The Big Cigar Cast & Real-Life Character Guide

Summary The Big Cigar on Apple TV+ follows Huey P. Newton's escape from the FBI in the 1960s with Hollywood help.

Critics praise the strong performances and chemistry between lead actors in the biographical drama.

Real-life characters like FBI agent Sydney Clark and Bert Schneider add depth to the series.

The Big Cigar features an elaborate ensemble cast led by André Holland as Huey P. Newton and Tiffany Boone as Gwen Fontaine. The Apple TV+ show is a biographical drama that follows Huey P. Newton, the leader of the Black Panther Party, and his journey of being on the run from the FBI in the 1960s. The six-episode series sees Huey collaborate with Bert Schneider, a big-shot Hollywood producer who helps Huey escape the FBI by casting him in a fake big-budget movie titled The Big Cigar.

Created by Janine Sherman Barrois, The Big Cigar is a biographical drama based on real people and true events. Besides Huey, Gwen, and Bert, the key characters are real-life people, including the FBI agent Sydney Clark, Bert's friend Stephen Blauner, and the young Black Panther party member Teressa Dixon, among others. The Big Cigar opened to lukewarm reviews critiquing its unbalanced tone and non-linear narrative. However, critics praised the chemistry between the lead actors and the strong performances across the board in the show, which brought the characters to life.

The Big Cigar Cast Character André Holland Huey P. Newton Tiffany Boone Gwen Fontaine Alessandro Nivola Bert Schneider Marc Menchaca Sydney Clark P. J. Byrne Stephen Blauner Moses Ingram Teressa Dixon Rebecca Dalton Jessica Olli Haaskivi Arthur A. Ross Jordane Christie Bobby Seale Glynn Turman Walter Newton

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André Holland as Huey P. Newton

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Active since: 2006

Actor: Born in Bessemer, Alabama, André Holland is most known for his performance as Kevin Jones in the 2016 Best Picture winner, Moonlight. He has also starred as Dr. Algernon Edwards in the 2014 Cinemax series The Knick, Matt Miller in the 2016 FX series American Horror Story: Roanoke, and Elliot Udo in the 2020 Netflix musical drama series The Eddy, which was directed by Damien Chazelle. Additionally, Holland has played a supporting role in the 2018 Disney movie A Wrinkle in Time and the 2022 romantic horror film Bones and All.

Notable Movies and Shows:

Movies/TV Shows Character The Knick Dr. Algernon Edwards Moonlight Kevin Jones American Horror Story: Roanoke Matt Miller A Wrinkle in Time Principal James Jenkins The Eddy Elliot Udo Bones and All Frank Yearly

Real-life Character: Huey P. Newton is the protagonist of The Big Cigar, and the founder of The Black Panther Party. He is a revolutionary who wants to transform society, but is forced to be on the run from the FBI, who has been pursuing him for years and considers him an "enemy of the state." Huey is bold, charismatic, and already a big star. He thus collaborates with a major Hollywood producer to escape to Cuba under the guise of starring in a fake big-budget movie titled The Big Cigar.

Tiffany Boone as Gwen Fontaine

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Active since: 2006

Actor: Tiffany Boone was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and is most widely recognized for her lead roles as Roxy Jones in Hunters and Mandy Lang in season 2 of the FOX TV series The Following, and for her supporting roles as Savannah Snow in the fantasy film Beautiful Creatures and Mimi in the horror-comedy film Detention. She also played Maya Peters in the sci-fi film The Midnight Sky and starred as Delilah in the series Nine Perfect Strangers. Next, Boone is voicing the character of Sarabi in Disney's exciting live-action prequel Mufasa: The Lion King.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Movies/TV Shows Character Hunters Roxy Jones The Following Mandy Lang Beautiful Creatures Savannah Snow Detention Mimi The Midnight Sky Maya Peters Nine Perfect Strangers Delilah Mufasa: The Lion King Sarabi (voice)

Real-life Character: Gwen Fontaine is the wife of Huey P. Newton who is a member of the Black Panther Party. She unequivocally supports her husband and stands by him no matter what. She is also a revolutionary in her own right and believes in the cause of the party, but worries about Huey's well-being when he is on the run. She's the one who suggests he team up with the producer, Bert Schneider, to escape the US.

