Missing You Cast: Meet the New Characters and See Who Else the Actors Play in the Harlan Coben Universe

It’s New Year, it’s Netflix, so it’s time for a brand new Harlan Coben adaptation. Following on from The Stranger, Stay Close, and Fool Me Once is Missing You, adapted from Coben’s 2014 thriller and starring Slow Horses‘ Rosalind Eleazar in the lead role of Detective Inspector Kat Donovan. When Kat’s ex-fiancé matches with her on a dating app after running out on her without a word over a decade earlier, she starts digging and unearths secrets going far beyond her ex.

Eleazar joins a cast of fellow Coben newbies, plus repeat customers Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt and Marc Warren, who’ve all appeared as different characters in previous UK adaptations of the US author’s thrillers by the same production company. Remind yourself of who they played before, and see where you may recognise the rest of the cast from below.

Rosalind Eleazar as DI Kat Donovan

Kat Donovan is a tough detective inspector who heads up the Missing Persons Unit in the fictional area of Westbridge. 11 years ago, she lost both her police detective father Clint when he was murdered, and her fiancé Josh when he disappeared without trace. She’s played by Rosalind Eleazar, who’s currently best recognised for the role of MI5 agent Louisa Guy in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, and whose previous screen career includes roles in historical dramas The Personal History of David Copperfield and Harlots, as well as Sky comedy Breeders and thrillers Rellik and Deep Water.

Ashley Walters as Josh Buchanan

Josh Buchanan is a journalist who disappeared suddenly from his fiancée Kat’s life 11 years ago. He’s played by Ashley Walters, who’s most celebrated for the role of Dushane in stunning London-set gangster drama Top Boy, but who has been acting since he was a child, and has a host of film and TV roles from Sket to Doctor Who to Cuffs, TV thriller Safe House, action-comedy Bulletproof and many more.

Richard Armitage as Ellis Stagger

Ellis Stagger is a police detective who works with Kat Donovan at Westbridge and who used to work with her father Clint before his death. He’s played by Richard Armitage, who’s had central roles in three previous Harlan Coben UK adaptation by this production company. Armitage’s first Coben role was in 2020’s The Stranger as Adam Price, a man whose marriage implodes when he’s targeted by a stranger with secrets about his wife. In 2021’s Stay Close, he played photographer Ray Levine, who became involved in covering up a murder to protect a loved one. In 2024’s Fool Me Once, Armitage played Joe Burkett, the son of a wealthy family who was shot dead but then confounded his widow by showing up on their young daughter’s nanny cam. Armitage is also well known for roles in the Hobbit films, Hannibal, Berlin Station, Strike Back and of course, Spooks.

Jessica Plummer as Stacey Embalo

Stacey is one of Kat’s pals and works as a private investigator, using entrapment to catch cheating spouses. She’s played by Jessica Plummer, whose previous roles have included Chantelle in EastEnders, excellent BBC psychological thriller The Girl Before and Netflix TV series The Decameron.

Sir Lenny Henry as Clint Donovan

Clint Donovan has been dead for over a decade by the time we first meet his daughter Kat (see above), but his story is told through flashbacks in Missing You. He was a police detective, loving husband and doting father, and he’s played by Sir Lenny Henry, a British comedy legend, writer, actor and fundraiser best known for his many TV roles from sketch comedy shows to recent self-penned shows Three Little Birds and Danny and the Human Zoo, as well as his founding work on Comic Relief and much more.

Steve Pemberton as Titus

Titus is a dog breeder who dotes on his pets and keeps very high standards for anybody wishing to adopt them. He also has his fingers in other business pies at his rural farm. He’s played by League of Gentlemen and Inside No. 9 star and writer Steve Pemberton, seen recently in Alma’s Not Normal series two, and soon to be seen in the Inside No. 9 stage show with Reece Shearsmith.

James Nesbitt as Calligan

Calligan is a shadowy figure in the Westridge crime world and somebody Kat seeks out to answer questions about her father’s murder. He’s played by James Nesbitt, who also appeared in 2021 Harlan Coben adaptation Stay Close in the role of DS Michael Broome, a detective investigating the disappearance of a number of men over several years. Nesbitt is a familiar face on screen, well-known for Bloodlands, Cold Feet, The Hobbit films, Suspect and Lucky Man.

Mary Malone as Aqua

Yoga teacher Aqua is a long-standing pal of Kat’s and used to be Josh’s roommate once upon a time. She’s played by Mary Malone, who played one of Ruby Sunday’s mates Trudy and the singer of their band in Doctor Who Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road“. Malone has also appeared in ITV crime drama Vera, fantasy The Prince, and Channel 4 comedy drama Chivalry, with writer-actors Sarah Solemani and Steve Coogan.

Oscar Kennedy as Brendan

Brendon Fells is a tech-savvy teenager who tracks down Kat after a loved one’s disappearance. He’s played by Oscar Kennedy, who’s been acting on screen since he was 11 years old and is now best known for playing Liam’s younger self in Liam William’s autobiographically inspired comedy Ladhood, Luke in the final series of Sky comedy Breeders and more recently, Jamie in BBC Three’s Wreck.

Marc Warren as Monte Leburne

Monte Leburne is a nasty piece of work currently serving a prison sentence for murder. Though the role was originally announced as belonging to Paul Kaye, Monte is played by Marc Warren, who also appeared in 2018 Harlan Coben adaptation Safe in the role of doctor and friend of lead character Tom (Michael C. Hall) Pete Mayfield. Warren has recently been seen in Van der Valk, Big Boys series two, The Red King and Flack.

Rudi Dharmalingam as Rishi Magari

Neuroscience professor Rishi Magari gets into hot water early on in Missing You. He’s played by Rudi Dharmalingam, who plays James in The Split, Wemmick in Steven Knight’s recent Great Expectations adaptation, and Shiv in Sky sci-fi The Lazarus Project.

Samantha Spiro as Nurse Sally Steiner

Nurse Steiner works in the local prison medical ward, and is played by Samantha Spiro, who also played Maureen in Sex Education, Liza in Ridley Road, Auntie Liz in Grandma’s House along with a great many other comedy and dramatic screen roles from her work with Tracey Ullman, her celebrated role as Barbara Windsor in Babs, Doctor Who and much more.

Lisa Faulkner as Dana Fells

Dana is Brendon’s mother, and becomes involved in a missing persons case. She’s played by Lisa Faulkner, who’s a familiar face on screen with past roles in Brookside, Holby City, EastEnders, Murder in Suburbia and recently The Madame Blanc Mysteries and Archie.

Jo Martin as Tessie Sewell

Tessie is an old friend of Kat’s mum Odette, and a former colleague of her dad Clint. She’s played by Jo Martin, recognisable to Doctor Who fans as Ruth Clayton aka The Fugitive Doctor, and to everybody else as Max from Holby, Suzie from The Marlow Murder Club, Dawn in Champion, Grace in Dreaming Whilst Black and many more.

ALSO APPEARING

The Burning Girls and Boat Story‘s Charlie Hamblett as police tech whizz Charlie Pitts; The Last Kingdom‘s Simon Kunz as police retiree Terry Cole, Sanctuary‘s Felix Garcia-Guyer as Titus’ goon Reynaldo, and Matt Jay-Willis from Busted as Kat’s gym buddy date Darryl.

All episodes of Harlan Coben’s Missing You are streaming now on Netflix.

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