Many of the infamous names behind the Watergate scandal are being portrayed by famous ones as part of the White House Plumbers cast. The new HBO limited series is based on the hard to believe true events that ultimately led to Richard Nixon's resignation, specifically the blundering team of spies and burglars known as the Plumbers.
Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Lena Headey, Judy Greer, Domhnall Gleeson and more headline this series premiering on HBO on May 1, but let's get to know who they are playing as well as more of the cast bringing these historical figures to life.
Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt
E. Howard Hunt was a former CIA agent who was one of the key players in the Watergate scandal. In the series, he is an ardent defender of President Nixon, believing that leaks like the Pentagon Papers are helping to destroy the nation that he worked to defend. However, his spycraft game is exactly as strong as he thinks it is.
Woody Harrelson is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor best known for his roles in True Detective, Cheers, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Hunger Games, Zombieland and White Men Can't Jump. Most recently he starred in the sports comedy Champions and was part of the cast of the Best Picture-nominated movie Triangle of Sadness.
Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy
Like Hunt, G. Gordon Liddy was a former federal agent, previously working for the FBI before he started working for the Plumbers. Liddy is a bit of an eccentric, with Politico calling him "Watergate's most colorful character," which is not an empty distinction. Viewers of the show will see early on how Justin Theroux brings those eccentricities to life.
Most viewers will know Theroux from his roles in Mulholland Drive, Zoolander, The Leftovers and The Mosquito Coast. He is also a writer (Tropic Thunder, Iron Man 2, Rock of Ages) and an Emmy-winning producer for the specials Live in Front of a Studio Audience.
Lena Headey as Dorothy Hunt
Dorothy Hunt is the wife of Howard Hunt, but she is no typical housewife. There are reports that she was an asset for the CIA in her own right and would have a hand to play in the Watergate scandal.
Playing Dorothy Hunt is Lena Headey. The actress is of course best known for her role as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, Headey has also appeared in 300, Fighting With My Family, Gunpowder Milkshake and most recently lent her voice to the animated movie DC League of Super-Pets.
Judy Greer as Fran Liddy
Fran Liddy is the ever supporting wife of Gordon Liddy, in the show played by Judy Greer. Greer is a fan-favorite actress, known for roles in Archer, 13 Going on 30, Arrested Development and the new Halloween movies. More recently she starred in TV shows Reboot, The First Lady and The Thing About Pam.
Domhnall Gleeson as John Dean
John Dean was the White House counsel for Richard Nixon but who also involved with the Plumbers as part of the Watergate scandal.
Gleeson is coming off some of the best reviews of his career for the FX series The Patient. Among his other roles are the latest Star Wars trilogy, American Made, Brooklyn, Ex Machina and About Time.
Toby Huss as James McCord
McCord was another former CIA operative who was brought on in the official capacity to be the head of security for Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President, but would find himself in the thick of the Watergate scandal.
Toby Huss is a longtime character actor who is having a moment right now, as in addition to White House Plumbers he stars in the Paramount Plus original series Fatal Attraction. Some other Huss roles include Dickinson, Copshop and Halt and Catch Fire.
Ike Barinholtz as Jeb Magruder
Jeb Magruder was a White House communications adviser during the Nixon administration as well as a deputy director for Nixon’s re-election committee, which ultimately gave him ties to the Plumbers and the Watergate break-in.
Ike Barinholtz is a comedic actor you've likely seen in a number of projects over the last few years, including History of the World Part II, The Afterparty, Blockers, Neighbors and The Mindy Project. Another feather in his cap, Barinholtz was the recent winner of Celebrity Jeopardy!
Kathleen Turner as Dita Beard
Dita Beard worked for International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (I.T.T.), which was outside the government. However, a quid pro quo fundraising issue between I.T.T. and the Nixon administration would end up being a key part of the Watergate scandal.
Hollywood legend Kathleen Turner is playing Dita Beard. Turner was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the '80s and early '90s, appearing in the likes of Body Heat, Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married (her lone Oscar-nomination) and voicing Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? More recently she appeared in several episodes of The Kominsky Method.
Kim Coates as Frank Sturgis
Frank Sturgis was a police officer, private investigator, Marine and anti-communist recruited by Howard Hunt to assist with the Watergate break-in. Playing Sturgis in White House Plumbers is Kim Coates, best known for his roles in titles like Bad Blood, Sons of Anarchy, Goon and Godless.
Yul Vazques, Alexis Valdes, Nelson Ascencio and Tony Plana as the Cubans
The Cubans were members of the Watergate break-in team that all had ties to working with Hunt during his time at the CIA. Bernard "Macho" Barker (played by Yul Vazques), Felipe De Diego (played by Alexis Valdes) and Eugenio "Muscolito" Martinez (played by Tony Plana) first got involved with the break-in at Dr. Fielding's office, while Barker, Martinez and Virgili "Villo" Gonzalez (played by Nelson Ascencio) were part of the team that broke into Watergate.
Vazques is best known for roles in Godfather of Harlem and Severance; Valdes has appeared in 2011's Charlie Angels and Un rey en La Habana; Ascencio has starred in Gordita Chronicles and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire; and Plana's past credits include Ugly Better, Mayans M.C. and Three Amigos!
White House Plumbers premieres at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO on May 1, simultanesouly streaming on Max. There is no confirmed release date for the show in the UK at this time.
