HBO would not have a monopoly on status tv, however they’re the king of it. The community likes to work with the identical individuals who have proved they’ve what it takes to make nice reveals. That features lots of the identical nice actors who seem on a couple of present. A few of these actors have appeared in three or 4 (or extra) reveals through the years, however for this listing, we’re sticking with at the least two, often those they’re greatest identified for. Actors like Wendell Pierce, Cynthia Nixon, and lots of extra.
Wendell Pierce – The Wire And Treme
Wendell Pierce first broke out because the best-dressed detective within the Baltimore Murder Unit on The Wire. Pierce’s character, Bunk Moreland, seems in each episode of the present. A few years after The Wire led to 2008, the present’s creator returned to HBO with Treme, and it was a pure match to incorporate Pierce, who’s a New Orleans native, within the solid.
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age And The White Lotus
2025 was an enormous 12 months for Carrie Coon on HBO. Not solely did she return for Season 3 of The Gilded Age because the decided excessive society woman, Bertha Russell, however she additionally killed it on the third season of the anthology collection The White Lotus. She stole the present along with her monologue within the ultimate episode of that present, whereas persevering with to dominate New York society within the Eighties in The Gilded Age.
Steve Buscemi – The Wire And Boardwalk Empire
Steve Buscemi’s first look on HBO got here when he joined the solid of The Sopranos as Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano’s cousin, in Season 5 of the legendary peak TV-era present. He wasn’t on the present lengthy, however a few years later, he performed a a lot larger function on Boardwalk Empire. He performed the fictional mob boss Nucky Thompson within the interval piece created by Sopranos author Terrance Winter.
Evan Rachel Wooden – True Blood And Westworld
Evan Rachel Wooden began her profession as a gifted baby actor and made her first look on HBO as a recurring character in True Blood. She made a fair larger splash on the community as one of many major characters in Westworld. Wooden additionally appeared within the miniseries Mildred Pierce on HBO.
Alexander Skarsgård – True Blood And Massive Little Lies
Alexander Skarsgård is a real HBO common. His first present for the community, the restricted collection Technology Kill, aired in 2008 and he returned to the community that very same 12 months as a collection common within the vampire hit True Blood. Whereas nonetheless starring on that present, he made a one-off look within the collection finale of Eastbound and Down. He was a major solid member on Massive Little Lies, taking part in a really darkish character (and incomes an Emmy within the course of), earlier than he took on a notable guest-starring function in Succession, incomes two extra Emmy nominations.
Sydney Sweeney – Euphoria And The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney burst onto the scene alongside her castmates within the teen drama Euphoria on HBO in 2019 and in 2022, she additionally appeared in Season 1 of The White Lotus. She earned not one, however two Emmy nominations that 12 months, one for every present.
Edie Falco – Oz And The Sopranos
The HBO present Oz was an early entry within the “peak TV period” from the community, operating for six seasons within the late Nineties and early 2000s. The solid of Oz was stacked and included Edie Falco as Officer Diane Whittlesey. That is not the present she is most well-known for on the community, after all. As Falco’s time was coming to an in depth, she landed the function of a lifetime as Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos, and her wonderful performances earned her three Emmy awards.
Aidan Gillen – Sport Of Thrones And The Wire
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in Sport of Thrones is without doubt one of the nice TV villains of all time, and the character was performed brilliantly by Aidan Gillen. It wasn’t Gillen’s first main function on HBO, as that got here a number of years earlier when he performed the bold politician Tommy Carcetti on the ultimate three seasons of The Wire.
Cynthia Nixon – And Simply Like That And The Gilded Age
itsCynthia Nixon has been a staple on HBO for many years now, starring as Miranda Hobbes in And Simply Like That… and it is predecessor. She’s additionally one of many stars of the unbelievable interval drama The Gilded Age because the spinster-turned-wealthy widow Ada Forte, née Brook.
