The Judas and the Black Messiah cast brings the story of a man who infiltrated the Black Panthers to life with several recognizable stars. Directed by Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah primarily centers on the events that preceded the 1969 assassination of Fred Hampton, a 21-year-old Black Panther leader who served as Chairman for the Illinois chapter, beginning with criminal William O'Neal infiltrating the group as an FBI informant. It is a true-crime story with an incredible ensemble, most of whom play real-life characters.

Judas and the Black Messiah's main cast is led by Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as O'Neil. Kaluyua ended up winning an Oscar for his performance in the movie, while Stanfield was nominated alongside him. However, the film is filled with so many other notable actors playing both the allies and enemies of Fred Hampton. These performances bring the riveting and powerful story to life and make it a must-watch movie.

Daniel Kaluuya

As Fred Hampton

Character: Daniel Kaluuya stars as Fred Hampton, the Deputy Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther party. The movie shows the young man as a powerful force in the Black community, rallying the ionate of people all around him. He is also shown to be a courageous and relentless person in the face of their enemies, being able to turn some of them into allies and never backing down. As shown in the movie, the real Hampton was killed by police on December 4, 1969, when they raided his home while he was unconscious.

Actor: Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for his performance as Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, cementing him as one of the major new talents of his generation. He came to many people's attention for his performance as Bing in the Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits". Kaluuya earned his first Oscar nomination as Chris in Get Out. He has also appeared in Black Panther and Widows and reteamed with Jordan Peele in Nope.

Lakeith Stanfield

As William O'Neal

Character: Lakeith Stanfield co-stars as William O'Neal, an FBI informant who becomes a security captain for the Black Panthers. O'Neal is shown to be a criminal who poses as a police officer to rob people before being caught. He is given the option to spy on the Black Panther Party, particularly Fred Hampton, in exchange for being allowed to go free. This eventually leads to O'Neal setting Hampton up for his own murder.

Actor: Stanfield delivered breakout performances as Marcus in Short Term 12 and Jimmie Lee Jackson in Selma. He also appeared alongside his Judas and the Black Messiah costar, Daniel Kaluuya, in Get Out in a smaller but memorable role. Stanfield has continued to find more exciting projects throughout his career, such as Knives Out, Uncut Gems, and The Harder They Fall. However, he is perhaps best known for his scene-stealing role as Darius in Atlanta.

Jesse Plemons

As Roy Mitchell

Character: Jesse Plemons portrays Roy Mitchell, an FBI agent who believes the Black Panthers aim to sow hatred and inspire terror. He is the agent who recruits O'Neal to become a spy and infiltrate Fred Hampton's inner circle. Mitchell begins getting some of his orders on the case directly from the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and while he questions the legality and ethics of some of their tactics, he remains a loyal agent.

Actor: Jesse Plemons is another actor who is quickly becoming one of the most interesting talents around. He is best known for Emmy-nominated performances in Fargo season 2 and Black Mirror season 4 as well as other television roles like Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad. He has shown incredible versatility in his performances, such as playing Chuckie O'Brien in The Irishman, Jake in I'm Thinking of Ending Things, and Gary Kingsbury in Game Night. Plemons earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Power of the Dog.

Dominique Fishback

As Deborah Johnson

Character: Dominique Fishback appears as Deborah Johnson, Fred's girlfriend who is pregnant with their child. The movie depicts how Deborah was a fellow member of the Black Panther Party when she met Hampton and they fell in love. She is shown to be a ive partner amid Hampton's harassment from the police while also worrying about the dangerous position he often puts himself in. As with the real events, Deborah is present and arrested during the raid that leaves Hampton dead.

Actor: Dominique Fishback started gaining attention in Hollywood for her performance as Donna "Darlene" Picket in The Deuce and Kenya in The Hate U Give. She went on to star in the Netflix action movie Project Power and appeared alongside Anthony Ramos in the most recent live-action Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Fishback starred in the lead role in the Amazon Prime Video thriller series Swarm.

Martin Sheen

As J. Edgar Hoover

Character: Martin Sheen portrays J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director who wants to prevent the rise of the "Black Messiah," and thus targets Fred Hampton as his enemy. Hoover is a controversial figure in American history as the man who built the FBI but who has also been accused of using his position of power and the tools at his disposal to target his enemies, including powerful of the Black community like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Actor: Martin Sheen is the veteran actor of the Judas and the Black Messiah cast, having starred as Willard in the monumental war movie Apocalypse Now. Throughout Sheen's amazing career, he has worked with some of the greatest directors of all time, including Terrence Malick in Badlands, Oliver Stone in Wall Street, Steven Spielberg in Catch Me If You Can, and Martin Scorsese in The Departed. However, he is best known for his iconic performance as President Bartlet in The West Wing.

