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List of This Is Us characters
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This Is Us is an American television series created by Dan Fogelman that premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016.[1] The ensemble cast stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, and Ron Cephas Jones.
Contents
[hide]
1 Main characters
1.1 Family tree
1.2 Jack Pearson
1.3 Rebecca Pearson
1.4 Kevin Pearson
1.5 Kate Pearson
1.6 Randall Pearson
1.7 Beth Pearson
1.8 Toby Damon
1.9 William Hill
1.10 Miguel Rivas
1.11 Sophie
1.12 Tess Pearson
1.13 Annie Pearson
2 Recurring characters
2.1 Introduced in season one
2.2 Introduced in season two
3 Guest stars
3.1 Introduced in season one
3.2 Introduced in season two
4 References
Main characters[edit]
Family tree[edit]
The characters in green have regular roles on the show. Dotted lines indicate a parental relationship through adoption, and dashed lines indicate either divorced, or widowed (or similarly separated), characters.
Jack Pearson Rebecca Pearson Miguel Rivas William Hill Laurel
Sophie Kevin Pearson Kate Pearson Toby Damon Randall Pearson Beth Pearson
Tess Pearson Annie Pearson Déjà
Jack Pearson[edit]
Jack Pearson (August 31, 1944 – January 26, 1998),[2][3] portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, was Rebecca's first husband (until he died), and the father of Kevin, Kate, and Randall.[4] Jack had a brother named Nick.[5]
Jack had a rough childhood because of his abusive, alcoholic father Stanley Pearson, causing them to have a strained relationship. (Stanley did not know that Jack was married, so when Jack found out that he and Rebecca were expecting triplets, he went to his father asking for money, citing gambling debts, rather than telling him that he intended to buy a house for his family.[6] When Stanley was in the nursing home dying, he met Rebecca and his granddaughter Kate for the first time. Jack was camping with Kevin and Randall when Rebecca contacted him about his father dying, but Jack refused to see him.)[5]
Jack was drafted into the Army at age 25; he served in the Vietnam War as a mechanic.[7][8] He served along with his brother Nick, who died in the war.[5][9] (After Jack took Randall to Washington, D.C. on a college tour to Howard University, he took Randall to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and told him about being drafted and how the war affected him; this may have been the first time that Jack shared about his Vietnam experiences to a member of the Pearson family—including Rebecca.)[8][10]
After serving in the war, and working as a manual laborer, Jack became a construction foreman. When he wanted to buy the house for his family, he approached his boss and got a raise to $17,000 a year (equivalent to more than $49,000 in 2016), making him the highest paid foreman at the company.[6] He dreamed of opening his own firm, "Big Three Homes", but put his dreams on hold in order to provide a steady income for his children by getting a desk job.[11] However, he later decided to start the business, though the Big Three were about to start college.[12]
Two of the triplets (the third triplet was stillborn) and Randall (who was left at a fire station) were all born on Jack's 36th birthday.[4] Jack always wanted to find out who Randall's biological father was, and never knew that Rebecca had found him.[13]
Jack struggled with alcoholism while the children were young, but he stopped drinking to focus more on his family.[14] (Sometimes he'd vent his anger on a punching bag to avoid drinking after a tough day.)[15] However, he relapsed into alcoholism when he had a drink after a disagreement and argument with his wife, who wanted to go on tour with a band with a member she'd once dated.[16] His drinking continued for some time until he decided to deal with the problem by attending AA meetings.[15] His sobriety and AA work continued for at least 6 months.[8]
Jack died when his children were 17,[2] and Kate keeps his ashes with her.[17][18] On the night of the Super Bowl, Jack, Rebecca, Kate, and Randall go to bed for the night (Kevin was at a party with his girlfriend Sophie). [19] Previously, a smoke alarm was shown to be missing batteries, and thus be inoperable.[12] An old slow cooker given years previous by a neighbor was shown to have a faulty switch, which sparked and flamed, setting a towel and the house ablaze.
