Seven years ago on February 1st, 2013, Netflix changed the future of streaming forever when it released its first original series, House of Cards. The streaming service has come a long way since 2013, with over a 1000 more Originals have been developed since. We’re taking a look back on some of the cast members of House of Cards, and where they are now in 2020.
House of Cards is a Netflix Original political-drama series based on the British drama of the same name. The series is one of Netflix’s most critically acclaimed but also one of the most controversial in the streaming service’s history. Out of the 223 nominations, House of Cards won 27 of the awards, including 7 Primetime Emmys and 2 Golden Globes. House of Cards will forever be recognized as the first original online-only web series to receive Emmy nominations.
Robin Wright
Portrayed: Claire Underwood
Number of Episodes: 73
Robin Wright as Claire Underwood – Copyright. Netflix
The lead actress of the series, Robin Wright portrayed Claire Underwood, the wife of Frank Underwood and the first female President of the United States. Wright was the only cast member to feature in every single episode of House of Cards and was one of the biggest advocates of the series to receive its final season. Since House of Cards, Robin Wright has been featured in the likes of Wonder Women and Justice League as Antiope and has also starred in the Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049 as Lieutenant Joshi.
With a career spanning almost four decades, we expect to see plenty more of Wright in the future.
Titles starred in since/during House of Cards:
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Adore (2013) | Roz |
| The Congress (2013) | Robin Wright |
| A Most Wanted Man (2014) | Martha Sullivan |
| Unitl We Could (2014) | Narrator |
| Everest (2015) | Peach Weathers |
| Wonder Woman (2017) | Antiope |
| Blade Runner 2049 (2017) | Lieutenant Joshi |
| Justice League (2017) | Antiope |
| Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) | Antiope |
Michael Kelly
Portrayed: Doug Stamper
Number of Episodes: 72
Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper – Copyright. Netflix
Outliving the scheming Frank Underwood, Doug Stamper had a tough job keeping up with the Underwoods quest for power and ultimately, it would lead to his demise. Wonderfully played by Michael Kelly, his portrayal of Doug Stamper was one of the most enjoyable experiences of House of Cards. Kelly has since worked on the Amazon Prime Original, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, but during his time working on House of Cards, he also starred in the FX series, Taboo, the mini-series The Long Road Home, and even featured in popular sci-fi series Black Mirror.
Titles starred in since/during House of Cards:
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Now You See Me (2013) | Agent Fuller |
| Man of Steel (2013) | Steve Lombard |
| Everest (2015) | Jon Krakauer |
| Secret in Their Eyes (2015) | Reg Siefert |
| Viral (2016) | Michael Drakeford |
| Black Mirror: Season 3 | Arquette |
| Taboo: Season 1 | Dumbarton |
| The Long Road Home: Mni-Series | Gary Volesky |
| That’s Harrassment (2018) | Doctor |
| All Sqaure (2018) | John |
| Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Season 1 | Mike November |
Mahershala Ali
Portrayed: Remy Denton
Number of Episodes: 33
Since his role in House of Cards as Remy Denton, Mahershala Ali has shown to the world just how gifted an actor he truly is. Within the past few years, Ali has won two Academy Awards for his astounding work in Moonlight and Green Book. His role as Juan in the 2016 film, Moonlight, earned him his first Oscar as the Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Ali’s second Oscar would come two years later for his work on the film Green Book as Don Shirley, a second win for the category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Academy Awards aside, one of Ali’s best roles came as Cottonmouth in the Netflix Original series Daredevil. His limited time on the series was impactful, and upon leaving it definitely left a gaping hole. Appearing a second time in a comic book movie, this time Ali provided his voice for the role of Uncle Aaron in Spider-Man: Enter the Spiderverse. His latest and one of the largest roles was starring in the beloved crime-drama series True Detective. Ali’s next big role will be Blade, replacing Wesley Snipes as the famed Vampire Hunter.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Boggs |
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | Boggs |
