up shareholder support, Logan's financier and close associates all advise that he sell the company, citing the declining relevance of legacy media in the 21st-century corporate landscape. Logan steadfastly refuses to give up his empire and decides to acquire rival news conglomerate Pierce Global Media (PGM), hoping to make Waystar too large for competitors to buy out. However, the deal falls through after the publication of a major news story exposing Waystar's decades-long cover-up of sexual exploitation on the company's cruise lines. Pierce's CEO Rhea Jarrell remains loyal to Logan after being fired from PGM and helps him navigate the company through the scandal; Logan becomes infatuated with her and eventually names her his successor, alienating Marcia. After a company whistleblower goes public with further details on the scandal, the Roys are called to testify before the Senate. Logan realizes that in order to appease the company's shareholders, he must publicly sacrifice someone close to him as a scapegoat for the scandal. Though the shareholders advise that Logan take responsibility, Logan instead chooses Kendall, who was acting CEO when the scandal was being covered up. Kendall obliges, but reverses course during a press conference the next morning by naming his father responsible for the company's historic complicity in the crimes.

In the wake of Kendall's announcement, Logan temporarily steps back as CEO (appointing Gerri as his interim placement), negotiates a settlement with Marcia to ensure her cooperation, and names Shiv Waystar's President of Domestic Operations. Logan experiences a resurgence in health complications upon returning to New York, forcing his children to make a settlement with Sandy and Stewy without his input during the company's annual shareholder meeting. After Waystar and the Department of Justice also reach a settlement, Logan attempts to acquire streaming giant GoJo, but the company's CEO Lukas Matsson instead proposes the opposite, assuring Logan he will continue to control key assets. Logan decides to take up Matsson's offer without consulting his children, whose chances of leading the company are jeopardized with Matsson in control. Kendall, Shiv and Roman attempt to veto their father's decision via their stake in the family holding company. However, Logan and Caroline renegotiate their divorce settlement in time to deprive the children of their voting power, effectively leaving them powerless within the company. Tom is revealed to have tipped off Logan on his children's revolt.

Months later, Logan remains estranged from his children. On the eve of the GoJo acquisition, Sandi and Stewy convince the siblings to delay the board vote to increase the price of the sale, forcing Logan to try reconciling with his children. Kendall and Shiv refuse to budge, unsuccessfully demanding an apology from their father for his betrayal and his cruel parenting. Logan is then left no choice but to go to Sweden to renegotiate the deal with Matsson, but he suddenly dies on the flight from a pulmonary embolism, with only Tom and some of his other senior team by his side. Tom phones the children - who are attending Connor's wedding - to give them a chance to say goodbye. The plane is turned around and Logan is pronounced dead on arrival; the siblings make a statement announcing his death to the press, then watch as his body is removed from the plane.

During Logan's wake, an undated document is found in his safe naming Kendall his successor upon his death, with several pencil addendums included, including a strike on "Kendall Roy" that could be either underlining or crossing-out the name. Kendall and Roman eventually decide to run the company together as co-CEOs, since the company's succession plan formally dictated leadership be passed down to COO - Roman's role at the time.

Connor Roy

• played by Alan Ruck

Connor is the eldest son of Logan Roy from his first marriage. Prone to delusions of grandeur, Connor is mostly removed from corporate affairs, residing at a ranch in New Mexico with his young girlfriend Willa and deferring to his siblings on most firm-related matters. In season 2, he announces his bid for President of the United States, running as an independent candidate.

Little is known of Connor's childhood, though his mother was sent to a psychiatric institution by Logan while Connor was young. According to Ruck, Logan divorced his first wife when Connor was approximately eight years old. Though Connor is content to remain distanced from the inner workings of the company, he is often hurt by how frequently he is dismissed or forgotten by his immediate family. Connor holds a deep and obsessive fascination with Napoleonic history throughout the series. His ranch is named for the Battle of Austerlitz, and he later spends over $500,000 buying Napoleon's preserved penis from an auction, only to later learn it was a fake.

Connor spends much of the first season in New York in the wake of Logan's stroke, while primarily residing at his New Mexico ranch, Austerlitz. His girlfriend, Willa, is a former call girl acting as his sugar baby, though Connor claims to be deeply in love with her and supports her ambitions to become a playwright. After Kendall's failed vote of no confidence against Logan, the family convenes at Austerlitz for a therapy session intended to boost their public image and revive the company's dwindling share price. The session quickly falls apart after their therapist is injured and a relapsed Kendall arrives unannounced at the ranch while intoxicated, instigating a fight with Logan. Connor later has Willa move down to Austerlitz. During Shiv's wedding, he decides to run for President of the United States as a libertarian candidate in the upcoming election.

Connor and Willa soon move to New York, where Willa manages production on her play and Connor sets up a base of operations for his campaign. His family becomes concerned when he announces a platform against taxation, with Logan worrying that it could sabotage his carefully-managed arrangements with the White House. Shiv attempts to convince Connor to call off his run, but Connor refuses and formally announces his candidacy later that day. Connor and Willa attend the funeral of Lester McClintock, the former head of Brightstar Cruises who was known within the company as a serial sexual predator whose misconduct on the cruises was covered up with Logan's approval. The scandal is eventually publicized in a news expose, putting the company in legal and financial jeopardy. Connor himself lands in financial trouble after Willa's play proves to be a critical and commercial flop; he asks Logan for loan of $100 million to cover the play's losses (on top of various other expenses), and Logan agrees so long as Connor suspend his presidential campaign. Connor is devastated, but complies.

After Kendall's surprise public statement naming Logan responsible for overseeing the cruises cover-up, Connor meets with Kendall alongside the other siblings to understand his motives, and is the only one to acknowledge the family's knowledge and complicity in the misconduct. He ultimately decides to remain aligned with Logan, but refuses to co-sign an open letter Shiv drafted attacking Kendall in public. Connor later decides to push his presidential campaign four years out, and seeks to obtain a role at Waystar in the interim to improve his credibility. He briefly sees a chance to reignite his campaign in the present when the sitting president chooses to step down, but fails to convince his family to back him during a conservative donor event in search of a new Republican nominee. During Caroline's wedding in Tuscany, Connor proposes to Willa, who is initially apprehensive but accepts after noticing Connor's dejection over Logan choosing to sell Waystar's ownership to tech giant GoJo.

Six months later, Connor and Willa host their wedding ceremony on a yacht in New York. However, Logan dies that day en route to Sweden, and the siblings receive the news from Tom while at the wedding. Connor and Willa have a candid conversation about their relationship, where Willa admits that while Connor's family fortune offers her security, she is genuinely happy with him; the two go through with their wedding in a small ceremony while the other siblings receive their father's body at the airport. Connor then purchases Logan's apartment from Marcia and takes charge in planning his funeral. Connor eventually concedes the election to Jeryd Mencken, a far-right Congressman backed by the Roys, in exchange for an ambassadorship to Slovenia.

Kendall Roy

• played by Jeremy Strong

Kendall Logan Roy is the second son of Logan Roy from his second marriage. The presumed successor to Logan, Kendall struggles to prove his worth to his father amid bungling major deals and battling with substance abuse, as well as toiling to maintain a relationship with his estranged wife Rava, his siblings, and his children.

Kendall studied at the Buckley School, then both Harvard University (where he served as the president of The Harvard Lampoon) and Columbia University, which he attended alongside his best friend Stewy Hosseini. He also spent time in Shanghai learning the fundamentals of the family business. With his wife, Rava, he has a daughter, Sophie, and a son, Iverson, although the parentage of both children is ultimately called into question. Kendall's substance-abuse issues eventually led to the breakdown of his marriage, and he went on to spend months in rehab prior to the start of the series. Throughout the series, Kendall is shown to be well-versed in business principles but intellectually insecure and lacking in authenticity and people-skills. He is an avid lover of hip hop and a strong believer in the technology industry and new media.

In season 1, Kendall is caught unawares by Logan's decision to remain as Waystar RoyCo's CEO and begins to plot against his father. However, when his drug abuse leads to the death of a caterer Logan convinces him to withdraw his takeover attempts. His loyalty to the company remains strong during season 2, until he suddenly turns against Logan in public rather than taking the blame for the company's crimes. He continues to operate against Logan for the remainder of the latter's life, eventually recruiting his siblings to support his opposition to the company's takeover by Swedish company GoJo. After Logan's death Kendall becomes interim co-CEO with Roman, in which role he is obliged by the board to complete the deal with GoJo but covertly attempts to sabotage the takeover and retain personal control of the company.

