The 10 Best Succession Guest Stars

There’s no question that HBO’s Succession is a show that succeeds based largely on the performances of its main cast, including Brian Cox, who gives a searing, unforgettable performance as the powerful, domineering Logan Roy. However, there have been a number of important guest stars that have appeared during the series’ 3 seasons so far, many of whom have added further texture and depth to the characters and to the central dramas and conflicts that motivate the plot.

Even if they only appear for an episode or two, they leave a lasting impression with their snappy dialogue or heated exchanges with some of the regular cast members. From Oscar winner Holly Hunter to rising comedy star Ziwe, these actors bring their considerable talents to secondary characters that prove to be just as memorable as any of the Roy clan.

Natalie Gold

Natalie Gold is, by this point, quite well-known for playing Rava Roy, Kendall’s ex-wife and the mother of his children and one of Succession‘s most likable characters. Throughout her numerous appearances on the show, she has imbued this character with a mixture of warmth and strength, vulnerability and indomitable spirit. She ably captures Rava’s obvious love for Kendall, even as she also allows for an understanding of how frustrated Rava has become as yet another casualty of her ex-husband’s constant conflicts with his father and his increasingly desperate efforts to gain his approval.

Annabelle Dexter-Jones

When Logan attempts to buy the company owned by the Pierces, he has to contend with not only the family matriarch but also with Naomi, her daughter, played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones. Dexter-Jones excels at bringing out the many complexities of this character who is, in some ways, the mirror image of Kendall in that she has become a family outcast. What’s more, she also gets to deliver a scathing line, asserting that she loves being able to watch the Roys meltdown in real-time. It’s a brilliant line that testifies to her skills as an actress.

Ashley Zuckerman

Shiv is one of the most fascinating characters on Succession. While she’s not quite as desperate as Kendall, she does her own share of floundering in her attempts to get power. Ashley Zuckerman plays her one-time boyfriend Nate, with whom she interacts on a number of occasions.

Zuckerman brings out so much of what would make a person like Nate both attracted to and frustrated by Shiv, and his performance allows viewers to appreciate the deep bonds that still exist between them. He conveys a warm admiration for his former partner that is mixed with an undercurrent of fear about how far she’s willing to go to succeed.

Marianne Hirsh

It’s always hard to tell just where Greg will land when it comes to the many conflicts within the Roy family, but he knows that most of the time, he can rely on his mother, Marianne Hirsh. Though she only appears sporadically, Marianne makes it clear that, though she’s on the outskirts of the family (she’s the daughter of Logan’s estranged brother), she will always defend Greg and give him the advice that she thinks will be in his best interest, even if it’s not what he wants to hear.

Danny Huston

Any time that Danny Huston appears, it’s almost a certainty that he’s going to play a character with some rough edges, and that is certainly true of his portrayal of Jamie Laird, one of Logan’s closest advisers. In Huston’s hands, Laird comes across as a man very much aware of what he has to do in order to protect the boss and his best interests, and Huston also manages to capture Jamie’s increasing frustration with the Roys’ unwillingness to take his advice.

Ziwe Fumudoh

Every so often, the real world intrudes into the fictional world of Succession, and the appearance of Ziwe Fumudoh as herself is one of those times. She plays a blistering and hilarious version of herself in the 3rd season, in which she relentlessly attacks the members of the Roy family, including Kendall.

For her, nothing is off-limits, and she seems to take a special form of delight in mocking Kendall’s various struggles and for his pathologically codependent relationship with his father.

Cherry Jones

Cherry Jones shines as one of the best guest stars to have appeared in Succession. Jones plays the character of Nan Pierce, the matriarch of the Pierce family and one of the most terrifying characters in Succession. Her performance leaves no one in any doubt that she is just the type of woman to go up against Logan Roy and that, in fact, she might be a more subtle thinker than he is. Though her politics are opposite to his in that she is far more liberal, Jones demonstrates that Nan Pierce is just as ruthless in her thinking about how the world, and the media business, works.

James Cromwell

James Cromwell is another of the acting powerhouses to appear in the HBO series, guest-starring in several episodes as Logan Roy’s curmudgeonly and estranged brother, Ewan (and one of Succession‘s low-key villains). As portrayed by Cromwell, Ewan is more than a little bitter and cynical, and he has nothing but contempt for his brother for both the media empire he’s built, his scheming children, and his naive grandson, Greg. He’s one of the few guest stars, and one of the only characters, who seems capable of actually challenging his brother in a meaningful way.

Harriet Walter

Harriet Walter has appeared in numerous TV series in recent years (most notably as one of the best characters in Killing Eve), and in Succession, she stars as Caroline Hollingwood, Logan’s ex-wife and the mother of Kendall, Shiv, and Roman. As she does so often, Walter imbues Caroline with a core of strength, though she tends to prefer being passive-aggressive with her children rather than actually telling them what’s on her mind. What’s more, Walter also makes it clear that Caroline is, like Logan, a fundamentally cynical person who believes every good action taken by her family is motivated by selfish motivation.

Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter is always a pleasure to see on screen, and she plays a major part in the events of the 2nd season, when she appears as Rhea Jarrell, the intermediary between Logan and the Pierce family. Hunter slyly brings out the many depths and shades of this character. She shows the extent to which she is willing to change sides, depending on when she sees an advantage to doing so. She’s exactly the type of woman that Hunter excels at playing, and while she’s ambitious, she also has a conscience that she won’t violate.

About The Author