Following the lives of the titular outlaw motorcycle club members, FX crime drama Sons of Anarchy had a talented cast who added layers, depth, and complexity to their often violent characters. Created by Kurt Sutter, the show starts with young SAMCRO vice president Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) finding his deceased father's manifesto outlining a more legitimate path for the club. The show's seven seasons see Jax fighting for his goal, often taking many steps backward, as he grapples with being a father, rekindling his relationship with old flame Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff), and contending with his scheming mother Gemma Teller (Katey Sagal) and stepfather/club president Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman).
Sons of Anarchy ran on FX from 2008 until 2014, a time during which dark male antihero protagonists were commonplace in drama TV shows. With contemporaries including Mad Men's Don Draper and Breaking Bad's Walter White, Jax Teller is a complicated character who, for all his noble intentions, is a conniving murderer who ends up with the highest kill count in Sons of Anarchy. Heavily inspired by Hamlet, most Sons of Anarchy characters have relatable desires, but they go about achieving them the only way they know how — through backstabbing, violence, and bloodshed. For all their brutality, though, the Sons of Anarchy cast humanizes their characters.
Charlie Hunnam As Jackson "Jax" Teller
Hunnam plays tortured SAMCRO vice president-turned-president Jax Teller in the Sons of Anarchy cast. The protagonist becomes a father in the pilot episode, and between this and learning about his father John Teller's wishes for the club, Jax vows to move the Sons away from crime. While he's supported by Tara, whom he marries in the show, he is constantly having to face off against threats including law enforcement, rival gangs, and even his own club members. What's more, for all his good intentions, Jax only knows a world of violence, and his efforts for legitimacy become his undoing.
Though Jax Teller is Hunnam's most known role, the British actor has starred in several famous movies. His first role of note was Pete Dunham in the football hooligan film Green Street. While still on Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam starred in Pacific Rim as Raliegh Becket, Crimson Peak as Alan McMichael, and The Lost City of Z as Percy Fawcett. After Sons of Anarchy, the actor portrayed the eponymous mythical king in King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword, which was a box office bomb (via THR). Hunnam also starred as Raymond Smith in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen and will be in Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon.
Katey Sagal As Gemma Teller
Sagal plays SAMCRO matriarch Gemma Teller in Sons of Anarchy. In many ways, Gemma is the real Sons of Anarchy club leader, as she is a hot-headed protector figure who will do anything and everything for the people she loves. However, she harbors dark secrets, including conspiring with Clay to kill her husband John. Gemma's blind action approach to keeping her family safe sees her murdering Tara based on false information, which catches up with her in the final season.
As acclaimed as Sons of Anarchy was, the show was underrepresented in terms of major awards nominations, with the only notable win being Sagal earning a Golden Globe for her performance. While Sagal made Gemma an icon, the actress's professional background is mostly in comedy. She has starred in several sitcoms, including 8 Simple Rules as Cate Hennessy, Futurama as Leela, and Louise Conner in The Conners. However, her most famous role, other than Gemma, is the proudly lazy Peggy Bundy in Married... with Children.
Mark Boone Junior As Robert 'Bobby Elvis' Munson
Bobby Elvis is the club's levelheaded treasury secretary turned vice president, and he's played by Mark Boone Junior in the Sons of Anarchy cast. Though he earned his nickname for being an Elvis impersonator, Bobby is a steady ally to Jax, supporting his dream of taking the club away from violence and crime. However, this backfires for Bobby, who winds up tortured and killed by August Marks. Boone has been acting professionally since the 1980s, having appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, including two Christopher Nolan projects, Memento as Burt and Batman Begins as the corrupt Detective Flass.
Kim Coates As Alex "Tig" Trager
Sergeant-at-arms turned vice president Tig Trager is played by Kim Coates. Though he's the most volatile, violent member of SAMCRO, Tig is one of the few remaining Sons left standing at the end of the show. Tig's personal life arc also sees him go from womanizer to confessing his love for Venus (Walton Goggins). An actor of both the stage and screen, Coates' most notable works have been other crime dramas and procedurals. In addition to being in the Sons of Anarchy cast, Coates had recurring roles as Richard Sullins in Prison Break and Ron Saris in CSI: Miami.
Tommy Flanagan As Filip 'Chibs' Telford
Tommy Flanagan plays Chibs in the Sons of Anarchy cast, who becomes club president at the series' conclusion. Scottish-born and former member of the IRA, Chibs has notable facial scars that he incurred from IRA leader Jimmy O'Phelan (Titus Welliver). One of the most personable members of the club, Chibs has close bonds with several of his SAMCRO brothers, particularly the ill-fated Juice Ortiz (Theo Rossi), who views Chibs as a father figure. Flanagan reprised his role in SoA spinoff Mayans M.C. and has also appeared in two Academy Award Best Picture winners: in Braveheart as Morrison and Gladiator as Cicero.
Maggie Siff As Tara Knowles
Siff plays Tara Knowles in the Sons of Anarchy cast. Tara is a pediatric surgeon and Jax's high school girlfriend who returns to Charming, California at the start of the show. She and Jax resume their relationship, resulting in a son, Thomas, and marriage. While Tara is loyal to Jax and the club, she ultimately chooses the welfare of Thomas and Abel, only to be thwarted by Gemma, who brutally murders her. Knowles is no stranger to TV dramas, as she notably plays Wendy Rhoades in Billions and was department store head Rachel Menken Katz in Mad Men.