Roman Roy

• played by Kieran Culkin

Roman is the third and youngest son of Logan Roy, from his second marriage. He is desperate for attention and approval from his father, which at times puts him at odds with his siblings, particularly Kendall and Shiv. Throughout the series, Roman is shown to have quick wit and business savvy that is marred by his inability to take himself seriously.

Logan was physically abusive towards Roman during his childhood, and it is implied that he was singled out by his father in this regard. Additionally, Roman's siblings would lock him in a dog cage when they were children, a game they claim he enjoyed. Following this incident, Logan sent Roman to military school for an unspecified period of time. Roman is also shown to struggle with performing sexually throughout the series; he discovers in the second season he has a fetish for being humiliated. Prior to the events of the first season, Roman was placed in charge of Waystar's film studio in Los Angeles - with COO Frank Vernon assigned to monitor his performance - only to perform poorly at his job.

After Logan suffers a stroke during his 80th birthday, Kendall becomes acting CEO of Waystar with Roman as COO. Roman generally ignores his responsibilities during this period, and his girlfriend Grace breaks up with him after he continually disregards her. Though Logan soon recovers from his stroke and announces he will remain CEO, he continues displaying erratic and unstable behavior, leading Kendall to plot a vote of no confidence against his father alongside Roman and several members of the company's senior management. However, the vote ultimately fails, in part due to Roman reneging on voting with Kendall after Logan berates him into siding with him. Logan fires Kendall and keeps Roman on as COO, placing him in charge of a satellite launch out of Japan. Roman pushes for the launch to occur on the day of Shiv's wedding, ignoring safety concerns in the process, and the rocket explodes on the launchpad; Roman is relieved to learn from Gerri that although some people were maimed, nobody was killed.

After Stewy and Sandy go public with their takeover bid, Roman and Kendall are made co-COOs; Roman bristles at the arrangement, still upset with Kendall for helping plot the takeover in the first place and unaware of the circumstances that led to his backing out. Gerri advises that Roman enroll in Waystar's management training course to learn the fundamentals of the company and earn his father's respect. Roman obliges, and begins a sexual flirtation with Gerri, who indulges his newfound fetish for verbal humiliation. He begins to defer to Gerri as a close and trusted mentor. With only Gerri being able to meet his sexual needs, Roman struggles to build intimacy with his girlfriend Tabitha, who he met at Tom's bachelor party.

After a scandal involving Waystar's cover-up of sex crimes on their cruise lines goes public, Roman befriends Azerbaijani billionaire Eduard Asgarov in an attempt to secure financial aid for Waystar from the sovereign wealth. Roman and Eduard buy the Heart of Midlothian football club as a gift for Logan's 50th anniversary at Waystar, forgetting that he in fact supports the rival Hibs. While the Roys are called to testify before the Senate regarding the cruises scandal, Logan sends Roman along with his CFO Karl Muller and financier Jamie Laird to secure funding from Eduard's family so Waystar can go private. Roman travels to Turkey to make his pitch, but he and his associates are held hostage by anti-corruption militia, who are there to seize key assets on behalf of the Turkish government. Shaken by the experience, Roman returns from Turkey with a heightened clarity, admitting to Logan that the Azeris' investment offer is likely illegitimate.

When Kendall gives a press conference publicly naming Logan responsible for overseeing the cover-up of the cruises incidents, Logan decides to temporarily step back as CEO and install a figurehead in his place. Gerri is eventually named acting CEO, with Roman having lobbied for her to take the title. Roman is pleased with the arrangement, hoping to use Gerri's mentorship to steward his own growth within the company. He and his siblings meet with Kendall, who attempts to convince them to back him against their father, but Roman remains loyal to Logan. Roman lands himself in his father's good graces after convincing him to back fascist Congressman Jeryd Mencken as the new presidential frontrunner, as well as establishing inroads with Lukas Matsson, CEO of tech giant GoJo, with whom Logan is considering a merger.

However, Roman falls out of favor with his father when he accidentally sends a photo of his penis to Logan instead of Gerri, who has begun rejecting Roman's sexual advances. Roman later comforts Kendall when the latter tearfully confesses his role in a fatal car accident at Shiv's wedding. The siblings learn that Logan has decided to sell Waystar to GoJo without their input, jeopardizing their chances of taking over the company, and attempt to veto Logan's decision as a supermajority in the holding company. However, Logan learns of their revolt from Tom and renegotiates his divorce settlement with Caroline to void the children's voting rights, effectively leaving them powerless in the company after the merger with GoJo.

Six months later, Roman, Kendall and Shiv are estranged from Logan and planning an independent media venture they call "The Hundred". However, on Logan's birthday, they learn their father is attempting to buy PGM again, and successfully outbid him. They then partner with Stewy and Sandi, who want to negotiate a price increase for the GoJo sale, to spitefully pressure Logan into renegotiating the deal with GoJo founder Lukas Matsson. However, Logan dies en route to his meeting with Matsson in Sweden; the siblings learn of his death while at Connor's wedding. At Logan's wake, Frank finds an undated document in Logan's safe naming Kendall his successor, but with strike on "Kendall Roy" that could be either underlining or crossing-out the name. After this, Kendall agrees to run the company alongside Roman to honor the stipulation in the draft succession plan that COO take over.

Roman and Kendall, skeptical of Matsson's vision and wishing to continue running the company, resolve to sabotage the GoJo deal; Roman lashes out at Matsson during a negotiation in Norway after Matsson repeatedly insults the brothers, berating him for summoning them overseas for a retreat mere days after their father's death. Roman continues to feel insecure about his worth as Logan's successor, and fires both Joy Palmer - head of Waystar's film studio - and Gerri, who chastises him for firing Joy. Roman attempts to reverse course with Gerri, only to learn she has already negotiated a hefty severance agreement and will sue Roman for sexual harassment if her demands are not met.

The night of the presidential election, Roman pushes aggressively to have Mencken announced as the winner by ATN, disregarding the political consequences in favor of Waystar's business interests, particularly after Mencken promises to block the GoJo deal on regulatory grounds. Mencken is ultimately announced as the President-elect, though a fire at a Wisconsin voting center leaves uncertainty over whether he truly won the vote.

The day after, Roman is set to give the eulogy at his father's funeral, but he becomes overwhelmed on seeing Logan's coffin and breaks down crying, and Kendall and Shiv speak instead. At the funeral reception, Mencken loses interest in negotiating with the siblings, instead agreeing to broker a deal with Matsson to allow GoJo's acquisition to go through, while videos begin to circulate of Roman's breakdown during the eulogy. Roman, feeling overwhelmed by the funeral and ashamed of his failure, walks into a crowd of protesters on the street and provokes them into beating him.

The next day, a battered Roman accepts his mother's invitation to spend time in her villa in Barbados, seeking some time to himself. However, Shiv and Kendall hastily travel there to convince Roman to join their respective voting blocs at Waystar's board meeting about the GoJo acquisition. Upon learning that Matsson will not appoint Shiv as CEO, the siblings decide to form a collective bloc to veto the deal while retaining Kendall as CEO.

Ahead of the board meeting the next day, Roman becomes distraught upon seeing how well his wounds have healed, implying to Kendall that without visible injuries, his only explanation for why he wasn't chosen as CEO is that he is unworthy of the title. Kendall hugs Roman with enough pressure to break his stitches and bleed his wounds. Roman reluctantly votes for Kendall during the board meeting, but Shiv has last-minute doubts about Kendall's competence, leading to an argument between the siblings. Roman himself sours on Kendall when the latter says he lied about being involved in the fatal car accident. He tells Kendall that only Shiv carries on the Roy bloodline via her pregnancy, since Logan never considered Kendall's children legitimate (one being adopted and the other conceived via IVF). An enraged Kendall attacks Roman, convincing Shiv to vote the GoJo deal through. Roman signs the document officiating the acquisition, and is last seen enjoying a drink to himself in a bar, seemingly content with finally leaving the power struggle for Waystar.

Shiv Roy

• played by Sarah Snook

Siobhan, commonly referred to as "Shiv", is the youngest child and only daughter of Logan Roy from his second marriage. She is a left-leaning political fixer who previously distanced herself from her family company until finally receiving an offer of leadership from Logan. She is married to Tom Wambsgans, whom she loves but frequently disregards.

During her childhood, Shiv had an acrimonious relationship with her mother Caroline following her parents' divorce; Caroline resented the time they did not get to spend together, blaming Shiv for her supposed preference for Logan. Shiv is implied to have been herself treated preferentially among the children by her father - who affectionately calls her "Pinky" - but Logan focused his efforts solely on Kendall and Roman in grooming his potential successors. Shiv met Tom while reeling from a painful breakup with a man dubbed "TK"; the two enjoyed a courtship in France and eventually fell in love.

