'The River' Cast: Where You've Seen Them Before

Role Dr. Emmet Cole, renowned wildlife expert and TV personality who goes missing in the Amazon

Where you’ve seen him Even if you don’t know Bruce Greenwood by name (and you should, by the way), chances are you’ve seen him in an eclectic body of work over the past 25 years. Besides playing John F. Kennedy in Thirteen Days (inset) and the diabolical, Southern accent-adopting husband who framed Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy, he has had roles in Capote, I’m Not There, J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot, and 2011’s Super 8. His TV appearances include St. Elsewhere and The Larry Sanders Show, and he did voice work on a little video game you may have heard of: 2011’s billion-dollar blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Role Tess Cole, Emmet’s wife and head of the rescue party

Where you’ve seen her Hope played Jack Bauer’s wife Teri in season 1 of 24 (inset). Fans of terrible movies, however, will remember her as the love interest of Charlie Sheen in 1990’s Men at Work (costarring Emilio Estevez, huzzah!). She’s also appeared opposite Donnie Wahlberg on The CW’s Runaway and in multi-episode arcs on Everwood, Commander in Chief, and The Mentalist.

Role Lincoln Cole, Emmet’s estranged son who reluctantly joins the search

Where you’ve seen him Anderson’s break-out role came when he played Max Carrigan in Julie Taymor’s big-screen Beatles musical Across the Universe (inset). He has also portrayed Joy Division bassist Peter ”Hooky” Hook in Control, was Jane Austen’s brother Henry in biopic Becoming Jane, and is in Liam Neeson’s most recent action flick The Grey. Inevitably all that will be forgotten, though, when he joins The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 this November as tracking vampire Alistair.

Role Lena Landry, an alluring member of the rescue team

Where you’ve seen her Mumford made her TV debut in the short-lived small-screen spin-off of Oscar winner Crash, though her turn as duped girlfriend Lindsay Holloway in 2010’s gone-too-soon Fox drama Lone Star (inset) was a head-turner.

Role Clark Quietly, Emmet’s unscrupulous former producer, who funds the mission on the condition he can film it

Where you’ve seen him From the Lipstick Jungle to the Amazonian one, Blackthorne has been a solid presence on American TV screens since jumping the pond from England a decade ago. Fans of 24 will recognize him as Stephen Saunders (inset), while others may have seen him as a doctor on ER, a dastardly and dashing vampire on ABC’s short-lived The Gates, and in White Collar. On film, he played Captain Andrew Russell in 2001’s sweeping Bollywood spectacular (and Oscar nominee) Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India.

Role Captain Kurt Brynildson, the team’s no-nonsense bodyguard

Where you’ve seen him Kretschmann made a lasting impression as the sympathetic Nazi officer in The Pianist (inset) who saved Wladyslaw Szpilman (Oscar winner Adrien Brody) from starving to death. The native East German has also appeared in high-profile films including King Kong, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and Cars 2.

Role Emilio Valenzuela, the rescue ship’s loyal mechanic and Emmet’s indebted former navigator

Where you’ve seen him Zacapa’s biggest role to date has been Ruben Santiago on the final season of Showtime’s Resurrection Boulevard (inset). The Honduran-born, San Francisco-raised actor has been plugging away in film and television for the last 34 years, working with David Fincher (on Seven) and Gore Verbinski, and appearing in everything from Hill Street Blues to Weeds.

Role Jahel Valenzuela, Emilio’s intuitive daughter, who used to accompany Emmet and Emilio on adventures

Where you’ve seen her Gaitan has earned acclaim as an actor in her native Mexico, most notably for her role in the Sundance Award-winning, Spirit Award-nominated 2009 drama Sin Nombre (inset).

Role A.J. Poulain, the rescue mission’s cameraman

Where you’ve seen him The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts grad has appeared in The Mummy Returns (inset) and Notes on a Scandal, and he played the title role of BBC series Moses Jones, but he made his name in award-winning theatrical productions of Topdog/Underdog and Blue/Orange.