The Saving Private Ryan cast includes several famous actors, though many of them were relatively unknown when Steven Spielberg's film released in 1998. The main cast includes a true A-lister in Tom Hanks, while the title character is portrayed by Matt Damon, who became a household name after writing and starring in Good Will Hunting. Saving Private Ryan is widely regarded as the best war film ever made, and modern audiences may be surprised to see future stars in smaller roles.
Set in June 1944, Saving Private Ryan follows a U.S. Army commander who survives D-Day and then must locate a soldier from the 101st Airborne Division. The storyline references "Easy Company," a battalion that's the primary focus of Hanks and Spielberg's 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. With Saving Private Ryan, the filmmakers explore five days in the lives of soldiers who ultimately fought together in the Battle of Ramelle.
Saving Private Ryan is headlined by Hanks, Damon, and several other recognizable actors, but the ensemble cast includes nearly 20 proper movie stars. Some were already established by the late '90s, while others like Vin Diesel and Nathan Fillion were mostly unknown in pop culture back then. Here's a comprehensive cast and character guide to help you identify each and every movie star in Saving Private Ryan.
Tom Hanks stars as John H. Miller, a U.S. Captain from the 2nd Rangers unit who survives D-Day and then receives a mission to locate Private Ryan. He initially reveals little about his background, and later reflects with Horvath about their fallen comrades. When Wade is injured, he allows a lethal dose of morphine and then reveals his backstory to end an argument between Horvath and Reiben. He's ultimately killed at the Battle of Ramelle. In the '80s, Hanks starred in the TV series Bosom Buddies and later delivered a breakthrough performance in Big. During the '90s, he earned Oscar nominations for portraying Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia and also won a Best Actor Academy Award for his titular role in Forrest Gump. Hanks voices Woody in the Toy Story franchise and starred as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Tom Sizemore co-stars as Mike Horvath, a technical sergeant who leads troops with Miller on D-Day. After clearing Dog One, he bottles sand as yet another memento of his war experiences. At Ramelle, he convinces Miller that they'll earn the right to go home if they can defend a bridge and save Private Ryan in the process, but he's eventually killed in battle. In the '90s, Sizemore portrayed Jack Scagnetti in Natural Born Killers and starred alongside Al Pacino as Michael Cheritto in Heat. He then appeared as Earl in Pearl Harbor and McKnight in Black Hawk Down during the early 2000s. Since then, Sizemore has portrayed Vincent Fryer in Hawaii Five-0 and Anthony Sinclair in Twin Peaks. He also appears as Dr. Tom in Pink Rehabilation.
Edward Burns portrays Richard Reiben, a Private First Class soldier who assists Miller and Horvath on D-Day. Near Ramelle, he gets angry when Miller allows Wade's killer to walk away. Reiben later confronts Private Ryan about what they've gone through to ensure that he gets to return home safely. Burns appeared as himself in Entourage and portrayed Bugsy Siegel in Mob City. He also appears as Artie Farrell in Bridge and Tunnel.
Barry Pepper appears as Private Daniel Jackson, a sniper who recites prayers before targeting German soldiers. When Miller's squad learns that Private Ryan is likely at Ramelle, he's the first to volunteer for a risky operation. Jackson ultimately gets killed during the Battle of Ramelle after being targeted by a tank. Pepper portrayed Dean Stanton in The Green Mile and starred Roger Maris in 61*. He also appeared as Mike Strank in Flags of Our Fathers, Bobby Kennedy in The Kennedys, and Dave in the 2019 movie Crawl.
Adam Goldberg co-stars as Stanley "Fish" Mellish, a Jewish Private who receives a Hitler Youth knife from Caparzo on D-Day and sobs while Horvath watches. At Ramelle, he urges Upham to be "Johnny on the spot" while handling ammunition during an upcoming battle against German soldiers. Mellish is eventually killed in hand-to-hand combat when Upham freezes and fails to act. Goldberg portrayed Mike in Dazed and Confused and Sol in A Beautiful Mind. He later appeared as Nick Rubenstein in Entourage, Mr. Numbers in Fargo season 1, and Harry Keshegian in The Equalizer.
Vin Diesel has a smaller role as Adrian Caparzo, a Private First Class soldier who is recruited by Miller. At Neuville, he's shot and killed while attempting to save a German girl who is given up by her father. Diesel became a true movie star during the early 2000s after portraying Chris Varick in Boiler Room, Richard B. Riddick in Pitch Black, and Xander Cage in xXx. He also starred as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious and has reprised his role several times over the subsequent decades. In the 2010s, Diesel voiced Groot in the MCU and starred as the title character in Bloodshot.