Shiv spends the first season largely distanced from company affairs, working as a campaign consultant for Democratic Senator Joyce Miller. She is shown to be shrewd, competent, and more resistant to her father's wishes than her siblings. Tom proposes to her in the hospital while Logan is recovering from a stroke, and she accepts. Shiv's ex-boyfriend and fellow political fixer Nate Sofrelli reconnects with her and convinces her to join him in working for Senator Gil Eavis, also a presidential candidate with staunch liberal views and a longtime vendetta against Logan and Waystar. Shiv and Nate reignite their affair during the process, unbeknownst to Tom. During her wedding, Shiv admits her affair with Nate to Tom and asks for a non-monogamous marriage; Tom is understanding, though he soon grows to resent the arrangement for solely benefiting Shiv.

After Sandy and Stewy publicize their takeover bid, Logan privately offers the CEO position to Shiv; despite initial incredulity, Shiv is elated and happily accepts, even going as far as quitting Gil's campaign. However, Shiv gradually comes to realize that Logan's offer was not genuine, and, in a panic, blurts out the news of her planned succession to both her family and the rival Pierces during a corporate retreat. Her insecurity worsens as Logan grows closer to Pierce Media's CEO Rhea Jarrell, whom Shiv fears is scheming to take over the company, and she works to sabotage Rhea's ascension. During Congressional hearings on the Brightstar Cruises sexual misconduct scandal, Shiv helps track down a victim set to be called as a witness and talks her out of testifying. After the hearings, the Roys take a cruise where they determine who to sacrifice as the scapegoat for the scandal. Shiv suggests Tom, prompting him to finally admit his unhappiness in their marriage. Feeling guilty, Shiv begs Logan not to sacrifice Tom, leading Logan to choose Kendall.

After Kendall delivers a surprise statement naming Logan responsible for overseeing the cover-up of the crimes, Logan decides to temporarily step back as CEO. He names Shiv President of Domestic Operations at Waystar, which she quickly comes to learn is a figurehead title that is earning her little respect from within the company. However, Shiv manages to successfully negotiate the terms of a settlement with Stewy and Sandi at Waystar's shareholder meeting, thereby preserving the Roys' majority ownership in the company. Shiv and Logan remain at odds after she protests Waystar's backing of controversial far-right Congressman Jeryd Mencken for the presidency.

Shiv's relationship with Tom continues to strain during this period: she becomes irritated with his paranoia about going to prison for the scandal, and is ambivalent about his desire to have a child with her. However, she changes her mind about the latter after a bitter conversation with her mother at the latter's wedding in Italy, where Caroline says she regrets having children. The siblings learn at the wedding that Logan plans to sell Waystar to tech giant GoJo, effectively leaving them without an inheritance, and resolve to halt the sale by invoking a clause in Logan's divorce agreement granting the children veto power over any change in company control. Shiv informs Tom of her plans, but he realizes she has not considered where he will fall under the siblings' alliance. The siblings discover Logan has already renegotiated the divorce agreement by the time they arrive to confront him, and Shiv discovers it was Tom who betrayed her by tipping off Logan about his children's revolt.

Six months later, Shiv and Tom are on trial separation and seeking a divorce. Shiv is secretly 20 weeks pregnant, which she hides from her family. Shiv and her siblings are estranged from Logan and planning an independent media venture they call "The Hundred". However, on Logan's birthday, they learn their father is attempting to buy PGM again, and successfully outbid him. They then partner with Stewy and Sandi - who want to negotiate a price increase for the GoJo sale - to spitefully pressure Logan into renegotiating the deal with GoJo founder Lukas Matsson. However, Logan dies en route to his meeting with Matsson in Sweden; the siblings learn of his death while at Connor's wedding, and Shiv reads a statement to the press announcing their father's passing.

At Logan's wake, the family discovers a document in Logan's safe naming Kendall his successor; Kendall and Roman opt to run the company together as co-CEOs, leaving Shiv uncertain about her position. Shiv attempts to curry favor with Matsson amidst her brothers' attempts to sabotage the GoJo deal, but regrets it once she discovers Matsson has inflated GoJo's subscriber numbers, putting the company's future in jeopardy. She and Tom get into a vicious argument about their marriage during a party they host the night before the presidential election, where Tom tells her he regrets marrying her and that she is unfit to be a mother.

Shiv attempts to apologize to Tom the following day during the election, but Tom is unreceptive; she finally tells him she is pregnant with his child, but is hurt when Tom reacts skeptically, believing it to be a manipulation tactic. During the election, Shiv hopes for Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez to win the presidency, knowing he will allow the GoJo deal will go through, and is deeply concerned about the threat that Mencken's fascist agenda poses to American democracy. Kendall turns on her after learning she is working with Matsson, and she is powerless to stop her brothers from okaying ATN to call the election in Mencken's favor.

The day after she tells Kendall and Roman about her pregnancy in the car on the way to their father's funeral. At the church, the kids reunite with Caroline, who immediately notices that Shiv is pregnant. Both Matsson and Mencken arrive; Shiv meets with Matsson to propose making a deal with Mencken to allow the GoJo sale through in exchange for Matsson naming an American as Waystar's CEO. Shiv nominates herself, but Matsson is lukewarm, questioning her inexperience and ability to effectively perform while pregnant and as a new mother. When Roman fails to give his eulogy, his siblings comfort him and give the eulogy in his place. Shiv speaks last, describing the precious rarity of receiving love from her cold father as well as the struggles of being the daughter of a man who did not understand women.

At the funeral reception Shiv speaks with Mencken and brings him to meet with Matsson, where the two pitch for the sale to go through. Mencken remains noncommital until their proposal to install an American CEO after the GoJo-Waystar acquisition. Tom finally arrives at the reception and shares a moment with Shiv and Caroline. Matsson calls Shiv to report that Mencken has accepted the terms of their deal; Shiv is elated, believing her position as CEO of Waystar is secured. Unbeknownst to her, however, Mattson has begun to look around for other potential CEOs, ultimately settling on Tom. Shiv initially works with her siblings to make Kendall CEO and block the acquisition, but as the deciding vote, has a change of heart and ultimately votes to allow the acquisition to proceed and Tom to become CEO of Waystar. Shiv is last seen leaving the vote with Tom, the two tentatively holding hands as their car pulls away.

Tom Wambsgans

• played by Matthew Macfadyen

Tom is Shiv's fiancé and later husband, and a Waystar executive. He is promoted from heading the amusement park and cruise division to running ATN, the company's global news outlet. He is a people-pleaser and enjoys his proximity to the Roy family's power but is frequently dismissed by the family's inner circle, and uses underlings like Greg to wield his power. He is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Tom is said to have met Shiv during a turbulent period in her life - implied to be a painful breakup with her previous partner - and yearns to be a devoted partner to her. However, he privately carries great insecurity over his one-sided relationship with both his wife and extended family, and begins expressing his rage and lust for power primarily through his relationship with Greg - a fellow outsider whom he feels he can bully and manipulate. Upon receiving his new role as head of Waystar's Parks & Cruises division, Tom is given documents by his predecessor Bill Lockheart attesting to a massive internal cover-up of decades-long sexual misconduct on the company's cruise lines. Panicked, Tom confides the information to Greg and plans to go public with it, but Gerri warns him not to; Tom then has Greg shred the documents, though Greg secretly makes copies. During his bachelor party, Tom has an embarrassing sexual encounter with a woman named Tabitha, the latter of whom begins dating Roman afterwards. At their wedding, Shiv admits to Tom that she cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend Nate Sofrelli, and asks for an open marriage; Tom forgives her and ejects Nate from the wedding.

After Stewy and Sandy's takeover bid goes public, Shiv gets Tom promoted to the Chair of Global Broadcast News at ATN. Tom is initially elated, given that ATN is Waystar's profit center, and enlists Greg's help in finding ways to improve the network's efficiency in an attempt to upstage its combative leader, Cyd Peach. However, Tom loses his confidence after Shiv reveals Logan offered her the role of CEO, which Tom hoped to inherit; his resentment over his marriage also worsens after he realizes Shiv is using the open arrangement to have affairs behind his back. Unhappy with the culture of ATN, Greg reveals to Tom that he kept copies of the cruises documents and blackmails him to giving him a promotion. Tom is initially impressed with Greg's audacity, but later forces him to give up the copies after the cruises scandal goes public and Tom is pressured by an internal investigation. Tom and Greg burn the copies together, though Greg covertly withholds some of them. During Senate hearings on the cruises scandal, Tom performs disastrously against Senator Eavis' questions and realizes he was set up as the company's scapegoat. During a family vacation, Tom finally admits to Shiv that he resents the way she has treated him; Shiv, feeling guilty, begs Logan not to have Tom take the fall for the crimes to appease the shareholders. Logan ultimately chooses Kendall, who instead names Logan responsible for covering up the scandal in a press conference.

