While there was some skepticism about Angel initially-- especially in its shifting gears from Buffy's premise to being a show about a private investigator who is often butting heads with a demonic law firm-- the show quickly found its voice and proved to be another hit for Joss Whedon. Though it didn't quite match Buffy's time on the air, it lasted a respectable five seasons and spawned a comic book series that continued through 2012.
Beyond the titular vampire, portrayed by David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia Chase also made the full-time switch over to Angel as a member of the primary cast. The rest of Angel's roster was filled out by newcomers and veterans, both in terms of the characters themselves and the actors who played them. Some have remained on television consistently in the 14 years since Angel went off the air, and a few have done very little since. Either way, it'll certainly be interesting to see how some of Angel's key actors have changed from their debut on the show to today.
As a note, two members of Angel's cast-- Glenn Quinn (Allen Doyle) and Andy Hallet (Lorne)-- have since passed away, so they won't be included in this feature.
Here are What The Cast of Angel Look Like in Their First Episode vs Today.
Vincent Kartheiser -- Connor
Unlike most of Angel's cast, Vincent Kartheiser's most famous role is on a different series-- a little show called Mad Men, where he played the slimy Pete Campbell. Despite only being 23 when he joined Angel's cast, Kartheiser was already a veteran actor, with two TV shows and a whopping 13 films under his belt before his time playing Angel's son.
Kartheiser has remained just as prolific since, appearing in 19 more movies, 11 more television series, and joining many of his Mad Men co-stars in the Rockstar video game L.A. Noire.
Most recently, Kartheiser played the role of Congressman Buck Harbaugh on Hulu's The Path and is currently shooting Das Boot, a TV miniseries sequel to the classic 1981 WWII film of the same name.
Stephanie Romanov -- Lilah
Though Lilah Morgan was never a member of Angel's primary cast of characters, she was easily the most long-lasting of the secondary bunch, appearing in episodes across the first four seasons of the show. Lilah was played by Stephanie Romanov, who spent her teen years as a model before trying her hand at acting at age 24-- making her debut, ironically enough, on the Aaron Spelling soap Models, Inc.
Romanov's acting career spanned from 1994 to 2012, where she made her thus-far final acting appearance in the horror film Slumber Party Slaughter. Angel was the meatiest role Romanov ever had, largely only appearing elsewhere in minor film roles and in single-episode stints of various TV shows. The actress has mostly retreated from public life since 2012, presumably focusing on being a mother to her now-13-year-old daughter, Lily.
James Marsters -- Spike
Not unlike Angel, Spike eventually made the switch from villain to hero-- and, more importantly, from Buffy's enemy to her lover. He was also one of the only characters who didn't fully commit to being on either Buffy or Angel while they were both still airing simultaneously, being a fairly important cast member on both shows.
Masters has taken a few stabs at movie work-- including a role in the dreadful Dragonball Evolution-- but he has largely remained a television actor since his time as Spike ended. Marsters definitely found his groove in sci-fi/fantasy work, appearing in Smallville as Milton Fine/Brainiac and in a four-episode stint on Caprica, and has also lent his voice to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and Ultimate Spider-Man.
Currently, Marsters is a main cast member on the Hulu series Marvel's Runaways as Victor Stein.
J. August Richards -- Gunn
Fun fact: Joss Whedon gave Charles the last name of Gunn as a tribute to his friend James Gunn, who these days is best known as the writer and director of both Guardians of the Galaxy films. As for the character himself, Charles was among the most prominent newcomers in Angel's cast, and would graduate from a recurring role in season one to being a main cast member through the show's finale.
The actor who played Charles, J. August Richards, had spent the decade before his breakthrough role on Angel paying his dues with one-off appearances on shows like The Cosby Show, JAG, and The West Wing, among many others.
Since Angel, Richards has scored several other main and recurring TV show roles on Raising the Bar, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Notorious, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the currently-airing Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.
Alexis Denisof -- Wesley
When Alexis Denisof's Wesley Wyndam-Pryce joined the cast of Buffy to replace Rupert Giles as Buffy's Watcher, the intention was to have him eliminated after only a short stint. Instead, he got such a strong reaction from the fans that, following his nine episodes on Buffy, he was written into Angel as a primary cast member. He'd remain with the show for nearly its entire run.