Jack saved Kate and Randall from the fire by guiding them to his and Rebecca's bedroom. He then hoisted them down from the first story roof. Kate was worried about her dog, so Jack went back inside and got the dog and other family pictures. Jack was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, which caused stress on his heart and eventually caused fatal cardiac arrest.[20]
Rebecca Pearson[edit]
Rebecca Pearson née Malone (born 1950 or 1951), portrayed by Mandy Moore, is Jack's widow, Miguel Rivas' second wife (after Jack died), and the mother of Kevin, Kate, and Randall.[4]
She strives to be a better mother to her children,[21] and has issues with Jack's alcoholism.[14] She has always known that William is Randall's father, but kept them apart as she was afraid that he would try to take Randall back.[13]
Rebecca always wanted to be a singer, but gave up on her dreams in order to focus on her family.[22] In the mid 1990s, she had a chance to become a singer again by joining a band with her ex-boyfriend. Jack was upset after finding out about their history, which caused a rift between Rebecca and Jack.[16]
When the house caught fire and Jack suffered smoke inhalation, at the hospital, since Jack appeared to be fine, Rebecca was making reservations for hotel rooms—unaware that Jack was coding and staff was rushing to him. After making reservations, Rebecca got a candy bar for her and Jack. Rebecca turned around and the doctor explained the cause of Jack's cardiac arrest. In shock, Rebecca took a bite of the candy bar, refusing to believe Jack was dead. She goes to his room to tell him what the doctor said, only to see him lifeless. She immediately shuts down upon seeing him dead. She then drives to Miguel's and tells him the news, then goes in to talk to Kate and Randall. [3]
Since she was out of Jack's room when he died, Rebecca got the Pearsons to the funeral early, because she wanted to be present when the urn with Jack's ashes was brought out. After Jack's funeral, Dr. K let Rebecca know that she had always been strong. This encouragement gave her the strength to let Kevin and Randall know that neither of them needed to be "the man of the house", since they were teenagers and should be dating, and to tell Kate not to blame herself for Jack's death because Jack made his own decisions. She also got the courage to drive across a bridge she had feared, while taking the "Big Three" to a Bruce Springsteen concert that Jack had previously obtained tickets for the night of the funeral.[9]
At least 10 years after Jack's death, Rebecca posted pictures of Tess, her first grandchild, on Facebook, then got a message from Jack's best friend, Miguel Rivas.[23] Rebecca later married Miguel.[14]
Kevin Pearson[edit]
Kevin Pearson (born August 31, 1980), portrayed by Justin Hartley (current day), Logan Shroyer (age 15—17), and Parker Bates (ages 8—10), is Jack and Rebecca's son, and Kate and Randall's brother.[4] He is "Number One" of the "Big Three", being the first of the surviving triplets to be born.[4]
Shortly before his tenth birthday, Kevin became attracted to Kate's best friend, Sophie, whom he married when they were older. Kevin and Sophie decided that she would stay in New York and he would move to California to pursue acting, believing that their marriage could handle the distance. Kevin and Sophie later divorced, 12 years prior to season 1, due to the distance and Kevin cheating on her.[18][24]
Kevin has always struggled with worrying about what people think of him, which caused him to have a strained relationship with Randall as they grew up.[14] Kevin was visibly envious of Randall, who had always excelled in everything and received more attention from their parents, but he didn't realize that Randall has longed for the same attention from him. In high school he played football, as a quarterback, wearing number twelve one year and number one the next[22][25] (His number one jersey was on display with Kevin's trophies when he visited the high school at age 37, for an alumni celebration.)[25] His goal of a football career ended when his knee was injured from a tackle during a game.[25]
Kevin was an actor in Los Angeles, starring as the lead on a long-running sitcom called The Manny, a sitcom in the tradition of Who's the Boss and The Nanny. He abruptly quit that show on his 36th birthday, criticizing the script quality, the producer's reluctance to add nuance to the show, and the audience.[4] After quitting his job, Kevin decided to move to New York to pursue a career as a serious stage actor on Broadway.[26] Upon arriving in New York, he got hired as the lead role, David, in Back of an Egg, opposite a cynical actress named Olivia Maine (who thought Kevin did not have the ability, but that Kevin was hired because his being "The Manny" would sell tickets).[26]