Tom remains loyal to Logan amidst Kendall's whistleblowing campaign. His legal counselors tell him he will likely spend time in prison, so he decides to volunteer himself to Logan as a scapegoat for incarceration, hoping it will present a tactical advantage. Tom gradually becomes consumed with anxiety at the prospect of going to prison, and feels emasculated at having to report to his wife after Logan appoints Shiv as the company's President of Domestic Operations. Kendall unsuccessfully attempts to recruit Tom to his side, but Tom is skeptical of Kendall's ability to win against his father. Tom is saved from having to go to prison after Gerri negotiates a settlement with the Department of Justice. Tom wishes to have a child with Shiv to enshrine his legacy at Waystar; Shiv is initially apprehensive, but changes her mind after a bitter exchange with her mother at the latter's wedding in Italy. Tom learns from Shiv that Logan plans to sell Waystar to tech giant GoJo, whose founder Lukas Matsson will take over as CEO. Tom betrays Shiv and her siblings by telling Logan of their attempt to stop the sale, effectively ending their chances of inheriting the company.

Six months later, Tom enjoys Logan's trust as a member of his inner circle, while he and Shiv are on a trial separation and seeking a divorce. Tom is unaware that Shiv is pregnant, which she has kept secret from her family. Logan brings Tom along to negotiate with Matsson in Sweden, only to suddenly die en route from a heart attack. Tom calls the siblings to break the news of their father's death. He then makes a futile attempt to get back in the remaining Roys' good graces. He and Shiv begin to show signs of rekindling their marriage after Tom apologizes for betraying her, but when the two host a party at their apartment the night prior to the presidential election, Tom is enraged by rumors that Matsson will fire him from ATN. This leads to a vicious argument between him and Shiv about the various problems in their marriage, where they mutually declare their contempt for one another. At the end of the series, Tom becomes the new CEO of Waystar after the GoJo deal goes through with Shiv's surprise last minute support when she decides that Kendall is unfit to be the new CEO.

Greg Hirsch

• played by Nicholas Braun

Greg is Logan's great-nephew and grandson of Ewan Roy. As an adult, Greg has had little interaction with Logan Roy or his children. Roy family members, however, vaguely remember him as a child; Caroline recalls at one point that Greg was nicknamed "Greg the Egg" as a child. Caroline and Logan both mention that Greg's father is gay; this father is unseen throughout the series. During the events of the series, Greg is unfamiliar with the rough terrain he must navigate to win over Logan, and finds himself indentured to Tom Wambsgans in his quest for a place at Waystar and with the family. Though he is presented as bumbling and awkward, Greg is shown to possess a keen instinct for survival and a penchant for scheming.

As the grandson of Logan's estranged brother, Greg is initially unfamiliar with the rest of the Roy family and working at one of the company's theme parks. However, he is fired on his first day after vomiting out of the eye holes of his costume and smelling of marijuana. Greg's mother Marianne tells him to attend Logan's 80th birthday and ask him for a job. Greg obliges and meets the rest of the family in the process; Tom immediately begins to prey on him, recognizing him as a fellow outsider susceptible to manipulation. Tom soon learns of a widespread cover-up of sexual abuse on the company's cruise lines, and confides the information to Greg, hoping to publicize it; Greg secretly tells Gerri, who talks Tom out of holding a press conference. Tom then has Greg shred the documents; Greg secretly makes copies. He reveals this to Kendall during Shiv and Tom's wedding; Kendall is impressed.

Greg grows closer to Kendall over the following months, delivering him cocaine and receiving a lavish Manhattan apartment from him as a gift. He begins working at ATN after Tom is promoted to Chair of Global Broadcast News, but is uncomfortable with the network's politics and work culture. He soon reveals to Tom that he kept copies of the cruises documents and blackmails him into giving him a promotion. Tom is impressed and agrees, but later forces Greg to help him destroy the copies after the cruises scandal goes public and the company is subject to an internal investigation. Greg covertly withholds some of the copies while burning the rest with Tom. Ewan, who despises Logan and Waystar, threatens to cut off Greg's $250 million inheritance unless Greg stops working for the company, but Greg chooses to stay after Logan promises to look after him. After Senate hearings on the cruises scandal, which link him to the document destruction, Greg decides to ally himself with Kendall, bringing the documents along to Kendall's press conference as proof that Logan personally oversaw the cover-ups and settlements with the victims.

Over that day, Greg becomes paranoid about being targeted by the authorities for his handling of the documents, and seeks out Ewan for legal representation. Ewan hires his own personal attorney Roger Pugh to represent Greg, but Pugh, an anticapitalist, hints that he and Ewan want to use Greg's insider position at Waystar to their own advantage. Greg soon ends his alliance with Kendall after meeting with Logan, who encourages him to use his leverage to negotiate a better position at Waystar in exchange for signing a joint defense agreement with the company's legal team. Greg agrees, hoping to secure an executive position at the parks department. However, his decision to remain loyal to Waystar alienates him from both Kendall - who threatens to give him up to federal authorities - as well as from Ewan, who cuts off Greg's inheritance and instead donates his entire estate to Greenpeace. Greg in turn decides to sue Greenpeace as a ploy to reclaim his inheritance. Midway through, Greg is seen flirting with Comfry, one of Kendall's assistants, who hesitatingly accepts. Later at Caroline's wedding in Tuscany, Greg also attempts to court an Italian contessa who has royal ties to the monarch of Luxembourg. He then accepts Tom's deal that would grant him a higher position in the company, after the latter's fears of going to prison finally resolved.

Several months later, Greg has taken to calling himself and Tom, who is now separated from Shiv, "The Disgusting Brothers" in celebration of their sexual exploits, though Tom seems uncomfortable with the moniker. After Logan's death, Greg ingratiates himself to the Roy children, awkwardly attempting to brand them and himself as "The Quad," which is soundly rejected. He finds success at ATN for his willingness to fire employees en masse via video chat. GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson takes a shine to Greg and during an evening out reveals that Shiv has been secretly aiding GoJo's acquisition of Waystar, in opposition to her brothers. On election night, Greg reveals this to Tom, and later hesitates when asked to passed the order from Tom to the newsroom to call the election for Mencken, despite clear election interference, but ultimately chooses to do so. As the board meeting to decide the acquisition draws nearer, Matsson secretly selects Tom as CEO over Shiv. Tom reassures Greg that his job is safe, but tells him to keep the news to himself. Greg then uses a translator app to eavesdrop on a conversation in Swedish between Matsson and his employee, revealing Shiv will not be CEO. Greg leaks this news to Kendall, leading to the siblings uniting to kill the GoJo deal, which enrages Tom and leads to a brief scuffle. Ultimately, the GoJo deal is approved and Tom is appointed CEO of Waystar. Greg sheepishly approaches him after the deal is signed, and Tom, realising that Greg was attempting to protect him as well as himself, decides to keep him on board.

Marcia Roy

• played by Hiam Abbass (seasons 1–2 & 4; recurring seasons 3)

Marcia is the third wife of Logan Roy. Born and raised in Beirut, she is often at odds with Logan's children, whose trust she has yet to earn. She has a son, Amir, from her first marriage, as well as an unnamed daughter. She is a main cast member in the first two seasons and appears in a recurring capacity in seasons three and four.

Logan initially revises his trust agreement to name Marcia his chief beneficiary upon his death, panicking his children (none of whom trust Marcia). However, Logan suffers a stroke on his 80th birthday and is rushed to the hospital, leading Kendall and Waystar senior management to disregard the unsigned agreement. Marcia cares for Logan over the course of his recovery, and strives to keep the family united amid their frequent quarrels. However, she is shown to have great contempt for Logan's children, whom she believes to be spoilt and entitled. Marcia and her son Amir become aware of Kendall's involvement in a fatal car crash at Shiv's wedding, and are complicit in Logan's cover-up.

After Stewy and Sandy go public with a takeover bid for Waystar's ownership, Marcia advises that Logan sell the company, finding his age and stubbornness to be detriments to his leadership. Logan resents this and stops consulting Marcia on matters, which leads to them growing apart. She becomes resentful as he pursues the acquisition of rival news giant Pierce Global Media (PGM) and grows closer to its CEO, Rhea Jarrell. Between a family dinner between the Roys and the Pierces, Marcia becomes inebriated and makes several cutting remarks to Logan in front of everyone gathered at the table. She soon realizes that Rhea and Logan are likely having an affair, and after Logan names Rhea his successor without telling her beforehand, she accuses Logan of being careless with their marriage, then walks out in disgust. Afterward, it becomes apparent that they've separated.

