Black Hawk Down Cast Guide: Every Famous Actor & Cameo

Sept. 12, 2022, 6:20 p.m.

Movies

Black Hawk Down Cast Guide: Every Famous Actor & Cameo

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Summary The cast of Black Hawk Down featured famous actors at different points in their careers, with stars like Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor.

Many actors played real people in the movie, with even the most famous stars receiving limited screen time due to the large cast.

Black Hawk Down jump-started the careers of young and international cast members, leading to future success in the American film industry.

The cast of Black Hawk Down featured famous actors at both the beginning and peak of their careers. Black Hawk Down tells the story of Task Force Ranger on the disastrous 1993 mission that spiraled into the Battle of Mogadishu. During a raid against the Somali National Alliance, a Somali militia shot down two Black Hawk helicopters and left members of Task Force Ranger stranded in hostile territory. Ridley Scott’s 2001 urban war movie boasted recognizable stars like Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and William Fichtner, but it also recruited actors little known in Hollywood at the time.

For its young and international cast members, Black Hawk Down was a debut film that jump-started their careers in the American film industry. Many of the actors played versions of real people, although a few played fictional characters. The challenge of covering so many characters meant that even the most famous actors cast in Black Hawk Down received limited screen time. With so many characters and so little time focused on them, here's a guide to keeping track of every famous actor in the cast of Black Hawk Down.

Actors Characters Josh Hartnett Matthew Eversmann Hugh Dancy Kurt “Doc” Schmid Eric Bana Norm “Hoot” Gibson Ewan McGregor John Grimes Tom Sizemore Danny McKnight William Fichtner Jeff Sanderson Tom Hardy Lance Twombly Ewen Bremner Shawn Nelson Jason Isaacs Mike Steele Sam Shepard William F. Garrison

Related What Happened To Pilot Mike Durant After Events Of Black Hawk Down Mike Durant is the real-life pilot and sole survivor of the tragic Black Hawk Down event. Here's what happened to him after the operation went wrong.

Josh Hartnett

As Matthew Eversmann

Josh Hartnett played Staff Sergeant Matthew Eversmann, a young soldier from the 75th Ranger Regiment who received his first command right before the mission. Eversmann led his squad through the chaotic 18 hours of the Battle of Mogadishu, and in real life he earned a Bronze Star Medal with Valor device for his actions during the crisis.

Title Role The Faculty (1998) Zeke Tyler Pearl Harbor (2001) Danny Walker Lucky Number Slevin (2006) Slevin 30 Days of Night (2007) Eben Oleson Oppenheimer (2023) Ernest Lawrence

Before being cast in Black Hawk Down, Hartnett was already known for teen horror movie roles in Halloween H20 and The Faculty. He also starred in another war movie that helped raise his profile with Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Hartnett went on to appear in movies like The Black Dahlia and Lucky Number Slevin before stepping away from high-profile roles. He's had somewhat of a comeback recently, appearing in the cast of Oppenheimer and starring in M. Night Shyamalan's Trap.

Hugh Dancy

As Kurt “Doc” Schmid

Sergeant First Class Kurt Schmid was the medic for Eversmann’s squad in Black Hawk Down, but in real life, he worked with the Delta Force instead of the Rangers. Schmid is part of one of the most harrowing scenes in the movie in which he has to operate on one of his wounded comrades inside a dirty abandoned building with little to no medical supplies. It is a gripping moment that shows the challenges these soldiers faced.

Title Role David Copperfield (2000) David Copperfield Ella Enchanted (2004) Char King Arthur (2004) Galahad Hannibal (2023-2015) Will Graham Law & Order (1990-) Nolan Price

Hugh Dancy was cast as Schmid after starring as David Copperfield in a television film adaptation, serving as his big break. The English actor also starred in a number of other period pieces, including Ella Enchanted and King Arthur. Dancy is best known for playing FBI profiler Will Graham in Hannibal opposite Mads Mikkelsen. Most recently, Dancy can be seen playing ADA Nolan Price in Law & Order.

Eric Bana

As Norm “Hoot” Gibson

Eric Bana joins the cast of Black Hawk Down as Delta Force soldier Sergeant First Class Norm “Hoot” Gibson. Although chafing against authority, Hoot showed his dedication by returning to the battle multiple times to aid his fellow soldiers. Hoot was a fictional character created to represent soldiers John Macejunas, Norm Hooten, Thanh Nguyen, and Matthew Rierson. He gets some of the best standout action hero moments in the movie.