When Kevin had trouble connecting with the emotions needed for his role, he began spending time with Olivia, who tried to get him to connect with his feelings.[11] Kevin and Olivia briefly dated, but broke up after she brought her ex-boyfriend to the Pearson family cabin.[13] After his breakup with Olivia, Kevin began dating the writer of the play, Sloane Sandburg, attending Hanukkah with her family and inviting her to the Christmas Eve party at Randall's house.[27]
Sloane took over as the lead of the play when Olivia disappeared and the play was at risk. Kevin decided to self-fund the performance, in order to save it.[6] After Kevin and Sloane broke up, he reconnected with Sophie and began a relationship with her again.[18][28]
Director Ron Howard saw Kevin's play and had him cast in a war movie.[28] Kevin had trouble with his lines when he could not focus after, when Kate (visiting the set) talked with costar Sylvester Stallone about her dad, Stallone talked to Kevin about his dad. Kevin also reinjured his knee (an old football injury) during an explosion on the set.[29]
As a result of the injury, Kevin became addicted to pain medication and alcohol, and allowed his relationship with Sophie to deteriorate by telling her that he saw a future with her as a nightmare, although he failed to specify that this was due to his alcoholism and drug addition.[30] One day after a brief visit with Randall, Kevin was speeding down a road, unaware that Tess was hiding in the back seat; Kevin was pulled over and charged with DUI, and Randall and Beth became angry with Kevin for endangering Tess.[8] The judge ordered Kevin to go to rehab.[2]
As part of Kevin's ongoing efforts to rehabilitate, he was determined to make amends with everyone. He settled things with his mom (who was hurt during the rehab family session, tearfully revealing that Kevin was the first to leave after Jack's death.)[6] Kevin found out from Miguel that the thought of his being in love with Rebecca never crossed his mind while Jack was alive, and Miguel reassured him that he loved Rebecca now and was not going anywhere.[12] When Kevin attempted to make things right with Sophie, she told him to not say anything and to just leave her with the memories of how he was at 10, or 17, or when their marriage was good.[31] Kevin reconciled with Randall by helping him fix up the apartment building William lived in, and the two shared with each other how odd it felt that they could outlive their dad.[31] On Super Bowl Sunday, about 20 years after Jack's death, Kevin visited the memorial tree with some of his dad's ashes, to talk with him, vowing to make him proud.[3] (Kevin was at a party with Sophie when the house caught fire.)[31][3]
Kate Pearson[edit]
Kate Emily Pearson (born August 31, 1980), portrayed by Chrissy Metz (current day), Hannah Zeile (age 15—17), and Mackenzie Hancsicsak (ages 8—10), is Jack and Rebecca's daughter, and Kevin and Randall's sister.[4] She is "Number Two" of the "Big Three", being the second and last of the surviving triplets to be born.[4]
Kate is obese and has struggled with issues of self-esteem her entire life, which she greatly attributes to her strained relationship with her mother and the death of her father.[4][28] Her relationship with her mother led to depression, for which she later took Prozac. She discontinued taking this drug due to the side effect of weight gain.[27]
Kate lives in Los Angeles and was her brother, Kevin's, personal assistant.[32] When Kevin decided to move to New York, he fired her in order to allow her to build her own life, apart from him.[26] She is an ardent Pittsburgh Steelers fan and has a routine where she watches the games with her dad's ashes.[17] At nine years old, she had her appendix removed on Christmas Eve.[27]
Kate decided to join a weight-loss support group, where she met Toby. Despite saying that she was not going to get involved with a fat person, she fell for Toby.[4] When Toby decided to not continue with his diet, Kate broke up with him and decided to go to Randall's for Thanksgiving. During a turbulent plane ride to New Jersey, Kate had an epiphany and decided to have gastric bypass surgery.[33] After consulting with a doctor, she instead decided to enter a fat camp to attempt to lose the weight without surgery.[18] When Toby surprised Kate by showing up at Randall's house for Christmas, he told her that he can live without pizza and junk food, but that he cannot live without her.[27] Toby collapsed from a heart attack, and was taken to the hospital.