Giovanni Ribisi memorably portrays Irwin Wade, a medic who survives D-Day and helps Miller find Private Ryan. During a quiet moment, he reflects about pretending to be asleep when his mother would come home, and later confronts his comrades when they sort through dog tags like "poker chips." Shortly after, Wade is killed near Ramelle. Ribisi appeared in Friends as Frank Buffay Jr. and starred as Seth Davis in Boiler Room. He's perhaps best known for portraying Parker Selfridge in the Avatar movie franchise and also headlined Sneaky Pete as Marius Josipovi/Pete Murphy.
Jeremy Davies appears as the pacifist Timothy Upham, a U.S. Corporal who Miller recruits because of his ability to speak French and German. He's nervous about participating because he doesn't have any combat experience. He carries a book about the "bonds of brotherhood" that form during war, which foreshadows the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. At Ramelle, Upham impresses his comrades by translating lyrics from an Edith Piaf song, but later fails to take action against German soldiers during the battle. Davies portrayed Laurene in Twister and Daniel Faraday in Lost. He later appeared as Dickie Bennett in Justified, Malcolm Dreyfuss in Sleepy Hollow, and Al in The House That Jack Built.
Matt Damon co-stars as James Francis Ryan, a U.S. Private First Class soldier whose three brothers are killed in action. He's eventually located near Ramelle and refuses to abandon his comrades. Ryan assists Miller with a sticky bomb plan to defeat German soldiers while keeping his distance to ensure his safety. In the '90s, Damon starred as Rudy Baylor in The Rainmaker and Will in Good Will Hunting. He later headlined the Jason Bourne movie franchise as the title character and portrayed Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari.
Ted Danson briefly appears as Fred Hamill, a captain for the 101st Pathfinders unit. Danson famously starred as Sam Malone in the TV show Cheers and headlined Three Men and a Baby as Jack. He also starred as Dr. John Becker in Becker and portrayed Arthur Frobisher in Damages. In the 2010s, Danson appeared as Hank Larsson in Fargo season 2 and Michael in The Good Place.
Paul Giamatti portrays William Hill, a U.S. Sergeant who meets with Miller in Neuville and explains how the 101st Airborne Division has been separated. Giamatti starred as Miles in the 2004 film Sideways and then earned an Oscar nomination for portraying Joe Gould in Cinderella Man. He later appeared as Freeman in 12 Years a Slave and Aleksei Sytsevich in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Giamatti also headlines Billions as Chuck Rhoades.
Dennis Farina portrays Walter Anderson, a U.S. Lieutenant Colonel who informs Miller about his mission to save Private Ryan. In the '80s, Farina starred as Jack Crawford in Manhunter and Jimmy Serrano in Midnight Run. He also appeared as Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty and famously portrayed Cousin Avi in Snatch. Farina hosted Unsolved Mysteries from 1998 to 2009, and had a brief run as Detective Joe Fontana in Law & Order. He passed away in 2013 at age 69.
Nathan Fillion briefly shows up in Saving Private Ryan as James Frederick Ryan, a U.S. Private who is mistaken for James Francis Ryan. After learning that his brothers are still alive, he continues to sob because of the trauma. Fillion portrayed Johnny Donnelly in Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, and then starred as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds in the early 2000s series Firefly. By the end of the decade, he appeared as Dr. Adam Mayfair in Desperate Housewives. Fillion is arguably best known for headlining the ABC series Castle as Richard Castle and now portrays John Nolan in The Rookie.
Bryan Cranston portrays Mac (credited as War Department Colonel), a U.S. military leader who learns about the deaths of the Ryan brothers and then informs his superior. Cranston starred as Hal Wilkerson in Malcolm in the Middle during the 2000s, and then delivered an iconic TV performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad. He also portrayed Shannon in Drive, Jack O'Donnell in Argo, and Michael Desiato in Your Honor.
Ryan Hurst (above) as Michaelson: A paratrooper with a hearing problem who informs Miller about Private Ryan's last known location. Ryan Hurst portrayed Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans and Sergent Ernie Savage in We Were Soldiers. He later appeared as Harry "Opie" Winston in Sons of Anarchy, Hector Bonner in Bosch, and Beta in The Walking Dead.
