List of Boardwalk Empire characters

The following is a list of characters from the HBO television show Boardwalk Empire. The show dramatizes the prohibition era in Atlantic City and the early history of the American Mafia. Many of the characters on the show are fictional. Some are (loosely) based on historical figures; of these, some use the name of the person upon which they are based, while others have had their names changed for the program.

Cast

Main cast

Character	Portrayed by	Seasons
Character	Portrayed by	1	2	3	4	5
Enoch "Nucky" Thompson	Steve Buscemi	Main
James "Jimmy" Darmody	Michael Pitt	Main		Stand-in		Does not appear
Margaret Thompson	Kelly Macdonald	Main
Nelson Van Alden / George Mueller	Michael Shannon	Main
Elias "Eli" Thompson	Shea Whigham	Main
Angela Darmody	Aleksa Palladino	Main		Does not appear
Arnold Rothstein	Michael Stuhlbarg	Main				Does not appear
Al Capone	Stephen Graham	Main
Charles "Lucky" Luciano	Vincent Piazza	Main
Lucy Danziger	Paz de la Huerta	Main		Does not appear
Albert "Chalky" White	Michael Kenneth Williams	Main
Edward "Eddie" Kessler	Anthony Laciura	Main				Does not appear
Mickey Doyle	Paul Sparks	Main
Commodore Louis Kaestner	Dabney Coleman	Main		Does not appear		Recurring^[a]
Richard Harrow	Jack Huston	Recurring	Main			Does not appear
Gillian Darmody	Gretchen Mol	Recurring	Main
Owen Sleater	Charlie Cox	Does not appear	Recurring	Main	Does not appear
Gyp Rosetti	Bobby Canavale	Does not appear		Main	Does not appear
Roy Phillips	Ron Livingston	Does not appear			Main	Does not appear
Dr. Valentin Narcisse	Jeffrey Wright	Does not appear			Main
William "Willie" Thompson	Ben Rosenfield	Does not appear		Recurring^[b]		Main

Recurring cast

Character	Portrayed by	Seasons
Character	Portrayed by	1	2	3	4	5
Meyer Lansky	Anatol Yusef	Recurring
Johnny Torrio	Greg Antonacci	Recurring
Rose Van Alden	Enid Graham	Recurring		Does not appear
Ethan Thompson	Tom Aldredge	Recurring		Does not appear		Recurring^[c]
Mrs. McGarry	Dana Ivey	Recurring	Does not appear
Isabelle Jeunet	Anna Katarina	Recurring	Does not appear	Guest	Does not appear
Louanne Pratt	Johnnie Mae	Recurring	Does not appear
Agent Sebso	Erik Weiner	Recurring	Does not appear
Mary Dittrich	Lisa Joyce	Recurring	Does not appear
Pearl	Emily Meade	Recurring	Does not appear
Edward Bader	Kevin O'Rourke	Recurring				Does not appear
James Neary	Robert Clohessy	Recurring		Does not appear
Harry Daugherty	Christopher McDonald	Guest	Recurring		Does not appear
Leander Cephas Whitlock	Dominic Chianese	Does not appear	Recurring^[d]
Esther Randolph	Julianne Nicholson	Does not appear	Recurring		Guest	Does not appear
Manny Horvitz	William Forsythe	Does not appear	Recurring	Guest	Does not appear
Dunn Purnsley	Erik LaRay Harvey	Does not appear	Recurring			Does not appear
George Remus	Glenn Fleshler	Does not appear	Recurring		Guest	Does not appear
Katy	Heather Lind	Does not appear	Recurring		Does not appear
Joe Masseria	Ivo Nandi	Does not appear	Guest	Recurring		Guest
Billie Kent	Meg Chambers Steedle	Does not appear		Recurring	Does not appear
Gaston Bullock Means	Stephen Root	Does not appear		Recurring		Does not appear
Andrew Mellon	James Cromwell	Does not appear		Recurring	Guest	Does not appear
Julia Sagorsky	Wrenn Schmidt	Does not appear		Recurring		Does not appear
Sally Wheet	Patricia Arquette	Does not appear			Recurring
Ralph Capone	Domenick Lombardozzi	Does not appear			Recurring
Frank Capone	Morgan Spector	Does not appear			Recurring	Does not appear
James "Jim" Tolliver	Brian Geraghty	Does not appear			Recurring	Does not appear
Daughter Maitland	Margot Bingham	Does not appear			Recurring
Arquimedes	Paul Calderon	Does not appear				Recurring
Tommy Darmody/Slim	Travis Tope	Does not appear				Recurring