After Toby's heart surgery, Kate and Toby decided to get engaged.[6] Kate later found out she was pregnant.[34] Kate and Toby announced their pregnancy to Kevin, and planned to get married at city hall, but then considered a big wedding.[30] But Kate lost the baby in a miscarriage.[35] Despite some struggle in their relationship after the miscarriage, Toby eventually came through for Kate.[35] Kate struggled with eating junk food after the miscarriage, which Toby noticed when a trash bag broke.[2]
Kate had said that her father's death was her fault,[28] and has a fear of caring for dogs.[31] (Jack went back inside their burning house to save her dog, causing smoke inhalation which led to his death in the hospital. Afterwards, Kate wanted to give away the dog.)[3] She blames herself even though Rebecca told Kate after Jack's funeral not to blame herself, because Jack made his own decisions.[9] Every year on Super Bowl Sunday, Kate would watch the videotape Jack made of her singing for a Berklee College of Music audition.[3]
Randall Pearson[edit]
Randall Kenneth Pearson (born August 31, 1980), portrayed by Sterling K. Brown (current day), Niles Fitch (ages 15—17), and Lonnie Chavis (ages 8—10), is Jack and Rebecca's (adopted) son, and Kate and Kevin's brother.[4] He is "Number Three" of the "Big Three", being adopted after Kevin and Kate were born.[4] On his 36th birthday, he found his biological father, William, and invited him to his northern New Jersey home.[4]
Randall worked at selling commodity futures based on weather patterns, and was shown to be successful and affluent.[11] However, after a nervous breakdown and some time off, he felt that his firm did not appreciate or respect him, and quit.[16][28]
On the day that Randall was born, he was dropped off in front of a firehouse by his biological father, William, and then taken to the hospital, where he was adopted by Jack and Rebecca.[4] Jack and Rebecca originally named him Kyle (the name they had intended for their third child, who was stillborn). Taking William's advice, Rebecca decided to give him his own name, naming him after William's favorite poet, Dudley Randall, although she refused to let William see Randall.[4][32] This allowed them to honor both their stillborn son's memory and Randall, rather than essentially replacing one son with the other.
At age nine, Randall’s teacher informed Jack and Rebecca that Randall was a gifted child who was not being challenged enough at his current school. They decided to remove him from public school and send him to Hanes Academy.[11] In high school Randall played football, wearing number 36.[22]
Randall and Kevin had an estranged relationship and didn't reconnect until they were 36 years old. At some points, Kevin openly despised Randall.[14] At a high school football game, where they played on opposing teams, they got in a fight.[22] However, there were also some moments when they acted like brothers.[5] When they were teenagers, Kevin was there with Kate to comfort Randall when a woman claimed to be his birth mother as a scam to get money.[29] When they were 36, they got in a fight on the street in New York, but Kevin told onlookers they were brothers.[22] When Randall had his nervous breakdown, Kevin left the theater—when opening day was about to start—to comfort Randall.[16]
As an adult, Kevin was hurt that Randall didn't seem to care about his acting career.[22] They began to reconnect when Kevin needed Randall's advice, but Randall coldly told him he shouldn't care what he thinks. Eventually, Kevin moved to Randall's house in New Jersey, but they still had some work to do on building their relationship.[26] He loves Thanksgiving and has his family recreate a specific childhood Thanksgiving every year, including a 3.4 mile hike, watching Police Academy 3: Back in Training, and imitating a hotel owner known as "Pilgrim Rick".[33]
In season 2, Randall wanted to adopt a baby (to honor his father's legacy), but decided (with Beth's input) to foster an older child who may need help.[7][19] They fostered a 12-year old girl named Deja, whose mother Shauna was incarcerated. She showed signs of physical abuse, but Randall and Beth started to win her trust and get her to open up.[29][34][5] When the charges against Shauna were dropped, Deja went back home with her (over Randall's initial objections). Randall and Beth planned to try fostering again after some time.[8]
