With multiple international casts, Criminal is full of familiar names and faces. The groundbreaking Netflix series takes place in four separate countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain.
Criminal has been compared to the famous NBC franchise-starter Law & Order. Crimes are committed and police investigate suspects. However, the narratives don't feature a tidy beginning, middle, and end. Similarly, Netflix's new crime procedural series will leave viewers asking important questions about the legal process, along with the concepts of "guilty" and "innocent." Criminal was created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, and filmed at Netflix's Ciudad de la Tele studio in Madrid.
Netflix continues to produce high-profile movies and television series that appeal to global audiences. With Criminal, the streaming service literally brings countries together for a universally-relatable story about the human element. Here's the star-studded lineup that Netflix assembled for Criminal; a cast full of familiar faces and potential breakout mainstream stars.
Criminal: UK
David Tennant as Dr. Fallon: Criminal's Dr. Fallon is accused of raping and murdering his teenage step-daughter. An acclaimed Scottish actor, David Tennant is best known for his role as the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who, and for playing the villain Kilgrave in Jessica Jones. On the big screen, Tennant has appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Mary Queen of Scots.
Hayley Atwell as Stacey Doyle: Atwell's Doyle is another subject of investigation in Criminal UK, as she's a woman who has been accused of poisoning someone. British-American actress Hayley Atwell portrays Peggy Carter in the MCU, including in her own now-canceled TV series, Agent Carter. Atwell also starred in Black Mirror episode "Be Right Back", and she’s appeared in movies like Cinderella, Christopher Robin, and the 2019 Bruce Springsteen-themed dramedy Blinded by the Light.
Nicholas Pinnock as Ottager: Ottager is an experienced police officer who takes over a murder case. Nicholas Pinnock is perhaps best known for roles in the British TV series Fortitude and Marcell, but he's also appeared in the 2014 drama The Keeping Room, and had a minor role in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Katherine Kelly as Natalie Hobbs: Natalie Hobbs oversees a police team in Criminal: UK. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Katherine Kelly starred in the ITV series Coronation Street and Mr Selfridge. In 2019, she portrayed Elizabeth Sutherland in HBO’s Gentleman Jack. Kelly also played Jodie Shackleton in the BBC One series Happy Valley.
Lee Ingleby as Tony Myerscough: A police detective, Tony Myerscough leads on Dr. Fallon’s case. Lee Ingleby may be known to many as Stan Shunpike from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. From 2007 to 2017, Ingleby portrayed Detective Sergeant John Bacchus on the BBC One series Inspector George Gently.
Rochenda Sandall as Vanessa Warren: Warren is the police officer who interrogates Stacy Doyle. Rochenda Sandall portrayed Pippan in Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. She also plays Lisa McQueen in Line of Duty.
Mark Stanley as Hugo Duffy: A new police officer hoping to prove himself during an investigation. Game of Thrones fans know Mark Stanley as Grenn, a member of the Night’s Watch. Stanley has since appeared in notable films such as Our Kind of Traitor, Euphoria, and Dark River.
Youssef Kerkour as Jay Mouhtassine: Mouhtassine is accused of abandoning a truck he was driving that was carrying a number of refugees. In recent years, Youssef Kerkour has appeared in the TV series Marcella, Bounty Hunters, Nightflyers, and Home.
Clare-Hope Ashitey as Ojomo: An English actress, Clare-Hope Ashitey headlines the main cast for Netflix’s crime drama Seven Seconds. She previously had main roles in the series Shots Fired and Suspects. Ashitey portrayed Kee in the dystopian classic Children of Men.
Shubham Saraf as Petit: Known for portraying Hays in the 2018 movie Overlord, Shubham Saraf also played Tahir in the acclaimed Richard Madden-led series Bodyguard.
Criminal: France (Characters TBA)
Margot Bancilhon: Margot Bancilhon played Martine in Kheiron's 2015 dramedy All Three of Us (Nous trois ou rien). In 2019, Bancilhon co-starred with French star Sandrine Bonnaire in the thriller Trois jours et une vie.
Laurent Lucas: With a feature film resume dating back 20 years, Laurent Lucas is perhaps best known to modern moviegoers as Le père from Julia Ducournau's 2016 hit Raw. Older moviegoers may remember Lucas for starring in With a Friend Like Harry… (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien). He recently portrayed Laurent Dopalet in the TV series Vernon Subutex starring Romain Duris.
Stéphane Jobert: Known for portraying Spiero in the 1988 crime drama Let Sleeping Cops Lie (Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort), starring French icon Alain Delon, in recent years Stéphane Jobert has appeared in the TV series The Frozen Dead and Beneath the Skin. He was also part of the main cast for Quentin Dupieux’s 2019 film Deerskin starring Jean Dujardin.
Anne Azoulay: Anne Azoulay played Elodie Marte in the crime series Kepler(s), and starred in Bruno Rolland’s feature film Léa. She also had roles in the recent TV series Le Bureau des Légendes and Ad Vitam.
Mhamed Arezki: A famous French TV star, Mhamed Arezki is best known for appearing in the police-themed series Les Bleus, Les Beaux Mecs, and Candice Renoir. On the big screen, he portrayed Achmed Tchebali in The Tourist starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.
Nathalie Baye: Nathalie Baye a major movie star in her homeland, known for collaborating with French New Wave icon François Truffaut in films like Day for Night, The Man Who Loved Women, and The Green Room. Baye also starred in Jean-Luc Godard’s films Every Man for Himself and Détective. Mainstream moviegoers may recognize her for portraying Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can.
