The star-studded ensemble cast of Martin Scorsese’s crime film The Departed is full of prolific actors playing characters ranging from morally gray to pure evil. A cat-and-mouse thriller in which the cat and mouse are simultaneously hunting each other, The Departed revolves around an undercover cop infiltrating the Irish Mob and a police mole spying for the same gangland kingpin, each trying to identify one another. The procedural plotting of The Departed gave Scorsese plenty of opportunities to cast big stars as complex antiheroes on both sides of the law.
The Departed is the movie that finally won Scorsese an Oscar for Best Director after losing the award at five previous ceremonies. It also won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for William Monahan, and Best Film Editing for Thelma Schoonmaker. Part of Scorsese’s masterful direction of The Departed is his ability to juggle a huge cast. There’s a lot of plot to get through, but Scorsese still takes the time to round out each character as a three-dimensional figure – and these actors ably bring those characters to life.
Leonardo DiCaprio As Billy Costigan
Trooper William “Billy” Costigan, Jr., the rookie undercover cop tasked with infiltrating Frank Costello’s crime ring, is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Since getting his start as a child actor, DiCaprio has become a renowned movie star with an Academy Award, a BAFTA Film Award, and three Golden Globes. He starred in such hit movies as Titanic, Catch Me If You Can, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. DiCaprio is one of Scorsese’s most frequent collaborators. In addition to The Departed, they’ve worked together on Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Matt Damon As Colin Sullivan
Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan, the spy that Costello plants in the Massachusetts State Police, is played by Matt Damon. He skyrocketed to stardom when he co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. That movie also earned him his first of three Oscar nominations for acting. Damon has starred in a wide range of movies, from the Bourne series of gritty spy thrillers to the sci-fi survival drama The Martian to the medieval epic The Last Duel.
Jack Nicholson As Frank Costello
Frank Costello, the notorious Irish Mob boss in The Departed, is played by Jack Nicholson. While Frank is a fictional character, his double life as a notorious Boston crime boss and an FBI informant is loosely inspired by real-life gangster Whitey Bulger. The prolific Nicholson is a three-time Oscar winner, three-time BAFTA Film Award winner, and six-time Golden Globe winner. He’s received the AFI’s Life Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honor. Over the course of his half-century-spanning career, Nicholson has starred in such iconic movies as Easy Rider, Chinatown, The Shining, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Vera Farmiga As Dr. Madolyn Madden
Dr. Madolyn Madden, the police therapist whom both Colin and Billy fall for, and the only major female role in The Departed, is played by Vera Farmiga. She is best known for playing paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring franchise and Norma Bates in the Psycho prequel TV series Bates Motel. Farmiga broke out with her performance as a drug addict in Down to the Bone and received further recognition for her role in The Manchurian Candidate. She received an Oscar nomination for Best ing Actress for her turn opposite George Clooney in Up in the Air.
Martin Sheen As Captain Queenan
Captain Oliver Queenan, who recruits Billy to go undercover as part of the MSP's Special Investigations Unit, is played by Martin Sheen. Queenan is one of the few lovable, wholesome characters in The Departed. Sheen rose to prominence with his role in Badlands and gained further recognition with his lead performance as Captain Willard in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now. Sheen later starred as President Josiah Bartlet in The West Wing, a role that earned him a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Mark Wahlberg As Dignam
The no-nonsense, profanity-spewing Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, Queenan’s right-hand man in the MSP's Special Investigations Unit, is played by Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg began his career as a rapper under the stage name “Marky Mark.” As an actor, he has been nominated for two Academy Awards — including one for The Departed — and three Golden Globes. His first starring role in a movie was in Fear, and he earned even more acclaim for his performance as adult film star Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights.
Ray Winstone As Frenchie
Costello’s closest confidant, Arnold “Frenchie” French, is played by Ray Winstone. Frenchie is one of the toughest heavies in Scorsese’s rogues’ gallery. Winstone first gained notoriety for his turn in the cult classic rock opera Quadrophenia. He’s since become renowned for playing tough-guy roles in crime movies like Sexy Beast and 44 Inch Chest. Winstone also played the villainous Dreykov in Black Widow and co-starred with Harrison Ford as a British double agent in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The Departed ing Cast & Characters
Alec Baldwin as Captain Ellerby: The head of the MSP's Special Investigations Unit, Captain Ellerby, is played by Alec Baldwin. The actor got his start with roles in films like Beetlejuice and Working Girl. He gave a scene-stealing ing turn in Glengarry Glen Ross and starred as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October. Perhaps his most iconic role is NBC boss Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock.
Anthony Anderson as Trooper Brown: Trooper Brown, a friend of Billy’s from the police academy who turns on him when he doesn’t know who he can trust, is played by Anthony Anderson. Anderson is best known for his lead role as Andre "Dre" Johnson in Black-ish and also played NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard in Law & Order.
Kevin Corrigan as Sean Costigan: Billy’s cousin Sean Costigan, a drug dealer, is played by Kevin Corrigan. A renowned character actor, Corrigan previously worked with Scorsese on Goodfellas and has also appeared in Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Seven Psychopaths.
James Badge Dale as Trooper Barrigan: Trooper Barrigan, another spy working for Costello, is played by James Badge Dale in The Departed. Dale is best known for his TV roles as Chase Edmunds in 24 and Robert Leckie in The Pacific.
