Ellen Page and Mary J Blige lead the cast in Netflix’s new sci-fi series, The Umbrella Academy.
The superhero drama, based on the comic book series of the same name by My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, is centred around a dysfunctional family of superheroes who are reunited after a long period of estrangement when their father dies.
There is also, awkwardly, an apocalypse to worry about.
Page is joined by Game of Thrones star Tom Hopper and Mindhunter’s Cameron Britton, to name just a few. Find out everything you need to know about the cast of The Umbrella Academy below.
Vanya (Number Seven) – played by Ellen Page
Who is Vanya? One of 43 children born to mothers who had previously shown no signs of being pregnant on the same day in the 1980s. She and six others were adopted by a billionaire called Reginald Hargreeves, with the intent of creating a crime-fighting force. Vanya is the only one of the group who appears to have no particular superpowers. She’s pretty good at the violin, though…
Where have I seen Ellen Page before? The actress shot to prominence with her role as a young expectant mother in indie hit Juno, and went on to star in Inception and the X-Men franchise as Kitty Pryde. She has also featured in Hard Candy, Flatliners and presented a Vice documentary called Gaycation.
The Boy (Number Five) – played by Aidan Gallagher
Who is The Boy? Vanya’s adoptive brother, who has the ability to move through time and space. One day during their childhood, he willed himself a little too far into the future, and couldn’t find his way back – until now.
Where have I seen Aidan Gallagher before? He starred in Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn, and guested in an episode of Modern Family.
Luther (Number One) – played by Tom Hopper
Who is Luther? The golden child of the family, and their father’s favourite. He is blessed with super-strength, but his life was changed irrevocably after a mission to Mars went wrong…
Where have I seen Tom Hopper before? He played Dickson Tarly in Game of Thrones, and Sir Percival in Merlin. He also made a brief appearance in Matt Smith era Doctor Who episode The Eleventh Hour.
Klaus (Number Four) – played by Robert Sheehan
Who is Klaus? The messy, drug-addicted sibling. His powers enable him to hear the dead, who are quite chatty as it turns out. He abuses drugs and alcohol to silence them.
Where have I seen Robert Sheehan before? He is best known as Nathan Young in Misfits, and has also starred in Love/Hate, Fortitude, Mute, Genius and The Young Offenders.
Allison (Number Three) – played by Emmy Raver-Lampman
Who is Allisson? The mother-of-one, also known as The Rumour, is blessed with the power of reality manipulation. She has a special bond with Luther, but doesn’t know his secret at the beginning of the series…
Where have I seen Emmy Raver-Lampman before? The Umbrella Academy is her first major TV role – but you may have caught her in the US national tour of Hamilton as Angelica Schulyer.
Diego (Number Two) – played by David Castaneda
Who is Diego? The rebellious sibling, and an adept knife-thrower. He is deeply envious of his brother Luther’s status as the favourite.
Where have I seen David Castaneda before? He played Hector in Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and has also starred in Jane the Virgin and End of Watch.
Cha-Cha – played by Mary J Blige
Who is Cha-Cha? A deadly contract killer, who can travel through time.
Where have I seen Mary J Blige before? The legendary popstar was Oscar-nominated for her role in Netflix’s period drama Mudbound, and she also starred in Scream: the TV series, Empire, Black-ish, Rock of Ages and Prison Song.
Hazel – played by Cameron Britton
Who is Hazel? Cha-Cha’s partner, quite literally, in crime.
Where have I seen Cameron Britton before? He played the deeply creepy serial killer Ed Kemper in Mindhunter, and has had small roles in Barry and The Girl in the Spider’s Web.
Sir Reginald Hargreeves – played by Colm Feore
Who is Reginald Hargreeves? A billionaire who adopted seven of the magical out-of-nowhere babies with the aim of assembling a team of superheroes.
Where have I seen Colm Feore before? He is best known for roles in Chicago, The Chronicles of Riddick, Thor and House of Cards.
Pogo – played by Adam Godley
Who is Pogo? A talking monkey, formerly Reginald Hargreeves’ loyal aide.
Who plays Pogo in Umbrella Academy? Actor Adam Godley is the man behind the monkey. He played Elliot Schwartz in Breaking Bad, Nigel Lesbitt in Suits and Jocelyn Pugh in lodge 49. He has also appeared in Love Actually, Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Theory of Everything.
Leonard Peabody – played by John Magaro
Who is Leonard Peabody? A student of Vanya’s (she teaches violin) who takes a shine to her.
Where have I seen John Magaro before? He has featured in The Big Short, Carol, Not Fade Away, Amazon’s Jack Ryan and Orange is the New Black.
Watch The Umbrella Academy on Netflix from Friday 14th February 2019
from Radio Times http://bit.ly/2N7VePf