Main characters

Enoch "Nucky" Thompson

Steve Buscemi portrays Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County and its most powerful political figure. The character is based on Enoch L. Johnson.^[1]

James "Jimmy" Darmody

Michael Pitt portrays James "Jimmy" Darmody (seasons 1–2), a former Princeton student who served in World War I. After returning home, Jimmy is hired by Nucky Thompson as his driver. The character is based on Jimmy Boyd.^[2]

Margaret Thompson

Kelly Macdonald portrays Margaret Thompson (formerly Schroeder, née Rohan), a young Irish widow and mother, she turns to Nucky for help and eventually becomes his lover and later, his wife. The character is based on Florence Osbeck.^[1]

Nelson Van Alden / George Mueller

Michael Shannon portrays Nelson Van Alden / George Mueller, a former Prohibition agent on the run after the murder of his former partner. Under the alias George Mueller, he inadvertently gets caught up in the conflict between Dean O'Banion and Al Capone. The character is based on William Frank.^[1]

Elias "Eli" Thompson

Shea Whigham portrays Elias "Eli" Thompson, Nucky's younger brother and former sheriff of Atlantic County. The character is based on Alfred "Alf" Johnson.^[1]

Angela Darmody

Aleksa Palladino portrays Angela Darmody (seasons 1–2), Jimmy's wife and the mother of his young son.

Arnold Rothstein

Michael Stuhlbarg portrays Arnold Rothstein (seasons 1–4), a powerful and intelligent New York gangster who enters into business with Nucky.

Al Capone

Stephen Graham portrays Al Capone, a low-level Chicago gangster with ambitions of leading the Chicago mob.

Charles "Lucky" Luciano

Vincent Piazza portrays Charles "Lucky" Luciano, a Sicilian-American gangster and close associate of Rothstein.

Lucy Danziger

Paz de la Huerta portrays Lucy Danziger (seasons 1–2), Nucky's mistress and a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer.

Albert "Chalky" White

Michael Kenneth Williams portrays Albert "Chalky" White, Nucky's counterpart in Atlantic City's black community.

Edward "Eddie" Kessler

Anthony Laciura portrays Edward "Eddie" Kessler, Nucky's German personal assistant and valet. The character is based on Louis Kessel.^[1]

Mickey Doyle

Paul Sparks portrays Mickey Doyle, an Atlantic City bootlegger. The character is based on Mickey Duffy.^[1]

Louis Kaestner

Dabney Coleman (seasons 1–2) and John Ellison Conlee (season 5) portray Commodore Louis Kaestner, Nucky's mentor and predecessor in Atlantic City, Jimmy's biological father. The character is based on Louis Kuehnle.^[1]

Richard Harrow

Jack Huston portrays Richard Harrow (seasons 1–4), a former Army marksman who allies with Jimmy and later Nucky. Disfigured during the war, he wears a mask over half of his face.

Gillian Darmody

Gretchen Mol portrays Gillian Darmody, Jimmy's mother and an old friend of Nucky's. She is also Luciano's former lover.

Owen Sleater

Charlie Cox portrays Owen Sleater (seasons 2–3), an Irish immigrant and IRA member. He has an affair with Margaret, while working his way up in Nucky's organization.

