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The Staircase (TV Mini Series 2022) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
- Colin Firth as Michael Peterson
- Toni Collette as Kathleen Peterson
- Michael Stuhlbarg as David Rudolf
- Patrick Schwarzenegger and Dane Dehaan as Todd and Clayton Peterson
- Sophie Turner and Odessa Young as Margaret and Martha Ratliff
- Olivia Dejonge as Caitlin Atwater
- Rosemarie Dewitt as Candace Hunt Zamperini
Colin Firth stars as the man at the center of the series’ murder trial, Michael Peterson. Peterson served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and lived in Germany for several years with his first wife, Patricia (Trini Alvarado), and their two sons. During their time in Germany, family friend Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead at ...
Toni Collette plays Kathleen Peterson, Michael’s wife whose death is the central mystery of the series. Kathleen earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Duke University where she was the first woman to be admitted to the engineering program. Kathleen had one daughter from her first marriage, and they merged with Michael’s family when he and Ka...
Michael Peterson’s defense lawyer David Rudolf is portrayed in this series by Michael Stuhlbarg. A former public defender in the South Bronx, Rudolf moved to North Carolina to start UNC’s first Criminal Law Clinic. He then went to work at his law firm, Rudolf Widenhouse, and in 2002, he met Michael Peterson. Rudolf was approached by filmmaker Jean-...
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Dane DeHaan are featured as Michael’s sons Todd and Clayton. Alongside Martha and Margaret, the brothers remain staunch supporters of their father and his innocence. Throughout The Staircase Todd and Clayton both made several highly publicized TV appearances, including on Dateline, in defense of their father. Clayton Pete...
Sophie Turner plays Margaret Ratliff, and Odessa Young plays her sister, Martha. The girls were taken in by Michael Peterson after losing both of their parents at a young age. The Ratliff and Peterson families became friends when Elizabeth Ratliff met Patricia Peterson while working at the same school in Germany. Their friendship grew even stronger...
Kathleen’s daughter, Caitlin, is played by Olivia DeJonge. In 1977 Kathleen married her first husband, Fred, and gave birth to her daughter, Caitlin. After separating from Fred, Kathleen and Caitlin joined the Peterson family when Kathleen and Michael began dating. Caitlin was a student at Cornell University when her mother died. At first, she defe...
Rosemarie DeWitt stars as Candace Hunt Zamperini, Kathleen’s sister. Zamperini is the central figure in the story who believes Michael is guilty of killing Kathleen. Like Caitlin, Candace initially supported Michael and defended him. Though as the investigation progressed, she quickly changed her mind. Zamperini often spoke out in opposition to Mic...
- Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson. Who is Michael Peterson? Michael Peterson is a novelist and would-be local politician in the city of Durham, North Carolina.
- Toni Collette plays Kathleen Peterson. Who is Kathleen Peterson? Kathleen Peterson was Michael's wife of four years and a successful executive at the now-defunct telecommunications manufacturer Nortel.
- Michael Stuhlbarg plays David Rudolf. Who is David Rudolf? David is Michael's lawyer, who represents him in the criminal trial following Kathleen's death.
- Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Todd Peterson. Who is Todd Peterson? Todd is the youngest of Michael's two sons, but takes on more responsibility than his brother in the immediate aftermath of Kathleen's death.
May 24, 2023 · HBO Max's miniseries The Staircase details the death of Kathleen Peterson and the trial of her husband, Michael. Here is a cast and character guide.
- Elena Nicolaou
- 5 min
- Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth) Michael Peterson, now 78, is a war novelist and former newspaper columnist. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Durham in 1999, his campaign felled by false claims of injuries sustained in combat during the Vietnam War, per WRAL, which he later admitted to the Durham News & Observer.
- David Rudolf (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) “The Staircase” follows the efforts of Michael’s defense team, headed by attorney David Rudolf. Rudolf remained Michael’s lawyer for 15 years.
- Freda Black (Parker Posey) Freda Black was the assistant district attorney and prosecutor in the Peterson case. Black died in 2018. After many mockumentaries, including “Best in Show” and “Waiting for Guffman,” Posey is in a show based on a real documentary.
- Caitlin Atwater (played by Olivia DeJonge) Caitlin Atwater is Kathleen’s daughter from her first marriage to Fred Atwater. When her mother died, Caitlin was a freshman at Cornell University, per WRAL.
May 4, 2022 · ‘The Staircase’ is HBO Max’s new true-crime series about the shocking death of Kathleen Peterson. See the cast side-by-side with the real people.
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May 7, 2022 · HBO's new show "The Staircase" is based on the true-crime documentary of the same name. The drama portrays novelist Michael Peterson as he's put on trial for murdering his wife Kathleen....
