‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’: See the Cast Side-by-Side

Jason Clarke as Alex Murdaugh

Clarke leads Murdaugh: Death in the Family as Alex, a former South Carolina attorney and member of a prominent legal family who became the center of a sprawling criminal case that drew national attention.

In 2023, Alex was convicted of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, amid revelations of financial crimes, drug abuse and corruption. He is currently serving two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, but maintains his innocence.

Clarke underwent a complete physical transformation to portray the Murdaugh patriarch.

“We couldn’t [use] prosthetics for a number of reasons, so I had to put on the weight, find the accent,” he told Good Morning America in October 2025. “And then I had to take [all the weight off] for when he’s in prison. He shed all that weight, and funnily enough, he looked bigger and stronger as the trial went along.”

Prior to the Hulu mini-series, Clarke starred in films such as Zero Dark Thirty, Oppenheimer and Everest.

Patricia Arquette as Maggie Murdaugh

Arquette stars as Maggie, the wife of Alex and the mother of two sons, Buster and Paul.

Her life was tragically cut short in 2021 when she and Paul were fatally shot on the Murdaugh family’s rural property — an event that ultimately unraveled the powerful family legacy.

From the beginning, Arquette found the Murdaugh scandal fascinating, telling Variety in May 2025, “To be married to someone who turns out to basically be a malignant narcissist is so interesting to me.”

She continued, “The way [Maggie and Alex] have this kind of enchanted life together and how completely destroyed everything got. It was such a sad, rotten American tale.”

Arquette is best known for her performances in Severance and the hit mid-2000s NBC series Medium. In 2014, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Boyhood.

Johnny Berchtold as Paul Murdaugh

Berchtold plays Paul, the younger son of Alex and Maggie. He was a student at the University of South Carolina and under criminal indictment related to a 2019 boat crash that killed one of his friends, Mallory Beach, when he was murdered alongside his mother in 2021.

During an appearance on the official Murdaugh: Death in the Family podcast in October 2025, Berchtold shared that becoming Paul was an “all-encompassing experience.”

“When I signed on, they handed me a 400-page binder of research. That essentially became my bible,” he said.

Berchtold’s career has taken off in recent years, with roles in Reacher season 3 and Netflix’s Dog Gone.

J. Smith-Cameron as Marian Proctor

J. Smith-Cameron portrays Maggie’s sister, Marian Proctor, and one of the key witnesses for the prosecution in Alex’s double murder trial.

The actress is best-known for her role as Gerri Kellman on Succession.

Brittany Snow as Mandy Matney

Snow plays investigative journalist Mandy Matney, the creator and host of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast. She played a key role in bringing national attention to the case, uncovering inconsistencies and corruption surrounding the family’s influence in South Carolina.

During an interview with Extra in October 2025, Matney told the outlet that having Snow play her is a “dream come true.”

Murdaugh: Death in the Family premiered just a few months after Netflix’s The Hunting Wives — another project starring Snow that quickly became a breakout hit. Still, the actress continues to be best-known and loved for her role in the Pitch Perfect franchise.

Will Harrison as Buster Murdaugh

Will Harrison portrays Buster Murdaugh, the older son of Alex and Maggie. He has largely stayed out of the public eye but became a notable figure in Alex’s 2023 murder trial, where he testified in his father’s defense.

In an October 2025 interview with WTHR, Harrison explained that he and Berchtold were deliberate in preparing to portray brothers in the series.

“We kicked around Atlanta and hung out all the time to try and just make that feel as natural as possible on screen,” he shared.

The rising actor is best known for his roles in Daisy Jones & The Six and Manhunt.

Mark Pellegrino as Curtis Eddie Smith

Mark Pellegrino plays Curtis “Eddie” Smith — a former client and distant cousin of Alex who became entangled in a high-profile criminal case involving a staged suicide attempt.

In September 2021, Smith was arrested in connection with a botched suicide-for-hire plot. Alex had Smith shoot him on the side of the road so that Buster could claim a $10 million life insurance payout, as Alex’s lawyer confirmed in court. However, the shooting was unsuccessful and Alex suffered only superficial wounds.

Prior to joining the Murdaugh: Death in the Family cast, Pellegrino had major supporting roles in TV series including Supernatural, 13 Reasons Why and Quantico.

Madeline Popovich as Mallory Beach

Madeline Popovich portrays Beach, a 19-year-old college student from South Carolina who died in a 2019 accident when a boat driven by Paul crashed into a bridge. She was ejected and found eight days later, having drowned and suffered blunt force trauma.

Popovich’s previous acting credits include roles in One Summer and Vincent’s Vow.

Jessi Case as Morgan Doughty

Jessi Case plays Morgan Doughty, who gained national attention for her relationship with Paul. Their relationship was marked by allegations of abuse, including a reported incident in 2017 where Paul allegedly strangled Morgan. She opened up about the allegations in the Netflix documentary Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

Case is best known for her performances in films such as Mother’s Day and On a Wing and a Prayer.