After Kendall's press conference naming his father responsible for the cover-up of crimes on Waystar's cruises, Logan has Marcia flown into Sarajevo, where he and the senior management have set up a temporary base of operations. Logan's team advises that he and Marcia appear publicly reconciled to help the company's image. Marcia, feeling betrayed by Logan's infidelity, demands a number of assurances from the company to ensure her cooperation, including increases to her financial position and protection for her children. She insinuates to Logan that he can use the car crash as leverage against Kendall, but Logan reminds her that his own involvement in the cover-up makes him equally culpable.

After Logan's death, Marcia oversees his wake and funeral planning, telling Kendall that she and Logan spoke "intimately" every night even though they were separated. She nonchalantly sells the apartment she shared with Logan to Connor and coldly ejects Kerry from Logan's wake after she shows up in tears to collect some personal things. At the funeral, Logan's ex-wife Caroline brings Kerry and Sally Ann, Logan's mistress during his marriage to Caroline, to sit with Marcia in the front row. The four women share a laugh together at Logan's expense, and Marcia comforts Kerry when she begins to cry. After Logan's burial, Marcia tells Shiv that Logan broke her heart just as he did his children's.

Rava Roy

• played by Natalie Gold (season 1; guest season 3–4)

Rava is Kendall's estranged wife, with whom he has two children. She appears as a main cast member in season one only, before returning in a guest role in seasons three and four.

Rava and Kendall's marriage breaks down as a result of the latter's drug addiction, and she divorces him. The two remain friendly and even have sex again after Logan's stroke, but Rava is insistent on continuing with the divorce; Kendall, who still yearns for her approval, is dismayed. Rava soon learns at Shiv's wedding that Kendall has relapsed on his drug usage, and the two distance themselves from one another, though Kendall still occasionally sees his children.

After his bombshell press conference naming his father responsible for covering up the Brightstar Cruises scandal, Kendall arrives unannounced to Rava's apartment and begins using it as a temporary base of operations, to her quiet chagrin. Rava later tells Kendall at his 40th birthday that Waystar has sent men to harass her and the family over Kendall's poor parenting. After Waystar backs far-right Congressman Jeryd Mencken for the presidency, Rava tells Kendall that their daughter Sophie is being harassed by racist ATN viewers as well as facing scrutiny at school for her family's association with ATN, but Kendall refuses to accept responsibility.

Other main cast members

Frank Vernon

• played by Peter Friedman

Francis "Frank" Vernon is the chief operating officer of Waystar RoyCo. He is a longtime confidant of Logan Roy, and a member of his old guard, having been with the company for 30 years. He is Kendall's godfather and mentor, who he frequently relies to help win back Logan's favor. He is disliked by Roman, which stems from their days working together at the Los Angeles branch of Waystar.

Alessandro Daniels

• played by Parker Sawyers (pilot only)

Alessandro is an executive of Waystar RoyCo, who is present during the Vaulter acquisition meetings. Sawyers is credited with the main cast in the pilot episode only. The character was dropped from the show when it was picked up for series, with Gerri filling a similar role from the second episode onwards.

Lawrence Yee

• played by Rob Yang (seasons 1–2)

Lawrence is the founder of the media website Vaulter that is acquired by Waystar RoyCo, portrayed by Rob Yang. He holds great contempt for Waystar and Kendall in particular, with whom he is often at odds. Although he is credited in every episode of the first two seasons, he is phased quickly out of the show, with only two appearances in season two, after Vaulter is shut down by Kendall. He is mentioned several times in the series finale as a potential candidate for the CEO of Waystar RoyCo if Matsson's acquisition goes through, but does not appear on-camera.

Gerri Kellman

• played by J. Smith-Cameron (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1)

Gerri is the general counsel to Waystar RoyCo. She has been with the company for 20 years. She is Shiv's godmother and close confidant of the Roys, in particular Roman, with whom she develops a flirtation and a sexual relationship. She first appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" and continues in a recurring role through the first season, before being promoted to the main cast from season two. In the third season, Logan temporarily steps back as CEO after Kendall publicly exposes his role in covering up the Brightstar Cruises sexual misconduct scandal. Gerri is named acting CEO in his place. She leverages her contacts at the Department of Justice to contain the legal fallout from the cruises scandal, reducing Waystar's penalty to just a fine (albeit a hefty one).

Gerri and Roman's relationship eventually proves catastrophic: after she rejects his advances, Roman sends Gerri several unwanted pictures of his genitalia, but mistakenly sends one to Logan after successfully closing a merger with tech giant GoJo. Logan begins having doubts about retaining Gerri's services in light of a potential scandal. Logan feels further threatened by Gerri's presence after selling Waystar to GoJo, and decides to fire her for her perceived mishandling of the fallout from the cruises scandal. Roman is tasked with delivering her the unsavory news at Connor's wedding, but Logan dies shortly thereafter, and Gerri remains on Waystar's executive team. However, Roman himself decides to impulsively fire Gerri after she reprimands him for firing Joy Palmer, head of Waystar Studios. He regrets his decision and attempts to reverse course, but Gerri tells him she has negotiated a hefty severance agreement, and that she will publicly sue Roman for sexual harassment if her demands are not met.

Willa Ferreyra

• played by Justine Lupe (season 3-4; recurring season 1–2)

Willa is Connor's younger girlfriend, and later wife. She is a call girl and aspiring playwright, who eventually leaves sex work when Connor asks her to enter an exclusive relationship with him in exchange for an allowance, which Willa accepts somewhat reluctantly to pursue a career in theatre. Willa's play "The Sands" is staged at great expense by Connor and is a critical and commercial failure. She is passively supportive of his presidential campaign and is deeply hesitant when Connor proposes but ultimately agrees to marry him. Willa later expresses deep doubts about marrying Connor and walks out of their rehearsal dinner, leaving him to wonder anxiously if she will show up the next day. When Connor receives the news on their wedding day that Logan has died, he and Willa consider postponing, and Connor asks her plainly if she is only with him for money. She admits that she's attracted to the security of his wealth, but is nonetheless happy with him, and the two marry as planned, but with few guests in attendance. She first appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" and continues in a recurring role through the first two seasons, before being promoted to main cast from season three.

Karolina Novotney

• played by Dagmara Domińczyk (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1)

Karolina is the head of public relations at Waystar RoyCo. She first appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" and continues in a recurring role through the first season, before being promoted to main cast from season two. As the series continues, she develops a hostile rivalry with one of her executives, Hugo, as he continues to ingratiate himself with the senior cadre of the company.

Karl Muller

• played by David Rasche (season 3-4; recurring season 1–2)

Karl is Waystar RoyCo's chief financial officer. He first appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" and continues in a recurring role through the first two seasons, before being promoted to main cast from season three.

Karl has worked at Waystar for 23 years and is one of Logan's most trusted associates; he is suggested to have negotiated a major cable news deal in the 1990s, and is implied to frequently solicit prostitutes. He helps Logan defend the company against Stewy and Sandy's takeover bid, though he and most of senior management are opposed to Logan's planned acquisition of Pierce Global Media (PGM). Logan forces Karl along with Tom and Greg to participate in a vicious hazing ritual called "Boar on the Floor" to root out the source of a leak to the Pierces regarding his acquisition plans, though he soon learns that Roman was the one who made the call. Karl accompanies Roman and Jamie Laird, Logan's financial adviser, to Turkey to make a pitch to Azerbaijani billionaire Eduard Asgarov to finance Waystar's privatization. Despite making a successful pitch, Roman admits to Logan that the offer is likely illegitimate, which Karl backs up.

As CFO, Karl is key to finalizing the details of Logan's sale of Waystar to Lukas Matsson, founder and CEO of streaming giant GoJo. After Logan's death, Karl and Frank discover a document in his safe naming Kendall his successor; Karl is concerned, since he plans to retire soon and purchase a Greek island with his brother-in-law, and does not want the company jeopardized at the end of his tenure. Kendall and Roman become co-CEOs, where they spearhead negotiations with Matsson and obtain an offer for $192 per share. GoJo sends a "kill list" consisting of Waystar employees they want to terminate in favor of their own team; Karl is happy to be included on the list given his impending retirement and subsequent payout (referred to as his "golden parachute").

