Who is in The Great cast? Beginning back in 2020, The Great is a historical drama series that follows the story of Catherine the Great as she became the longest-serving woman to rule Russia in the country’s history.
It’s funny and sharp, with excellent production and shock value. But what really makes The Great one of the best TV series out right now is its array of characters and its excellent cast, both in main and supporting roles. From A-listers such as Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult to rising stars, The Great is packed with talent.
So, here’s our detailed guide to all The Great cast and characters, giving you an in-depth look at the folks behind the hit comedy series.
The Great cast and characters
Listen, the court is a dangerous place, and throughout The Great, we have seen characters come and go. However, there are some steady main players, so let’s get into all the main actors in the hit TV series.
The main actors in The Great cast list:
- Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great
- Nicholas Hoult as Peter III of Russia
- Phoebe Fox as Marial
- Sacha Dhawan as Grigory Orlov
- Charity Wakefield as Georgina Dymova
- Gwilym Lee as Grigor Dymov
- Gillian Anderson as Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
- Jason Isaacs as Peter the Great
Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great
As the titular Russian monarch, Elle Fanning knocks it out of the park as Catherine the Great. Previously a German princess, her The Great character arrives in Russia as the first step in an arranged marriage to Peter III, the country’s current emperor. She quickly discovers that Peter III is an insatiable man-child and concocts a plan to kill and overthrow him.
Elle Fanning is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning and is Emmy-nominated for her role in The Great cast. Aside from The Great, she is also best known for her time in Disney movies with Maleficent and its sequel.
Nicholas Hoult as Peter III of Russia
Nicholas Hoult gives it his all in his role in The Great cast as the antagonist Peter III, portraying a truly awful man. Shameless, arrogant, and unimaginably privileged, Peter III is callous, cruel, and – most terrifyingly – ruthless when his power is under threat.
Alongside The Great season 3, Hoult recently was in Renfield, where he stars as the servant of Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage). Prior to that, he had a role in the X-Men movies as Hank McCoy, and he played Nux in the action movie Mad Max Fury Road.
Read our Renfield review here.
Phoebe Fox as Marial
Phoebe Fox is a British theatre actor who has also starred in the Netflix sci-fi series Black Mirror, in addition to the period drama movie Aeronauts.
In The Great, she stars as Marial. Marial is one of the most complex characters on the show, with a lot of history. Cunning and responsible for some of the series’ most incisive and tongue-in-cheek moments, she was previously Catherine the Great’s servant before becoming a lady in the court. She has developed relationships with those around her, including Catherine.
Sacha Dhawan as Orlo
Sacha Dhawan played one of the main supporting The Great characters: Grigory Orlov, known as Orlo. Orlo begins The Great as a key member of Peter III’s court, where he serves as an ambassador. However, his allegiance is tested by Catherine and Marial who have their own plans for Orlo.
Dhawan is best known for his role in Doctor Who, alongside The Great. He appeared in the Jodie Whittaker era of the time-travel series as The Doctor’s main antagonist, The Master. As The Master, he played a particularly important role in Whittaker’s final episode The Power of the Doctor.
Charity Wakefield as Georgina Dymova
Charity Wakefield is a British actor who has starred in multiple period drama series such as Sense and Sensibility and Wolf Hall.
She joined The Great cast as the character Georgina Dymova, who is on the side of Peter III and his secret lover and close confidant.
Gwilym Lee as Grigor Dymov
The Great character Grigor Dymov is the husband of Georgina and the closest friend of Peter III. Despite their close relationship, Grigor and Peter III come into conflict. To say any more would be to get into spoiler territory.
Lee is another British actor in the cast, and his biggest role to date is arguably as Brian May in the Queen band biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Gillian Anderson as Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
Gillian Anderson needs no introduction: she has been in Sex Education, The Crown as Margaret Thatcher, and, of course, the thriller series The X-Files.
Now, she’s also in The Great cast as she joined in season 2 as Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp — quite the mouthful.
She’s the overarching villain of The Great who arranges powerful marriages across Europe, and her status means that there are plenty who want to see her taken down a peg.
Jason Isaacs as Peter the Great
Rounding off the major cast and characters in The Great is Jason Isaacs as Peter the Great. Though he only has a small role in the show as the father of Hoult’s Peter III, Jason Isaacs is always worth talking about. Just like his son, Peter the Great is amoral and led by greed and lust. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and their father-son relationship is exactly what you’d expect.
The Full The Great cast list
Now let’s get into the entire shebang. Below is our detailed list of every single actor to star in The Great.
The full The Great season 1 cast list:
- Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great
- Nicholas Hoult as Peter III of Russia
- Phoebe Fox as Marial
- Sacha Dhawan as Orlo
- Charity Wakefield as Georgina Dymova
- Gwilym Lee as Grigory Dymov
- Adam Godley as Archbishop “Archie”
- Douglas Hodge as General Velementov
- Belinda Bromilow as Elizabeth
- Bayo Gbadamosi as Arkady
- Sebastian de Souza as Leo Voronsky
- Florence Keith-Roach as Tatyana
- Danusia Samal as Lady Antonia Svenska
- Freddie Fox as King Hugo of Sweden
- Grace Molony as Queen Agnes of Sweden
- Louis Hynes as Vlad
- Jamie Demetriou as Doctor Chekov
- Christophe Tek as Tartar Nick
- Charlie Price as Ivan
- Alistair Green as Count Smolny
- Abraham Popoola as Alexei Rostov
- Stewart Scudamore as Tolsten
- Christianne Oliveira as Countess Belanova
- Blake Harrison as Colonel Svenska
- Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Marina
- Dustin Demri-Burns as Voltaire
- Richard Pyros as Count Raskolnikov
- Tristan Beint as Lieutenant Bukharin
- Ashwin Bolar as Doctor Smirnov
- Keon Martial-Phillip as Russian POW
That’s it for now on The Great cast and characters. And yes, they’re all great.
For more on the show, take a look at our guide to everything that we know about The Great season 4 release date and the Bridgerton season 3 release date. Or, learn more about the best movies of all time and all the new movies heading our way this year.