Michiel Huisman – Sport Of Thrones And Treme
Treme, which ran for 4 seasons on HBO, had an entire host of actors who have been HBO regulars. Michiel Huisman, who performed the musician solely often called “Sonny” on the New Orleans-based present, was additionally starring in somewhat present referred to as Sport of Thrones on the identical time on the community, taking part in Daario Naharis.
Michelle Monaghan – True Detective And The White Lotus
It have to be extremely rewarding for any actor to have the chance to star in two anthology reveals on HBO. Michelle Monaghan is aware of precisely the way it feels. She first starred in Season 1 of True Detective and, extra lately, was a part of the stellar solid of Season 3 of The White Lotus.
Michael Ok. Williams – The Wire And Boardwalk Empire
The late Michael Ok. Williams left behind an unbelievable legacy at HBO. He was, after all, some of the unbelievable TV characters of all time as Omar Little on The Wire, and he adopted that up with an important flip as a gangster in Twenties New Jersey in Boardwalk Empire. These weren’t his solely appearances on the community. He popped up in a one-off scene on The Sopranos in 2001, then later within the miniseries The Evening Of. His ultimate tv credit score earlier than his tragic loss of life was on the HBO present Lovecraft Nation.
Alexandra Daddario – The White Lotus And True Detective
Earlier than incomes an Emmy nomination for her nice flip as newlywed Rachel Patton in Season 1 of The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario had a recurring function on one other HBO anthology collection, True Detective, throughout its first season. She even had a cameo early in her profession in The Sopranos.
Murray Bartlett – The White Lotus And The Final Of Us
It is simple to see why The White Lotus was such a monster hit when it aired its first season, with Murray Bartlett stealing the present because the lodge supervisor who will get caught in a critical downward spiral because the present goes on. He is hilarious and heartbreaking on the identical time. Later, he was solid in “Lengthy, Lengthy Time,” some of the beloved episodes of The Final of Us, as Frank, the deceased lover of Invoice, performed by Nick Offerman. Whereas it was just one episode, it was so good that we needed to embody it right here. Bartlett was additionally an everyday solid member on the HBO present Wanting.
Danny McBride – Eastbound And Down And The Righteous Gem stones
What’s there to be stated about Danny McBride’s varied sitcoms on HBO? After making his title in supporting roles in films like Pineapple Categorical and Tropic Thunder, he arrived on HBO within the now-legendary Eastbound and Down. His subsequent hit for the community was Vice Principals alongside Walton Goggins, after which as Jesse Gemstone on The Righteous Gem stones.
Clarke Peters – The Wire And Treme
It is onerous to imagine that The Wire is a type of reveals that by no means received an Emmy. That goes double for the superb solid, together with the nice Clarke Peters, who performed Lester Freamon in all 5 seasons of the present. Like a few of his co-stars on the present, he additionally appeared in Treme on HBO.
Jeanne Tripplehorn – The Gilded Age And Massive Love
Jeanne Tripplehorn is a veteran actor whose profession stretches again to 1992’s Primary Intuition. She was a giant a part of Massive Love on HBO as Invoice’s solely authorized spouse within the present about polygamy in Utah. Tripplehorn additionally starred in a recurring function on The Gilded Age as a disgraced excessive society outcast who occurs to be one of many kindest characters on the present. She was additionally nominated for an Emmy for her function as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Gray Gardens on HBO.
Jeffrey Wright – Westworld And Boardwalk Empire
Jeffrey Wright is without doubt one of the greatest actors of his era, and he is had a chance to point out off simply how nice he’s in a number of HBO reveals. First, he received an Emmy for his function within the miniseries Angels in America. Later, he had a recurring function on Boardwalk Empire, earlier than his improbable activate Westworld, for which he was nominated for 3 extra Emmys, however sadly did not win one. In 2025, he reprised his voice function in The Final of Us online game within the HBO adaptation.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler – The Sopranos And Entourage
Jamie-Lynn Sigler occupies an attention-grabbing spot right here. After all, she’s greatest identified for her function as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. Her subsequent function on HBO got here in a job that was a fictionalized model of herself relationship Turtle in Entourage.
