Lady In The Lake Cast & Character Guide

The new original Apple series Lady in the Lake features a robust and decorated cast led by Oscar winner Natalia Portman. As the very first television series that Portman has starred in during her illustrious career, Lady in the Lake will be available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+ on Friday, July 19, 2024. Lady in the Lake will be the first project that Portman has starred in since 2023’s May December, which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Lady in the Lake follows the chilling story of a forgotten woman set in 1960s Baltimore. Portman stars as Maddie Schwartz, a housewife, mother, and aspiring reporter who becomes deeply entwined in the tragic and mysterious disappearance of a young woman. The series was directed and written for television by Alma Har’el and is based on the 2019 novel by Laura Lippman. It also features performances Star Wars alum Moses Ingram, Y’lan Noel, Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Noah Jupe, Palme d’Or winner Anora’s Mikey Madison, and future Superman David Corenswet.

Natalie Portman as Maddie Schwartz

Actor: Born in 1981, Natalie Portman began her acting career at the age of 12, making her film debut in the celebrated 1994 film Léon: The Professional. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her as Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller Black Swan. She is arguably best known for playing Padmé Amidala in Geroge Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, the love interest of Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader, and the mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker. Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel, attended Harvard University, and is often considered one of the best leading actresses working today.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Portman plays the lead protagonist in Lady in the Lake, a housewife turned investigative journalist named Maddie Schwartz.

Moses Ingram as Cleo Johnson

Actor: Moses Ingram has more or less exploded onto the Hollywood scene in recent years after her memorable performance as Jolene in Netflix’s celebrated 2020 limited series The Queen’s Gambit. She then went on to play Lady Macduff in The Tragedy of Macbeth alongside Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand before joining the Star Wars universe as Inquisitor Reva in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ingram was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy for her role in The Queen’s Gambit. She’s currently 30 years old and was born in Baltimore, where Lady in the Lake takes place.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Moses Ingram plays Cleo Johnson in Lady in the Lake, a key and focal character in the series.

Y’lan Noel as Ferdie Platt

Actor: Y’lan Noel is a notable actor who first made his film debut in 2013’s House of Another. He rose to prominence after starring in 2018’s The First Purge and starring in the acclaimed HBO series Insecure (2016-2018) as Daniel King. His other notable roles include Big Cheese in Slice (2018), Aubrey in The Weekend (2018), and Young Issac Jefferson in The Photograph (2020). He will play Marshall in the upcoming video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and also is set to appear as Dan Freeman in The Spook Who Sat by the Door.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Y’lan Noel plays Ferdie Platt, a police officer in 1960s Baltimore in Lady in the Lake.

Brett Gelman as Milton Schwartz

Actor: Brett Gelman is a well-known actor who has appeared in countless comedies and dramas. He is best known as Murray Bauman in Netflix’s popular series Stranger Things and also starred in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s celebrated comedy series Fleabag. Born in 1976 in Highland Park, Illinois, Gelman rose to prominence after appearing in an episode of Showtime’s Californication and the Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg comedy The Other Guys (2010). He is also a sought-after comedy writer, having writing credits on several episodes of Funny or Die Presents… and The Eric Andre Show.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Brett Gelman plays Milton Schwartz, the husband of Portman’s Maddie Schwartz in Lady in the Lake.

Byron Bowers as Slappy Johnson

Actor: Byron Bowers is a prominent comedian, actor, and writer who fittingly plays a comedian in Lady in the Lake. Bowers has appeared on The Eric Andre Show,Adam DeVine’s House Party, and BET’s Comic View. He has also made several late-night appearances as a comedian and was a writer on Tyler, the Creator’s Loiter Squad. As an actor, Bowers has appeared in various roles, most notably as Percy in Honey Boy (2019), Maurice in No Sudden Move (2021), and George Clemons in Swarm (2023).

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Bowers plays Slappy Johnson, the husband of Cleo Johnson in Lady in the Lake.

Mikey Madison as Judith Weinstein

Actor: Mikey Madison is poised to become one of 2024’s biggest breakout Hollywood stars. She stars as the titular Anora in Sean Baker’s latest film, which recently won the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Madison rose to prominence after playing Sadie in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (2019) and Amber Freeman in 2022’s Scream. She has also starred alongside Pamela Adlon in the celebrated series Better Things (2016–2022).

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Madison plays Judith Weinstein in Lady in the Lake, an acquaintance of Portman’s Maddie Schwartz.

Lady In The Lake’s Supporting Cast & Characters

David Corenswet as Allan Durst: Corenswet is best known for being cast as Clark Kent / Superman in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie. He has also appeared in Twisters (2024), Pearl (2022), The Politician (2019-2020), and House of Cards (2018). He plays Allan Durst in Lady in the Lake.

Pruitt Taylor Vince as Bob Bauer: Vince is best known for his roles in Bird Box (2018), The Blacklist (2018), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2017-2018) and Stranger Things (2017). He plays Bob Bauer in Lady in the Lake, a Baltimore news reporter.

Noah Jupe as Seth Schwartz: Jupe is a notable young actor who has appeared in Honey Boy (2019), Ford v Ferrari (2019), A Quiet Place (2018), and The Undoing (2020). He plays Seth in Lady in the Lake, the son of Milton and Maddie Schwartz.

Josiah Cross as Reggie Robinson: Cross is known for his recent roles in Master of the Air (2024), King Richard (2021), and A Thousand and One (2023). He plays Reggie Robinson in Lady in the Lake.

Wood Harris as Shell Gordon: Harris is best known for his roles in Remember the Titans (2000), Ant-Man (2015), Dredd (2012), Winning Time (2022), and Creed III (2023). He plays Shell Gordon in Lady in the Lake.

Dylan Arnold as Stephen Zawadzkie: Arnold is known for his recent roles in Halloween (2018), Oppenheimer (2023), You (2021) and Mudbound (2017). He plays Stephen Zawadzkie in Lady in the Lake.

Jennifer Mogbock as Dora Carter: Mogbock is known for her roles in Evil (2024), The Good Fight (2022), and Designated Survivor (2016). She plays Cleo’s friend Dora in Lady in the Lake.

Lady in the Lake

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAURA LIPPMAN, LADY OF THE LAKE IS A FICTIONAL DRAMA MINISERIES BASED AROUND THE REAL DISAPPEARANCES OF A YOUNG GIRL AND A WOMAN, COMING TO APPLE TV+. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND MADELINE SCHWARTZ, A DISSATISFIED 1960S HOUSEWIFE OF TWENTY YEARS WHO ENDS HER MARRIAGE IN SEARCH OF A LIFE WITH MEANING. MADELINE, BETTER KNOWN AS MADDIE, SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD – TO DO SO, SHE HEADS DOWN THE PATH OF AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AFTER SOMEHOW HELPING THE BALTIMORE POLICE FIND THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL IN THE LAKE, CLEO SHERWOOD. LADY IN THE LAKE HAS NOIR ELEMENTS AND EXPLORES STATUS AND RACE IN A MURDER MYSTERY IN A DIFFERENT PERIOD. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN LATE 2022 BUT IS STILL SET TO COME TO APPLE TV+ IN THE FUTURE.
 

Release Date

July 19, 2024

Seasons

1

Writers

Laura Lippman

Production Company

Crazyrose, Bad Wolf America, Zusa, MountainA, Endeavor Content

Expand