Though not as highly rated as some other HBO shows such as Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, Deadwood remains a critically acclaimed series that fans still revisit today. It is set in the titular western town that represents the last lawless society of the Old West. Here, various characters come to make their fortune by any means necessary.
Part of what makes Deadwood search a successful show is its amazing cast, including actors like Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane in lead roles. Throughout its three-season run, the show also featured a number of notable guest stars from acclaimed character actors to rising stars. Here are some of the actors you forgot guest-starred on Deadwood.
ZZ Top
This might be a bit of a cheat since ZZ Top is comprised of more than one person, and they’re also not actors; however, they certainly were notable guest stars for the show. This famous band is known for their hit songs like “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man.
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, the two heavily bearded members of the classic rock group, show up in what ended up being the series finale. They appear uncredited as townsmen, and given the look of the people of Deadwood, they blend right in.
Brian Cox
Brian Cox is an acclaimed and renowned Scottish character actor who has built an impressive film and television career over the years. Cox has appeared in giant epics like Braveheart, serious dramas like 25th Hour and even superhero films like X2: X-Men United. He can currently be seen in another acclaimed HBO drama, Succession.
Cox has probably the most notable guest-starring role on this list as he joined Season 3 of Deadwood as Jack Langrishe. Langrishe was an old friend of Al Swearengen who sought to establish a theater company in Deadwood.
Dennis Christopher
Though he never achieved massive success in Hollywood, Dennis Christopher has been a hard-working and successful actor for several decades now. His big break came with a role in the acclaimed coming-of-age film, Breaking Away. He also starred in the made-for-television movie version of Stephen King’s It and recently had a role in Django Unchained.
Along with Brian Cox, Christopher joined the show in its third season as Bellegarde, a member of Jack’s theater company who had a difficult time adjusting to the lawless town they were in.
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is another character actor who may not be instantly recognizable but who has a stellar filmography from a long career. He is probably best known for playing the mysterious government official Keys in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Coyote is also the narrative voice behind several Ken Burns documentaries.
He lent his calm yet authoritative presence to one episode in the show’s first season as a military officer who leads his troops into Deadwood.
Timothy Omundson
Timothy Omundson is a talented and versatile actor who has had an eclectic television career over the years. He is probably best known for his role as Carlton Lassiter on Psych and for his more recent role on This is Us.
Omundson was introduced on Deadwood as what seemed like a prominent character of Brom Garret, a big city gentleman who sought fortune digging for gold. Brom soon finds he is out of his element among the town’s more nefarious citizens, which leads to an early demise for him.
Joel McKinnon Miller
Joel McKinnon Miller is instantly recognizable to Brooklyn Nine-Nine fans as the lazy, slobby Detective Scully on the beloved sitcom. Miller has also starred in shows like Big Love and high-profile movies like Super 8 and The Truman Show.
Miller appears in the first season of the show in a small role as a saloon patron. Funny enough, his Brooklyn Nine-Nine partner, Dirk Blocker ,also appears in the first season of Deadwood years before the two would play best buddies on the sitcom.
Ricky Jay
Ricky Jay has a fascinating Hollywood career that features a number of high-profile roles. Jay started out as a stage magician, known for his skills with sleight of hand magic. He even consulted on a number of films for this reason while building a solid acting career of his own with roles in Boogie Nights and Tomorrow Never Dies. He sadly passed away in 2018.
Jay had a supporting role in the first season of the show as Eddie Sawyer, the right-hand man of Cy Tolliver. Though a fairly substantial role in the first season, Eddie disappeared from the show soon after.
Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson has gone from an acclaimed character actor to one of the most sought-after actors in the business. Her impressive television career includes American Horror Story and The People Vs. OJ Simpson while she has appeared in films like 12 Years a Slave and Glass.
She had a memorable role throughout the second season of the show as Miss Isringhausen, a woman who is hired by Alma Garret as a nanny but soon shows she has ambitions of her own. Though not a central role, it allowed Paulson to show off her considerable versatility.
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is one of the most likable and funniest actors working today. He is the kind of actor who makes people smile as soon as he appears on the screen. Though he has a long and accomplished career, he is obviously best known for his iconic performance as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation.
While Ron is a very serious man of action, he played quite the opposite in Deadwood as a drunken fool who quickly gets himself killed by Wild Bill Hickok. Also, surprisingly, this role features a memorable nude scene from Offerman.
Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell shot to fame thanks to her knockout performance as the titular character on the teen drama, Veronica Mars. Based on that show’s success, Bell has been made a hugely successful career for herself with films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, shows like The Good Place and, of course, animated features like Frozen.
Before her career really took off, Bell had a memorable role in two episodes of Deadwood. She played a young con artist who attempted to rip off the Bella Union with deadly results.