Beth Pearson[edit]
Beth Pearson, portrayed by Susan Kelechi Watson, is Randall's wife, whom he met in college and later married, circa 1999. The couple has two daughters, Annie and Tess.[14] Their marriage is based on honesty where they make an effort not to have secrets from one another. William revealed to Beth that he had met and communicated with Rebecca. This caused Beth to give Rebecca an ultimatum: to either tell Randall or she would. Growing up, Beth lived in a three-bedroom house with 14 other people.[22] After Randall quit his job, Beth took a job so Randall could be a stay-at-home dad.[19] But after a while, Beth thought Randall was in "outer space", and Beth thought working again would be good for Randall.[12]
When Annie's pet lizard "Mr. McGiggles" went missing during a Super Bowl Party, she accidentally stepped on him, killing him.[3]
Toby Damon[edit]
Toby Damon, portrayed by Chris Sullivan is Kate's fiancé[6] Toby was born in Palm Springs, California.[6] Toby began dating Kate after they met at a weight-loss support group.[4] Toby is confident with his own body although obese, and encourages Kate to have better self-esteem. He was previously married to a woman whom Kate views as beautiful and successful, but who treated him badly. Toby gained 90 pounds in the first year after his divorce.[26]
Refusing to take Kate's hesitance about the relationship lightly, Toby has continually come up with sweet gestures to win her over.[32] In the beginning, he felt that he had to compete with Kevin for Kate's attention.[32] Despite breaking his weight-loss goals, Toby decided dieting was not for him and went off his diet, resulting in Kate breaking up with him.[13] He surprised Kate by showing up at Randall's house for Christmas Eve, stating that he could live without pizza and junk food, but that he could not live without her.[27] On Christmas Eve, Toby collapsed and ended up in the hospital with an arrhythmia.[27]
After Toby's heart surgery, he and Kate decided to get engaged.[6] Kate became pregnant with Toby's child, but she miscarried; afterwards, despite an initial struggle in their relationship, Toby came through for her.[34][35] Kate, around the 20th anniversary of Jack's death, told Toby he strengthens her and Jack would have loved him.[3]
William Hill[edit]
William H. "Shakespeare" Hill (died 2017), portrayed by Ron Cephas Jones (recent days) and Jermel Nakia (as a young adult), was Randall's biological father.[32]
William was a recovering drug addict who was suffering from terminal stage-four stomach cancer in the present.[26] He grew up in Memphis,[18] and after his mother moved to Pittsburgh he stayed in Memphis to play in his cousin Ricky's band, where he played piano, wrote, and sang.[36] William left the band, with the intention of returning, to care for his dying mother. However, after meeting Randall's mother and becoming a drug addict, he never returned.[36] He got clean after he thought he saw a monkey on the streets, realizing that nothing good comes from a person being on the street at 3:30 am. (He also stayed clean for years after being told by a judge, who offered to help him after his first conviction, to picture the judge's face when he was tempted to do the wrong thing.)[30] William returned to Philadelphia to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, hoping to find and reconnect with his former lover—a man named Jessie.[27]
William, who was bisexual, and Jesse never officially broke up. Jessie assumed William had died when he vanished one night—the night William moved in with Randall's family.[27]
After leaving Randall at the firehouse, he waited outside the hospital to see him being taken home by Jack and Rebecca. Rebecca realized that William was Randall's father, after seeing him getting onto the bus as she left the hospital. She eventually tracked him down,[14] a secret she kept from everyone, including Randall and Jack.[13]
William always wanted to have a relationship with his child,[13] but promised Rebecca he would stay away for Randall's benefit.[32] He accidentally revealed this secret to Beth one night when they got high together,[22] and Randall accidentally found out himself, when he found a letter and photo in William's apartment, from Rebecca, while looking for cassette tapes.[33] (William also told Randall about the second time William saw Rebecca; he took a cab to follow her home, hoping he could be in Randall's life, but when he was outside the house, he thought better of it.)[8]