| Kicks (2016) | Marlon |
| Gubagude Ko (2016) | Ochoro |
| Free State of Jones (2016) | Moses |
| Moonlight (2016) | Juan |
| The Realest Real (2016) | The Minister |
| Luke Cage: 1 Season | Cottonmouth |
| Hidden Figures (2016) | Colonel Jim Johnson |
| Roxanne Roxanne (2017) | Cross |
| Comrade Detective: 1 Season | Coach |
| Green Book (2018) | Dr. Donald Shirley |
| Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) | Uncle Aaron |
| Room 104: 1 Season | Franco |
| Alita: Battle Angel (2019) | Vector |
| True Detective: Season 3 | Wayne Hays |
Rachel Brosnahan
Portrayed: Rachel Posner
Number of Episodes: 18
Rachel Brosnahan had a very limited time on House of Cards compared to other actors on this list, but by all means, she had a great impact on the characters she interacted with. Since leaving the series Brosnahan has starred in various different roles but her most outstanding one to date would be playing the lead role in the series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Ay 29 years of age, Brosnahan has a great career ahead of her to look forward to. Her next big feature role will be alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the Cold-War drama Ironbark.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| The Dovekeepers: Mini Series | Yael |
| Louder Than Bombs (2015) | Erin |
| Manhatten: 1 Season | Abby Isaacs |
| The Finest Hours (2016) | Bea Hansen |
| Burn Country (2016) | Sandra |
| Crisis in Six Scenes: 1 Season | Ellie |
| Patriots Day (2016) | Jessica Kensky |
| Boomtown (2017) | Jamie |
| Fifteen Years Later (2018) | Amy |
| Joseph Pulitzer: Vice of the People | Nellie Bly |
| Change in the Air | Wren |
| Spies in Disguise | Wendy |
| The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: 3 Seasons | Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel |
| Elana of Avalor: Season 1 | Princess Chloe |
Kate Mara
Portrayed: Zoe Barnes
Number of Episodes: 14
Kate Mara spent the least amount of time on House of Cards but like Rachel Brosnahan, her role was hugely impactful on the story. She was murdered by Frank Underwood in the second season, but would later reappear, alongside Pete Russo, to haunt Frank during a hallucination, heavily signifying that the President feels guilt for his roles in their deaths.
Mara has gone in to star in plenty of roles, her biggest being Sue Storm in Fox’s failed reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. Scheduled for release sometime in 2020, Mara will be playing the role of Claire in the series A Teacher. The drama will explore the complexities and consequences of a female teacher caught having affair with a male student.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Transcendence (2014) | Bree |
| Robot Chicken | Various Voices |
| Almost Not Beautiful | Lisa |
| The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards | Lisa |
| Ares III: Farewell | Beth Johanssen |
| Fantastic Four | Sue Storm |
| Ares III: The Right Stuff | Beth Johanssen |
| Man Down | Natalie Drummer |
| The Martian | Beth Johanssen |
| Captive | Ashley Smith |
| Moonbeam City: 1 Season | Chrysalis Tate |
| Morgan (2016) | Lee Weathers |
| Rex (2017) | Megan Leavey |
| Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings (2017) | Marguerite |
Derek Cecil
Portrayed: Seth Grayson
Number of Episodes: 50
Appearing 50 episodes across 4 seasons, it’s surprising Derek Cecil’s character Seth Grayson lived till the end. Knowing a very intimate amount of knowledge about the Underwood’s thanks to acquiring Frank’s journal, he used the information to force his way onto the Underwood’s staff as Director Of Communications and Press Secretary.
Grayson recently appeared in the HBO series The Outsider, portraying the role of Andy Katcavage.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Family Games (2017) | Barrett |
| The Tomorrow Man (2019) | Brian |
| Black Monday: Season 1 | Detective Lester |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Garrett Howard / Russell Ramsay |
| The Outsider: Season 1 | Andy Katcavage |
Jayne Atkinson
Portrayed: Catherine Durrant
Number of Episodes: 38
Jayne Atkinson played a key role as Catherine Durrant in Frank Underwood’s rise to the top of his political career. By the end, her involvement with Frank and Claire would lead to her demise. Despite surviving Frank pushing her down the stairs, it would be Claire that put the nail in the former Secretary of State coffin. Despite her attempt to flee to the French Alps, an assassin, hired by Claire, shot and killed her.
