Where Are the Stars of ‘Alias’ Now? (PHOTOS)
Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow: Then
Garner led the show as Sydney Bristow, an undergrad-turned-spy-turned-double agent who is shocked to discover that her employer, SD-6, is not a covert CIA operation but an enemy of the CIA.
Jennifer Garner: Now
The ABC drama propelled Garner to superstardom and film roles in 13 Going on 30, Dallas Buyers Club, and Peppermint, among many others. She recently returned to TV for the HBO comedy Camping (seen here), and she’s reteaming with Alias creator J.J. Abrams for the Apple TV+ miniseries My Glory Was I Had Such Friends.
Victor Garber as Jack Bristow: Then
“Spy Daddy” Jack Bristow is Sydney’s father—who, in the pilot episode, reveals himself as not just another SD-6 officer but another CIA informant.
Victor Garber: Now
In addition to roles in the films Milk, Argo, and Dark Waters, Garber has been all over television—particularly in the Arrowverse (seen here), in which he has portrayed Martin Stein a.k.a. Firestorm across four TV series. He also returned to the Broadway stage last year in Hello, Dolly!
Lena Olin as Irina Derevko: Then
Irina, Syd’s mother, was working as an undercover Soviet spy when she started a family with Jack—before faking her own death and disappearing for decades.
Lena Olin: Now
Olin, an Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated actor, honored her home country by starring on the NBC sitcom Welcome to Sweden (seen here). She also starred opposite Julia Stiles in the Ovation series Riviera, and she’ll share the screen with Al Pacino in the upcoming Amazon drama Hunters.
Carl Lumbly as Marcus Dixon: Then
Dixon is Sydney’s loyal partner in the field at SD-6 and the CIA, where he later becomes a director.
Carl Lumbly: Now
Lumbly has guest-starred in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Six, NCIS: Los Angeles, and This Is Us. He also recurred as M’yrnn J’onzz in Season 3 of Supergirl (seen here), and you’ll see him on the big screen this month in Doctor Sleep.
Kevin Weisman as Marshall Flinkman: Then
The secret weapon of SD-6 and then the CIA, Weisman is the resident tech geek—who, more often than not, is impressed with his own brilliance.
Kevin Weisman: Now
Weisman has recurred on The Blacklist, Scorpion, and Goliath, and he currently stars as Pride member Dale Yorkes in Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu (seen here).
Ron Rifkin as Arvin Sloane: Then
Sloane is Sydney’s boss at SD-6, a snaky villain whose attempts at redemption are always undone by his devotion to the mystical figure Rambaldi.
Ron Rifkin: Now
Rifkin starred alongside other Alias vets in Brothers & Sisters, then landed recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU, Gotham, and New Amsterdam (seen here). Cooper, one of Rifkin’s other Alias buddies, also cast him in A Star Is Born.
Michael Vartan as Michael Vaughn: Then
Vartan starts off as Sydney’s CIA handler during her double agent days, though their working relationship quickly turns romantic.
Michael Vartan: Now
Post-Alias, Vartan starred on Big Shots, Hawthorne, and The Arrangement and guest-starred on Bates Motel, Satisfaction, and Rectify. You also saw him last year on an episode of God Friended Me (seen here).
Greg Grunberg as Eric Weiss: Then
Weiss is Vaughn’s CIA colleague and best friend, and that friendship soon extends to Sydney as they start working together.
Greg Grunberg: Now
When Grunberg wasn’t playing Matt Parkman on Heroes (seen here) and Heroes Reborn, he was appearing in films and other TV shows by J.J. Abrams, a childhood buddy of his—e.g. Lost, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, and two Star Wars movies. Plus, Cooper enlisted him too for a role in A Star Is Born.
Merrin Dungey as Francie Calfo: Then
Francie is Sydney’s best friend and roommate who never finds out about her pal’s spy career until she’s caught in the middle.
Merrin Dungey: Now
Even though Dungey was replaced by Audra McDonald in Private Practice, she has still graced on TV screens many times over the years, starring on Conviction, The Resident, and The Fix, and recurring as Ursula on Once Upon a Time. Most recently, she investigated the Monterey Five as Detective Adrienne Quinlan on Big Little Lies (seen here).
Bradley Cooper as Will Tippin: Then
Will is another friend of Sydney’s, a journalist whose affection for her leads him to investigate SD-6.
Bradley Cooper: Now
Cooper, of course, has become one of Hollywood’s best-regarded talents, racking up seven Oscar nods for his work on Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, American Sniper, and A Star Is Born (alongside Lady Gaga, seen here). He also plays Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having voiced the raccoon in five films so far.
David Anders as Julian Sark: Then
Sark is a man of “flexible loyalties” who only collaborates with Syd & Co. when it suits his interests… or fills his bank account.
David Anders: Now
After Alias, Anders starred on Heroes, guest-starred on Grey’s Anatomy alongside Dungey, and recurred on 24, The Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time. He played Blaine “DeBeers” McDonough in all five seasons of The CW’s iZombie (seen here), and he’ll soon pop up on Roswell, New Mexico.
Mia Maestro as Nadia Santos: Then
Nadia, introduced in Season 3, is Sydney’s long-lost half-sister and an Argentine spy who eventually joins Syd at the black-ops CIA offshoot APO.
Mia Maestro: Now
Maestro starred in both The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn films as Carmen Denali, played Dr. Nora Martinez in two seasons of The Strain (seen here), and guest-starred on Hannibal, Scandal, and Nashville. More recently, you’ve seen her as Sederica Palomo in FX’s Mayans M.C.
Melissa George as Lauren Reed: Then
When Sydney goes missing for two years, Vaughn moves on with Lauren, a liaison between the NSC and the CIA during Season 3—though that’s exactly not the extent of her affiliations…
Melissa George: Now
George recurred as Dr. Sadie Harris on Grey’s Anatomy before scrubbing into the OR again for the lead role in NBC’s Heartbeat (seen here). She has also starred in Hunted, The First, and both the American and Australian versions of The Slap. Soon, she’ll star opposite Justin Theroux in the Apple TV+ drama Mosquito Coast.
Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper, and J.J. Abrams are big names in Hollywood now, but they were still relative unknowns nearly two decades ago when they started work on ABC’s Alias.
The spy drama — bolstered by veteran stars including Victor Garber, Lena Olin, and Ron Rifkin — became a cult hit during its 2001–2006 run and earned a Golden Globe for Garner and three dozen Emmy nominations for its talent behind and in front of the scenes.
The stars of Alias have all kept busy in the ensuing years, including the show’s supporting players. (Season 3 star Melissa George, for example, just landed a splashy Apple TV+ gig.) Flip through the gallery above to see declassified intel on 13 of the show’s stars.
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