List of From the Earth to the Moon cast members
This is a list of characters, real and fictional, in the 1998 HBO docudrama TV miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.
Fictional and/or connective characters
- Tom Hanks appears as host of the first 11 episodes, introducing each from in front of a huge relief sculpture of the Greek god Apollo. This format is not used for the final episode, Le Voyage dans la Lune, in which Hanks appears in character as Jean-Luc Despont, assistant to French filmmaker Georges Méliès.
- Blythe Danner provides voice-over narration for much of episode 12, which is presented in a documentary format.
- Lane Smith portrays Emmett Seaborn, a fictional news reporter for a fictitious television network. Seaborn appears in the first 8 episodes, covering America's space program from the earliest days through the flight of Apollo 13. He also appears in the final episode, reporting on the final Apollo 17 lunar mission, and is himself an interview subject in a mock documentary.
- Jay Mohr as Brett Hutchings, a fictional young television reporter who competes for Emmett Seaborn's job in episode 8.
- Clint Howard as flight controller "Paul Lucas" in episode 5, Spider.
- John Michael Higgins as the host of a fashion show featuring the nine wives of NASA Astronaut Group 2 in episode 11, The Original Wives' Club.
Astronauts
First Astronaunt Group ("The Mercury Seven")
- Ted Levine as Alan Shepard, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. America's first astronaut to fly in episode 1 Can We Do This?, and commander of the Apollo 14 Moon landing mission in episode 9 For Miles and Miles.
- Mark Rolston as Gus Grissom, Mercury and Gemini veteran who commands the ill-fated Apollo 1 in episode 2 Apollo One, killed along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee, also seen at CAPCOM station, during White's EVA on Gemini 4 in episode 1.
- Mark Harmon as Wally Schirra, Mercury and Gemini veteran who commands Apollo 7 in episode 3, We Have Cleared the Tower, originally backup commander of Apollo 1.
- Robert C. Treveiler as Gordon Cooper, Mercury and Gemini veteran seen at CAPCOM during Gemini 4 in episode 11, The Original Wives' Club, and in TV interview during episode 9.
Second Astronaut Group ("The New Nine")
- Tony Goldwyn as Neil Armstrong, performs first docking in space as commander of Gemini 8 in episode 1, and is the first man to set foot on the Moon on Apollo 11 in episode 6, Mare Tranquilitatus.
- David Andrews as Frank Borman, commands his first flight on the Gemini 7 14-day endurance mission, and also commands the first flight to the Moon on Apollo 8 in episode 4, 1968. He also serves on the investigation board of the Apollo 1 fire in episode 2, Apollo One, and appears in episode 11, The Original Wives' Club.
- Peter Scolari portrays Pete Conrad in episode 1 as he joins NASA in 1962 in the second group of astronauts, intended to fly in Project Gemini. Paul McCrane is cast as Conrad in episode 7 That's All There Is, as commander of the second lunar landing mission, Apollo 12.
- Tim Daly as Jim Lovell, who flies with Borman on Gemini 7 and commands Gemini 12 in episode 1, flies with Borman again on Apollo 8 in episode 4, commands Apollo 13 (off-screen) in episode 8, We Interrupt This Broadcast, and appears in episode 11.
- Conor O'Farrell as James McDivitt, commander of Gemini 4 in episode 1, and commander of Apollo 9 in episode 9, Spider. Later seen as Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program in episode 8, and heard briefly in radio broadcast during Gemini 4 in episode 11
- Steve Zahn as Elliot See, scheduled to command Gemini 9 but killed in a plane crash before the flight in episode 1.
- Steve Hofvendahl as Thomas P. Stafford, flew on Gemini 6, and commanded Gemini 9A (both off-screen), seen briefly as commander of Apollo 10 in episode 5. Also backup commander of Apollo 7 in episode 3, and originally slated to fly with Alan Shepard on first manned flight of Project Gemini, before Shepard`s grounding in episode 9. Also seen during astronaut briefing in episode 1.
