Anson Mount
Cullen Bohannon

In Hell on Wheels, Anson Mount stars as Cullen Bohannon, a former soldier hell bent on avenging his wife’s death.

Mounts most recent work includes starring in and producing the SXSW award-winning feature film Cook County, which will be released this fall and the feature film Straw Dogs opposite James Woods. In television, he is widely known for his starring role on the NBC Television Drama Conviction from producer Dick Wolfe.

Recent key film credits include: Crossroads directed by Tamara Davis, City By the Sea directed by Michael Caton-Jones, In Her Shoes opposite Cameron Diaz and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. He also co-starred in the Miramax film Battle of Shaker Heights, as seen on the HBO series Project Greenlight.

Mount’s key television work includes: ABC series Line of Fire, and recurring roles on NBC’s Third Watch, as well as guest appearances on such critically acclaimed series as HBO’s Sex in the City, CBS’s CSI: Miami, FOX’s Dollhouse, Ally McBeal and The WB’s Smallville.

In theater, Mount is best known for having recently performed in Three Sisters for Classic Stage directed by Austin Pendleton. Other recent theater projects include Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July at the Bay Street Theatre, directed by Terry Kinney and Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra for The New Group. Mount received the 1998 Drama League Award for originating and starring as ‘Joshua’ in the off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally’s controversial play Corpus Christi.

Cullen Bohannon is a former soldier hell bent on avenging his wife’s death. Cullen’s story arc is tied to the building of the railroad. He starts out as a fractured, broken man, as a result of the rape and murder of his wife and the loss of his homeland. Throughout the series, Cullen is torn between the cycle of revenge he has unleashed over his wife’s death and tiring of this violence.

Common
Elam Ferguson

In Hell on Wheels, musician/actor, Common stars as Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice.

As a Multi-Grammy Award Winning Musician, noted Actor, Literary Author, Community Activist and Inspirational Leader, Common has spent his career pushing boundaries and taking listeners out of their comfort zones with his socially conscious words.

Common rose to prominence as one of hip-hop’s most poetic and respected lyricists having recorded over eight albums. He has earned 2 Grammy Awards and several Nominations. His highly anticipated ninth album, The Dreamer, The Believer, will be released by Warner Bros. Records in November 2011.

With his continued work in film, Common has emerged as one of Hollywood's most sought after leading men and has been seen on the silver screen in numerous box office hits. Common will next be seen in major motion pictures New Year's Eve and The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

An accomplished writer of multiple literary works, Common will soon be releasing his deeply personal memoir, One Day It’ll All Make Sense. This memoir will be on shelves beginning September 13, 2011 from Atria Books.

Common is a regular guest speaker at prestigious universities across the country. In 2007, he launched the Common Ground Foundation, which empowers youth in urban communities. Common also offers a younger generation a better understanding of self respect and love, by utilizing the cultural relevance of hip hop in the children’s books he has written.

Elam Ferguson is an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice. Elam struggles to come to terms with who and what he is: half white and half black. He doesn’t feel at home in either world. The one thing he knows is that he refuses to be treated as anything less than a man. As he rises to a position of power in the railroad hierarchy, he finds trouble. Elam and Cullen’s fates continue to be bound together, not only by their common Southern roots, but also by circumstances.

Dominique McElligott
Lily Bell

In Hell on Wheels, Dominique McElligott stars as Lily Bell, a newly widowed woman trying to survive in a man’s world.

Lily Bell is a newly widowed woman trying to survive in a man’s world. After the death of her husband, Lily continues to wrestle with the idea of the railroad being the end of the West. She feels a connection to the pristine landscape and worries that the approaching railroad and Hell On Wheels will despoil the West forever. What starts out as a desire to fulfill her husband’s dream ultimately becomes her own dream and she slowly gains respect in a world where even the toughest of men would fail.

Colm Meaney
Thomas 'Doc' Durant

In Hell on Wheels, Colm Meaney stars as Thomas “Doc” Durant, a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Colm Meaney, is perhaps best known for his role as Chief Operating Officer Miles O’Brien on the television series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Meaney has recently finished shooting the independent British features Hot Potato, starring with Ray Winstone and Whole Lotta Sole, with Brendan Fraser. He recently produced and starred in The Perfect Stranger, a film written and directed by Tony Bestard, which was developed in the Sundance Lab.

