Arriving on U.S. television on September 30th 2001, running for five seasons and 105 episodes, J.J. Abrams modern day spy-fi series Alias starred Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a double agent for the Central Intelligence Agency posing as an operative for SD-6, a worldwide criminal and espionage organization.
As well launching Jennifer Garner's and Bradley Cooper's career (Cooper played Will Tippin across the first two seasons, and returned as a guest star in season three and five), Alias also featured many other famous actors in roles ranging from single-episode guest appearances to semi-recurring characters. We have rounded up 20 of the best of them for you. Famous people who you more than likely know but might not realise you saw them on Alias...
1. Jonathan Banks as Frederick Brandon
Long before Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, Jonathan Banks guest starred in Alias during season 2 in the episodes The Telling and Countdown as Frederick Brandon, Deputy Director of the NSA.
2. Angela Bassett as Hayden Chase
Most notably known for her performance as Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got To Do With It, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and more recently in both Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, Angela Bassett played CIA Director Hayden Chase across four episodes from season 4 of Alias; The Descent, Search and Rescue, The Index, Authorized Personnel Only: Part 1.
3. David Carradine as Conrad
Guest starring in two episodes as Conrad, the wise monk who inspired Sloane to begin his quest to discover the secrets of Rambaldi, Kill Bill and King-Fu star David Carradine can be seen in season 2's Countdown and season 3's Hourglass.
4. David Cronenberg as Dr. Brezzel
The legendary horror director, occasional actor and musical maestro, David Cronenberg played Dr. Bezzel, a neurologist who experimented with his patients dreams, in two episodes of Alias season 3, Conscious and Remnants.
5. Faye Dunaway as Ariana Kane
Across a three episode season 2 story-arc, Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, star of Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Network and The Thomas Crown Affair, portrayed Ariana Kane, The Alliance's head of Counter-Intelligence, in The Abduction, A Higher Echelon and The Getaway.
6. Griffin Dunne as Leonid Lisenker
Probably most famously known for portraying Jack Goodman in An American Werewolf in London and Paul Hackett in After Hours, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Griffin Dunne guested in episodes 12 and 15 of season 3 of Alias, Crossings and Façade, as Leonid Lisenker, a top Covenant official who wants to defect.
7. Vivica A. Fox as Toni Cummings
The Days Of Our Lives, Missing and Kill Bill star Vivica A. Fox played Toni Cummings in episodes 13 and 21 of Alias season 3, After Six and Legacy.
8. Ricky Gervais as Daniel Ryan
The Office star, British comedian Ricky Gervais took an early straight role in the season 3 episode Façade playing the Irish Bomber, Terrorist and Mass Murderer Daniel Ryan, whose Brother was Killed by Sydney Bristow. Awkward!
9. John Hannah as Martin Shepard
Known for his roles in The Mummy film series, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors and TV Series like Cold Blood, Spartacus, Atlantis and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (with José Zúñiga), John Hannah played brainwashed hitman Martin Shepard in the first season of Alias, appearing in episode 6 Reckoning and 7 Color-Blind.
10. Rutger Hauer as Anthony Geiger
The late great Rutger Hauer, he of Blade Runner, Sin City and Ladyhawke fame, played Anthony Geiger, the last Director of SD-6 in the season 2 episode Phase One.
11. Ethan Hawke as James Lennox
Best known for his roles in Reality Bites, Training Day, Assault on the Precint 13, Sinister, Total Recall, and The Purge, Ethan Hawke pulled double duty playing both James Lennox and Enzo Markovic in the Alias season 2 episode Double Agent.
12. Djimon Hounsou as Kazari Bomani
The Guardians of the Galaxy, Gladiator and Furious 7 star, Djimon Hounsou played African Drug Lord Kazari Bomani, who is in league with The Covenant across three season 3 episodes Repercussions, The Frame and Unveiled.
13. Sir Roger Moore as Edward Poole
The name's Poole, Ed Poole. Former James Bond and Simon Templer, Sir Roger Moore guest starred in the first season of Alias during Prophecy as the head of SD-9 and a high ranking member of the Alliance of Twelve.
14. Isabella Rossellini as Katya Derevko
The Blue Velvet star had a semi-recurring guest role as Yekaterina "Katya" Derevko, a colonel with the SRV also known as Black Sparrow, across five episodes of Season 3 and 4 of Alias; Crossings, Legacy, Resurrection, Pandora and The Descent.
15. Richard Roundtree as Thomas Brill
Who's the Alias guest star that played Brill in Breaking Point and Blood Ties?Enough of that, eh? But it is true that the actor who played the "black private dick that's a sex-machine to all the chicks" Shaft, Richard Roundtree did indeed guest star as Thomas Brill in two episodes of Alias season three.
Shaft!
You're sorta right.
16. Jason Segel as Sam Hauser
The Freaks & Geeks, How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall star played Sam Houser in the season 4 episode The Road Home.
17. Christian Slater as Neil Caplan
He's had roles in films like Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Interview With The Vampire, True Romance, The West Wing and Mr. Robot, and back in Alias season 2 Christian Slater guest starred as Neil Caplan in both A Free Agent and Endgame.
18. Quentin Tarantino as McKenas Cole
As it was one of his favourite shows, Quentin Tarantino, the director of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, guest starred in Alias as McKenas Cole, a former SD-6 operative. First appearing in the season one Die Hard inspired two part story The Box, returning in season three for the episodes Full Disclosure and After Six.
19. Justin Theroux as Simon Walker
The Mulholand Drive appeared in A Missing Link and Repercussions from season 3 of Alias. Justin Theroux's character Simon Walker was a freelancing mercenary who accepted a contract from Sark, but had history with Sydney Bristow, knowing her as one of her alias' Julia Thorne.
20. Danny Trejo as Emilio Vargas
You've likely seen Danny Trejo in Con Air, Desperado, Machete, Spy Kids, and Breaking Bad, and you may well have also seen him when he played Hitman Emilio Vargas in the season 2 episode Countdown.
There you go. 20 famous people who guest starred on Alias. Did you remember them all? And can you name any more? Let us know in the comments below...
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