Gyp Rosetti

Bobby Canavale portrays Gyp Rosetti (season 3), a Sicilian gangster backed by Joe Masseria, who challenged Nucky.

Roy Phillips

Ron Livingston portrays Roy Phillips (season 4), a wealthy out-of-town businessman who finds himself getting involved with Gillian Darmody.

Dr. Valentin Narcisse

Jeffrey Wright portrays Dr. Valentin Narcisse (seasons 4–5), a Harlem racketeer who challenges Chalky. The character is based on Casper Holstein.^[3]

William "Willie" Thompson

Kevin Csolak (season 3) and Ben Rosenfield (seasons 4–5) portray William "Willie" Thompson, Eli's oldest son and Nucky's nephew who becomes an assistant U.S. Attorney in New York City.

Recurring characters

Introduced in season one

Anatol Yusef portrays Meyer Lansky, a young protégé of Rothstein and partners with Luciano. The character is based on Meyer Lansky.^[1]
Greg Antonacci portrays Johnny Torrio, Capone's boss in Chicago.^[1]
Enid Graham portrays Rose Van Alden (seasons 1–2), Nelson's ex-wife.
Tom Aldredge (seasons 1–2) and Ian Hart (season 5) portray Ethan Thompson, Nucky and Eli's father. The character is based on Smith E. Johnson.
Dana Ivey portrays Mrs. McGarry (season 1), a prominent leader of the Women's Suffrage and Temperance Movements. The character is based on Susan B. Anthony.^[1]
Anna Katarina portrays Isabelle Jeunet (seasons 1, 3), a French woman who owns an haute couture shop on the boardwalk.
Johnnie Mae portrays Louanne Pratt (season 1), Commodore Kaestner's maid.
Erik Weiner portrays Agent Sebso (season 1), Van Alden's partner.
Lisa Joyce portrays Mary Dittrich (season 1), a photographer's assistant and Angela Darmondy's lover.
Emily Meade portrays Pearl (season 1), a prostitute and Jimmy Darmody's lover.
Kevin O'Rourke portrays Edward L. Bader, the Atlantic City mayor.
Robert Clohessy portrays James Neary (seasons 1–4), one of Nucky's political cronies and ward bosses.
Christopher McDonald portrays Harry M. Daugherty (seasons 1–2), a U.S. Attorney General.

Introduced in season two

Dominic Chianese (seasons 2–4) and Jordan Lage (season 5) portray Leander Cephas Whitlock, an Atlantic City lawyer and ally to the Commodore.
Julianne Nicholson portrays Esther Randolph (seasons 2–4), an Assistant Attorney General who investigates Nucky for election fraud. The character is based on Mabel Walker Willebrandt.
William Forsythe portrays Manny Horvitz (seasons 2–3), a Philadelphia gangster.
Erik LaRay Harvey portrays Dunn Purnsley (seasons 2–4), a career criminal and later Chalky's second-in-command.
Glenn Fleshler portrays George Remus (seasons 2–4), a major bootlegger based in Ohio who refers to himself in the third-person.
Heather Lind portrays Katy (seasons 2–3), Margaret's housemaid and Owen's lover.
Ivo Nandi portrays Joe Masseria (seasons 2–5), an Italian bootlegger.

Introduced in season three

Meg Steedle portrays Billie Kent (season 3), a young Broadway actress who begins an affair with Nucky. Killed in an explosion meant for Nucky. The character is based on Billie Dove.
Stephen Root portrays Gaston Means (seasons 3–4), a con artist, FBI agent, and "fixer" for bootleggers.
James Cromwell portrays Andrew Mellon (seasons 3–4), the Secretary of the Treasury.
Wrenn Schmidt portrays Julia Sagorsky (seasons 3–4), Richard's wife.