Darrell Britt-Gibson

As Bobby Rush

Character: Darrell Britt-Gibson appears as Bobby Rush, the co-founder of the Black Panther's Illinois chapter. Rush is shown to be an intelligent and dedicated member of the cause, providing a solid second-in-command to Hampton. He is also a more grounded and thoughtful leader compared to the charismatic and bold Hampton. Rush continued to be a powerful member of the Black community after Hampton's death, ing Congress in 1992 and being re-elected for 30 years until his retirement in 2022.

Actor: Darrell Britt-Gibson made his acting debut in the acclaimed HBO series The Wire and ed the show's spiritual sequel series We Own This City as Jemell Rayam. He portrayed Shitstain in You're the Worst and Jermaine Jefrint in Barry on HBO. In movies, Britt-Gibson has appeared as Trunk in Keanu and Jerome in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Martin P. Franklin in Fear Street.

Jermaine Fowler

As Mark Clark

Character: Jermaine Fowler portrays Mark Clark, the Deputy Minister of Defense for the Peoria chapter of the Black Panthers. Clark was another close member of Fred Hampton's inner circle and was the only other member of the Black Panther Party who was killed on December 4, 1969. Clark was sitting guard outside the apartment when he was shot by police. As Clark died, he reflexively pulled the trigger of the gun he had which marked the only shot fired by the Black Panthers during the raid.

Actor: Jermaine Fowler is an actor and comedian who is likely best known for playing Eddie Murphy's long-lost son in the comedy sequel Coming 2 America. He starred in the sitcom Superior Donuts, which ran for 2 seasons, and was a recurring guest star on the comedy series Crashing. Most recently, he starred alongside John Cena and Zac Efron in the comedy Ricky Stanicky.

Ashton Saunders

As Jimmy Palmer

Characters: Aston Saunders plays Jimmy Palmer, a young member of the Black Panther Party. Jimmy showcases the dedication the young generation of Black had to this community while also highlighting the danger that they all faced from law enforcement trying to bring an end to the Black Panthers. Jimmy is hospitalized after being shot by police but is in stable condition. When he suddenly dies while transported to another hospital, Hampton and the others suspect the police murdered him.

Actor: Saunders found his breakout role as part of the cast of the Best Picture-winning movie Moonlight, in which he played Chiron. He went on to star alongside Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2, starred in Native Son with Margaret Qualley, and in the sci-fi thriller Captive State. He also portrayed other real people like RZA in Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Bobby Brown in I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Dominique Thorne

As Judy Harmon

Character: Dominique Thorne stars as Judy Harmon in Judas and the Black Messiah, a member of the Black Panther Party. She is shown to be a tough and bold member of the team, even engaging in a shootout with the police. She is also not as easily trusting as some of the of Hampton's inner circle as she has moments of suspicion concerning O'Neal.

Actor: Thorne's first movie role was in the Oscar-winning If Beale Street Could Talk as Shelia Hunt. However, it did not take long for Thorne to establish herself in Hollywood as she was eventually cast as Riri Williams aka Ironheart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first took on the role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but Thorne will soon lead her own solo spinoff Disney+ series, Ironheart, allowing the young hero to step into the spotlight,

Judas & The Black Messiah's ing Cast

Lil Rel Howery as Wayne: A mysterious figure who confronts William at a bar, revealing himself to be an FBI agent as well. Lil Rel Howery is best known for playing Rod Williams in Get Out. He also appeared in Bird Box, Vacation Friends, Dashing Through the Snow, and Free Guy.

Robert Longstreet as Special Agent Carlyle: Agent Carlyle is another FBI agent and Roy's colleague. Robert Longstreet has been a frequent collaborator of Mike Flanagan, playing Mr. Dudley in The Haunting of Hill House, Barry the Chunk in Doctor Sleep, and William Longfellow in The Fall of the House of Usher.

Judas and the Black Messiah has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

AJ Carr as Anthony Timmons: A teenager who William tries to rob during the opening sequence. Carr portrayed Stick in The Chi and Erik Dole in All American on Netflix. He also appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza and as Teddy in Love, Victor.

Khris Davis as Steel: Steel is the leader of the Crowns, who reluctantly becomes an ally of Hampton and the Black Panthers. Khris Davis portrayed Tracy in Atlanta and Agent Randolph in The Blacklist. He recently starred in Big George Foreman as the legendary boxer.

Nick Fink as Fesperman: Fesperman is the leader of the Young Patriots, a leftist group made up mostly of Southern White men who unexpectedly forces with the Black Panthers. Nick Fink portrayed Sean in The Fosters and Ryan Clarke in Legacies.