With the video game L.A. Noire celebrating its 11th anniversary and AMC's Mad Men remaining one of the most beloved shows of all time, it's hard to believe that these two properties had a lot in common besides being period dramas.
However, they share over 96 actors between them, by IMDb's count, from main players in both the game and show to those who only had bit parts in both. Fans of one might often find familiar faces when experiencing the other and these are some of the most notable shared actors.
Vincent Kartheiser: Pete Campbell & Walter Clemens
Vincent Kartheiser's most notable role is as main character Pete Campbell in Mad Men, a fellow adman to Don Draper and, like many of the other characters, morally questionable throughout the show. Still, he's a compelling main character.
That's what makes his role in L.A. Noire so interesting - because it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as water-heater installer Walter Clemens, a person of interest in a single arson-desk case and only showing up in one scene. Since Kartheiser was still busy with Mad Men when the game is released, it makes sense why his appearance was so short.
Audrey Wasilewski: Anita Olson Respola & Jennifer Horgan
Audrey Wasilewski plays main character Peggy Olson's older sister in Mad Men across seven episodes, so her face is obviously less well-known to Mad Men fans compared to Vincent Kartheiser. Still, her character gives an insight into Peggy's backstory and how she became the ambitious woman she is in the series.
Like Kartheiser, however, her appearance on L.A. Noire is also brief, as she plays Jennifer Horgan, neighbor to murder victim Celine Henry during the homicide cases. Her information points Cole toward Celine's husband as a murder suspect. It's a short part, but Wasilewski is a perfect fit for it, playing a role similar to Anita.
Rich Sommer: Harry Crane & John Cunningham
On Mad Men, Rich Sommer played Harry Crane, a character with great fashion sense who starts out as a friend and co-worker of Pete Campbell's at Sterling Cooper, but by the end of the series is an arrogant businessman whose lack of tact costs him a fortune.
Among Sommer's many other high-profile roles is his appearance in L.A. Noire as a travel agent in the same case that Vincent Kartheiser's character appears in. Although not a suspect, Sommer would be obviously recognizable to any Mad Men fan. Funnily enough, his character here is also jilted out of some money by being pressured to donate to help arson victims.
Carla Gallo: Karen Ericson & Gloria Bishop
For a short two-episode run on Mad Men, Carla Gallo, best known for appearing in Neighbors and Superbad – had the role of Karen Ericson. Karen is introduced as a possible roommate for Peggy, and then in a later episode is shown to be Peggy's roommate and confidante.
Her L.A. Noire character, Gloria Bishop, shares a last name with the Drapers' neighbor, Helen Bishop, although, unlike the Mad Men character, Gloria has a husband who has a preference for underage women. The character of Gloria came out to L.A. with dreams of stardom and ends up getting attacked because of her husband's bad deeds.
Patrick Fischler: Jimmy Barrett & Mickey Cohen
L.A. Noire actually wasn't Patrick Fischler's first experience with the genre, as he played Dan, the Winkie's diner patron, in Mulholland Drive, a classic modern film noir. Before he was ever cast in the game, though, he played comedian Jimmy Barrett in Mad Men season one, who is part of the firm's Utz campaign.
Three years later, Fischler played real-life mobster Mickey Cohen in L.A. Noire, a man so influential that in 1947 he had a personal telephone at his restaurant dining table. Fischler vacillates between charming and threatening in the role, which sells Cohen's danger as well as his charisma, a trait that gangster-movie fans are sure to be familiar with.
Alexa Alemanni: Allison & Elizabeth Eberly
A recurring character for the first four seasons of the show, Alexa Alemanni's Allison is one of Don Draper's many secretaries on Mad Men, although she began as the firm's receptionist. Her departure is thanks to Don's cruel treatment of her after they impulsively hook up at the Christmas Party.
Fittingly, Alemanni's minor role in L.A. Noire has her play a secretary to the head boss of a firm, although in this case, it's the California Fire & Life insurance company. Her character's name is also slightly phonetically similar to the actress's name, so perhaps she was named and cast specifically, rather than just auditioning for a part.
Michael Gladis: Paul Kinsey & Dudley Lynch
Aside from his role as copywriter and supporting character Paul Kinsey, Michael Gladis is also notably Councilman Charlton Townsend on 2020's Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. Still, the Mad Men role is definitely his most well-known.
Unique to Gladis's L.A. Noire role as bartender Dudley Lynch, his character not only appears as a person of interest in a case but also as the actual perpetrator of a later "Street Crime," one that Cole can encounter when he's on the Vice desk.
Julie McNiven: Hildy & Ruth Douglas
Julie McNiven is most recognizable now as Sheryl Trainor from Doom Patrol, but fans of Mad Men would recognize her as Hildy, Pete Campbell's secretary who has a one-night stand with Harry Crane. Appearing in 20 episodes, her character did not follow Pete when he switched agencies.
McNiven is credited as lending her voice to Ruth Douglas in L.A. Noire, a character encountered not in cases but on the street, with sayings such as, "If you were twice as smart, you'd still be stupid" and "Mama said if I'm not married by 24, I'll never be." McNiven's background voice performances helped define the game for many players.
Andy Umberger: Dr. Arnold Wayne & Dr. Malcolm Carruthers
It seems that Andy Umberger has a type when it comes to casting: doctors. In Mad Men season one, he plays Betty's psychiatrist, Arnold Wayne, who unethically reports what's discussed during the sessions to her husband Don, although by the season one finale Betty uses this to get back at her husband.
In L.A. Noire, Umberger plays medical examiner Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, who is the second-most-frequent visitor to crime scenes after Cole Phelps. This allows Carruthers and Phelps to develop a clear and distinct relationship throughout the game, one which generally also reflects the public's view of Phelps, as well. When he chastises Phelps for his indiscretions, it's the first time it actually hurts.
Aaron Staton: Ken Cosgrove & Cole Phelps
Not only did Aaron Staton garner the starring role of Cole Phelps in L.A. Noire, but he also played one of Mad Men's best main characters, Ken Cosgrove, making him by far the most notable actor to appear in both the show and the video game.
Whereas Ken Cosgrove is an account executive who grew up middle-class and also writes stories in his free time, Cole Phelps is a theater-lover who grew up in a privileged family on the West Coast, meaning that while Cosgrove is more successful than his upbringing, Cole is (financially, at least) the opposite. What makes Cole the better role, though, is the nuance he has through his war service and conflicted morality.