What The Cast Of Heroes Looks Like Today
NBC's drama action series "Heroes" took our television screens by storm in the early 2000s, with its cast full of unlikely superheroes capturing our hearts for many years. The story, created by Tim Kring, follows ordinary people with seemingly nothing in common that discover they have superhuman abilities. Together, the heroes join forces to prevent national catastrophes caused by various fiends. The original series ran for four seasons — gaining a massive following and inspiring a miniseries, "Heroes: Reborn," that also saw minor success.
Nowadays, the show lives on through its dedicated online fanbase, and through "Heroes Evolutions," a digital extension of the series that further explores the supernatural "Heroes" universe. As for the cast, the success of the show helped catapult some into fully-fledged Hollywood royalty. From Milo Ventimiglia to Zachary Quinto, some of your favorite supers have grown fruitful careers post-"Heroes" fame, while others have maintained a low profile. Curious to know what your favorite character is up to? Let's take a look at what the cast of "Heroes" looks like today.
Hayden Panettiere
"Save the cheerleader, save the world": the words that motivated our "Heroes" and introduced us to the cheerleader whose wounds could heal instantly. Despite its original success, the superhero drama began to see lower ratings towards the end of the series, impacting its young actors hoping to break into Hollywood. Most notably, Hayden Panettiere, who played Claire Bennet, was the biggest star with already a few films under her belt but still struggled to find work after "Heroes" wrapped in 2010. She told Movieline, "Playing such a specific role — young, female, all-American cheerleader — you definitely tend to get typecast."
Eventually, between making music and dating co-star Milo Ventimiglia, Panettiere landed the lead role of Juliette Barnes on ABC's "Nashville." The part would allow her to show off her acting and singing chops, and Panettiere's performance was praised throughout its 6 seasons. Per Variety, she's set to appear in the sixth installment of the "Scream" franchise, which is set to hit theaters in 2023. This will be her first acting gig since "Nashville" concluded.
In 2014, Panettiere and then-beau Wladimir Klitschko welcomed a child together. She and the boxing champ split in 2018, and he gained primary custody of their daughter. Regarding their arrangement, a source told Us Weekly in 2022, "[Panettiere] truly thinks he's an amazing father and is doing a great job at taking care of her."
Milo Ventimiglia
Lead character Peter Petrelli was played by Milo Ventimiglia. Ventimiglia first cameoed on various sitcoms before landing this major role, and he would go on to build an impressive two-decades long career in film and television. In the years following "Heroes" wrap in 2010, Ventimiglia produced and developed a mini web series for American Eagle, co-founded a social network, starred in a couple thrillers, and even played Fergie's love interest in her "Big Girls Don't Cry" music video. In 2016, Ventimiglia reprised his role as Jess Mariano in the "Gilmore Girls" revival and began his journey on NBC's hit series "This Is Us."
"This Is Us" made Ventimiglia an even bigger household name, granting him his first Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his moving portrayal of Jack Pearson. Now that this show has ended, Ventimiglia (who is still as handsome as ever) is focused on "The Company You Keep," a drama series where he plays a con-man named Charlie. "People would always ask me how much of me was in Jack or how much of Jack was in me," Ventimiglia told Entertainment Weekly in 2022. "There's even more so in Charlie. I think the lines are going to be really blurred between who Charlie is and who Milo is in that existence."
As for his personal life? Well, that's not exactly his top priority. "Everything is second position to work — everything," he said in Haute Living in 2021. "I've had friendships and relationships that definitely had a hard time with that."
Masi Oka
Masi Oka played the beloved Hiro Nakamura for all four seasons of the original "Heroes" and its miniseries, "Heroes: Reborn" until it ended in 2016. Oka has consistently acted since then, landing roles in things like "Friends With Benefits," "The Meg," and "Mozart in the Jungle." The talented Japanese actor would eventually land a starring role as Max Bergman in the action-crime drama "Hawaii Five-0" for seven successful seasons.
Oka eventually left "Hawaii Five-0" due to the commute and to pursue other opportunities in production, according to Outsider. "Whatever is ahead, I'm very fortunate to be able to do things also behind-the-scenes, creating some TV shows and also producing a lot of movies," Oka told Entertainment Weekly at the time. Oka would go on to produce "Death Note" for Netflix and a video game called "Outer Wilds."