- Chris Isaak as Edward H. White, America's first astronaut to walk in space on Gemini 4 in episode 1, later killed in a fire preparing for Apollo 1 in episode 2.
- John Posey as John Young, who flew two Gemini missions and on Apollo 10 (all off-screen), and commands the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission in episode 11. Also backup crew member of Apollo 7 in episode 3. Also seen arrival of astronaut group, and later atronaut briefing, in episode 1.
Third Astronaut Group
- Brett Cullen as David Scott, Gemini veteran and Command Module pilot on Apollo 9, and commander of lunar landing mission Apollo 15 in episode 10, Galileo Was Right.
- Bryan Cranston as Buzz Aldrin, performs EVA during Gemini 12 in episode 1, seen as Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 11 in episode 6.
- Daniel Hugh Kelly as Gene Cernan, Gemini veteran and lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in episode 5, backup commander of Apollo 14 in episode 9, and commander of Apollo 17 in episode 12, Le Voyage dans la Lune. Also seen during astronaut briefing in episode 1.
- Ben Marley as Roger Chaffee, assigned to fly his first mission on Apollo 1 in episode 1, killed with fire Grissom and White in episode 2, seen briefly in episode 7, That's All There Is.
- John Mese as Donn F. Eisele, Apollo 7 crew member in episode 3. Mentionned as being originally intended for Apollo 1 crew before being dropped due to shoulder injury.
- Fredric Lehne as Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 crew member, episode 3.
- Robert John Burke as William Anders, Apollo 8 crew member, episode 4.
- Kieran Mulroney as Russell "Rusty" Schweickart, the first Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 9, episode 5.
- Cary Elwes as Michael Collins, Gemini veteran and Command Module pilot on Apollo 11, episode 6, also CAPCOM during Apollo 8 in episode 4.
- Dave Foley as Alan Bean, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 12 in episode 7.
- Tom Verica as Richard F. Gordon, Gemini veteran and Command Module pilot on Apollo 12 in episode 7, backup commander of Apollo 15 in episode 10. Seen during astronaut briefing in episode 1.
- Jim Leavy as C.C. Williams, originally intended for assignment on Pete Conrad's lunar landing crew (what would become Apollo 12), before being killed in a plane crash and replaced with Alan Bean, in episode 7. Also seen during astronaut briefing in episode 1.
Fourth Astronaut Group
- Tom Amandes as Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist-astronaut responsible for improving the method of training the lunar explorers as part of Apollo 15 backup crew in episode 10. He flies as Lunar Module pilot on the last lunar mission, Apollo 17 in episode 12.
Fifth Astronaut Group
- Adam Baldwin as Fred Haise, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 13 (off-screen), seen as CAPCOM during Apollo 14 in episode 9.
- George Newbern as Stuart Roosa, CAPCOM during Apollo 1 fire in episode 2, Command Module pilot on Apollo 14 in episode 9.
- Gary Cole as Edgar Mitchell, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 14 in episode 9.
- Michael Raynor as Alfred Worden, Command Module pilot on Apollo 15 in episode 10.
- Gareth Williams as James Irwin, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 15 in episode 10.
- Zeljko Ivanek as Ken Mattingly, Command Module pilot on Apollo 16 in episode 10.
- J. Downing as Charles Duke, CAPCOM during Apollo 11 landing in episode 6, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 16 in episode 10.
NASA ground personnel
- Nick Searcy as Deke Slayton, grounded Project Mercury astronaut who becomes Director of Flight Operations, responsible for supervising the astronauts and determining the flight rotation, appears in all the episodes except The Original Wives' Club.
- Dan Lauria as James E. Webb, NASA's second Administrator from 1961 to 1968; appears mainly in episodes 1 and 2.
- Norbert Weisser as Dr. Wernher von Braun
- George Bartenieff as Hugh L. Dryden, NASA's first Deputy Administrator until 1965.