Title Role Chopper (2000) Chopper Hulk (2003) Bruce Banner Troy (2004) Hector Munich (2005) Avner Funny People (2009) Clarke

After working as a comedian and sketch comedy performer in Australia, Bana gained recognition in Australian cinema with The Castle and Chopper. Following his breakout Hollywood role in Black Hawk Down, Bana was cast as Bruce Banner in Ang Lee's controversial Hulk movie. He went on to star in Steven Spielberg's Munich, the historical epic Troy, and Judd Apatow's Funny People with Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler.

Ewan McGregor

As John Grimes

Specialist John Grimes was a longtime desk clerk who first saw combat at Mogadishu. Although initially separated from Eversmann’s unit after an RPG explosion, the inexperienced Grimes managed to survive the battle. Grimes was a fictional character created to replace John Stebbins, who does not appear in Black Hawk Down’s cast of characters due to his criminal conviction.

Title Role Trainspotting (1996) Renton Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) Obi-Wan Kenobi Moulin Rogue! (2001) Christian Big Fish (2003) Young Ed Bloom Doctor Sleep (2019) Dan Torrance

Grimes was played by Ewan McGregor, who had previously gained attention for his starring role in the British cult movie Trainspotting. Just before starring in Black Hawk Down, McGregor began his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He also gained acclaim for his performance opposite Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! McGregor has also appeared in Big Fish, The Impossible, Beauty and the Beast, and Doctor Sleep. He will next be seen opposite Anne Hathaway in David Robert Mitchell's mysterious Flowervale Street.

Tom Sizemore

As Danny McKnight

Tom Sizemore was cast in Black Hawk Down as Lieutenant Colonel Danny McKnight, who led the convoy evacuating the prisoners that the mission initially intended to capture. After delivering the prisoners to the base, he returned to the crash site to aid his men. Although wounded in the battle, McKnight went on to complete a total of 28-and-a-half years of military service in real life.

Title Role True Romance (1993) Cody Nicholson Natural Born Killers (1994) Det. Jack Scagnetti Heat (1995) Michael Cheritto The Relic (1997) Lt. Vincent D'Agosta Saving Private Ryan (1998) Sgt. Horvath

Sizemore was a character actor who had appeared in a wide variety of roles, such as Saving Private Ryan, True Romance, Natural Born Killers, and The Relic. He is perhaps best known as Michael Cheritto opposite Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Heat. Sadly, Sizemore's career was hampered by arrests and drug addiction which took him out of the mainstream Hollywood scene. Sizemore died in 2023 at the age of 61.

William Fichtner

As Jeff Sanderson

William Fichtner played SFC Jeff Sanderson. Sanderson ended up stranded with fellow Delta Force soldiers and Eversmann’s squad after the helicopter crash but managed to make it through the resulting overnight standoff. He was a fictional character created to represent the real-life soldier Paul R. Howe.

Title Role Heat (1995) Roger Van Zant Armageddon (1998) Col. Sharp The Longest Yard (2005) Captain Knauer Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) General Adams Mom (2013-2021) Adam

Before joining the cast of Black Hawk Down, Fichtner portrayed multiple characters in the soap opera As The World Turns, Roger Van Zant in Heat, Danny’s Father in Pearl Harbor, and Colonel Willie Sharp in Armageddon. After Black Hawk Down, he played Captain Knauer in The Longest Yard and General Adams in Independence Day: Resurgence. He was also known for his roles on television, including playing Adam on the sitcom Mom and Phil Tagoda on Entourage.

Tom Hardy

As Lance Twombly

Actor Tom Hardy played Specialist Lance Twombly, a soldier who got separated from Eversmann’s squad with Specialist Shawn Nelson. Twombly and Nelson were able to reunite with the group and survive the Battle of Mogadishu. Amid the intensity of the movie, this storyline offers some partial comedic aspects with the two soldiers' confused reaction to being left behind.

Title Role Inception (2010) Eames The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Bane Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Max Rockatansky The Revenant (2015) John Fitzgerald Venom (2018) Eddie Brock

Black Hawk Down was Hardy’s debut role after starring in another acclaimed war project with the miniseries Band of Brothers. Since then, Hardy has gradually built an exciting career as one of the most compelling leading men in Hollywood. Hardy became a frequent collaborator of Christopher Nolan with appearances in Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Dunkirk. He also starred in Mad Max: Fury Road and received an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Revenant. Hardy joined the Marvel world, starring in the Venom movies with him set to appear in the third installment, Venom: The Last Dance.

Ewen Bremner

As Shawn Nelson

Specialist Shawn Nelson got separated from Eversmann’s squad with Twombly. Amid the confusion and being surrounded by enemies, Nelson was deafened when Twombly fired his gun too close to Neslon's ear. This also added to the somewhat unexpected comedic elements of this storyline with Nelson's inability to hear further making him and Twombloy a strange duo in this ensemble.