In 2020, Deadline reported Oka joined the cast for 2022's "Bullet Train." Regarding the production, Oka told Collider, "It was an amazing experience. Just during Covid times to be able to shoot something of that magnitude and scale, it was just a godsend."
Leonard Roberts
Next up we have Leonard Roberts, who played D.L. Hawkins. D.L. was one of our "Heroes" supers, with the ability to phase through objects, and was the father to the adorable Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey) and husband to Niki, who was played by Ali Larter. Though the close-knit family seemed unbreakable on screen, apparently, behind the scenes, things weren't so smooth.
Roberts has said he had tension with Larter, who was often cold towards him. "The script suggested D.L. and Niki had a volatile relationship — and it wasn't long before art was imitating life, with me on the receiving end of pushback from my co-star regarding the playing of a particularly tense scene," Roberts explained in a 2020 essay for Variety. Roberts went into further detail, claiming that Larter refused to cooperate in an intimate scene with him, but that she had seemingly no problem performing when it was with a white actor. "I couldn't help wondering whether race was a factor," he wrote. Some time later, Roberts' character was killed off. In a statement obtained by TVLine, Larter apologized, but suggested her version of events didn't line up with his.
Roberts' post-"Heroes" filmography includes "9-1-1," the "Charmed" reboot, "Major Crimes," and the "All American" franchise.
Zachary Quinto
Today, Zachary Quinto is probably the most booked and busy of the original "Heroes" cast. When he was first cast as the evil Sylar in 2005, Quinto was a hopeful young actor with a few minor roles under his belt. His spectacular performance made him one of the show's favorite characters (despite his murderous tendencies) and launched the actor's career into new heights. In the midst of filming "Heroes," Quinto was cast as the young Spock in the 2009 film "Star Trek," and naturally, he became a staple of the series. His other credits include "American Horror Story" and "High Flying Bird."
As of 2022, the handsome actor has returned to his theatre roots with a production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at the Geffen Playhouse. As Variety wrote in their review of the show, "Quinto makes for a solid, relatively stolid George." What's more, another "Star Trek" flick is in the works, but the timeline is a bit of a question mark. "I don't know that we will do it this year. I don't know when it will happen. And I always maintain that I would love to do it," he told Hollywood Reporter. "But until I get something concrete — 'We're shooting this day, here's your script, get ready' — I'm in a wait and see pattern. I'm not really attached to it in any way until I have much more definitive certainty that it's actually happening."
Greg Grunberg
Matt Parkman, the humble police officer that could read thoughts and paint the future, was played by the talented Greg Grunberg. Grunberg's filmography dates back to 1990, with the hero-turned-villain Parkman as his most notable role alongside his portrayal of Eric Weiss from "Alias." The actor was one of the few original cast members to join "Heroes: Reborn," but as he told NME, Grunberg was disappointed in the way his character was handled. "I was killing everyone," he said. "I'm like, 'What is Matt Parkman doing killing everyone?' That just didn't make sense." Despite this, he added, "I had the time of my life and loved that character so much. I would love to see ["Heroes"] done on the big screen."
Since "Heroes," Grunberg's popped up in multiple "Star Wars" flicks, "A Star Is Born," "The Boys," "Criminal Minds," and "9-1-1: Lone Star." He also launched "The Care Giver," a YouTube series that highlights people who take care of people who've been diagnosed with epilepsy. As Grunberg, whose son has epilepsy, told Healio, "It's a great way to talk about what they're dealing with, the person in their life, how much they love them, how much they care for them. All we want for our loved ones is for them to be healthy and happy."
Ali Larter
On "Heroes," Ali Larter portrayed Niki Sanders, the mom to Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey). Niki had an alter ego named Jessica who would attack anyone that put Niki in danger. Later on in the series, the actor also portrayed Tracey Strauss, Niki's long-lost triplet. After "Heroes," Larter went on to act in a number of TV shows, including "Pitch," "Legends," and "The Rookie." She also returned to the "Resident Evil" series as Claire Redfield, and in 2021, she starred opposite Ron Perlman in a Western thriller called "The Last Victim."
Larter and her husband, actor Hayes MacArthur became parents to their first child a little less than a year after the "Heroes" finale aired. In 2015, their second kid was born.