Stewy Hosseini

• played by Arian Moayed (season 2 & 4; recurring season 1 & 3)

Stewy is Kendall's friend from college. He is a private-equity investor with a seat on Waystar's board, and is covertly in partnership with Logan's rival Sandy Furness. He first appears in "Lifeboats" and continues in a recurring role through the first season, before being promoted to main cast in season two. He returns in a guest role in season three.

After Kendall becomes acting CEO of Waystar in the wake of Logan's stroke, he learns that the company is $3 billion in debt due to its expansion into parks, and that the family holding company is entitled to demand full repayment if Waystar's stock falls below 130 points. Kendall goes to Stewy, who agrees to inject Waystar with $4 billion in exchange for a seat on Waystar's board. Kendall soon plots a vote of no confidence against his father and asks Stewy to back him, though Stewy warns that he will side with whoever wins. He ultimately abstains from the vote, causing it to fail (with Kendall being fired by Logan), and continues advising Logan on how to maintain the company's valuation. At Tom's bachelor party, Stewy approaches Kendall, who feels betrayed, and offers to buy out his share in Waystar for half a billion dollars. He reveals his partnership with Sandy, who has a shell company attached to Stewy's private equity fund. Kendall, feeling vengeful against Logan, instead proposes a hostile takeover with him as CEO and Stewy and Sandy with a controlling interest in the company. Stewy and Kendall finalize and deliver the bid at Shiv's wedding in England, knowing Logan will be more vulnerable while out of the United States. However, a drug-addled Kendall gets involved in a fatal car crash that kills a waiter, with Logan covering it up while forcing Kendall to back out of the bid. Kendall refuses to tell Stewy the truth about why he is suddenly reversing course.

Stewy and Sandy continue to persuade key shareholders to join their side of the proxy battle. After the Brightstar Cruises sexual misconduct scandal goes public, Kendall and Logan meet with Stewy in Greece and offer to dismiss all litigation on the proxy battle in exchange for Stewy providing the company with financing to go private, but Stewy flatly refuses. After Kendall publicly names his father responsible for the cruises cover-up, he meets with Stewy and Sandi Furness (Sandy's daughter) to propose a partnership, warning that Logan would sideline them and that together they can avoid a contested shareholder vote. Stewy and Sandi are skeptical, but offer to reach a settlement with the Roys in the event of their winning ownership of the company. Waystar eventually reaches a settlement with Stewy and Sandi during the company's annual shareholder meeting, granting both sides an additional board seat.

One day before the board meeting finalizing the acquisition of Waystar by streaming giant GoJo, Stewy and Sandi enlist the siblings in vetoing the sale to request a price increase. The siblings join out of spite for Logan, who sold the company behind their backs and effectively ended their chances of succeeding him, but Logan dies en route to his meeting to renegotiate the sale with GoJo founder Lukas Matsson. At Logan's wake, Kendall learns Logan named him successor in an undated document, and has Stewy advocate for him and Roman to lead the company as co-CEOs to Waystar's executive team.

Hugo Baker

• played by Fisher Stevens (season 3–4; recurring season 2)

Hugo is a Senior Vice President of communications at Waystar RoyCo. He is in charge of managing a scandal involving Brightstar cruise lines. He first appears in "Argestes" and continues in a recurring role through season two, before being promoted to main cast from season three onwards. Hugo, described as an "ass-kissing sycophant" by Stevens, is nonetheless shown to be conniving and opportunistic, frequently attempting to pass on responsibility to Karolina, his superior, during times of company crisis. Stevens suggested that Hugo both respects Karolina and yearns for her job, as well as harboring an unrequited attraction towards her. Hugo also has an "antagonistic" relationship with Tom, the two harboring mutual contempt for each other for their perceived obsequiousness.

Hugo begins working permanently alongside Waystar's senior management from the cruises scandal onwards. When Logan dies in the fourth season, Hugo informs his daughter Juliet, who goes on to sell her Waystar shares prior to news of Logan's death going public; Hugo is alarmed at the potential insider trading scandal and asks Kendall's help in containing it. Kendall uses this information to leverage Hugo into discreetly launching a PR campaign questioning Logan's health and decision-making in the time leading up to his death.

When Waystar's senior team travels to Norway to finalize their acquisition by tech giant GoJo, they learn GoJo has opted to retain most of its own management team in the acquisition, with Hugo among those on the "kill list" of employees to terminate. During Logan's funeral, Kendall enlists Hugo as a key aide in his planned takeover of Waystar, asking him to spread news stories about internal opposition to the GoJo deal in light of Waystar's escalating market cap.

Lukas Matsson

• played by Alexander Skarsgård (season 4; recurring season 3)

Lukas Matsson is the eccentric Swedish founder and CEO of tech giant GoJo. The character has drawn comparisons to real-life figures such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Daniel Ek. Skarsgård first appears as Matsson in "Too Much Birthday" and continues in a recurring role for the remainder of season 3, before being credited alongside the main cast in season 4 for the episodes in which he appears.

Logan initially plans for Waystar to acquire GoJo, and Roman draws Matsson's interest after meeting with him at Kendall's birthday party, despite Matsson's personal distaste for Logan. Roman's proposal centers on entertainment, suggesting that GoJo's streaming technology can bolster Waystar's vast content library. However, while the Roys are in Tuscany for Caroline's wedding, Matsson begins posting cryptic Tweets about the GoJo's financing to drive up the company's stock price; Roman meets with Matsson at the latter's Lake Maggiore villa and learns he wants a merger of equals with Waystar. He passes on the proposal to Logan, who is receptive on the condition that Matsson is a dependable business partner.

When Logan personally meets Matsson, however, Matsson proposes that GoJo acquire Waystar with him as CEO while Logan exits with a settlement, citing Logan's age and legacy media's obsolescence as factors. Logan agrees without his children's input, jeopardizing their futures at the company. The children cut ties with Logan afterwards, hoping to use the profits from the GoJo deal to fund their independent ventures. However, 24 hours prior to the sale's completion, Stewy and Sandi lobby the siblings to vote against the deal at Waystar's board meeting in hopes of negotiating a price increase. Matsson, however, warns Kendall that he will call off the deal if pushed on price.

Logan dies en route to a meeting with Matsson in Sweden; Kendall and Roman are named interim co-CEOs in the wake of his death. Matsson then summons the remaining Roys alongside Waystar's senior brass to GoJo's annual company retreat in Norway to renegotiate the deal. Matsson offers Kendall and Roman $187 per share (compared to Waystar's floor of $144) but with ATN folded into the acquisition, which the brothers oppose. Kendall is concerned that Matsson's vision for ATN - which entails reshaping the network to resemble Bloomberg News - reflects his fundamental misunderstanding of ATN's value. Matsson later privately consults Shiv on how to avoid a harassment scandal involving Ebba, his head of PR and ex-girlfriend, to whom he repeatedly sent samples of his own blood after the two broke up.

Kendall and Roman, wishing to remain onboard as CEOs, later try to torpedo the deal by souring Matsson on the company as a whole: they run articles about the companies' clash of cultures, a show GoJo's executives a three-hour cut of a Waystar-produced film projected to be a box office bomb. Matsson, however, sees through their tactics and threatens to go directly to the board without the brothers as middlemen, dismissing them as incompetent compared to their father. Roman snaps and berates Matsson for summoning them overseas without giving them time to grieve Logan's death, and openly calls off the deal. To spite Kendall and Roman, Matsson then makes an offer directly to Waystar's senior management for $192 per share, which they immediately pass onto the board. However, Ebba later reveals to the siblings that Matsson has grossly inflated GoJo's subscriber numbers in India, which they realize could create a fatal scandal for the company.

Shiv manages to contain the India scandal by having Matsson publicize the news on the morning after the presidential election, where protests have broken out over the controversial announcement of Jeryd Mencken as the winner. Shiv then brokers a deal between Matsson and Mencken - who previously agreed to block the GoJo acquisition on regulatory grounds - to allow the deal to go through in exchange for installing an American CEO. Matsson tells Shiv Mencken has accepted these terms, but does not specify that she will be the CEO chosen. Matsson instead looks for other CEOs, finding Shiv too assertive and believing his sexual attraction to her will create a conflict of interest. He ultimately chooses Tom due to his work ethic, track record at ATN, and obedient nature. Upon learning this, Shiv agrees to form a voting bloc alongside her siblings to reject the GoJo deal and name Kendall CEO, but her last-minute doubts about Kendall's competence lead to a brawl between the siblings at the board meeting, convincing Shiv to vote the deal through. GoJo thereby successfully acquires Waystar with Tom as CEO; Matsson is last seen going to celebrate with Tom and various executives.