Films awaiting release in 2011 include: Bel Ami with Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, and Kristen Scott Thomas; as well as a starring role in Parked, for which he was nominated for an Irish film award for best actor. Meaney was last seen in Robert Redford’s latest film, The Conspirator along side James MacAvoy, Robin Wright, and Kevin Kline.

Other recent film credits include: Judd Apatow’s outrageous comedy Get Him To The Greek, The Damned United directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper and Law Abiding Citizen, the hit film in which he starred with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler.

Early film credits include: John Huston’s The Dead, Alan Parker’s The Commitments, the highly acclaimed Roddy Doyle Barrytown trilogy; The Snapper (for which he received a best actor Golden Globe nomination) and The Van, both directed by Steven Frears.

Meaney has successfully bridged the gap of starring in large studio films such as Con Air, Under Siege and Far and Away, to highly acclaimed independent films such as Layer Cake, Intermission, Claire Dolan and Into the West. Meaney won best actor at the Newport Beach Film Festival and received a Best Actor nomination at the Irish Film Awards for his work in the indie film How Harry Became a Tree. Meaney also starred in Kings, Ireland’s 2008 official Academy Award entry, and the film responsible for his second Best Actor Irish Film Award nomination.

In his television career, he was recently seen in Alice, a contemporary take on Alice in Wonderland for Showcase. He also starred in the mini-series Covert One: The Hades Factor, Zos, Scarlett, Random Passage, and TNT’S Boss Lear opposite Patrick Stewart. He was recently seen on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and a David Mamet written and directed episode of the The Unit.

Meaney recently returned to the stage to star with Kevin Spacey in the highly acclaimed production of Moon for the Misbegotten at London’s Old Vic and on Broadway. Other recent stage work include: The Cider House Rules (for which he won an Obie Award) at New York’s Atlantic Theater, and Juno and the Paycock at London’s Donmar Theater.

Thomas “Doc” Durant, based on a real life character, is a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times. As the railroad comes closer to completion and he becomes rich beyond his wildest dreams, he becomes more and more concerned about his place in history.

Ben Esler
Sean McGinnes

In Hell on Wheels, Ben Esler stars as young Irish immigrant Sean McGinnes, who has come to the American west with his brother, to find his fortune.

Ben Esler was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. While obtaining his Masters degree in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne, he got his start in acting appearing in guest roles and commercials on Australian television. Ben made his international debut in 2010 in the Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg Executive Produced HBO miniseries The Pacific. His other appearances include the award winning World War II era tele-movie Curtin for ABC Australia, and recurring roles on the Seven Network's Blue Heelers.

As young Irish immigrant brothers heading to the West to find their fortune, cracks develop in Sean and Mickey’s relationship as they exploit business opportunities in Hell on Wheels, using more and more underhanded tactics. Mickey eventually questions what Sean is doing and resents his brother using him as a pawn.

Philip Burke
Mickey McGinnes

In Hell on Wheels, Phil Burke stars as young Irish immigrant Mickey McGinnes, who has come to the American west with his brother, to find his fortune.

Phil Burke, born in Toronto, Canada, to immigrant parents from Ireland, attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Phil has appeared in several plays and commercials in the New York area, as well as independent features such as Bad Apples, directed by Ryan Cummings, and Ibid, written and directed by Russell Friedenberg. Phil also guest starred on NBC's hit show Law & Order and had the recurring role on the NBC series Mercy.

Eddie Spears
Brother Joseph Black Moon

In Hell on Wheels, Eddie Spears stars as young Native American Joseph Black Moon.

Eddie Spears has been in the spotlight since age 10, with roles including: Geronimo, The Witness, Through the Window, and Somebody Said Pow Wow.

His most recent film credits include: Yellow Rock; Guns, Girls & Gambling; The Legend of Hell's Gate, HBO mini series Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Comanche Moon, TNT/ Spielberg mini-series Into the West and Rick Schroder’s directorial film Black Cloud. Additional film credits include: Edge of America directed by Chris Eyre and The Slaughter Rule director Alex and Andrew Smith.

His television credits include the award-winning Hallmark Entertainment series Dreamkeeper.

Joseph struggles with the difference between his cultural heritage and the ever-changing world around him. He tries to bring his people into the reservation and although he hates the idea, hopes his people’s safety can be guaranteed.