Though she's had success in front of the camera, Larter is interested in working behind-the-scenes, too. "I'm definitely going to produce," she told The Screen Chatter in 2022. Though one of the projects she tried to make happen didn't come to fruition, she's still eager to bring stories to the screen. "It's finding the material about strong women, incredible storytelling, stories that are think are relevant and powerful, and then finding a way ... to get them to life."
Noah Gray-Cabey
The adorable Micah Sanders, whose power was being a super genius technopath, was played by Noah Gray-Cabey. The young actor slash accomplished pianist started his career as Franklin on "My Wife and Kids" before stealing our hearts with his lovable curls and superhuman intellect on "Heroes."
When "Heroes" wrapped in 2010, Gray-Cabey went on to pursue higher education at Harvard University, just like the character he portrayed on "My Wife and Kids." He got into the Ivy League school when he was just 15. While classmates and faculty did recognize him because of his acting work, it apparently wasn't something that got in the way of his college experience. "I think my roommates get a kick out of it more than I do," he told The Harvard Crimson.
Though he's mostly kept out of the spotlight, he later reprised his role as Micah in the "Heroes: Reborn" miniseries, and nabbed a few significant roles on "Code Black" as Dr. Elliot Dixon and "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" as Mason. Gray-Cabey also nabbed a recurring role on CBS' "All American" alongside his fictional dad, Leonard Roberts.
Adrian Pasdar
Nathan Petrelli, the shady politician that would later become president in an alternate "Heroes" timeline, was played by Adrian Pasdar. Nathan was the antihero and brother of Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) with the ability to fly. The actor has a long history in Hollywood that dates back to the mid-1980s, and this superhero drama stands out as one of his most memorable roles. Following "Heroes," Pasdar continued to work in show business, lending his voice to animated series like "Milo Murphy's Law" and appearing in various Marvel productions, such as "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
However, one might argue his messy fallout with ex-wife Natalie Maines has been making more noise than his work in recent years. In 2020, The Chicks released "Gaslighter," their first single in 14 years... and a track that implies Pasdar is a — you guessed it — gaslighter. But wait, there's more: As PopCulture notes, the whole album contains pointed references to Maines' relationship with Pasdar. Before their divorce was finalized in 2019, they went through a two-year-long court battle. As the Los Angeles Times noted, there was drama surrounding the prenup as well as whether or not she had any unreleased music that might break their confidentiality clause.
Sendhil Ramamurthy
The handsome and intelligent Dr. Mohinder Suresh was portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. Since "Heroes: Reborn" wrapped in 2016, Ramamurthy has been booked and busy. The personable actor landed parts in "Lucky Man," "New Amsterdam," and "The Flash," among others, and even got some voice acting under his belt. In 2020, Ramamurthy was cast as Mohan Vishwakumar in Mindy Kaling's Netflix series "Never Have I Ever," and the show's third season nabbed an August 2022 release date. In an interview with TV Insider, Ramamurthy reflected on the show's success in comparison to "Heroes." "I really did not see this one coming like this. Like, with 'Heroes', when we were doing it we had a feeling like this could be huge. It's either gonna be really huge or a major flop, like there's no in between with this one,"' he shared.
In a 2020 interview with ET, Ramamurthy got into the catch-22 of playing a "hot dad" on "Never Have I Ever." "I have a 15-year-old daughter and I was like, this is awesome because I think she's really going to like this show," he said. "She does, she loves it. But now she's equally mortified, because of all the stuff [on the internet]."
Cristine Rose
Next, we have Cristine Rose. The California native played Angela Petrelli, the mother to Nathan and Peter with the ability of precognitive dreaming, or seeing the future through dreams. Much like some of her co-stars, the seasoned actor has a long history in Hollywood that dates back a few decades. The actor has had guest roles on numerous popular sitcoms such as "Charmed," "Friends," and "Two And A Half Men," and continued to appear in television shows long after "Heroes" ended. Some of her other small screen credits include "How I Met Your Mother," "How to Get Away with Murder," "NCIS: Los Angeles," and "Sharp Objects."
Rose also appeared in the 2015 "Heroes" reboot, "Heroes Reborn," but neither Milo Ventimiglia nor Adrian Pasdar — the actors who played her character's sons in the original series — were involved. As Ventimiglia told Mario Lopez in 2021, "I was asked to be a part of it. But it didn't feel right. You know what it felt like? Honestly, it felt like the powers that be believed that the creative was bigger than the characters."