Jérémie Renier: A Belgian actor, Jérémie Renier famous starred in the Dardennes brothers’ 1996 drama La Promesse. He also starred opposite Vincent Cassel in the 2001 hit Brotherhood of the Wolf. He co-stars with Isabelle Huppert, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei in the 2019 drama Frankie.
Sara Giraudeau: Sara Giraudeau is an accomplished stage actress, and portrayed Clotilde in Christophe Gans’ 2014 film Beauty and the Beast. In recent years, she's portrayed Marina Loiseau in the TV series Le Bureau des Légendes.
Criminal: Germany (Characters TBA)
Eva Meckbach: On TV, Eva Meckbach appeared in two episodes of Tatort. Meckbach also portrayed Tine Gronau in the 2012 film Home for the Weekend (Was bleibt).
Sylvester Groth: Sylvester Groth portrayed infamous German war criminal Joseph Goebbels in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. He also portrays the investigator Clausen in the hit German Netflix series Dark. Fargo fans may know him as Colonel Horst Lagerfeld.
Florence Kasumba: A Ugandan-German actress, she portrays Ayo in the MCU films Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. In the DCEU, Florence Kasumba was cast as Senator Acantha in Wonder Woman. She voiced Shenzi in Jon Favreau’s 2019 film The Lion King.
Christian Kuchenbuch: Netflix subscribers may know Christian Kuchenbuch as Regina's Doctor in Dark. He previously appeared in four episodes of Tatort.
Jonathan Berlin: Mostly known for his film work, Jonathan Berlin has appeared in recent films like The Third King, Krusso, Summer of ’44, and After-work beer. He also portrayed Walter Imhoff in the TV series Line of Separation.
Peter Kurth: A veteran actor, Peter Kurth portrayed Bruno Wolter in the German Netflix series Babylon Berlin. Like other Criminal: Germany co-stars, he’s also appeared in the TV Series Tatort.
Christian Berkel: Another accomplished German actor, Christian Berkel has appeared in Valkyrie, Inglourious Basterds, and Downfall. He also portrayed Udo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and director Otto Preminger in Trumbo starring Bryan Cranston.
Deniz Arora: Since making his TV debut in 2017, Deniz Arora has appeared in the series Milk & Honey, Bella Germania, and Tatort.
Nina Hoss: A famous German stage and movie actress, Nina Hoss has starred in the Christian Petzold films Wolfsburg, Yella, Jerichow, Barbara, Phoenix, and Transit. She’s also known as Astrid from Showtime’s Homeland.
Criminal: Spain (Characters TBA)
Jorge Bosch: Jorge Bosch is best know for appearing in the 1999 Spanish film Los lobos de Washington and the TV series Periodistas. In 2019, he portrays Joaquín Castán in the TV series La caza. Monteperdido.
José Ángel Egido: José Ángel Egido won a Goya Award for his performance in the 2002 film Mondays in the Sun (Los lunes al sol) starring Javier Bardem. He also had a role in Alejandro Amenábar’s acclaimed 1997 film Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) starring Penélope Cruz. Egido portrays Don Julio in the 2019 TV series Matadero.
Nuria Mencía: Nuria Mencía plays Carmen Müller in the 2019 TV series Vote for Juan. Mencía is perhaps best known for her performance in the 2016 film A Canção de Lisboa.
Daniel Chamorro: A well-known short film director, Daniel Chamorro has also studied acting under acclaimed filmmakers such as Baz Luhrman and Wim Wenders.
María Morales: In the past decade, María Morales has appeared in Todas las mujeres, La fuga, and The Boat. She also played Comisaria in the TV series Locked Up.
Javi Coll: He played Luis in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2009 film Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos). Javi Coll has recently appeared in the TV series Gym Tony and Colegas.
Milo Taboada: He played Joven in Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 hit Pan's Labyrinth. Milo Taboada also portrayed Montáñez in the TV series Cocaine Coast.
Inma Cuesta: Inma Cuesta delivered Goya Award-nominated performances in The Sleeping Voice (La voz dormida), Three Many Weddings (3 bodas de más), and The Bride (La novia) - all released in the past decade. She portrays Ava in Almodóvar’s 2016 film Julieta, and also stars as Ana in Asghar Farhadi’s 2018 drama Everybody Knows.
Eduard Fernández: Another Almodóvar collaborator, Eduard Fernández played Fulgencio in the 2011 film The Skin I Live In. He also portrayed Tito in Alejandro Iñárritu’s 2010 drama Biutiful. Fernández appeared with the aforementioned Cuesta in Everybody Knows.
Emma Suárez: She played the title role in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2016 film Julieta, for which she won a Goya Award for Best Actress. That same year, Emma Suárez won a Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Next Skin (La propera pell).
Carmen Machi: She portrayed Chon in Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces. From 2005 to 2014, Carmen Machi starred as the title character in the TV comedy series Aida. She’s also know for her performance in the 2014 Spanish film Spanish Affair (Ocho apellidos vascos) starring Clara Lago.
Álvaro Cervantes: At 30 years old, Álvaro Cervantes is a famous Spanish TV actor, known for his performances in Carlos, Rey Emperador and the 2019 series Costa Del Sol Squad. He also portrayed Feliciano in Joe Wright’s 2011 film Hanna starring Saoirse Ronan.