Since the end of House of Cards, Catherine Durrant has starred in another Political drama, Madam Secretary. The actress currently has a role in the NBC drama Bluff City Law, playing the role of Della Bedford.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Criminal Minds | Erin Strauss |
| Odeyssey: 1 Season | Harrison’s Mother |
| Zoo: 1 Season | Amelia Sage |
| The Congressman (2016) | Casey Winship |
| The Good Wife: Season 7 | Nora Valentine |
| Chicago Med: Season 2 | Laura Clay |
| The Walking Dead: Season 9 | Georgie |
| Castle Rock: Season 1 | Officer Reese |
| Madam Secretary: Season 5 | Theresa Hurst |
| Bluff City Law: Season 1 | Della Bedford |
Nathan Darrow
Portrayed: Edward Meechum
Number of Episodes: 35
Nathan Darrow did an excellent job of portraying Frank Underwood’s bodyguard Edward Meechum. With an undying loyalty only rivaled by Doug Stamper, it ultimately cost his life as he saved Frank from an assassination attempt.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Darrow’s character was his relationship with the Underwoods. In the second season, Meechum has a threesome with Underwoods but is shown to have kissed Frank along with Claire. As this was a few years before Kevin Spacey announced his sexuality in the wake of the allegations against him, the scene is even more eye-opening with what we know about the actor today.
Darrow has gone on to star in the Fox series Gotham as Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze). Darrow starred in a second Original series, Godless playing the role of Webster, a Pinkerton. He also starred in six episodes of Preacher but most recently appeared in the drug-related drama series Dependance.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Blue Bloods | Officer Reynolds |
| Stranger in the House | Tom Stewart |
| Gotham Stories: Season 1 | Victor Fries |
| Rectify: Season 4 | Billy Harris |
| You Again (2016) | Mark |
| Ambition’s Debt (2017) | Marcus Antonius |
| The Wizard of Lies (2017) | Andrew Madoff |
| Godless: Mini Series | Webster |
| In the Studio (2017) | Benjamin Martin |
| Bull: Season 2 | Jim Grayson |
| Quantico: Season 3 | Felix Pillay |
| Gotham Season 1-4 | Victor Fries / Mister Freeze |
| Blindspot: Season 3 | Jonathan Grimm |
| Billions: Season 1-4 | Mike Danzig |
| Preacher: Season 1-4 | John Custer |
| Dependence: Season 1-2 | Mason |
Kevin Spacey
Portrayed: Kevin Underwood
Number of Episodes: 65
The most polarising and controversial cast members of them all, Kevin Spacey’s fall from grace has been nothing short of dramatic. Several allegations of sexual misconduct lead to Spacey leaving the role of Frank Underwood, which ultimately lead to the character dying off-screen.
Since the allegations, the only film Spacey starred in was Billionaires Boy Club. Having filmed the movie before the allegations arose, it ultimately had a detrimental effect on the films commercial ‘success’. In the opening weekend Billionaires Boy Club only made $618 at the box office making it the worst opening of Spacey’s career. Spacey was cut from the film All the Money in the World, and his role as John Paul Getty was instead played by Christopher Plummer.
Despite Frank Underwood’s death, Kevin Spacey has taken it upon himself to reprise the role in two short films. The first ‘Let Me Be Frank’ rebuked the allegations made against him. A year later in the short ‘KTWK’ he would wish viewers a Merry Christmas.
Spacey has since been cleared of any charges related to sexual misconduct but his reputation and career have been completely tarnished. The veteran actor filmed his role for Michael Hoffman’s film Gore, but despite being completed since December 2018, the film has yet to see the light of day.
| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Nature Is Speaking: Miniseries | The Rainforest |
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) | Jonathan Irons |
| Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) | Dave Harken |
| Elvis & Nixon (2016) | Nixon |
| Nine Lives (2016) | Tom Brand |
| Tom Odell: Here I Am (2016) | Man in the Stairwell |
| Rebel in the Rye (2017) | Whit Burnett |
| Baby Driver (2017) | Doc |
| Billionaires Boys Club (2018) | Ron Levin |
Who was your favorite cast member of House of Cards? Let us know in the comments below!
