Special Ops: Lioness Cast, Characters & Actors

Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldaña headlines a new series on Paramount titled Special Ops: Lioness – a gripping thriller with a stellar cast on the streamer. 

The latest project from Yellowstone‘s Taylor Sheridan follows two CIA agents within the Lioness program, in which female operatives are sent undercover in the war against terror. 

The series has been doing okay amongst critics, earning middling reviews, but it has actually shot up the streaming charts as it became the biggest premiere ever for a Paramount+ series (per Deadline). 

Every Actor & Character in Special Ops: Lioness

1.) Zoe Saldaña – Joe

Zoe Saldaña stars as Joe, the strongwilled no-nonsense leader of the CIA’s Lioness program. While Joe spends her days training her operatives to take down some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, she struggles with bringing her work back home with her, remaining emotionally distant from her family. 

Saldaña is best known for her work as Gamora in MCU films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War, and Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise. 

2.) Laysla De Oliveira – Cruz Manuelos

Cruz Manuelos (played by Lysla De Oliveira) is an American marine who is the latest recruit to the Lioness program. Working under Saldaña’s Joe, Cruz goes undercover to infiltrate terrorist organizations threatening the fate of the Western world. 

Laysla De Oliveira will be familiar to fans of Netflix’s Locke & Key as well as In the Tall Grass. 

3.) Dave Annable – Neil

Dave Annable’s Neil is an enterprising pediatric oncology surgeon and the husband of Joe. Given the globe-trotting nature of his wife’s intelligence work, Neil has to balance his own career with taking care of the kids while Joe is risking her life to keep her family safe. 

This marks yet another collaboration between Annable and Sheridan, after previously working on Yellowstone with the showrunner. The actor can also be seen in Brothers & Sisters and Red Band Society. 

4.) Jill Wagner – Bobby

Bobby is a member of Joe’s Lioness team played by executive producer of the series Jill Wagner. This hard-edged veteran of the CIA program is one of the leaders of the squad, having worked alongside Joe on many prior occasions.

Jill Wagner has credits that include Teen Wolf, Stargate: Atlantis, and Splinter.  

5.) LaMonica Garrett – Tucker

Tucker (played by LaMonica Garrett) is another member of the Lioness team. He is the technically inclined man with a plan, helping the team with all the valuable technology and gear they will need in the field. 

LaMonica Garrett has appeared in the Yellowstone spin-off 1883, Prime Video’s The Terminal List, and Sons of Anarchy. 

6.) James Jordan – Two Cups

James Jordan’s Two Cups is another member of Joe’s CIA team. This highly experienced operative is a valuable asset for the Lioness squad, helping to take down the worst of the worst in the world of terrorism. 

Jordan is a frequent Taylor Sheridan collaborator, appearing in Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, and Yellowstone. 

7.) Austin Hébert – Randy

Austin Hébert plays Randy in Taylor Sheridan’s latest Paramount+ epic. Randy it a member of Joe’s Lioness CIA team working for the CIA. 

Hébert’s past credits include Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Above Suspicion. 

8.) Jonah Wharton – Tex

Rounding out the Lioness CIA team is Tex (played by Jonah Wharton). Tex works under Joe, taking on the world of underground terrorist threats. 

Wharton has also popped up in roles in NCIS and Castle. 

9.) Stephanie Nur – Aaliyah Amrohi

Stephanie Nur takes on the role of Aaliyah Amrohi. Aaliyah is the daughter of a wealthy business magnate with suspected ties to terrorist groups, and the latest subject of the Lioness team’s undercover operation. 

Prior to Special Ops: Lioness, Nur appeared in 1883 and Four Women and a Funeral. 

10.) Hannah Love Lanier – Kate

The eldest daughter of Joe and Neil is Hannah Love Lanier’s Kate. Kate harbors some resentment for her parents, partly because she is a teenager finding her place in the world, and because of her mother’s emotional distance from the rest of the family. 

Aside from a one-episode appearance on The Black Lady Sketch Show, Special Ops: Lioness marks Hannah Love Lanier’s major television debut. 

11.) Celestina Harris – Charlie

Celestina Harris plays the other daughter of Joe and Neil, Charlie. A little younger than Kate, Charlie is unsure why her mother is so absent from the life of her and her older sister. 

Just like her on-screen sister, Special Ops: Lioness is Celestina Harris’ major TV debut. 

12.) Nicole Kidman – Kaitlyn Meade

Hollywood veteran Nicole Kidman plays the role of Kaitlyn Meade. Kaitlyn is the senior supervisor who oversees the Lioness program’s operation, but she – just like Zoe Saldaña’s Joe – also has to balance an at-home life with her work as a high-ranking intelligence officer. 

Nicole Kidman has had a storied career in TV and film, best known for hits such as Moulin Rouge!, Cold Mountain, and The Golden Compass.

13.) Morgan Freeman – Edwin Mullins

Special Ops: Lioness sees Academy Award-winner play Edwin Mullins, the fictitious US Secretary of State. With the CIA under his purview, Mullins insists on being kept up to date with the happenings of the Lioness program and its operatives. 

Morgan Freeman’s past credits include The Shawshank Redemption, Seven, and Million Dollar Baby. 

14.) Michael Kelly – Donald Westfield

Also helping to keep the Lioness program in check is Michael Kelly’s Donald Westfield. Donald is a CIA deputy director, who was initially named Byron in Kelly’s casting announcement; however, the character’s name has since been changed. 

Kelly will be familiar to fans of Prime Video’s Jack Ryan, the DC epic Man of Steel, and Netlfix’s House of Cards. 

15.) Martin Donovan – Errol Meade

Playing the husband of Nicole Kidman’s Kaitlyn Meade is Martin Donovan as Errol Meade. Errol works in the finance sector, as a self-described “wheeler-dealer,” whose relationship with his wife is strained as she spins the plates of her career and her marriage. 

Martin Donovan is best known for appearing in Big Little Lies, Weeds, and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. 

16.) Michael Tow – Dr. Hammond

Michael Tow plays Dr. Hammond a colleague of Joe’s husband, Neil. Tow’s Lioness character is there for Neil as he navigates his wife’s distance in the relationship. 

Tow’s other credits include Sound of Metal and Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy. 

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Special Ops: Lioness is streaming now on Paramount+.