Summary

• The Pacific is a companion series to Band of Brothers that follows real Marines fighting in WWII in the Pacific Ocean.
• The cast of The Pacific includes James Badge Dale, Rami Malek, Jon Seda, and Joseph Mazzello.
• The series showcases the loss of humanity and escalating brutality of battles against the Japanese military.

A companion series to HBO's acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers, 2010's The Pacific cast brings to life the real people who participated in the harrowing World War II experiences depicted in the show. Set over the same few years as Band of Brothers, The Pacific focuses on United States Marines fighting the Japanese military forces on the island battlefields of the Pacific Ocean. The more grim and violent series shows the loss of humanity and hope in these soldiers as their enemy refuses to surrender, and the battles become more brutal.

Similar to the Band of Brothers, all the characters featured in The Pacific are based on real Marines who fought in the Second World War. The show's packed cast includes James Badge Dale, Rami Malek, Jon Seda, and Joseph Mazzello in core roles. The actors help to show the key historical figures of this story, from those who died on the battlefield to those who lived to help tell the story.

The Pacific is available to stream on Max.

Robert Leckie

Played By James Badge Dale

Robert Leckie's memoir of the war, Helmet For My Pillow, was one of the main sources used for The Pacific. A machine gunner in the 1st Marine Division, Bob Leckie survived grueling campaigns in Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester, before being wounded in the Battle of Peleliu and later sent home with a Purple Heart.

James Badge Dale, who played Robert Leckie in The Pacific, found his first big role as Chase Edmunds in season 2 of 24. From there, he gradually found notable and high-profile roles in big ensemble projects, including The Departed, The Grey, and World War Z. He played the MCU henchman Savin in Iron Man 3 and recently appeared in the 1923 as John Dutton Sr.

Eugene Sledge

Played By Joseph Mazzello

Eugene Sledge was played by Joseph Mazello in the cast of The Pacific. Much like Leckie's memoir, Eugene Sledge's book, With the Old Breed, was another primary source used in putting The Pacific's story together. Initially held back from ing the Marines by a heart murmur, Sledge shipped out to the Pacific Theater in 1943 and served as part of a mortar unit with the 1st Marine Division.

Joseph Mazzello got his big break as a child actor playing Timmy in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. He went on to have other roles early in his career such as in The River Wild with Meryl Streep and Simon Birch. His career as an adult included smaller ing roles in Oscar-winning movies like The Social Network and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Sidney Phillips

Played By Ashton Holmes

Eugene Sledge's childhood best friend from the town of Mobile, Alabama, Sidney Phillips enlisted in the Marines when he was just 17 years old and celebrated his 18th birthday while serving in the Guadalcanal campaign. He later wrote his own memoir, You'll be Sor-ree, that recounted his experiences in the Pacific Theater.

Phillips is played by Ashton Holmes in the cast of The Pacific. Ashton Holmes' first major movie role was in the Oscar-nominated crime movie A History of Violence playing Viggo Mortensen's son. That movie and his role in The Pacific have been the biggest projects in Holmes' career up until this point. However, he has remained acting, appearing in shows like Bosch and Arrow.

John Basilone

Played By Jon Seda

The Pacific with one episode dedicated to him. Basilone was recruited for war bond tours after earning the Medal of Honor for holding off overwhelming numbers of Japanese soldiers in the Battle for Henderson Field, during the Guadalcanal campaign. A real-life Captain America, he became a celebrity and was featured in comic books and propaganda posters, and helped to raise $1.4 million in war bonds. Wanting to return to active service before the end of the war, he fought and was killed during the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Prior to playing Basilone in The Pacific, Jon Seda scored one of his first big roles opposite Jennifer Lopez in the biopic Selena. He also starred in the acclaimed crime series Homicide: Life on the Streets and Michael Bay's Bad Boys II. Since starring in The Pacific, Seda ed the series Chicago Fire as Antonio Dawson before starring in the same role in the spinoff Chicago P.D.

Lena Riggi

Played By Annie Parisse

Sgt. Lena Riggi met Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone while he was training new recruits at Camp Pendleton, where she was serving as a field cook with the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. They married in July 1944, just seven months before Basilone's death on Iwo Jima. In 1949, she christened a Navy destroyer ship, the USS Basilone. Lena Riggie is played by Annie Parisse in The Pacific, who is also known for her roles in National Treasure, Friends From College, and The Following.

Merriell "Snafu" Shelton

Played By Rami Malek

Merriell "Snafu" Shelton was serving as a mortarman with the 1st Marine Division when he first met Eugene Sledge, one of the replacements who ed K Company in 1943, and the two fought alongside each other in battles on Peleliu and Okinawa. Rami Malek is the biggest star to come out of The Pacific cast, as he went on to win an Oscar for playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek previously earned acclaim for his breakout role in the series Mr. Robot. He played the villainous Safrin in Daniel Craig's final James Bond movie No Time to Die and recently appeared in the cast of Oppenheimer.

Bill Leyden

Played By Brendan Fletcher

A rifleman who fought alongside Eugene Sledge in K Company, Bill Leyden was wounded twice during World War II: first by shrapnel during the capture of Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu, and again towards the end of the war in the Battle of Okinawa. He was played in The Pacific by Brendan Fletcher. Fletcher is also known for his roles in The Revenant, Arrow and Freddy vs. Jason. He recently appeared in episodes of The Last of Us and Fargo and appeared in the R-rated holiday action movie Violent Night.

Romus Valton Burgin

Played By Martin McCann

A mortarman in K Company, R.V. Burton became close friends with Eugene Leckie and Sidney Phillips during the war and was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa. Like Leckie, Sledge, and Phillips, Burgin later went on to publish a memoir about the true story of The Pacific and his service in World War II, titled Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific. Martin McCann is also known for his roles in Titanic: Blood and Steel, '71, and The Informer.

Lew "Chuckler" Juergens

Played By Josh Helman

One of the few characters in The Pacific to appear in both Bob Leckie and Eugene Sledge's storylines, Lew "Chuckler" Juergens fought in battles at Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester before being wounded by mortar shelling at Peleliu. He survived his wounds and was discharged two weeks after V-J Day. Josh Helman, who played Chuckler in The Pacific cast, is also known for his roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and Jack Reacher, and for playing young William Stryker in the X-Men movies.

Lewis "Chesty" Puller

Played By William Sadler

The most decorated Marine in U.S. history and the only Marine ever to receive 5 Navy Crosses, Lewis "Chesty" Puller fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater, from the Battle for Henderson Field to the Battle of Peleliu. His motto was "lead by example," and he made a point of not enjoying luxuries that his men did not have, and eating the same rations that they did.

William Sadler is an acclaimed character actor with a wide variety of roles in Hollywood movies. He has played iconic comedy roles such as Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey as well as memorable villains such as Colonel Stuart in Die Hard 2. Sadler also played Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption and President Ellis in Iron Man 3. He recently appeared in Steven Soderbergh's Full Circle.