Harrison Young as Old James Ryan: The elderly man who appears at the beginning and end while visiting Normandy. Harrison Young portrayed Don Willis in House of 1000 Corpses and Harmony's Dad in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Joerg Stadler as Steamboat Willie: A German soldier who shoots Wade and then makes American pop culture references upon being captured. After being let go, he's later killed by Upham at Ramelle. Joerg Stadler portrayed Frederick Schmidt in Spy Game and Wilhelm Grimm in Ever After: A Cinderella Story. He also appeared as Berndt in Hannibal Rising and Male Inferi in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Max Martini as Henderson: An Easy Company Corporal who is with Private Ryan when he's located. Max Martini portrayed Steve Goodrich in 24 and Mack Gerhardt in The Unit. He later appeared as Herc Hansen in Pacific Rim, Mark "Oz" Geist in 13 Hours, and Edward Coventry in the Netflix show The Order.
Leland Orser as DeWindt: A U.S. Lieutenant from the 99th Troop Carrier Squadron who informs Miller about a plane crash that killed over 20 soldiers. Leland Orser portrayed Crazed Man in Massage Parlor in Se7en and Purvis in Alien: Resurrection. He later appeared as Dr. Lucien Dubenko in ER, Martin Collier in 24, and Robert Kirsch in Berlin Station.
Rolf Saxon as Lieutenant Briggs: An injured U.S. soldier who whose body tears in half while Miller carries him to safety on D-Day. Rolf Saxon portrayed CIA Analyst William Donloe in Mission: Impossible and Philip Jones in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. In the 2000s, he appeared as Father Duer in They Live Among Us and Stan Gould in Woman in Gold.
Dylan Bruno as Toynbe: A U.S. Private First Class soldier who is with Private Ryan when he's located. Dylan Bruno portrayed Willy Jack Pickens in Where the Heart Is and Colby Granger in Numb3ers. He also appeared as Griffin Lewis in Grey's Anatomy and Johnny McFury in Thumb Runner.
Glenn Wrage as Doyle: Miller's comrade who assists with explosives while clearing Dog One on D-Day. Glenn Wrage portrayed Joe Thornhill in Veep and Kurt in Cold Pursuit.
Demetri Goritsas as Parker: A U.S. soldier who fights in the Battle of Ramelle and gets warned by Jackson before he's killed by a tank. Demetri Goritsas portrayed Billy Hyland in Spy Game and Hansen in season 3 of the popular Netflix show Black Mirror. He also appeared as Bernie Peterson in The Alienist: Angel of Darkness.
Harve Presnell as George Marshall: A U.S. General who learns about the Ryan brothers and orders a mission to return James Francis Ryan home after reciting a letter that Abraham Lincoln sent to a grieving mother ("The Bixby Letter"). Harve Presnell portrayed "Leadville" Johnny J. Brown in the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Rotten Luck Willie in the 1969 film Paint Your Wagon. He also appeared as Wade Gustafson in Fargo, Dr. Sam Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Victor Lazarro in Face/Off. Presnell passed away at age 75 in 2009.
Leo Stransky as German Sniper: A Nazi soldier who shoots Caparzo in Neuville. Leo Stransky portrayed Tall Man in Casino Royale. He's also done stunt work in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker and the DCEU movie Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Amanda Boxer as Margaret Ryan: James' wife who appears at the beginning and end in Normandy scenes. Amanda Boxer portrayed Fanny Dashwood in the 1981 Sense and Sensibility adaptation and Cleveland Supervisor in United 93. She has also played different characters in Casualty and Doctors.
Kathleen Byron as Old Mrs. Ryan: James' mother who is informed about her sons' deaths. Kathleen Byron portrayed Sister Ruth in the 1947 classic Black Narcissus and Susan in the 1949 film Hour of Glory. She also appeared as Mrs. Goddard in Emma and portrayed Edith in Perfect Strangers for her final role. Byron passed away at age 88 in 2009.
Dale Dye as War Department Colonel: A military leader who meets with Cranston and Presnell's characters about saving Private Ryan. Dale Dye portrayed Captain Harris in Platoon and Frank Barnes in Mission: Impossible. He later appeared as Colonel Robert F. Sink in Band of Brothers and Senator Holt in The Last Full Measure.
John Sharian as Corporal Loeb: John Sharian portrayed Fhloston Captain in The Fifth Element and Noah Freeman in the Netflix show Lost in Space. He also appeared as Ivan in The Machinist and Joe LeBrock in CSI: Miami.
Stéphane Cornicard as Jean: Stéphane Cornicard portrayed Head of Nation in Spectre and Jean-Francois Delagrange in Manhunt.
Corey Johnson as Radioman Mackey: Corey Johnson portrayed Major Louis Kent in Band of Brothers and Louis J. Nacke in United 93. He also appeared as Ken Quinn in Captain Phillips and Colonel Bill Seidel in The Mauritanian.
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