Here is an extensive list of the cast and characters of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, Masters of the Air.
The show follows the 100th Bombardment Group during World War II as they conduct bombing raids over Nazi Germany in their efforts to bring the Allies closer to victory.
Masters of the Air comes from executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman, who previously brought the world critically acclaimed projects Band of Brothers and The Pacific. The show is also based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller.
Masters of the Air Show Cast Members & Characters
Austin Butler - Major Gale Cleven
The talented Austin Butler portrays Major Gale Cleven. Cleven, a member of the Eighth Air Force and one of two leaders of the 100th Bombardment Group, is a stoic man with a steady girlfriend outside of life in the air.
Speaking in a press release for the Apple TV+ series, Butler explained that why he found it “so interesting” about Cleven is how “his men looked up to him because he led by example:”
“What was so interesting to me about Cleven was that his men looked up to him because he led by example… Before I started this project, I assumed that the infantry had the really tough job in the trenches and the guys in the sky had it relatively easy. I don’t think Cleven was the type to share his worries or concerns with anyone, but with Egan, he found someone to confide in because only each of them knew what the other was going through.”
Butler’s popularity took off after his time as the titular musician in Elvis, but he can also be seen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Dead Don’t Die, and The Carrie Diaries.
Callum Turner - Major John Egan
Callum Turner's Major John Egan is the other leader of the 100th Bombardment Group, also known as “The Bloody 100th.” Compared to his stoic friend, Egan is far more boisterous and social.
Egan is one of the first of his men to arrive in Norfolk, where the Eighth Air Force has deployed, and he is unable to think of the words to properly warn others about what they’re stepping into.
Turner described Egan in a press release as “adventurous, a bit naughty, he’s daring, likes to sing and is generally a lot of fun to be around:”
“Egan was such a larger-than-life character… He’s adventurous, a bit naughty, he’s daring, likes to sing and is generally a lot of fun to be around. I suspect he volunteered because he needed a space to channel all the energy and appetite for life that wasn’t being fulfilled in the small Wisconsin town he grew up in. The Army Air Force provided that for him in abundance.”
Most recently, Turner portrayed Joe Rantz in The Boys in the Boat and can also be seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, The Capture, and Green Room.
Anthony Boyle - Major Harry Crosby
Anthony Boyle’s Major Harry Crosby goes on to become the lead navigator for the 100th, who also happens to battle constant altitude sickness.
In a press release for the series, the actor noted how once the character's “air sickness slowly went away,” he would go on to “[discover] his calling:”
“His air sickness slowly went away, and he discovered his calling… He became an extraordinary navigator — neither he nor anyone else could figure out why, but he always got his fort home.”
Some of Boyle’s previous projects include Tetris, The Lost City of Z, and Tolkien.
Nate Mann - Major Rosie Rosenthal
Major Rosie Rosenthal (brought to life by Nate Mann) goes on to become one of the most decorated airmen in Air Force History. At one point in his career, after flying 25 missions with the 100th, he was given the chance to go home but instead reenlisted.
While speaking in a press release for Masters of the Air, the actor explained that he thinks “Rosie had a deep, deep sense of duty:
“I think Rosie had a deep, deep sense of duty… And for him to go home while his friends were still in the fight…he couldn’t live with that. He decided that it was better for him to keep fighting than go home and risk feeling like he wasn’t doing what he set out to accomplish.”
Mann also plays roles in Evil, Licorice Pizza, and Ray Donovan.
Barry Keoghan - Lt. Curtis Biddick
Barry Keoghan’s Lt. Curtis Biddick is a member of the 100th who helps Major Gale Cleven acclimate to their brotherhood.
Many will know Keoghan from his time as Druig in Marvel Studios’ Eternals, Joker in The Batman, or Oliver Quick in the controversial Saltburn.
Bel Powley - Sandra Wingate
Sandra Wingate’s Bel Powley is the love interest of Major Harry Crosby. The two of them meet at Oxford, where Crosby originally surmises that Sandra is a British intelligence officer.
Powley can also be seen in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Kind of Staten Island, A Royal Night Out, and more.
Rafferty Law - Sgt. Ken Lemmons
Rafferty Law’s Sgt. Ken Lemmons is a 19-year-old who is responsible for a crew of 15 men that helps repair damaged planes to get them back into the air.
Some of Law’s past credits include Repo Man and Twist.
Jonas Moore - Capt. Frank Murphy
Capt. Frank Murphy, played by Jonas Moore in Masters of the Air, flew a total of 21 combat missions in WWII and survived 19 months as a German POW. He would go on to write a book about the experience titled Luck of the Draw.
Masters of the Air is Moore’s biggest credit to date.
Matt Gavan - Capt. Charles Cruikshank
Matt Gavan plays Capt. Charles Cruikshank who enlisted on December 18, 1941, and eventually got placed in the 418th Bombardment Squadron of the “Bloody 100th”.
The actor also showed up in Foundation, Pennyworth, and Christopher Robin.
Ncuti Gatwa - 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels
Ncuti Gatwa brings to life 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels, one of the featured members of the 332nd Fighter Group. Despite being part of segregated forces, Daniels wants to prove that his proud to do his part in the war and be among other masters in the skies.
Gatwa is most well known for his role as Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education, and he now portrays the current 15th Doctor in Doctor Who.
Branden Cook - 2nd Lt. Alexander Jefferson
Another member of the 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen or Red Tails, is Branden Cook’s 2nd Lt. Alexander Jefferson.
Cook previously appeared in Tell Me Lies, Industry, and Chicago P.D.
Elliot Warren - Lt. James Douglass
Elliot Warren plays Lt. James Douglas, a bombardier in the 100th who has a particularly close call while flying a mission on October 8, 1943.
Other projects Warren appears in include The Batman, Silent Witness, and I Hate Suzie.
Joanna Kulig - Paulina
Paulina is a Polish refugee, played by Joanna Kulig, who meets Major John Egan at Oxford.
Kulig previously played roles in The Eddy, Ida, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.
Edward Ashley - Maj. Jack Kidd
Edward Ashley plays Maj. Jack Kidd, a member of the “Bloody 100th” who was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1919.
Fans can also see Ashley in Last Tango in Halifax, The Terror, and The King.
Josiah Cross - 2nd Lt. Richard Macon
Josiah Cross joins the cast as 2nd Lt. Richard Macon, another member of the segregated U.S. Army Air and member of the Red Tails, who is featured in Masters of the Air’s expansive story.
Some of Cross’ previous credits include A Thousand and One, Lady in the Lake, and King Richard.
Isabel May - Marge
Marge, played by Isabel May, is Major Gale Cleven’s girlfriend, who later becomes his wife.
May is known for her roles in 1883, Alexa & Katie, and Young Sheldon.
Masters of the Air is now streaming on Apple TV+.