Kristen Bell
"Veronica Mars" might've been Kristen Bell's breakout role, but her turn as Elle Bishop was a major moment in the early days of her career. Following her "Heroes" performance, Bell went on to star in a number of successful movies and television shows, including "Frozen" and "The Good Place." Also, if you thought the "Good morning, Upper East Siders" at the beginning of every "Gossip Girl" episode sounded familiar, it's because it belongs to none other than Ms. Bell.
In 2022, Bell starred in and executive produced "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window," an eight-part satirical thriller. Bell portrays the slightly neurotic Anna, a substance-mixing woman obsessed with spying on her new neighbor. As Bell said to USA Today, "The show starts out subtle, but you start to notice the clichés. For instance, my character's self-absorbed personality. She is an artist, and she can't paint anymore (due to her grief). But she knows she should because she thinks she's too good. And you see her paintings, and they're very average." The comedic thriller is available to stream on Netflix.
Bell is married to fellow actor Dax Shepard, and they are parents to two kids. In 2019, the couple launched a line of affordable all-natural baby supplies called Hello Bello. As Bell told CNBC Make It, "We wanted it to be this mission-driven company. Where no one would have to choose between their baby or their budget."
James Kyson
James Kyson Lee is a Korean-born American actor who played Ando Mashahashi. Originally meant to just be a minor part of the series, Ando became a fan favorite, encouraging writers to include more of him in the plot, according to Soompi. Ando started as a normal human and later became a superhero, keeping viewers at home laughing the whole way.
In 2016, Kyson spoke candidly to Inverse about his struggles with fame. "There's a lot that comes with that — feeling flattered and gratified in terms of people appreciating your work, but there's also discomfort and awkwardness because you don't know quite how to be in this state. A lot of it is psychological." Still, the actor is grateful for his "Heroes" experience. Since the show ended, Kyson has appeared on a stable stream of films and television shows such as "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders," "Hawaii Five-0," and "Blade of Honor." In 2020, the actor guest starred in an episode of HBO's "Lovecraft Country."
George Takei
A sci-fi icon, George Takei is best known for playing Sulu in the Star Trek universe. Decades after he boarded the USS Enterprise for the first time, Takei scored a role as one of the many villains of "Heroes." The actor portrayed Kaito Nakamura, the father of Hiro (Masi Oka). "I got an e-mail telling me that there was a show called 'Heroes' that had a Japanese character who was a Star Trek fan, so naturally, I was intrigued," Takei told Entertainment Weekly in 2007. "I started watching it and was enjoying it thoroughly when I got a call from my agent saying they wanted me to audition." Clearly, that audition worked out.
Since "Heroes," Takei has kept busy with acting gigs, "Howard Stern Show" appearances, and writing books, including "They Called Us Enemy," a graphic memoir based on his experiences in internment camps. What's more, he's an activist who regularly champions causes and speaks out against homophobia and xenophobia. "I am eternally grateful to Star Trek because it's Star Trek and its popularity that gave me the platform, gave me the amplification of my voice to talk about my childhood imprisonment," he told CBS affiliate WCAX in 2021. "I would not have had it otherwise."
Jack Coleman
Noah Bennet was the loving and overprotective father of Claire (Hayden Panettiere), the indestructible cheerleader. Though "Heroes" viewers later found out that her biological father is actually Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), Noah's love for his daughter never dwindles, and the majority of his time onscreen is spent trying to protect her. The dedicated father was played by Jack Coleman, an actor known for his roles on "Dynasty" and "Days of Our Lives."
Coleman was one of the few original cast members to come back for the "Heroes: Reborn" miniseries, and fans were delighted to see him reprise his role. As Coleman told Flicks And the City Clips, "Putting the glasses on again after five years is crazy, you know, it takes a minute or two to you know, figure out who you are and who you were and get comfortable again." It's funny that it would take him a minute to adjust, considering the fact that Coleman looks exactly the same as he did on the original "Heroes" all those years ago.
Since the 2015 miniseries, Coleman has guest starred on "How To Get Away With Murder," "Ordinary Joe," and "Hawaii Five-0" alongside some of his former cast mates.