Special Ops: Lioness Cast & Character Guide

Paramount+'s Special Ops: Lioness contains a talented and distinguished cast, ranging from Academy Award winners to an actress who has starred in four of the highest-grossing movies of all time. The spy thriller TV show comes from the mind of Taylor Sheridan, who is best known for creating Yellowstone and all its spinoffs. However, Sheridan branched out from the neo-Western drama when Special Ops: Lioness debuted in July 2023, and it was a hit for Paramount+ (despite receiving mixed reviews from critics).

This success has allowed Special Ops: Lioness to expand into seasons 2 and 3, both of which brought new stars. The spy thriller series revolves around the CIA's Lioness program, which Special Ops: Lioness bases on a real military task force now defunct. The CIA recruits a female operative to infiltrate terrorist organizations or other groups that are on the United States government's radar.

In Special Ops: Lioness season 1, the Lioness program enlisted the help of a sergeant in the Marines to take down a terrorist, and season 2 features the team taking on a new Lioness. Then there is season 3, which follows CIA station chief Joe McNamara as she is targeted by an enemy from her past.

Zoe Saldaña As Joe McNamara

Date Of Birth: June 19, 1978

• Active Since: 1999

Actress: Zoe Saldaña was born in Passaic, New Jersey, but was mostly raised in Queens, New York City. Saldaña spent some of her childhood in the Dominican Republic before returning to New York as a teenager. She got recruited by a talent agency, which helped Saldaña land her first role in a movie — Center Stage in 2000. However, Saldaña's career started growing in 2002 when she played Kit in Crossroads, the Britney Spears road comedy drama. Saldaña truly stepped into the spotlight in 2009 when she starred in Star Trek and Avatar​​​​​.

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Character: Saldaña leads the cast of Special Ops: Lioness as Joe McNamara, the CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program. Joe struggles to balance her work with her personal life, as seen throughout all Lioness' three seasons . However, she often prioritizes her job, which leads to tension between Joe, her husband, and their teen daughter.

Laysla De Oliveira As Sergeant Cruz Manuelos

Date Of Birth: January 11, 1992

• Active Since: 2010

Actress: Laysla De Oliveira was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and started modeling when she was a young teenager. However, De Oliveira dreamed of being an actress. So, she studied drama and dance at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and got an agent. Over the years, De Oliveira appeared in a few movies and TV shows here and there, but her first big role was as Dodge in the cast of Locke & Key on Netflix.

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Character: Sergeant Cruz Manuelos, played by De Oliveira, is the show's first Lioness in Special Ops: Lioness season 1. Cruz is a Marine who joins the military to escape an abusive relationship, and her talent and dedication catch Joe's eye. The Lioness program recruits Cruz, but her mission doesn't exactly go as smoothly as originally hoped.

Dave Annable As Neal McNamara

Date Of Birth: September 15, 1979

• Active Since: 2002

Actor: Dave Annable was born in Suffern, New York, but grew up in Walden, New York. After high school, Annable attended the State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh). However, he dropped out in 2003 to pursue his acting career full-time. Annable appeared in various commercials and had guest spots on TV shows before landing his breakout role in 2006 — Justin Walker in the cast of Brothers & Sisters on ABC.

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Character: Annable portrays Neal McNamara, Joe's husband, in Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+. Neal is a pediatric oncology surgeon, meaning that both husband and wife have stressful (often heartbreaking) jobs that put a strain on their relationship.

Nicole Kidman As Kaitlyn Meade

Date Of Birth: June 20, 1967

• Active Since: 1983

Actress: Nicole Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Australian parents in the United States on student visas. Her family returned to Sydney, Australia just a few years after her birth, where she was predominantly raised. In 1990, Kidman rose to prominence after starring in the sports action film Days of Thunder​​​​​. Kidman's movie and TV career took off, and Kidman is now one of the most acclaimed and highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.

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Character: Kidman stars as Kaitlyn Meade in Taylor Sheridan's TV show Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+. Meade is a high-ranking CIA official who oversees the Lioness program as Joe's boss. She often serves as Joe's confidant, defending her and the Lioness program to those with higher ranks.

Morgan Freeman As U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins

Date Of Birth: June 1, 1937

• Active Since: 1964

Actor: Morgan Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He started acting at a young age, but when Freeman was offered a drama scholarship from Jackson State University after high school, he turned it down and enlisted in the United States Air Force. Freeman served for four years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 1971, Freeman gained recognition when he appeared in the PBS children's show The Electric Company​​​​​​. Freeman went on to star in various movies, with his breakthrough coming via Street Smart in 1987.

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Character: Following the ending of Special Ops: Lioness season 1, Freeman was promoted to the main cast, meaning his character, Edwin Mullins, has a bigger role in seasons and 3. Mullins serves in the U.S. President's cabinet as the Secretary of State, which is why he often works with the Lioness program.

