Only Murders in the Building was a surprise hit for Hulu. Along with its star-studded main cast, the show also had a long list of guest stars, from Tina Fey to Jane Lynch, Jimmy Fallon, and even musical icon Sting.
The cast includes both comedy icons as well as relative newcomers. What fans particularly loved about the show and the cast was the unity between several generations, most notably, the three main characters. And while the actors who play the true crime-hunting trio are certainly familiar for their extensive work in the industry, others might not be as recognizable from past projects.
Steve Martin (Charles-Haden Savage)
Steve Martin is one of the most prolific comedians of this generation, so it’s no surprise he played one of the funniest characters on Only Murders in the Building. In the business since the 1970s, he is known by multiple generations for his time as a cast member on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. One of his most notable characters was Jorge Festrunk of the Two Wild & Crazy Guys, the The Festrunk Brothers.
Martin went on to have a massive movie career, so there’s any number of projects fans might recognize him from. Some of the most popular movies and shows include Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Parenthood, Father of the Bride movies, and Cheaper by the Dozen. No matter what decade, Martin has a project that fans are familiar with.
Martin Short (Oliver Putnam)
Another former SNL cast member, Short is also known for his time prior to that with the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV that aired in the ’70s and ’80s. His characters from SNL have become iconic, including Ed Grimley and the overly excitable Wheel of Fortune fan.
Like Martin, he went on to enjoy tremendous success in film, often appearing alongside Martin in several movies like Three Amigos and Father of the Bride. Other movies Short has appeared in through the decades include Clifford, Mars Attacks!, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Most recently, fans might recognize him for his small, against-type role in the Apple TV+ original series The Morning Show.
Selena Gomez (Mabel Mora)
Gomez has gone from child actor to pop star to adult actor, all in the span of just over a decade. Prior to her massive music career, Gomez was known to kids, tweens, and their parents as Alex in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, which aired from 2007 to 2012.
She has also appeared in many movies, including Another Cinderella Story, Spring Breakers, and a Rainy Day in New York. Additionally, Gomez voices Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania movies. Behind the scenes, she is executive producer of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Most recently, fans might have watched Gomez on her HBO Max series Selena + Chef, where she learns to cook alongside celebrity chef guests.
Aaron Dominguez (Oscar)
Acting since the mid-’00s, Dominguez started out mainly appearing in a number of shorts. His first notable credit was in 2017 in an episode of NCIS: New Orleans. He went on to have guest and uncredited roles in a number of TV series and appeared in the 2019 movie Shaft.
If fans don’t recognize him from either of those small roles, Dominguez also appeared in the 2021 series Two Sides, playing a character named Emmanuel. The show is about a young couple dealing with their break-up, with each one’s point-of-view shown at the same time.
Amy Ryan (Jan)
Ryan has been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Gone Baby Gone and has also appeared in movies like Changeling, Win Win, and Birdmanor (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). On television, she had a major role on the HBO series The Wire and appeared in the network’s series In Treatment. But her most memorable role is likely that of Holly in the hit sitcom The Office.
Getting her start in theater, Ryan, who plays the least likable person in the Arconia in Only Murders In The Building, has also appeared on Broadway, and even won Tonys for her roles in Uncle Vanya and the 2005 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Jackie Hoffman (Uma Heller)
Earning an Emmy nomination for her role in the miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan, Hoffman is a veteran of the famous The Second City comedy improv group from Chicago. A singer as well as actor and comedian, she has appeared on stage in projects like The Book of Liz, which was created by David and Amy Sedaris, and as Prudy Pingleton in Hairspray on Broadway back in 2002. Other high-profile Broadway credits include Xanadu, The Addams Family, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Fiddler on the Roof.
Hoffman has a long movie resume as well, appearing in films like Kissing Jessica Stein, Mo’ Money, Garden State, and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde. On TV, she might be recognizable from roles in everything from Curb Your Enthusiasm to Difficult People, 30 Rock, and One Life to Live. Fans might more recognize her voice as well as that of “Mary Phillips, the Talk Radio host” in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Teddy Coluca (Lester)
The dutiful building security guard might look strangely familiar out of his character uniform. That is because he is the same actor who plays Brimley on The Blacklist, Raymond “Red” Reddington’s expert interrogator who walks around with his oxygen tank while always getting the job done. He is also Manny on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, uncle Joe on Younger, and the stage manager on 30 Rock.
Coluca has also appeared in movies like We Own the Night, The Girl in the Park, The Comedian, and The Week Of.
Jayne Houdyshell (Bunny)
In 2016, Houdyshell earned a Tony Award for her role in the play The Humans. She has spent much of her career since the 1970s in stage projects, notably in the Broadway production of Well, which earned her a Tony nomination. Other high-profile theater projects include Wicked, Bye Bye Birdie, King Lear, and The Importance of Being Earnest. She will next appear in the revival of The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.
On television, in addition to playing Bunny, one of the best characters on Only Murders in the Building, fans might recognize Houdyshell as the Widow from the third season of Quantico. She has also appeared on multiple Law & Order shows, including the original as well as Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent.
Julian Cihi (Tim Kono)
A relative newcomer to acting, Cihi started appearing in video shorts in the mid-00s after which he snagged small guest roles in episodes of shows like The Mysteries of Laura in 2015, Mr. Robot in 2016, and High Maintenance in 2018. He had a recurring role in the series Gypsy in 2017.
With a few other credits to his name, the one fans might most recognize him for is as Edgelord in the 2019 Amazon Prime Video original series The Tick.
James Caverly (Theo Dimas)
Despite delivering a convincing performance as the troubled young man Theo in this series, who was also part of one of the biggest plot twists on Only Murders in the Building, actor James Caverly has only been acting since 2018 and only has a handful of credits to his name.
In addition to appearing in A Bennett Song Holiday, the spot fans might recognize him from is as Peter Rush in two episodes of Chicago Med in 2018 and 2019. The actor, who is indeed deaf in real life, according to Men’s Health, may find himself adding more to his resume after his work on this popular show.
Nathan Lane (Teddy Dimas)
Lane’s career spans an impressive 40 years, with some of his notable acting roles including The Birdcage, and plays like The Producers, Mouse Hunt, and Guys and Dolls. Fans might recognize Lane most, however, as Pepper Saltzman from the long-running ABC sitcom Modern Family.
He also appeared in The Good Wife, The People v. O.J. Simpson, American Crime Story, and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. With a total of six Tony nominations and six Primetime Emmy nominations, Lane is one of the most notable stage actors of this generation.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Detective Williams)
Another actor with an impressive stage resume, Randolph broke onto the scene as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost: The Musical on Broadway in 2012, which earned her a Tony nomination. She went on to appear in a few movies, including The Angriest Manin Brooklyn and Office Christmas Party, and TV series like Selfie, People of Earth, and High Fidelity.
But the role fans probably recognize her most from, and the one that earned her critical acclaim, is that of Lady Reed in 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name.
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