- John Carroll Lynch as Robert Gilruth, first Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center
- Stephen Root as Christopher Kraft, NASA's first Flight Director, later second Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center.
- Dakin Matthews as Dr. Floyd L. Thompson, director of NASA's Langley Research Center, who led the Apollo 1 accident review board.
- Joe Spano as George Mueller, Associate Administrator of the Office of Manned Space Flight from September 1963 until December 1969; appears in episode 2.
- Kevin Pollak as Joseph Francis Shea, head of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office.
- Dann Florek as Robert Seamans, NASA's second Deputy Administrator from 1965 to 1968; appears in episodes 2 and 5.
- Max Wright as Guenter Wendt, Pad Leader for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.[1]
- Reed Birney as John Houbolt, the NASA Langley engineer who fought to persuade NASA management that a separate spacecraft (the Lunar Module) was the easiest way to achieve a manned lunar landing.
- Barry Bell as Rocco Petrone, Apollo Program Director
- Dan Butler as Flight Director Gene Kranz.
- Sam Anderson as Thomas O. Paine, Webb's successor as NASA Administrator.
Astronauts' family members
- Ruth Reid as Betty Grissom, wife of Gus Grissom
- Jo Anderson as Pat White, wife of Edward H. White
- Rhoda Griffis as Martha Chaffee, wife of Roger Chaffee
- Betsy Brantley and Ann Cusack as Jan Armstrong, wife of Neil Armstrong
- Rita Wilson as Susan Borman, wife of Frank Borman. Wilson is Tom Hanks' wife in real life.
- Cynthia Stevenson as Jane Conrad, wife of Pete Conrad
- Elizabeth Perkins as Marilyn Lovell, wife of James Lovell
- DeLane Matthews as Pat McDivitt, wife of James McDivitt
- Debra Jo Rupp as Marilyn See, wife of Elliott See
- Wendy Crewson as Faye Stafford, wife of Thomas Stafford
- Deirdre O'Connell as Barbara Young, wife of John Young
Non-NASA personnel (non-fictional)
- Al Franken as Jerome Wiesner, President John F. Kennedy's science advisor in episode 1.
- Jack Gilpin as Theodore Sorensen, Deputy Counsel to President Kennedy.
- Ronny Cox as Lee Atwood, president of North American Aviation, the Apollo spacecraft prime contractor.
- James Rebhorn as Harrison Storms, vice president of North American.
- Mason Adams as Senator Clinton P. Anderson, chairman of the Senate committee investigating the Apollo 1 fire in episode 2.
- John Slattery as Senator Walter Mondale
- Janis Benson as Senator Margaret Chase Smith
- Andrew Rubin as Jules Bergman, ABC TV science editor
- Matt Craven as Tom Kelly, Grumman engineer responsible for managing the design and construction of the Lunar Module.
- David Clennon as geology professor Lee Silver, who trains the Apollo 15-17 landing crews to recognize important lunar material to collect, in episodes 10 and 12.
- Isa Totah as Farouk El-Baz, a lunar geologist who trains Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Al Worden to recognize lunar surface features from orbit in episode 10.
- Tchéky Karyo as Georges Méliès, a French filmmaker who made the 1902 film Le Voyage dans la Lune.
Cameo appearances
- Andrew Chaikin, the author of the book A Man on the Moon on which the miniseries is largely based, appears in episode 1 as the moderator of NBC's Meet the Press.
- Guenter Wendt appears as an anonymous flight controller in the background of a scene in We Have Cleared the Tower, reviewing a flight plan with Deke Slayton.
Notes
- ^ Technically, Wendt was not a NASA employee; though he worked at the Florida launch facilities, he was employed by McDonnell Aircraft during the Mercury and Gemini programs, and by North American Rockwell for the Apollo program. Wendt was not Pad Leader at the time of the Apollo 1 fire; Wally Schirra insisted on North American hiring him so he could be the Apollo Pad Leader.