Genesis Rodriguez As Captain Josephina Carrillo

Date Of Birth: July 29, 1987

• Active Since: 1994

Actress: Genesis Rodriguez was born in Miami, Florida, and her acting career began with Telemundo telenovelas. Later, Rodriguez made the jump to Hollywood, where she scored a few prominent roles, including a three-episode stint in Entourage and voicing Honey Lemon in Big Hero 6. However, Rodriguez gained more attention when she joined The Umbrella Academy season 3 cast.

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Character: Rodriguez joined the cast of Special Ops: Lioness in season 2 as Captain Josephina "Josie" Carrillo, a dedicated soldier and skilled helicopter pilot.

Special Ops: Lioness Supporting Cast & Characters

Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield - Michael Kelly stars as Byron Westfield, the CIA Deputy Director (meaning he's Kaitlyn's superior) in Lioness on Paramount+. Kelly, who has a lot of experience with political thrillers, is most known for his role as Doug Stamper in House of Cards and as Mike November in the cast of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video.

Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus - Thad Luckinbill's Kyle McManus, a CIA officer, takes on a bigger role in Lioness season 2 as he joins forces with Joe. Viewers may recognize Luckinbill from The Young and the Restless, where he played J.T. Hellstrom for over 10 years.

Jill Wagner as Bobby - Bobby, played by Special Ops: Lioness executive producer Jill Wagner, is the leader of the Lioness program's QRF (Quick Reaction Force) team. Wagner was previously one of the hosts of the ABC game show Wipeout and has appeared in numerous Hallmark films.

LaMonica Garrett as Tucker - LaMonica Garrett stars as Tucker, a member of the QRF team, in the Paramount+ spy thriller. Lioness isn't the first Taylor Sheridan project Garrett has been a part of — he played Thomas in the cast of 1883, the first Yellowstone spinoff. Garrett has also starred in several notable TV shows, including Sons of Anarchy, Designated Survivor, The Last Ship, and the Arrowverse (as the Monitor/Anti-Monitor).

James Jordan as Two Cups - Two Cups, played by James Jordan, is another QRF team member in Special Ops: Lioness. Jordan has appeared in many Sheridan TV shows, including Yellowstone as Steve Hendon, Mayor of Kingstown as Ed Simmons, and 1883 as Cookie.

Austin Hébert as Randy - Austin Hébert's Randy is a member of the Lioness program's QRF team. Before Special Ops: Lioness, Hébert starred as Wade in Sheridan's 1883 on Paramout+.

Jonah Wharton as Tex - Before joining the cast of Special Ops: Lioness in season 1 as Tex, another member of the QRF team, Jonah Wharton appeared in many TV series, including NCIS: Los Angeles, Bones, and The Rookie.

Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah Amrohi - Stephanie Nur portrays Aaliyah Amrohi, the daughter of a terrorist, in season 1 of the Paramount+ spy thriller series. Like many of her Special Ops: Lioness costars, Nur appeared in 1883, playing Melodi.

Hannah Love Lanier as Kate McNamara - Hannah Love Lanier stars as Kate McNamara, Joe and Neal's teenage daughter, in Lioness. Following season 1, Lanier played Charlie in the cast of the Road House remake on Amazon.

Martin Donovan as Errol Meade - Martin Donovan's Errol Meade is Kaitlyn's husband and a high-ranking financial investor in Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+. Viewers might recognize Donovan from films such as The Portrait of a Lady (which also starred Nicole Kidman), The Book of Life, Insomnia, Ant-Man, or Tenet.

Ian Bohen as Grady - Actor Ian Bohen joins the cast of Special Ops: Lioness season 3 to play Grady, a Delta Force operator and K9 handler for the ground squad. Bohen is best known for playing Ryan in Yellowstone​​​​​​, as well as Peter Hale in the series Teen Wolf.

Elizaveta Neretin as Oleksandra Balakin - Oleksandra Balakin is an international operative whose own mission crosses meaningfully with Joe's path. This new season 3 character is played by Elizaveta Neretin, who is best known for her role in Taylor Sheridan's Mayor of Kingstown​​​​​​.

Lev Gorn as Maxim Petrov - A significant new threat in Special Ops: Lioness season 3 is Maxim Petrov, a sleek Russian Deputy Ambassador who places his cunning intellect against the likes of Kaitlyn Meade. Maxim is played by Lev Gorn, known for The Americans, For All Mankind, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Jack Dimich as Aleksi Yurimov - The head of Russia's Special Services Department, Aleksi Yurimov, is another of Special Ops: Lioness season 3's primary antagonists. The character is played by Jack Dimich, known for Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Law & Order, and The Blacklist​​​​​​.

Source: Variety