William eventually succumbed to his cancer during a road trip back to Memphis with Randall.[36] Prior to his death he left a letter to Randall's girls, asking them to plan a fun memorial for him. He also sent Beth a postcard from Memphis, saying goodbye and calling her the daughter he never had.[28]
Miguel Rivas[edit]
Miguel Rivas, portrayed by Jon Huertas, was Jack's best friend and is Rebecca's second husband. Miguel was originally married to Shelly, before they divorced.[24] While it originally seemed that his marriage to Rebecca happened shortly after Jack's death, in season 2 it is clarified that the two did not get together until at least ten years after Jack's passing.[23][2] Miguel was initially disliked by Kevin, until Miguel told Kevin how much he is like his father.[16]
Miguel told Beth and Toby one day, when Kevin in rehab was meeting with "immediate family", that he felt like a real outsider compared to them and the Pearson family.[2] When Kevin got out of rehab and stayed with Rebecca, Miguel was protective of her after she was hurt by Kevin's arrest, and by Kevin criticizing her in his rehab session with the family.[12] Kevin asked Miguel if he was in love with Rebecca when Jack was alive; Miguel said that idea never occurred to him because everyone saw Jack and Rebecca as one entity rather than two separate individuals. But he stated that he loves Rebecca now, and is not going anywhere.[12]
Sophie[edit]
Sophie, portrayed by Alexandra Breckenridge (modern day), Amanda Leighton (ages 15-17), and Sophia Coto (age 10), was Kate's childhood best friend and Kevin's childhood love and his ex-wife. Kevin moved to New York and reconciled with her, after his relationships with Olivia and Sloane ended.[18][28] Their relationship initially survived the distance when Kevin was in his movie in L.A., but Kevin broke up with Sophie, admitting that he couldn't be the man that he wanted to be for her.[30] When Kevin got sober, he tried making amends to Sophie; she just wanted to remember Kevin when they were younger.[3]
Tess Pearson[edit]
Tess Pearson, portrayed by Eris Baker, is Randall and Beth's older daughter. She was promoted to series regular in season two.[37] She was named after the Tessana ceiling fan Randall was going to purchase when hearing about Beth going into labor.[23] Although not noticed acting out previously, she hid in her uncle Kevin's car (claiming she hates it at her house), when he was pulled over for speeding and charged with DUI;[8] she later claimed she was just unhappy that Deja, the foster child, had to go home.[2] Tess admitted one day (on the 20th anniversary of Jack's death) she had tried to prevent social workers from calling, worried that recent changes meant Randall wanted a "new life"; Randall reassured her that he would always be devoted to her.[3] Tess is shown in the future as an adult, working as a social worker, with an older Randall meeting her for dinner like they have done while Tess was younger.[3]
Annie Pearson[edit]
Annie Pearson, portrayed by Faithe Herman, is Randall and Beth's younger daughter. She was also promoted to series regular in season two.[37] On William's first night at Randall's family's house, when William wanted to step out, Annie convinced William that he might be happy if he stayed. [29]
Recurring characters[edit]
Introduced in season one[edit]
Gerald McRaney as Dr. Nathan Katowski (aka "Dr. K"): The obstetrician who delivered Kate and Kevin.
Dr. K was married to his wife, Caroline, for 53 years before she passed away in 1979.[38] He and Caroline had five children, the first of which was stillborn.[38] Dr. K became a last-minute substitute for Rebecca's regular doctor, whose appendix burst. After one of the triplets is stillborn, he gave Jack some fatherly advice, and unknowingly convinced Jack to adopt Randall.[4] Dr. K eventually dated and married Anne.[38][9] They attended Jack's funeral, and Dr. K gave Rebecca some encouragement afterwards.[9]
Janet Montgomery as Olivia Maine: a theatre actress, Kevin's former stage partner and ex-girlfriend.
