All The Bear Guest Stars—From Jamie Lee Curtis to That Former Wrestler—Ranked

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis’s portrayal of Donna Berzatto, the alcoholic and emotionally volatile family matriarch, will go down in history as one of the best guest appearances of any show. The amazing thing is she was able to keep it a secret until the episode “Fishes” aired in Season 2.

“None of us said a word to anyone—not our families, not our friends, no one,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “They changed the name on the buses, the vans—the call sheets didn’t have our names on them. We flew to Chicago. There was no connection back to the show. There was no word Bear anywhere near me. I stayed at a hotel, the hotel didn’t know who was paying for my room. It was a secret until the day it dropped.”

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend was cast to play Sydney’s dad in season 2, and apparently, there was great chemistry between them from the start. “I believe he and Ayo had already been in communication as a result of his being a fan of not only the series but her work as well,” Bacharach told Vulture. “Their chemistry on screen is magical and you immediately buy into their history and complex relationship.”

Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman was on a “dream list” of stars, according to Jeanie Bacharach, per Vulture. She offers a calming presence in Terry, the talented chef from who Richie learns from. Colman’s U.S. agent was not sure she’d want to do it, but it was later revealed she was a huge fan of The Bear. “Once that was established, then it was just working out the details from there,” said Bacharach. We could watch her peal mushrooms all damn day.

Jon Bernthal

Punisher star Jon Bernthal was a surprise addition to The Bear season 1, playing Carmy’s beloved yet complex brother, Michael Berzatto. Thank god his Punisher co-star, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, called Bernthal to convince him to join the project.

Will Poulter

Will Poulter was such a fan of The Bear that he actually reached out to showrunner, Chris Storer, with an idea for a hypothetical part. “I called them. I literally begged to be in the show. I asked if I could meet with Chris Storer and basically communicated that I was such a fan of so much of his work, but especially The Bear,” Poulter told Variety. He was cast as Luca, a top Copenhagen chef who trains Marcus (Lionel Boyce) in season 2.

“He was kind enough to gift me with the offer to play Luca and it really changed my life, to be honest. It kind of helped me realize a dream of playing a chef on TV. I have such an immense amount of respect for chefs and the women and men of that industry. I feel like the whole society stands on the shoulders of people in the food and beverage industry, and we don’t even necessarily really know it or think about it. They sustain us and maintain us daily and they don’t get enough thanks for what they do.”

Bob Odenkirk

Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk was another star who made a guest appearance during the “Fishes” episode in season 2 as Uncle Lee. “Everybody was there to kick ass, to play. Everyone respected each other, every one of those actors, and [creator] Chris Storer runs a set that allows for freedom to discover, invent, and bring things to life,” Odenkirk told Deadline.

“Jeremy Allen White just sets a tone of professionalism and respect between everyone, and it’s that great thing of, we all want the other person to kick ass. Our greatest dream is that everybody else in the scene looks f—king awesome, and that was just such a joy to do.”

Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson is also a part of the stacked “Fishes” cast. She plays Carmy’s cousin, Michelle Berzatto. While she’s a part of the madness at the dinner table, she also has a one-on-one with Carmy, offering him a place to stay in New York if he ever wants to get away from the chaos that is his family.

“I didn’t need The Bear to know what was great about you because I’d been a fan from the New York theater days. I was so desperate to work with you that—and I’d like credit for this—I suggested you for the movie that we ended up doing together last summer [Dust],” she told Moss-Bachrach during a piece for Interview magazine.

John Mulaney

Comedian John Mulaney also appeared in “Fishes.” He plays Stevie, the romantic partner to Sarah Paulson’s Michelle, and his guest appearance was so good, that fans are calling for the character’s return.

“I just love what his character represented. As a somewhat ‘normal’ person who married into a crazier family, he was easily the most relatable character in Fishes. He was naive enough to still want to help and bring the peace, but seasoned enough to just roll with everything,” wrote one fan. “Absolutely loved him jokingly asking God at the end of saying Grace to give Michael the strength not to throw the fork at Lee,” observed another.

Joel McHale

Another Community star, Joel McHale makes a brief but powerful appearance as Carmy’s overbearing boss when he worked in a New York City restaurant—episode 2 of season 1.

Molly Ringwald

In The Bear season 1, episode 3, Carmy attends an Al-Anon meeting. Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, St Elmo’s Fire) plays the meeting moderator. It came as a shock because, despite Ringwald being one of the hottest stars of the 80s, she’s mostly been cast in small roles recently.

Andrew Lopez

Andrew Lopez, who you might recognize from Platonic, makes a guest appearance as Garrett in season 2’s notable episode, “Forks.” (Not “Fishes” this time.) While his on-screen time is only brief, he certainly made an impression.

Gillian Jacobs

Gillian Jacobs, of Community fame, makes a guest appearance in “Fishes” too, after making a vocal cameo in season 1 as Richie’s ex-wife, Tiffany. “I had two things going on in my head simultaneously. One, which is in the emotional reality of the scene, it’s so painful and uncomfortable, and I could barely even look up,” she told CinemaBlend.

“And then another part of my brain that was floating above going, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m in this scene.’ So it’s sort of toggling between the two. It was just so amazing to watch and so tense.”

Josh Hartnett 

OMG! Totally didn’t see this one coming. You remember Josh Hartnett, right? We haven’t heard from him in a while, next we know, he’s Frank in one of the most popular shows on streaming services.

John Cena

Wow OK, this was surprising, although we absolutely adore wrestler-turned-actor, John Cena. He plays Sammy, one of Fak’s (Matty Matheson) many siblings in episode 5, season 3.