Where You Know The Widow's Bay Cast From

We’re only a few episodes in, but Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay can already be safely added to the list of the best Stephen King shows that weren’t Stephen King books to begin with—along with fan favourites like Weapons and Stranger Things. 

From the hit Apple TV+ show’s ITC Benguiat title card to its various allusions to King classics like The Fog and Salem’s Lot, Widow’s Lot is the kind of bingeable mystery series that manages to pay homage to the legendary novelist while also remembering to be its own thing. It’s also bags of fun to watch.

One of the reasons for this is surely Dippold’s background in comedy — she started as a writer on Parks and Rec, which is another show you might think about while watching this one — but it’s just as much to do with the show’s awesome cast of character actors. In the list below, we’ll take a quick look at each of the central performers in Widow’s Bay to find out where you might recognise them from. 

Read on to learn a bit more about them and use the guide to find out where to stream some of their best-known work on services like Apple TV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. 

Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis

At 51 years of age, Matthew Rhys has already given us three iconic roles: as Phillip Jennings in The Americans, as the title character in Perry Mason, and now as the ever-anxious Mayor Tom Loftis in Widow’s Bay. Add to that the Welshman’s upcoming lead role in the second season of Presumed Innocent—not to mention the fact that he played the last ever bad guy in Columbo—and Rhys really does start to look like one of the defining TV stars of the modern age.

On the big screen, he’s kept things relatively low-key over the years (his portrayal of Daniel Ellsberg in The Post is probably as high-profile as it got), which kind of just adds to the brand when you think of it.

One to watch: The Americans 

Stephen Root as Wyck

If you’re going to set a mystery or thriller in a seaside town, you are legally obliged to include at least one salty fisherman character whose attempts to warn the normies are fatally ignored until it’s almost too late. These days, there is no actor better suited for this kind of part than Stephen Root — a performer with a consistent knack for making every movie and show he appears in just that little bit better.

Root has been doing this since at least No Country for Old Men and Boardwalk Empire, but he probably solidified his legacy with his devilish turn in Barry. Root has been in the game since the late ‘80s (I was recently delighted to spot him in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain), but only really came into his own at the turn of the century when he started to show his funny side in movies like DodgeBall and O Brother, Where Art Thou? For the real ones, however, he will always be known for voicing Hank’s friend Bill in all 269 episodes of King of the Hill.

One to watch: Barry

Kate O’Flynn as Patricia

If you’re watching Widow’s Bay and wondering where you’ve seen Loftus’ colleague Patricia before, you aren’t the only one. Like Rhys, the actress is another British import on the show, only unlike Rhys, this is her first major role in an American-produced series.

If you are a fan of the great Mike Leigh, however, you will likely have your memory jogged back to her debut performance as the younger sister of Sally Hawkins’ Poppy in the director's wonderful 2008 film Happy-Go-Lucky. O’Flynn went on to further roles in Leigh’s Mr Turner and Peterloo, but it’s on British TV where she’s really made her name—firstly on the true crime series Landscapers and then, most notably, opposite Simon Bird on Everyone Else Burns.

One to watch: Happy-Go-Lucky

Dale Dickey as Rosemary

Another actor who I never tire of seeing is Dale Dickey: a true salt of the earth performer who never fails to elevate whatever she’s in—and her charming, cigarette-smoking performance as Rosemary in Widow’s Bay only further proves that point. 

Over the course of her long career, Dickey has brought her rugged Tennessee charms to movies like Hell or High Water, Leave No Trace and Winters Bone, as well as shows like Breaking Bad and Vice Principals. What’s more, having appeared in both Iron Man 3 and The Mandalorian (where she voiced Saifir), Dickey is also officially canon in both the Star Wars universe and the MCU. Not bad. 

One to watch: Winter’s Bone

Jeff Hiller as Dale

When first watching the series’ pilot episode, I found myself enjoying Dickey’s turn so much that I almost missed Jeff Hiller sitting right beside her—which is kind of wild, as Hiller is one of the most distinctive-looking actors around.

In my defence, Hiller is something of a bit part player most of the time, having appeared in everything from 30 Rock and Kimmy Schmidt to Broad City and, more recently, Pluribus. If we have to pick a high point so far, it is unquestionably his Emmy-nominated turn in Somebody Somewhere in 2022.

One to watch: Somebody Somewhere

K Callan as Ruth

If one actor in Widow’s Bay makes you stop and double-take, it will probably be K Callan. The 90-year-old actress was a staple of ‘90s television thanks to appearances in shows like 7th Heaven and Dawson’s Creek, but for people of a certain vintage, she will always be associated with playing Martha Kent on The New Adventures of Superman.

In terms of movies, you can spot her in Schrader’s American Gigolo and Todd Haynes’ Safe, but for something more recent, you will probably know her for playing the quietly observant Nana Thrombey in the first Knives Out. 

One to watch: The New Adventures of Superman

Kevin Carroll as Sheriff Bechir

Representing the long arm of the law in Widow’s Bay is Sheriff Bechir, who is played by Kevin Carroll—an actor who, along with appearing as Virgil in The Walking Dead and taking on small roles in movies like Margaret and Being John Malkovich, is still best known for playing Miracle resident John Murphy in Seasons 2 and 3 of The Leftovers. 

One to watch: The Leftovers

Kingston Rumi Southwick as Evan

The last of the main players on our list is a relative newcomer, Kingston Rumi Southwick, an actor who only recently got his big break when he landed the part of Kyle, the son of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich, in Presumed Innocent. 

In Widow’s Bay, he’s back on similar duties as Evan, Mayor Loftus’ only son. It’s early days, but if his Presumed co-star Chase Infiniti's rise is anything to go by, Southwick will likely be playing the lead in an Oscar-winning masterpiece in no time. 

One to watch: Presumed Innocent

Nancy Lenehen, Christian Clemenson, Toby Huss & Tim Baltz

In the interest of brevity, I’ll bunch the last few together. Nancy Lenehen, who plays Gerrie in Widow’s Bay, has been a working actor since 1980 with credits in Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can (she played Amy Adams’ mum) and Battle of the Sexes (same, but for Emma Stone). 

Similarly, Christian Clemenson (who plays Dr Morgan) has amassed 100 credits on IMDb since appearing on Fame way back in 1975—in terms of flashiness, his appearance as Balthazar in Buffy probably ranks high on his list, as well as playing one of the cops who interviews the Dude after the rug gets stolen in The Big Lebowski.

Having lent his vocal cords to shows like Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, you might recognise Toby “Reverend Bryce” Huss’s voice before you recognise his face, but if you do the latter, it’ll probably be for playing Tex McCready in GLOW. 

And last but not least, there’s Tim Baltz, a Drunk History regular who has also appeared in shows like Parks and Rec and Better Call Saul over the years. For Widow’s Bay, he plays William.