Olivia is originally from England, and the daughter of an American mother. She is very cynical and does not commit to relationships. She attended Thanksgiving at Randall's house and began dating Kevin. After breaking up with Kevin, Olivia vanished and stopped showing up for the show rehearsals.[27] After her return, she found that Kevin was dating Sloane.[6]
Milana Vayntrub as Sloane Sandburg: Kevin's stage partner and ex-girlfriend.
Sloane was the writer of Kevin's play, and she began dating him after his breakup with Olivia.[13] She brought Kevin to her family's Hanukkah dinner and went with him to Randall's house for Christmas Eve.[27] Kevin convinced her to take over the starring role of the play after Olivia vanished.[27] After Olivia suddenly returned, Sloane overheard Kevin telling Olivia that he could not take her back and that he was staying with Sloane, because it is the "right thing" to do. She broke up with Kevin, but continued to work on the play with him as friends.[18]
Ryan Michelle Bathe as Yvette: A family friend of the Pearsons.
Yvette became friends with the Pearsons, after meeting them at the local pool. She became their initial connection with Black life and culture for Randall's sake.[26]
Denis O'Hare as Jessie: William's friend and former lover.[27][6]
Adam Bartley as Duke: The stable worker at the weight-loss camp Kate attended.
Duke works at a horse stable of the weight-loss camp his family owns. He continuously was rude to and hitting on Kate, inviting her to his cabin, despite her being engaged. Although he constantly criticized the whole weight-loss concept, when Kate went to his cabin and criticized him, he said his parents run the camp, and terminated her stay.[18][16]
Jill Johnson as Laurie: A member of Toby and Kate's weight-loss support group.[4]
Peter Onorati as Stanley Pearson: Jack's father.
Jack had a strained relationship with Stanley, who was alcoholic and abusive.[6][7] When Stanley was dying, Jack did not want to see him.[5]
Hari Dhillon as Sanjay Jahiri: Randall's newer former coworker.
Sanjay was given much of Randall's work before Randall had his nervous breakdown.[16]
Caitlin Thompson as Madison: Member of Toby and Kate's support group.
Kate at first had little patience for Madison, who did not appear to have the issues the rest of the group has. In a season two episode, after Kate criticized Madison in group, she accidentally bumped into Madison's vehicle; Kate ended up telling her she was pregnant, so Madison was the first to hear about Kate's pregnancy.[5] Kate later befriended Madison, and discovered Madison was bulimic.[12]
Introduced in season two[edit]
Lyric Ross as Deja: Randall and Beth's foster child while her mother was incarcerated.[39]
Guest stars[edit]
The following is a supplementary list of guest stars, some recurring, who appear in lesser roles. The characters are listed, in alphabetical order by actor, by the season in which they first appeared.
Introduced in season one[edit]
Susan Blakely as Anne: Dr. K, a widower, dates and marries Anne.[38][9]
Katie Couric as herself: Kevin had a recurring dream about an interview by Katie Couric going badly.[16]
Wynn Everett as Shelly: Shelly was Miguel's first wife until their divorce.[24]
Brad Garrett as Wes Manning: Wes was the television network president tasked with negotiating Kevin's exit from The Manny.[14]
Jami Gertz as Marin Rosenthal: Marin hired Kate to be an event coordinator.[11]
Ron Howard as himself: After Howard saw Kevin's play, he called Kevin to praise his performance and offered to send him a script for a new movie he was producing.[28]
Mario Lopez as himself: Lopez was hosting a talk show discussing Kevin's on-set meltdown.[4]
Seth Meyers as himself: Meyers saw Kevin and Randall fighting on a New York City sidewalk and approached the pair, recognizing Kevin as a showbiz colleague.[22]
Elizabeth Perkins as Janet Malone: Rebecca's overbearing mother.