Introduced in season four

Patricia Arquette portrays Sally Wheet (seasons 4–5), a Speak-easy owner in Tampa, Florida
Domenick Lombardozzi portrays Ralph Capone (seasons 4–5), Al Capone's brother.
Morgan Spector portrays Frank Capone (season 4), Al Capone's level-headed brother.
Brian Geraghty portrays James "Jim" Tolliver (season 4), an FBI agent under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover posing as a corrupt prohibition agent under the name Warren Knox in Atlantic City.
Margot Bingham portrays Daughter Maitland (seasons 4–5), a singer and ward of Dr. Valentin Narcisse who begins an affair with Chalky White.

Introduced in season five

Paul Calderon portrays Arquimedes (season 5), Nucky Thompson's personal bodyguard.
Travis Tope portrays Tommy Darmody/Slim (season 5), the son of James and Angela Darmody.

Characters as performers

Actor	Performer	Episode	Notes
Stephen DeRosa	Eddie Cantor	"Boardwalk Empire", "Broadway Limited", "A Return to Normalcy", "A Dangerous Maid", "You'd Be Surprised", "Resolution"	comedian and singer
Erin McGrath^[4]	Edith Day	"Anastasia"	"Alice Blue Gown" (from "Irene")
Malachy Cleary	Warren Harding	Hold Me In Paradise	Senator
John Treacy Egan^[5]	Duncan O'Connor	"Nights in Ballygran"	"Carrickfergus"
A'Lisa Miles	Mamie Smith	"Home"	"Crazy Blues"
Kathy Brier	Sophie Tucker	"Belle Femme"	"Some of These Days"
Remy Auberjonois	Hardeen	"Paris Green"	magician and escape artist (brother of Houdini)

Characters as athletes

Actor	Athlete	Episode	Notes
Devin Harjes	Jack Dempsey	"What Does the Bee Do?" "Peg of Old"	boxer (heavyweight champion, 1919–26)

Notes

^ Louis Kaestner is portrayed by John Ellison Conlee in season 5.
^ Willie Thompson is portrayed by Kevin Csolak in season 3.
^ Ethan Thompson is portrayed by Ian Hart in season 5.
^ Leander Cephas Whitlock is portrayed by Jordan Lage in season 5.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Johnson, Nelson (2010). Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. Plexus Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0-9666748-6-6.
^ "Interview: 'Boardwalk Empire' creator Terence Winter". September 9, 2010.
^ Moaba, Alex (2013-09-05). "'Boardwalk Empire': Jeffrey Wright On The Real-Life Racketeer Who Inspired His Season 4 Character (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
^ Venutolo, Anthony, 'Boardwalk Empire' episode 4, 'Anastasia': Nucky's birthday bash and back room deals, The Star-Ledger, October 11, 2010
^ Venutolo, Anthony, 'Boardwalk Empire' recap: Van Alden busts up Nucky's Celtic bash, The Star-Ledger, October 18, 2010

[1] Louis Kaestner is portrayed by John Ellison Conlee in season 5.

[2] Willie Thompson is portrayed by Kevin Csolak in season 3.

[3] Ethan Thompson is portrayed by Ian Hart in season 5.

[4] Leander Cephas Whitlock is portrayed by Jordan Lage in season 5.

[eff-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Johnson, Nelson (2010). Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. Plexus Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0-9666748-6-6.

[hitfix.com-6] "Interview: 'Boardwalk Empire' creator Terence Winter". September 9, 2010.

[7] Moaba, Alex (2013-09-05). "'Boardwalk Empire': Jeffrey Wright On The Real-Life Racketeer Who Inspired His Season 4 Character (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-17.

[8] Venutolo, Anthony, 'Boardwalk Empire' episode 4, 'Anastasia': Nucky's birthday bash and back room deals, The Star-Ledger, October 11, 2010

[9] Venutolo, Anthony, 'Boardwalk Empire' recap: Van Alden busts up Nucky's Celtic bash, The Star-Ledger, October 18, 2010

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