13 Reasons Why [1] is one of TV's buzziest shows for a lot of reasons. Its honest, wrenching take on teen suicide [2] is like nothing we've seen on TV before, and it has a huge ensemble cast full of actors who really earn their paychecks. Aside from being incredible with the difficult material, some of the stars are people you've definitely seen before [3], though many of the actors playing high-school-age students [4] are relative newcomers. Decidedly not newcomers are the actors who play the parents of the kids on the show, most of whom have been around for years, starring in your favorite TV shows and movies. To help you pinpoint where you've seen the most recognizable actors, we've nailed down why you know these parents from seasons one and two.
Kate Walsh as Olivia Baker, Hannah's Mom
Kate Walsh [6] is probably the most well-known actor in the 13 Reasons Why [7] cast with tons of roles on TV and in movies (weirdly, she also played the main character's mother in very similar-in-tone The Perks of Being a Wallflower). And though her last significant TV roles were on the short-lived Bad Judge and the first season of Fargo, she's probably still most recognizable for playing Dr. Addison Montgomery on Private Practice.
Kate Walsh on Private Practice
Brian d'Arcy James as Andy Baker, Hannah's Dad
Brian d'Arcy James may be a little less familiar to you, but you'd know him if you caught the 2016 Oscars best picture, Spotlight. He played Matt Carroll [9], part of the ensemble of Boston reporters. There's a strong Spotlight connection to 13 Reasons Why [10], as Spotlight director Tom McCarthy is also an executive producer of the series and he directed two episodes.
Brian d'Arcy James in Spotlight
Josh Hamilton as Mr. Jensen, Clay's Dad
Josh Hamilton has one of those faces, even under the scruffy beard he wears to play Clay's professor father. That's because he's been in tons of movies and TV shows over the last 30 years (raise your hand if you remember '90s pop culture phenomenons The '60s and With Honors), and more recently, he starred in Manchester by the Sea and as a creepy witch hunter on American Horror Story [11]: Coven.
Josh Hamilton on American Horror Story: Coven
Amy Hargreaves as Lainie Jensen, Clay's Mom
Though Amy Hargreaves also has a lot of varied roles in TV and movies, you might best know her from Homeland, where she has had a recurring role as Carrie's sister, Maggie.
Amy Hargreaves on Homeland
Mark Pellegrino as Officer Standall, Alex's Dad
There's very little chance that you didn't recognize Mark Pellegrino from somewhere; he's been on so many TV shows in distinctive roles that it feels like he's been everywhere. A sampling: Supernatural, The Tomorrow People, and Quantico — but he may never live down one of his most iconic roles: as mysterious island-keeper Jacob on Lost.
Mark Pellegrino on Lost
Joseph C. Phillips as Mr. Davis, Jessica's Dad
A TV actor who also feels like he's been around for forever, we're going way back (and probably dating ourselves) to point out Phillips's most famous role: as Lt. Martin Kendall, Denise's husband and Olivia's dad on The Cosby Show.
Joseph C. Phillips on The Cosby Show
Tom Everett Scott as Mr. Down, Tyler's Dad
You'd have to be blind not to recognize Tom Everett Scott, and thankfully he's in a lot more of the show in season two. He's been consistently working since the '90s — he was recently the poor sap audiences hated for ending up with Emma Stone [14] at the end of La La Land [15] — but I don't care what else he stars in; he'll always be Guy Patterson in That Thing You Do!. My heart still swoons.
Tom Everett Scott in That Thing You Do!
Maria Dizzia as Mrs. Down, Tyler's Mom
Maria Dizzia is something of a Netflix mainstay at this point, having starred as Dev's friend in Master of None and one of the places we first saw her, as Piper's former best friend on Orange Is the New Black [16].
Maria Dizzia on Orange Is the New Black