Recurring characters and guest stars

• Marianne Roy Hirsch, played by Mary Birdsong (guest season 1, co-starring season 4), Greg's mother. Appears in "Celebration", "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory", and "Church and State".
• Grace, played by Molly Griggs (season 1), Roman's girlfriend. She has a daughter, Isla, from a previous relationship. She and Roman break up midway through the season. Appears in "Celebration", "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" and "I Went to Market".
• Eva, played by Judy Reyes (season 1), an executive producer at ATN, Waystar's primary news channel. She is presumably fired by Kendall, after she threatens one of her on-air personalities into being his date on an event. Appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory", "Lifeboats" and "Sad Sack WASP Trap".
• Sandy Furness, played by Larry Pine (seasons 1–4), the owner of a rival media conglomerate and a longtime enemy of Logan. He is in partnership with Stewy and backs his private-equity fund, Maesbury Capital. He eventually falls ill (rumored from syphilis) and has his daughter, Sandi, represent him in major negotiations. First appears in "Lifeboats" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Brex, played by Brock Yurich (season 1), Roman's personal trainer. Appears in "Lifeboats" and "I Went to Market".
• Nate Sofrelli, played by Ashley Zukerman (seasons 1–4), a political strategist. He is a former romantic partner of Shiv's who convinces her to work on the Eavis presidential campaign, reigniting their former affair. First appears in "Lifeboats" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Bill Lockhart, played by Mark Blum (seasons 1–2), the retiring head of Waystar RoyCo's Adventure Parks division, responsible for covering up a scandal involving decades of sexual misconduct on the company cruise lines. Appears in "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" and "DC".
• Anna Newman, played by Annika Boras (season 1), an on-air personality at ATN. She is threatened by Eva into going as Kendall's date to the family's annual charity event, the Roy Endowment Creative New York (RECNY) ball. Appears in "Sad Sack WASP Trap".
• Joyce Miller, played by Eisa Davis (season 1), the former Attorney General of New York elected to a seat in the United States Senate. Shiv initially serves as her political strategist, with her husband's nude photo scandal causing tensions between Shiv and her family. Zoë Chao plays one of her staff members. Appears in "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" and "Which Side Are You On?"
• Ewan Roy, played by James Cromwell (seasons 1–4), Logan's estranged older brother and Greg's grandfather. He resides in Canada where he lives alone as a rancher. Staunchly left-wing, he personally despises Logan and his business empire, once comparing his brother to Adolf Hitler due to Waystar's role in promoting climate change denial through the ATN news network. However, Ewan stops short of actively working against his brother and has a position on Waystar-Royco's board of directors. First appears in "I Went to Market" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Paul Chambers, played by David Patrick Kelly (season 1, 4), a member of Waystar RoyCo's board. He opposes a vote of no confidence in regards to Logan. Appears in "Which Side Are You On?" and "With Open Eyes".
• Gil Eavis, played by Eric Bogosian (season 1–2), a Democratic presidential candidate and United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He is vocally opposed to Waystar RoyCo's attempted takeover of local news networks and becomes a target of their cable news network ATN because of it. Shiv briefly works for him, causing tensions with her family. He later becomes Daniel Jimenez's running mate. First appears in "Austerlitz" before continuing in a recurring role through the first two seasons.
• Dr. Alon Parfit, played by Griffin Dunne (season 1), a corporate therapist hired to work with the Roy family as Logan attempts to rehabilitate their public image. Appears in "Austerlitz".
• Angela, played by Lauren Patten (season 1), an art entrepreneur who is approached by Kendall as a client. She rejects him, unwilling to associate with the Roy name. Appears in "Prague".
• Tabitha Hayes, played by Caitlin FitzGerald (seasons 1–2), Roman's girlfriend. She previously had a sexual encounter with Tom at his bachelor party, and was also involved with Naomi Pierce. First appears uncredited in "Prague" before continuing in a recurring role through the first two seasons.
• Lady Caroline Collingwood, played by Harriet Walter (seasons 1–4), the second wife of Logan Roy, and mother to Kendall, Shiv, and Roman as well as a Waystar shareholder. She has a distant relationship with all three of her children, and even expresses to Shiv that she should not have become a mother. She resides in England, and gets remarried in Tuscany to British CEO Peter Munion, with whom she is suggested to have had a decades-long affair prior. First appears in "Pre-Nuptial" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Mr & Mrs. Wambsgans, played by Jack Gilpin and Kristin Griffith (season 1), Tom's parents. Tom's mother is a highly respected attorney in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. Appear in "Pre-Nuptial" and "Nobody is Ever Missing".
• Jamie Laird, played by Danny Huston (season 2), a banker and financier at Waystar RoyCo's branches. He advises Logan during the proxy battle against Stewy and Sandy, as well as during his attempted acquisition of rival news giant Pierce Global Media (PGM). First appears in "The Summer Palace" before continuing in a recurring role through season two.
• Colin Stiles, played by Scott Nicholson (seasons 2–4, co-starring season 1), Logan's body man. Appears in the background of nearly every episode, initially credited as a co-star before "The Summer Palace".
• Cyd Peach, played by Jeannie Berlin (seasons 2–4), the head of ATN. She butts heads with Tom after his promotion. Logan made plans to fire her prior to his death. First appears in "Vaulter" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Michelle Pantsil, played by Jessica Hecht (season 2), a writer researching an unauthorized biography of Logan. Appears in "Hunting" and "Safe Room".
• Chris, played by Saamer Usmani (season 2), an actor in Willa's play who has a one-night stand with Shiv. Appears in "Hunting" and "Dundee".
• Ray Kennedy, played by Patch Darragh (seasons 2–4), a Waystar executive in charge of the Parks & Cruises division. First appears in "Hunting" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Rhea Jarrell, played by Holly Hunter (season 2), CEO of PGM. She aligns herself with Logan during the attempted acquisition, and the two later become romantically involved. She is fired by Nan after the deal falls through, and is briefly named as Logan's successor as the CEO of Waystar, putting her into conflict with Shiv. First appears in "Safe Room" before continuing in a recurring role through season two.
• Brian, played by Zach Cherry (season 2), a Waystar management trainee who befriends Roman. Appears in "Safe Room".
• Mark Ravenhead, played by Zack Robidas (seasons 2–4, co-starring season 1), ATN's star anchor and alleged neo-Nazi who causes controversy for the Roys. Initially credited as a co-star before "Safe Room".
• Nan Pierce, played by Cherry Jones (season 2, 4), the de facto head of the Pierce family and majority owner of PGM. A liberal, she is hesitant to sell to the Roys because of their politics. Appears in "Tern Haven", "Argestes", and "The Munsters".
• Naomi Pierce, played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones (seasons 2–4), Nan's cousin and member of the Pierce family. She suffers from substance abuse and becomes romantically involved with Kendall. First appears in "Tern Haven" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Mark Pierce, played by Jeremy Shamos (season 2), a member of the Pierce family who is the recipient of two PhDs, and briefly comes at odds with Shiv. Appears in "Tern Haven".
• Maxim Pierce, played by Mark Linn-Baker (seasons 2–4), a member of the Pierce family who works as a consultant at the Brookings Institution and holds Connor's presidential ambitions in scorn. However, he later joins Connor's campaign as an advisor. First appears in "Tern Haven" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Peter Pierce, played by Max Gordon Moore (season 2), a member of the Pierce family known to be a voracious reader. Appears in "Tern Haven".
• Marnie Pierce, played by Christina Rouner (season 2), a member of the Pierce family who intimidates Tom and Roman at dinner. Appears in "Tern Haven".
• Eduard Asgarov, played by Babak Tafti (season 2), an Azerbaijani billionaire pursued by Roman for his money and ties to the Azerbaijani sovereign wealth. He co-owns the Heart of Midlothian Football Club with Roman. Appears in "Argestes", "Dundee" and "DC".
• Jennifer, played by Sydney Lemmon (season 2, 4), an actress in Willa's play who is briefly involved with Kendall. Appears in "Dundee" and "Rehearsal".
• James Weissel, played by Anthony Arkin (season 2), the whistleblower in the Brightstar Cruises sexual misconduct scandal. Nicknamed "The Weasel" by the Roys. Appears in "DC".
• Kira Mason, played by Sally Murphy (season 2), a victim of sexual harassment and abuse in Waystar's cruises division, where she formerly worked as an entertainment manager. Appears in "DC".
• Senator Ed Roberts, played by Victor Slezak (season 2), a Republican congressman present at the hearing for Waystar's sexual misconduct allegations. Appears in "DC" and "This Is Not for Tears".
• Susan Vardy, played by Debbye Turner Bell (season 2), a journalist who interviews James Weissel regarding the cruises scandal. Appears in "DC".
• Philippe Layton, played by Angus Wright (season 2), a high-profile Waystar shareholder who advises Logan to step down from the company amid the cruise line scandal. Appears in "This Is Not for Tears".
• Lisa Arthur, played by Sanaa Lathan (season 3), a high profile, well-connected New York lawyer who takes on Kendall as a client. She is personal friends with Shiv. First appears in "Secession", before continuing in a recurring role.
• Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven, played by Linda Emond (season 3), a senior White House aide and longtime friend and confidant of Logan's. She frequently acts as an intermediary between Logan and the President, who is never seen onscreen and simply known as "The Raisin," a derisive nickname used by the Roys. First appears in "Secession", before continuing in a recurring role.
• Jess Jordan, played by Juliana Canfield (seasons 3–4, co-starring seasons 1–2), Kendall's assistant. Appears in the background of nearly every episode, initially credited as a co-star before "Secession".
• Berry Schneider, played by Jihae (season 3), a leading public relations consultant hired by Kendall. First appears in "Secession", before continuing in a recurring role.
• Comfry Pellits, played by Dasha Nekrasova (season 3), a crisis PR representative working as an assistant to Berry, who forms a connection with Greg. First appears in "Secession", before continuing in a recurring role.
• Keith Zigler, played by Jordan Lage (season 3), Lisa's assistant. Appears in "Secession" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Remi, played by KeiLyn Durrel Jones (season 3), Kendall's body man. First appears in "Mass in Time of War", before continuing in a recurring role.
• Sandi Furness, played by Hope Davis (seasons 3–4), Sandy's daughter, who is aligned with Stewy in the proxy battle for Waystar's ownership. She largely negotiates on behalf of her ailing father. Appears in "Mass in Time of War" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Roger Pugh, played by Peter Riegert (season 3), Ewan's anticapitalist personal attorney whom Ewan hires to represent Greg. Appears in "Mass in Time of War" and "Retired Janitors of Idaho".
• Kerry Castellabate, played by Zoë Winters (seasons 3–4, co-starring season 2), Logan's secretary with whom he has a sexual relationship. Initially credited as a co-star before "The Disruption".
• Sophie Iwobi, played by Ziwe Fumudoh (season 3), a comedian and host of The Disruption, a late-night talk show that skewers Kendall. Appears in "The Disruption".
• Dylan, played by Succession writer Will Tracy (season 3), a writer for The Disruption. Appears in "The Disruption".
• Josh Aaronson, played by Adrien Brody (season 3), a billionaire activist shareholder with four percent equity in Waystar. He organizes a meeting between Kendall and Logan at his private island to determine whether their feud can be reconciled. Appears in "Lion in the Meadow". Additionally, Brody's likeness is digitally inserted into a crowd shot in "Retired Janitors of Idaho".
• Iverson Roy, played by Quentin Morales (season 3, costarring seasons 1–2), Kendall's son. Initially credited as a co-star before "Lion in the Meadow".
• Sophie Roy, played by Swayam Bhatia (seasons 3-4, costarring seasons 1–2), Kendall's daughter. Initially credited as a co-star before "Lion in the Meadow".
• Jeryd Mencken, played by Justin Kirk (seasons 3–4), a controversial far-right Congressman from Virginia whom the Roys support for a presidential nomination. First appears in "What It Takes" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Dave Boyer, played by Reed Birney (season 3), the incumbent Vice President of the United States, who seeks political support from Logan for his own presidential run. He appears in "What It Takes".
• Ron Petkus, played by Stephen Root (seasons 3–4), a lecherous conservative political donor who organizes the Future Freedom Summit in Virginia. Appears in "What It Takes" and "Honeymoon States".
• Rick Salgado, played by Yul Vazquez (season 3), a Republican Congressman hoping to steer the party back towards traditional conservatism. He appears in "What It Takes".
• Peter Munion, played by Pip Torrens (seasons 3–4), a CEO with a string of failed marriages and business ventures that Caroline marries in Tuscany. He first appears in "Chiantishire".
• The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, played by Ella Rumpf (season 3), an Italian contessa who works as an online brand ambassador. She accompanies Roman to Caroline's wedding, where Greg takes a romantic interest in her. She first appears in "Chiantishire".
• Bridget, played by Francesca Root-Dodson (season 4), Greg's dimwitted date at Logan's birthday party. She appears in "The Munsters".
• Tellis, played by Kevin Changaris (season 4), a financial advisor working for Kendall, Roman and Shiv. He appears in "The Munsters", Rehearsal" and "With Open Eyes".
• Oskar Guðjohnsen, played by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (season 4), a GoJo senior executive and Matsson's trusted confidante. First appears in "Honeymoon States" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Joy Palmer, played by Annabeth Gish (season 4), the head of Waystar Studios, who Roman impulsively fires after the disastrous production of the blockbuster Kalispitron: Hibernation. She appears in "Living+".
• Ebba, played by Eili Harboe (season 4), GoJo's head of communications and Matsson's ex-girlfriend, to whom he repeatedly sent frozen quantities of his own blood following their breakup. First appears in "Kill List" before continuing in a recurring role.
• Daniel Jimenez, played by Elliot Villar (season 4), the Governor of New York and Democratic nominee for the presidential race, running against Mencken. He appears in "America Decides".
• Darwin Perry, played by Adam Godley (season 4), a respected ATN poll analyst who tries to caution Tom and Roman about rushing to call the presidential election in Mencken's favor. He appears in "America Decides".