Title Role Trainspotting (1996) Spud Snatch (2000) Bane Pearl Harbor (2001) Red Wonder Woman (2017) Charlie Our Flag Means Death (2022-2023) Buttons

Brenner is a Scottish actor and yet another cast member of Black Hawk Down who also appeared in Pearl Harbor. Brenner is perhaps best known for his scene-stealing role as Spud in Trainspotting alongside Black Hawk Down costar Ewan McGregor. He has also starred in supporting roles in a number of notable projects from Snatch to Wonder Woman to Alien vs Predator to The Rundown. Most recently, he appeared as Buttons in the Max comedy series Our Flag Means Death.

Jason Isaacs

As Mike Steele

Captain Mike Steele led another group of Rangers struggling to reach the crash sites under heavy fire. When introduced in the movie, he is seen as a tough and somewhat unlikable leader who butts heads with other military forces and is ridiculed behind his back by his men. However, during the battle, he is shown to be a real leader who genuinely cares about the soldiers serving under him. After the real-life Battle of Mogadishu, he went on to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Iron Triangle.

Title Role The Patriot (2000) Colonel William Tavington Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Lucius Malfoy Peter Pan (2003) Hook The Death of Stalin (2017) Field Marshal Zhukov Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024) Captain Lorca

Among his many memorable roles, Isaacs has played the villainous Colonel William Tavington in the Mel Gibson historical epic The Patriot. Many fans will also know him as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. He has played Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, Field Marshal Zhukov in The Death of Stalin, and Captain Hook in the 2003 Peter Pan. He also provided the voices for The Judge in Castlevania, The Emperor in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Captain Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

Sam Shepard

As William F. Garrison

Sam Shepard played Major General William F. Garrison, the military head of the mission and one of the most complex roles in the movie. An early scene sees Garrison defending the American military presence in Somalia, insisting that it is not a war they are intervening in but genocide. As he led the mission from the command center, Garrison had to watch as his forces were pinned down and decimated by the Somali militia. He took full responsibility for the mission’s outcome, and he retired after the leader of the Somali National Alliance, Mohamed Farah Aidid, was killed.

Title Role The Right Stuff (1983) Chuck Yaeger The Pelican Brief (1993) Thomas Callahan The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Frank James The Notebook (2004) Frank Calhoun Mud (2012) Tom

Shepard is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright but was likely most recognizable for his acting work. He earned early standout roles in Terrence Malik's Days in Heaven and played Chuck Yaeger in The Right Stuff. Throughout his career, Shepard continued to be a sought-after character actor, appearing in The Notebook, Steel Magnolias, The Pelican Brief, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Mud. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 73.

Black Hawk Down Supporting Cast & Characters

Orlando Bloom as Private First Class Todd Blackburn – Blackburn is a young soldier heading into his first mission who suffers an accident when he attempts to descend from the helicopter and falls. His injury and the confusion surrounding it is the impetus for things to start going wrong with the mission. Orlando Bloom’s best-known roles are Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies and Will Turner in The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He recently appeared in the video game adaptation Gran Turismo and the thriller Red Right Hand.

Ty Burrell as United States Air Force Pararescue TSgt Timothy A. Wilkinson – Wilkinson is a medic who arrives at the first crash site to treat survivors and recover the bodies of the pilots. Black Hawk Down was one of Ty Burrell’s first film roles. He is most famous for playing as Phil Dunphy in the sitcom Modern Family, although he has also appeared in The Incredible Hulk, The West Wing, and Out of Practice.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as MSG Gary Gordon – Gordon was a Delta Force sniper who volunteered to proceed on foot to the second crash site with SFC Randy Shughart (played by Johnny Strong). When they arrived, they found pilot Mike Durant still alive and attempted to fend off the attacked rebels. Unfortunately, both Gordon and Shughart were killed and Durant was captured. Although Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was a known actor in Denmark, Black Hawk Down was his debut film in the United States. He later became best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones.

Jeremy Piven as CW4 Clifton “Elvis” Wolcott – Wolcott was the pilot of the first helicopter to be shot down. He died on impact making him the first American military casualty in the conflict. Jeremy Piven had previously played Spence Novak in Ellen and the title character in Cupid. He is best known for his Emmy-winning role as loudmouth Hollywood agent Ari Gold on the HBO comedy series Entourage.

Ioan Gruffudd as Lieutenant John Beales – Beales is a solider in the 75th Ranger Regiment. After Black Hawk Down, Gruffudd played Reed Richards in the 2005 Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Carl in Sanctum, and Dr. Daniel Harrow in Harrow.