Alessandro Nivola as Bert Schneider

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Active since: 1993

Actor: Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Alessandro Nivola's first prominent role was as Pollux Troy in Face/Off, one of the best action movies from the 1990s. He is also known for playing Anthony Amado in American Hustle, Robert Sarno in The Neon Demon, Dovid Kuperman in Disobedience, and Dickie Moltisanti in The Many Saints of Newark. Next, Nivola will be seen joining the cast of Kraven the Hunter, playing the role of Aleksei Sytsevich a.k.a. Rhino.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Movies/TV Shows Character Face/Off Pollux Troy Jurassic Park III Billy Brennan American Hustle Anthony Amado The Neon Demon Robert Sarno Disobedience Dovid Kuperman The Many Saints of Newark Dickie Moltisanti Boston Strangler Detective Conley Kraven the Hunter Aleksei Sytsevich a.k.a. Rhino

Real-life Character: Bert Schneider is a hot-shot film and television producer in Hollywood. He and his business partner, Steve Blauner, hide Huey Newton when he gets convicted of murder and assault. Bert is besotted by Huey's charisma and stardom. He wants to help Huey escape and is willing to do what it takes to support him with disguises, transportation, and other logistical needs. Bert knows how dangerous this could be, but he believes strongly in Huey's fight and wants to be part of history.

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Marc Menchaca as Sydney Clark

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Active since: 2001

Actor: Marc Menchaca was born in San Angelo, Texas, and first broke out with the 2013 film This Is Where We Live, which he directed, wrote, and starred in as Noah. He has also received acclaim for his lead roles as Bob Stevens in Reparation, The Man in #LIKE, Sam Dillon in Alone, and Red in No One Gets Out Alive. On TV, he has appeared as Lauder Wakefield in Homeland, Russ Langmore in Ozark, Glen Fisher in The Sinner, James Griffin in Manifest, and Jack Hoskins in The Outsider.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Movies/TV Shows Character Homeland Lauder Wakefield This Is Where We Live Noah Reparation Bob Stevens #LIKE The Man Ozark Russ Langmore The Sinner Glen Fisher Manifest James Griffin The Outsider Jack Hoskins Alone Sam Dillon No One Gets Out Alive Red

Character: Sydney Clark is an FBI agent who disguises himself as a hippie to hunt down Huey Newton. He remains resolute in investigating the Black Panther Party and anyone related to Huey. Sydney considers Huey to be a very dangerous criminal and a threat to national security, and will do anything to bring him down.

The Big Cigar Supporting Cast & Characters

P. J. Byrne as Stephen Blauner: P.J. Byrne is an American actor and comedian best known for playing Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the 2013 Martin Scorsese movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Bolin in Nickelodeon's 2012 animated series The Legend of Korra. In The Big Cigar, Byrne plays Stephen Blauner, Bert's childhood friend and business partner. Together, Stephen and Bert help Huey dodge the FBI.

Moses Ingram as Teressa Dixon: Teressa Dixon is a young member of the Black Panther Party. She proves herself to be clever and resourceful, playing a key role in convincing Huey to give his money to Bert. Teressa is played by Moses Ingram, who is best known for being part of The Queen's Gambit cast as Jolene in the Netflix miniseries.

Rebecca Dalton as Jessica: Rebecca Dalton is most recognized for her television roles as Tara in Good Witch and Stephanie Lyons in Spun Out. In The Big Cigar, she plays the character of Jessica.

Olli Haaskivi as Arthur A. Ross: Arthur A. Ross is a Hollywood screenwriter who works for Bert. He is played by Olli Haaskivi, whose most recent and notable work has been as Edward Condon, a minor role in the cast of Oppenheimer.

Jordane Christie as Bobby Seale: Bobby Seale is an author and notable political activist. Alongside Huey Newton, she was one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party. Bobby is portrayed by Jordane Christie, who is best known for his work on TV as Vern Loomis in Why Women Kill and Arthur in The Haunting of Hill House.

Glynn Turman as Walter Newton: Glynn Turman is most recognized for his role as Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce on the HBO drama series The Wire and his guest role as Alex Prince, Sr. in HBO drama series In Treatment. In The Big Cigar, Turman plays Walter Newton, Huey P. Newton's father.