Notable co-stars

• Isla, played by Noelle Hogan (season 1), Grace's daughter from a previous relationship. Appears in "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" and "I Went to Market".
• Tatsuya, played by Jake Choi (season 1), Lawrence's boyfriend and business associate. Appears in "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" and "Which Side Are You On?"
• Jeane, played by Peggy J. Scott (season 1), Logan's secretary. She is later replaced by Kerry. First appears in "Sad Sack Wasp Trap".
• Amir, played by Darius Homayoun (season 1), Marcia's son who announces at Thanksgiving dinner that he has been hired to head Waystar RoyCo's animation division in Europe. Appears in "I Went to Market" and "Nobody is Ever Missing".
• Steve Cox, played by Wayne Pyle (seasons 2–4), a PGN anchor. First appears in "Vaulter".
• Mark Rosenstock, played by Brian Hotaling (seasons 2–4), a senior Waystar executive alongside Karl, Frank, Hugo and Ray. First appears in "Hunting".
• Pam Thompson, played by Lori Wilner (season 4), an ATN senior producer working under Tom. Appears in "America Decides".
• Sally-Anne, played by Nicole Ansari-Cox (season 4), a woman with whom Logan had a passionate affair while married to Caroline. Ansari-Cox is the real-life wife of Brian Cox (Logan). She appears in "Church and State".

References

1. ""Church and State" with James Cromwell and Jeremy Strong | Succession Podcast S4 E9 | HBO". Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via www.youtube.com.
2. "Who Is Rose on 'Succession'? Logan Roy Revealed to Have a Dead Sister". Distractify.com. September 30, 2019. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
3. "Succession - Logan Roy Story". Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via www.youtube.com.
4. Aurthur, Kate (October 17, 2021). "'Succession' Creator Jesse Armstrong Breaks Down the Season Premiere". Variety. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
5. Nemetz, Dave (October 25, 2021). "Succession's Alan Ruck Talks Connor's Role in That Bedroom Meeting, Willa and His 'Very Fluid' Political Platform". Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
6. Wright, Catherine (August 25, 2020). "'Succession' Creator Was 'Reduced to Tears' by These 2 Cast Members Filming a Season 2 Scene". Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
7. "How Gerri Got Promoted from Side-Character to Key Player on Succession". Vulture. October 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
8. ^ Petski, Denise (December 9, 2020). "'Succession': Justine Lupe, David Rasche, Fisher Stevens Upped To Series Regulars For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
9. ^ Gonzalez, John (November 17, 2021). "Fisher Stevens on Wrangling a Beast—and Season 2 of 'Tiger King'". The Ringer. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
10. Reilly, Caroline (May 2, 2023). "A Conversation With the Waystar Royco Comms Team". GQ. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023.
11. "Alexander Skarsgård's Lukas Matsson Could Be the Biggest Threat to the Roys on 'Succession'". Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
12. "'Succession' Adds 9 to Season 4 Returning Cast, Including Alexander Skarsgård, Dagmara Domińczyk, Arian Moayed, Hope Davis & Juliana Canfield". August 24, 2022. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
13. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 14, 2021). "'Succession' Season 3 Adds Sanaa Lathan, Linda Emond, Jihae to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

• Lists of American drama television series characters
• Succession (TV series)