Ron Perlman As Clarence "Clay" Morrow
Clay Morrow begins Sons of Anarchy as the SAMCRO president, and he's played by Perlman. One of the original members of the Sons of Anarchy. Clay's reign starts to unravel when Tara learns of his involvement in John Teller's death. Disloyal and selfish to the end, Clay also murders Piney (William Lucking), which gets him kicked out of the club. Clay dies in season 6, executed by Jax.
Perlman has an extensive acting resume across film, television, and video games. Beyond being a member of the Sons of Anarchy cast, Perlman frequently collaborates with Guillermo del Toro. Like Hunnam, Perlman starred in Pacific Rim, playing Hannibal Chau. However, Perlman's most famous role is the titular superhero in Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Ryan Hurst As Harry "Opie" Winston
Ryan Hurst plays Jax's best friend and fellow SAMCRO member Opie Winston in the Sons of Anarchy cast. Opie's most defining trait is his loyalty to Jax and the club, as the first episode sees him being released from jail for club crimes. This is bookended with Opie's bitter end seeing him back in jail and sacrificing his life to save his brothers. Hurst's other notable TV roles include Chick Hogan in Bates Motel and Beta in The Walking Dead. The actor also earned a BAFTA nomination for his voice work as Thor in the video game God of War Ragnarök.
Theo Rossi As Juan-Carlos 'Juice' Ortiz
The young Juice Ortiz is played by Rossi in the Sons of Anarchy cast. Though Juice has hacking skills and is close with Chibs, he's not often taken seriously by the other club members. He gets himself into trouble when he betrays the club in an attempt to cover up the truth about his race, and this ultimately gets him killed. In addition to Sons of Anarchy, Rossi was also a series regular in Luke Cage, playing Hernan "Shades" Alvarez. On the film side, Rossi has starred in several independent films, including Emily the Criminal, where his supporting role as Youcef earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Dayton Callie As Chief Wayne Unser
Wayne Unser is the chief of the Charming Police Department, and Dayton Callie plays him in Sons of Anarchy. Unser retires in the show, but while active, he helped the club, mostly out of loyalty to Gemma, whom he harbored feelings for. Callie's other noteworthy TV credits include Charlie Utter in Deadwood and Jeremiah Otto in Fear the Walking Dead. The actor also starred in Halloween II as Coroner Hooks.
Drea De Matteo As Wendy Case
Drea De Matteo plays Wendy Case, Jax's ex-wife and the mother of his eldest son, Abel. Wendy begins the series dealing with a methamphetamine addiction, leaving Charming for rehab. When she returns in season 4, she wants custody of her son. Wendy gets a happy Sons of Anarchy ending by leaving town with both Abel and Thomas. De Matteo's character in The Sopranos, Adriana La Cerva, didn't fare so well, though she is the actress's famous role. Other notable de Matteo TV roles include Gina Tribbiani in the short-lived Friends spinoff Joey, Angie Bolen in Desperate Housewives, and Detective Tess Nazario in Shades of Blue.
Sons Of Anarchy Supporting Characters
William Lucking as Piermont 'Piney' Winston - Piney is Opie's father and one of the founding members of SAMCRO, and he's played by William Lucking. Lucking's other noteworthy credits include Col. Lynch in The A-Team series and Byron Metcalfe in Red Dragon.
Johnny Lewis as Kip "Half-Sack" Epps - Played by Johnny Lewis, Half-Sack is a prospective member of SAMCRO and one of the only Sons of Anarchy characters who never killed anyone. Lewis has guest-starred on various TV shows, and had a recurring role as Dennis "Chili" Childress in The O.C.
Jimmy Smits as Neron 'Nero' Padilla - In the Sons of Anarchy cast, Jimmy Smits plays Nero Padilla, a kindly brothel owner who falls for Gemma. A TV veteran actor, Smits starred as Victor Sifuentes in L.A. Law, Detective Bobby Simone in NYPD Blue, and Matt Santos in The West Wing.
David LaBrava as Happy Lowman - David LaBrava plays Happy Lowman, a SAMCRO member who gets a happy face tattoo for every person he kills, in Sons of Anarchy. LaBrava is a real-life former member of the Hells Angels. He was initially hired as a technical advisor on Sons of Anarchy before being cast as Happy, a role he reprised for seven episodes of Mayans M.C.
Niko Nicotera as George "Ratboy" Skogstrom - Known for his quiet disposition, Ratboy is one of SAMCRO's newer members in Sons of Anarchy, and is played by Niko Nicotera in the cast. Nicotera is a German-born actor whose other credits include Jeff in You're the Worst and Dave Dutchess in Richard Jewell.
Emilio Rivera as Marcus Álvarez - Emilo Rivera plays Marcus Álvarez, the president of the Mayans Motorcycle Club, in the Sons of Anarchy cast. Rivera has made a career out of playing both criminals and law enforcement officers, and notably continued playing Álvarez in Mayans M.C.