Denisof's first prominent post-Angel TV role was a ten-episode stint on How I Met Your Mother, co-starring alongside fellow Buffy alum Alyson Hannigan. He would later have a recurring role on the fantasy drama series Grimm, and was a main cast member on MTV's Finding Carter.
On the Hollywood side, Denisof most notably appeared as Thanos' advisor, The Other, in both The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1.
Amy Acker -- Fred/Illyria
Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a character who spent a period of time as a sort of slave, which gave Angel's writers the excuse to have her be a funny character who is socially awkward and has to adjust to having normal interactions with other people. Played wonderfully by actress Amy Acker, Fred eventually passes away and is resurrected as the being known as Illyria.
Acker's first major role post-Angel was as part of the main cast in season five of Alias, followed by a recurring role in Joss Whedon's short-lived 2009 series Dollhouse. She would go on to star in Person of Interest before landing another main role on a major series, the X-Men-based Fox show The Gifted, which was ordered for a second season this past January.
Julie Benz -- Darla
Darla is another one of the Buffyverse's longest-running characters, appearing in the first, second, and fifth seasons of Buffy before popping up at least once per season for all five seasons of Angel. Darla is also a very important character within the lore as it is eventually revealed that she is Angel's sire, meaning she is the vampire who turned him.
Despite her extended time within the Buffyverse, it's tough to argue that Darla actress Julie Benz is better-known for her stint on Dexter as Rita Bennett. Benz has also appeared in many films, including Saw V, Rambo (2008), Punisher: War Zone, and Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day.
On the television front, she has also had noteworthy roles on Desperate Housewives, Defiance, Hawaii Five-O, and most recently, the TV series Training Day, which was cut short due to the unexpected passing of star Bill Paxton.
Eliza Dushku -- Faith
Though Eliza Dushku's Faith never had as big of a role on Angel as she did on Buffy, she was still a recurring character on three seasons of the spin-off. In fact, the next pillar in the Buffyverse was to be a TV show focusing on Faith, but when Dushku turned down the offer, the series never got off the ground.
Dushku did just fine without a Faith show, as the actress went on to lead the series Tru Calling, was the star of Whedon's Dollhouse, as well as 16 additional TV show and 19 movie appearances. Among her biggest recurring roles has been voicing both Selina Kyle/Catwoman and She-Hulk in multiple animated projects featuring the iconic comic book characters. In 2009, Dushku also voiced the lead character in the video game Wet.
Alexa Davalos -- Gwen
Though Gwen Raiden only appeared in three episodes of Angel, she really made her mark as a being who could manipulate electricity-- hence her name, which she shares with the Japanese mythological god of thunder/Mortal Kombat character. She would also go on to have a large role in the comic series Angel: After the Fall, often referred to by fans as Angel: Season 6.
After having roles in a few ill-fated television shows after Angel-- Reunion, Raines, and Mob City-- Raiden actress Alexa Davalos recently landed a featured part in Amazon's acclaimed sci-fi series The Man in the High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel of the same name. Davalos also had a major role in the poorly-received-- though financially-successful-- 2010 Clash of the Titans remake.
Elisabeth Röhm -- Kate
In the case of actress Elisabeth Röhm, who played Kate Lockley in the first two seasons of Angel, her star simply rose too fast for her to be contained by a single series. Though Kate was a well-received character and loved doing the show,Röhm had subsequently got her own TNT show called Bull, followed by an offer to play a major role on Law & Order.
Opting for the more popular-- and certainly better-paying-- Law & Order gig, Röhm decided to leave the show with Whedon's blessing. Röhm would play her Law & Order character, Serena Southerlyn, for 85 episodes.
Though she's yet to have a part as big as the ones on Law & Order or Angel, Röhm has remained a prolific actor in the ensuing years, including extended stints on The Client List, Stalker, and The Last Ship. She also appeared in the Oscar-winning film American Hustle.
Mercedes McNab -- Harmony
Mercedes McNab had a strong start to her career, appearing in the Addams Family movie at age 11 as the snobby Amanda Buckman, reprising and expanding her role for the sequel. By 16, she was appearing on Buffy, and would finally land a spot as a main cast member by the time Angel's final season rolled around.