Katey Sagal as Lanie Schulz: Kevin's Hollywood agent.[14]
Jimmi Simpson as Andy Fannan: Andy was a co-worker whom Randall talked out of committing suicide on Christmas Eve.[27]
Alan Thicke as himself: Thicke was guest-starring on The Manny when Kevin had his on-set meltdown.[4]
Introduced in season two[edit]
Kate Burton as Barbara: Psychologist at Kevin's rehab who facilitates his meeting with the family.[40]
Garrett Morris as Lloyd: A resident living in William's old apartment building.[41]
Debra Jo Rupp as Linda: A social worker who worked with Randall and Beth Pearson when they fostered Deja.[42]
Sylvester Stallone as himself: Actor in a movie Kevin was cast in.[43]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Bianco, Robert (September 20, 2016), "Review: 'This is Us' is heartfelt (if sweet-toothed) family drama", USA Today
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "The Fifth Wheel". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 11. January 9, 2018. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Super Bowl Sunday". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 14. February 4, 2018. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Pilot". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 1. September 20, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Brothers". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 5. October 24, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "The Right Thing to Do". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 11. January 10, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Moonshadow". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 18. March 14, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Number Three". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 10. November 28, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "The Car". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 15. February 6, 2018. NBC.
Jump up ^ Snierson, Dan (November 29, 2017). "'This Is Us' producer breaks down fall finale, what's next". EW.com. Time Inc. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Career Days". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 6. November 1, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Clooney". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 12. January 16, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "The Trip". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 9. November 29, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "The Big Three". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 2. September 27, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b "A Manny-Splendored Thing". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 2. October 3, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Jack Pearson's Son". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 15. February 14, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b "The Game Plan". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 5. October 25, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Three Sentences". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 13. January 24, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "A Father's Advice". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 1. September 26, 2017. NBC.
Jump up ^ Klein, Sarah (February 5, 2018). "We Finally Know How Jack Pearson Died on 'This Is Us'—and It's Surprisingly Common". Health.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
Jump up ^ "All hail the rise of the reasonably competent TV heroine". Toronto Star, November 5, 2016, Sophie Van Bastelaer.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "The Best Washing Machine in the World". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 7. November 15, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "The 20's". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 6. October 31, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "I Call Marriage". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 14. February 7, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Number One". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 8. November 14, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "The Pool". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 4. October 18, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Last Christmas". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 10. December 6, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "What Now?". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 17. March 7, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "Déjà Vu". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 3. October 10, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Most Disappointed Man". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 7. November 7, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "That'll Be the Day". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 13. January 23, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Kyle". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 3. October 11, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Pilgrim Rick". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 8. November 22, 2016. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Still There". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 4. October 17, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Number Two". This is Us. Season 2. Episode 9. November 21, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Memphis". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 16. February 21, 2017. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b Petski, Denise (June 30, 2017). "'This Is Us': 7 Young Actors Upped To Series Regulars For Season 2 Of NBC Drama". Deadline.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Big Day". This is Us. Season 1. Episode 12. January 17, 2017. NBC.
Jump up ^ Keveney, Bill (November 6, 2017). "Everything's Deja new for 'This Is Us' star Lyric Ross". USA Today. The Gannett Company. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
Jump up ^ Blickley, Leigh (January 9, 2018). "Kevin's Addiction Will Surely Signal New Revelations About Jack On 'This Is Us'". HuffingtonPost.com. Oath Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
Jump up ^ Snierson, Dan (January 16, 2018). "This Is Us producer on that ominous clue about Jack's death: 'We are very close'". EW.com. Time Inc. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 3, 2017). "'This Is Us' Season 2 Details: EP Dan Fogelman Talks; Sylvester Stallone To Guest Star – TCA". Deadline.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
Jump up ^ Otterson, Joe (August 3, 2017). "'This Is Us' Season 2 Adds Sylvester Stallone in Guest Starring Role". Variety. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
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