Walton Goggins – Vice Principals And The White Lotus
Walton Goggins has been one of many hardest-working actors in Hollywood for a few years, and in 2025, he actually upped his profile along with his improbable efficiency in Season 3 of The White Lotus. It was his third main present on HBO after Vice Principals and The Righteous Gem stones.
Lena Headey – Sport Of Thrones And The White Home Plumbers
She performed one of many best villains of all time on Sport of Thrones, and Lena Headey returned to HBO in 2023 within the underrated miniseries The White Home Plumbers, the place she performed Dorothy Hunt, spouse of one of many Watergate burglars, E. Howard Hunt.
Pedro Pascal – Sport Of Thrones And The Final Of Us
Like quite a lot of actors, Pedro Pascal put in a ton of labor early in his profession with one-off roles in each present you possibly can think about. Then, in 2014, he was solid as Oberyn Martell on Sport of Thrones, and his profession blew up. Extra lately, he is been breaking hearts on The Final of Us on HBO.
Indira Varma – Sport Of Thrones And Rome
The Sport of Thrones solid was completely stacked, together with the nice Indira Varma, who performed Ellaria Sand in 13 episodes of the present. That wasn’t her first time in an HBO present, nevertheless. In 2005, she starred as Niobe in two seasons of Rome, the extremely underrated (and costly to supply) historic drama created by John Milius.
Jim True-Frost – The Wire And Treme
Jim True-Frost’s character in The Wire has some of the attention-grabbing character arcs on a present stuffed with nice arcs. His efficiency as Roland Pryzbylewski was, like so many others on the present, nothing wanting wonderful. Like others on The Wire, True-Frost additionally starred in Treme. He even had a cameo in Boardwalk Empire as legendary lawman Eliot Ness.
Kim Dickens – Deadwood And Treme
Kim Dickens has a stellar tv resume, and two jewels on that CV are each HBO reveals. First, she was one of many major characters, Joanie, in Deadwood. Later, she starred on Treme.
John Hawkes – Deadwood And Eastbound And Down
The unique solid of Deadwood was a bunch of heavyweights, together with John Hawkes, who performed Sol all through the run of the present. Just a few years later, the versatile actor returned to HBO in a totally totally different type of function because the brother of Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down. Most lately, he put in a improbable efficiency in Season 4 of the anthology collection True Detective.
Rose Leslie – Sport Of Thrones And The Time Traveler’s Spouse
The Time Traveler’s Spouse is without doubt one of the extra under-the-radar reveals in HBO historical past. Rose Leslie led the solid of the present that was canceled after one season, regardless of a passionate fanbase. After all, Leslie first grew to become a star on HBO as Ygritte on Sport of Thrones.
Bobby Cannavale – Boardwalk Empire And Vinyl
Bobby Cannavale actually made his title on HBO because the risky gangster Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire, although his first gig on the community was in a small function on Six Ft Beneath. After Boardwalk Empire, he teamed up with the creators of Vinyl, starring within the lone season of the short-lived present.
Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gem stones And Vice Principals
The Righteous Gem stones and Vice Principals are two reveals that have been good for Edi Patterson. She’s fantastic at taking part in quirky characters, becoming in nice with the solid of each of these reveals.
Domenick Lombardozzi – The Wire And Boardwalk Empire
Herc in The Wire is an obnoxious character that’s onerous to like, however Domenick Lombardozzi’s efficiency charms everybody who watches the present. He repeated the feat afterward Boardwalk Empire.
Regina King – Watchmen And The Leftovers
If anybody on this listing wants no introduction, it is the nice Regina King. She is a pressure of nature in every little thing she does, together with two wonderful HBO reveals, The Leftovers and the one-and-done Season of Watchmen.
Michael Imperioli – The Sopranos And The White Lotus
Some individuals may bear in mind Michael Imperioli as Spider in Goodfellas, however most will first know him as Christopher Moltisanti, Tony’s irritating nephew in The Sopranos. He returned to HBO in Season 2 of The White Lotus and as soon as once more reminded followers of the community how nice he could be.