The Pacific Cast Guide: What Each Character Looks Like In Real Life

A decade after the release of HBO’s acclaimed World War II miniseries Band of Brothers, producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg returned with the companion series The Pacific. Set over the same few years as Band of Brothers, The Pacific focuses on United States Marines fighting the Japanese military forces on the island battlefields of the Pacific Ocean.

Though The Pacific had many of the same names behind the scenes as Band of Brothers, it’s a very different series. Whereas the story of the war in Europe balanced the trauma and tragedy of the war with tales of heroism and victory, The Pacific is much more stark in its portrayal of graphic violence on the battlefield. The Marines highlighted feel their hope and humanity slipping away as they face an enemy that refuses to surrender, and who can only be pushed back through relentless and pointless slaughter.

All of the characters featured in The Pacific are based on real Marines who fought in the Second World War, and the show’s packed cast includes James Badge Dale, Rami Malek, Jon Seda and Joseph Mazzello in core roles. Here’s a guide to the cast of The Pacific, and what each of the characters’ real-life counterparts looked like.

James Badge Dale as Robert Leckie

Robert Leckie’s memoir of the war, Helmet For My Pillow, was one of the main sources used for The Pacific. A machine gunner in the 1st Marine Division, Bob Leckie survived gruelling campaigns in Gaudalcanal and Cape Gloucester, before being wounded in the Battle of Peleliu and later sent home with a Purple Heart. James Badge Dale is also known for his roles in The Departed, World War Z and The Grey,

Joseph Mazzello as Eugene Sledge

Eugene Sledge’s book, With the Old Breed, was another primary source used in putting The Pacific’s story together. Initially held back from joining the Marines by a heart murmur, Sledge shipped out to the Pacific Theater in 1943 and served as part of a mortar unit with the 1st Marine Division. Joseph Mazzello is also known for his roles in Jurassic Park, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Social Network.

Ashton Holmes as Sidney Phillips

Eugene Sledge’s childhood best friend from the town of Mobile, Alabama, Sidney Phillips enlisted in the Marines when he was just 17 years old and celebrated his 18th birthday while serving in the Guadalcanal campaign. He later wrote his own memoir, You’ll be Sor-ree, that recounted his experiences in the Pacific Theater. Ashton Holmes is also known for his roles in A History of Violence, Revenge and Nikita.

Jon Seda as John Basilone

John Basilone was recruited for war bond tours after earning the Medal of Honor for holding off overwhelming numbers of Japanese soldiers in the Battle for Henderson Field, during the Guadalcanal campaign. A real-life Captain America, he became a celebrity and was featured in comic books and propaganda posters, and helped to raise $1.4 million in war bonds. Wanting to return to active service before the end of the war, he fought and was killed during the invasion of Iwo Jima. Jon Seda is also known for his roles in Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire and Bad Boys II.

Annie Parisse as Lena Riggi

Sgt. Lena Riggi met Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone while he was training new recruits at Camp Pendleton, where she was serving as a field cook with the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. They married in July 1944, just seven months before Basilone’s death on Iwo Jima. In 1949, she christened a Navy destroyer ship, the USS Basilone. Annie Parisse is also known for her roles in National Treasure, Friends From College and The Following.

Rami Malek as Merriell “Snafu” Shelton

Merriell “Snafu” Shelton was serving as a mortarman with the 1st Marine Division when he first met Eugene Sledge, one of the replacements who joined K Company in 1943, and the two fought alongside each other in battles on Peleliu and Okinawa. Rami Malek is also known for his roles in Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody and the Night at the Museum movies.

Brendan Fletcher as Bill Leyden

A rifleman who fought alongside Eugene Sledge in K Company, Bill Leyden was wounded twice during World War II: first by shrapnel during the capture of Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu, and again towards the end of the war in the Battle of Okinawa. Brendan Fletcher is also known for his roles in The Revenant, Arrow and Freddy vs. Jason.

Martin McCann as Romus Valton Burgin

A mortarman in K Company, R.V. Burton became close friends with Eugene Leckie and Sidney Phillips during the war, and was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa. Like Leckie, Sledge and Phillips, Burgin later went on to publish a memoir about his service in World War II, titled Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific. Martin McCann is also known for his roles in Titanic: Blood and Steel, ’71 and The Informer.

Josh Helman as Lew “Chuckler” Juergens

One of the few characters in The Pacific to appear in both Bob Leckie and Eugene Sledge’s storylines, Lew “Chuckler” Juergens fought in battles at Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester before being wounded by mortar shelling at at Peleliu. He survived his wounds and was discharged two weeks after V-J Day. Josh Helman is also known for his roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and Jack Reacher, and for playing William Stryker in the X-Men movies.

William Sadler as Lewis “Chesty” Puller

The most decorated Marine in U.S. history and the only Marine ever to receive 5 Navy Crosses, Lewis “Chesty” Puller fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater, from the Battle for Henderson Field to the Battle of Peleliu. His motto was “lead by example,” and he made a point of not enjoying luxuries that his men did not have, and eating the same rations that they did. William Sadler is known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption and Roswell High, and for playing President Matthew Ellis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Hannah Shaw-Williams
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