The bear is an FX TV show, streamed on Hulu, that revolves around a young chef, Carmen, who takes over the family restaurant when his brother dies. Before that, he had been a successful chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Returning to Chicago to run the Original Beef of Chicagoland creates a stark contrast between its past and present. Despite his obvious talent as a chef, star Jeremy Allen White – speaking W magazine – says Carmen is “a fish out of water” at this more casual restaurant. This is compounded by kitchen staff who don’t want to work and family drama that threatens to boil over at any moment.
The bear cast consists of talented actors, with many who have been on other successful shows. They aren’t big-name stars for the most part, though, so putting these actors in a dingy kitchen environment might make them harder to spot. The names Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Lionel Boyce might ring a bell, but it’s hard to put a face to the name and figure out where you’ve seen them before. But fear not, we’ve done the digging for you and have all their other notable acting roles in this list.
Jeremy Allen White
The star of the show is literal Jeremy Allen White in the role of Carmen or ‘Carmy’. Carmy is the prodigal son who returns to his home in Chicago when his brother leaves him his restaurant in his will. Outside The bearWhite’s most recognizable role is Lip Gallagher on Shameless. In conversation with G.K, White acknowledged the similarities between the characters, recognizing that he “went from playing a gifted child in a dysfunctional, working-class Chicago family to … a gifted child in a dysfunctional, working-class Chicago family.” He also had a role in Dave Franco’s directorial debut, The rentand in Movie 43 as Kevin in the homeschooled segment.
Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri is a writer and actor, although on The bear she simply acts as Sydney. She is a professionally trained chef who brings Carmy to the restaurant to try and improve the quality of the food they produce. Since 2017, Edebiri has been writing for Netflix’s animated comedy show Big mouth, and in 2020, she took over as Missy’s voice acting following the departure of Jenny Slate. Another TV show she wrote for and starred in is DickinsonApple TV’s creative interpretation of Emily Dickinson’s life, in which she played Hattie.
Ebon Moss Bachrach
Carmy’s volatile cousin Richie is played by Ebon Moss Bachrach. He has been involved in a number of projects during his career, but one of the most notable is that of Lena Dunham. Girls, in which he played the sensitive yet manipulative Desi Harperin. Another recognizable role for Moss-Bachrach is David Lieberman in Marvel’s The punisher, where Jon Bernthal plays a vigilante. Other places you might recognize him from are those on Hulu The dropoutin the role of John Carreyrou, or Star Wars: Andoras Arvel Skeen.
Liza Colon-Zayas
Liza Colon-Zayasroll in it The bear is Tina, a cocky but ultimately caring member of the kitchen staff. In her other work, she is known for starring in the show Under treatment, about a psychotherapist who begins to see his old therapist because he begins to doubt his abilities – Colón-Zayas played Rita Ortiz. She also took part in the coming of age drama David makes man, playing Principal Fallow. It is also possible that you recognize her The Purge: Election Year where she played Dawn.
Lionel Boyce
Marcus, played by Lionel Boyce, is a sweet member of the kitchen who deals with the desserts and has a nice chemistry with Edebiri’s Sydney. Boyce has been in a long-term relationship with Tyler the Creator and the two have collaborated on several projects. The music videos for Tyler the Creator’s songs “She,” “Oldie,” and more feature Boyce in one way or another. The two have also collaborated on an animated Adult Swim show called The jelly! It’s about a human boy who is adopted by jellyfish; Boyce voices various characters throughout the show’s two seasons. Another show he was featured in is Hap and Leonardas Leon, which is set in the 1980s. The show is a comedy crime drama.
Abby Elliott
A rare member of The bear non-chef cast, Abby Elliott plays Natalie, or “Sugar”, Carmy’s sister. She is the responsible counterpart to his recklessness and emotional thinking, trying to get Carmy to sell the restaurant instead of watching it keep losing money. Elliott was a cast member on SNL from 2008 to 2012. During her time on the show, she portrayed Chloë Sevigny, Angelina Jolie, and Joan Cusack, just to name a few. Some of the movies she acted in include No obligationsas Joy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesas Taylor.
Matthew Matheson
The role that Matthew Matheson plays is small, but he was also a producer on The bear. Matheson is an internet personality and chef, who lends his experience in the kitchen to bring realistic color to the show. Viewers will likely recognize the chef from one of several online video series he has participated in. He regularly appeared on the food segment of Vice’s website, munchies. Matheson also hosted shows for Vice TV called It’s supper! and Death set on life.
Joel McHale
It’s a short role, so much so that it was never given a name, but remarkable enough that viewers wonder how they recognized Carmy’s boss in New York. He is played by comedian and actor Joel McHale. His most famous performance is Jeff Winger on the cult comedy show Community, about a group of unlikely friends at a community college. McHale also hosted TV news series The soup from 2004 to 2015. Interestingly, in Netflix’s movie retelling of the story of the National Lampoon ex-Community opponent Chevy Chase. Viewers may also recognize him from his character Tad O’Malley in the reboot of The X files, or for playing Chris on it The Santa Clarita Diet.