After the end of Angel, McNab had small parts in Supernatural, Psych, Criminal Minds, and Crossing Jordan, as well as the cult horror movie Hatchet alongside Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street). McNab's career would never again reach the heights of her teenage years, starring in several direct-to-video horror movies over the next few years before seeming to leave acting-- as well as life in the public eye-- behind after her final film role in the 2011 TV movie Glass Heels.
Christian Kane -- Lindsey
Lindsey McDonald, played by actor Christian Kane, has the distinction of being the only character besides Angel himself to appear in both the first and last episode of the series-- though he would also be absent from the show entirely between seasons two and five. The other noteworthy thing about Lindsey is that he just couldn't seem to stop having Angel inflict serious hand-related trauma upon him.
The multi-talented Kane not only went on to be a main cast member of three additional series-- Close to Home, Leverage, and his most recent gig on The Librarians-- but he is also the frontman for the successful indie southern rock band Kane, which has had both a Billboard-charting song and album.
In February of this year, the actor won a Saturn award for "Best Supporting Actor on Television" for his role on The Librarians.
Sam Anderson -- Holland
Easily the most established actor on the Angel cast--at the time, or since-- Sam Anderson was already a nearly 30-year television veteran by the time he took on the role of Holland Manners, Wolfram & Hart's head of "Special Projects."
It would be one of Anderson's many roles as a character in the legal profession.
He also appeared in a similar vein on L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, Judging Amy, Malcolm in the Middle, Boston Legal, Henry's Law, Doubt, and most recently, in the NBC dramas This Is Us. However, in terms of his overall history as a television actor, in can be argued that his most iconic role was that of mailroom supervisor Mr. Gorpley on Perfect Strangers.
Among Anderson's most noteworthy film roles are as Donna's father in La Bamba, and the principal that took some "convincing" by Sally Field in Forrest Gump.
Gina Torres -- Jasmine
Gina Torres was a sci-fi/fantasy TV mainstay for many years, appearing in Hercules: The Legendary Journey, Xena: Warrior Princess (as a different character than in Hercules), Cleopatra 2525, Alias, and of course, her legendary stint on Firefly as Zoe Washburne. Of course, Zoe wasn't Torres' only appearance within the Whedonverse, as she also showed up for five episodes of Angel as Jasmine.
Torres has barely stopped to catch her breath since her time on Angel ended, appearing in over 30 different TV shows and nine films (including Firefly movie sequel Serenity). While Torres still stays in touch with her fantasy roots, appearing on HBO's Westworld as well as voicing Ketsu Onyo in multiple Star Wars animated projects, her most prominent recent role is in the legal drama Suits.
In fact, Torres will be the lead in an upcoming Suits spin-off focusing on her character, Jessica Pearson.
Charisma Carpenter -- Cordelia
Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia can stake her claim as being the most prominent character in the Buffyverse beyond Buffy and Angel, as she was a main cast member in the first three seasons of Buffy before going on to be a main cast member in the first four seasons of Angel. Such is Cordelia's popularity that, despite her passing near the end of Angel's run, she remained a prominent character in the subsequent comics as spirit guide and in flashbacks.
Following the end of her time as Cordelia, Carpenter did an 11-episode stint on Veronica Mars and small roles on other TV shows before appearing in both Expendables movies as Lacy. The actress spent some time as a major character on the 2011 TV series The Lying Game before settling back into mostly doing small roles, as she wants to be able to spend as much time as possible with son Donovan.
David Boreanaz -- Angel
While David Boreanaz has had some brief flirtations with Hollywood, he has largely remained a television actor. He can hardly be blamed for that, as the actor has essentially gone from one long-running hit show after another since his time on Buffy.
After his give seasons starring on Angel came to an end, Boreanaz jumped into crime procedural drama Bones just a year later, a show he would lead for an astonishing 12 seasons. While that would've been a perfect opportunity to take some time off for most actors, consistently leading TV shows for nearly 20 years, workaholic Boreanaz again waited just a year before starting up his next show, CBS' SEAL Team which was just renewed for its second season.
Given CBS' tendency to keep dramas on the air for a long, long time, Boreanaz can rest assured that he's got another steady gig for years to come.
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Who was your favorite Angel cast member? Let us know in the comments!