The Sizzling Cast of Boardwalk Empire Before They Were Stars

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Kelly Macdonald as Diane in Trainspotting (1996)

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Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder on Boardwalk Empire

Irish émigré Margaret Schroeder probably wins the prize for “most changed” on Boardwalk Empire: She started as a beaten wife and prohibitionist; became Nucky Thompson’s clever “kept woman”; and finally marries Nucky, sleeps with Owen, provides for her children—and follows her conscience. Unsurprisingly, her and Nucky's marriage falls apart. MacDonald’s film debut was as Diane, the disaffected love interest to Ewan McGregor’s Renton in the disturbing Trainspotting. She’s also appeared in Finding Neverland, No Country for Old Men, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

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Steve Buscemi as Luke in Lonesome Dove (1989)

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Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson on Boardwalk Empire

Buscemi’s distinguished career has included Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs, and the TV miniseries Lonesome Dove (yep, that’s him under the fake teeth and the frontiersman hat). His scrappy physicality and distinctively nasal voice might make him seem an odd choice for a crime kingpin, but Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson rules his Boardwalk Empire as a thinking man’s bad guy, cold-blooded but strategic, ruthless but generous. Even on the verge of getting assassinated all of season 3, Nucky kept things afloat and came out on top. Nucky manages to make it through season 4 without getting killed as well despite his involvement in the distillery. Buscemi has already won a Golden Globe for the role and we’d be surprised if it was his last.

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Aleksa Palladino as Lo in Manny & Lo (1996)

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Aleksa Palladino as Angela Darmody on Boardwalk Empire

Back in 1996, Palladino made her debut as a pregnant teen who “kidnaps” her little sister (played by an 11-year-old Scarlett Johansson) in the underrated indie Manny & Lo. [SPOILER ALERT] On Boardwalk Empire, Palladino played Jimmy’s beautiful bisexual painter wife—until she was brutally murdered, along with her lover, by one of Jimmy’s “business associates.” She may be off the series, but you can still hear Palladino’s distinctive raspy voice in her band Exitmusic.

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Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorn in Stardust (2007)

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Charlie Cox as Owen Slater on Boardwalk Empire

This British charmer was Lorenzo in the acclaimed Al Pacino production of The Merchant of Venice before charming us as Tristan Thorn in the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantastical Stardust, opposite Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer. He came on strong this past season on Boardwalk Empire as Nucky’s body man Owen, who ended up stealing into the bed (and heart) of his employer’s wife, Margaret. But it didn't end well for the go-to hitman, as he ended up mailed in a box, and not the coffin kind.

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Gretchen Mol as Jo in Rounders (1998)

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Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody on Boardwalk Empire

Mol broke onto the scene in Donnie Brasco and as Matt Damon’s love interest in the card-shark flick Rounders, then had lower-profile roles until the acclaimed Life on Mars. On Boardwalk Empire, Gillian Darmody is both powerful and deeply damaged. Only 14 when she had Jimmy (RIP), the two seemed to have raised each other—and they shared one of the show’s most disturbing scenes. Gillian, stalwart and forever plotting her next move, continues to show viewers that in her world, ignorance really can be bliss... Here's another photo gallery of an HBO hit show: Game of Thrones, Before They Were Stars!

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Jack Huston as Gerard Malanga in Factory Girl (2006)

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Jack Huston as Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire

Isn’t it shocking how handsome he is when he has more than half a face? Huston appeared in the Edie Sedgwick saga Factory Girl (as Andy Warhol sidekick Gerard Malanga) as well as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse before becoming a standout supporting cast member on Boardwalk Empire. One of our favorite episodes centered on Richard and his struggle to adjust after returning disfigured from the war. And yes, Jack is one of those Hustons: Hollywood legend John Huston was his grandfather, and actress Anjelica Huston is his aunt. Unfortunately from the events of season four, we may not have more to look forward to from the sharpshooter who blends in with the shadows and measures his words as carefully as he aims them

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Julianne Nicholson as Jenny Shaw on Ally McBeal (2001-2002)

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Julianne Nicholson as Esther Randolph on Boardwalk Empire

Something about Nicholson clearly reads “law enforcement”: She played a young lawyer on Ally McBeal, an assistant district attorney on Conviction, and a detective on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. And that was all before becoming tough-as-nails Esther Randolph, the assistant U.S. attorney responsible for attempting to prosecute Nucky Thompson, on Boardwalk Empire.

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Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little on The Wire (2002-2008)

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Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire

The Brooklyn native began his career as a dancer (check out his moves at the end of this interview) before appearing in TV series like The Sopranos and Alias. His big breakthrough was as Omar, the gay thug with a code, on The Wire. (No less than President Obama has said that The Wire is his favorite show and Omar is his favorite character.) As Boardwalk Empire's Chalky White, he’s a successful bootlegger-turned-club owner, dealing with complex issues of race, power, and status. Now that he owns a club, maybe some of the comedy acts will make him crack a smile.

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Michael Pitt as Tommy Gnosis in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

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Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody on Boardwalk Empire

Pitt seems to make a habit of appearing in parts that are a bit off the beaten path, like in the John Cameron Mitchell rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Gus Van Sant’s Kurt Cobain-inspired Last Days, and the controversial French movie The Dreamers. That also goes for his Boardwalk Empire character, Jimmy Darmody, a war vet tortured by the past. [SPOILER ALERT] Jimmy was at the heart and center of the story as Nucky’s protégé and rival—until Nucky killed him in cold blood. We’ll miss him! Love this? Click through our gallery of Parks and Recreation civil servants, Before They Were Stars!

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Michael Shannon as Fred in Groundhog Day (1993)

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Michael Shannon as Agent Nelson Van Alden on Boardwalk Empire

Shannon’s movie debut was in the classic comedy Groundhog Day, but he has gone on to specialize in serious, sometimes sinister characters, including in 2011’s Take Shelter and his Oscar-nominated supporting role in Revolutionary Road. The imposing Agent Van Alden is a study in contradiction: a deeply religious, married company man dedicated to shutting down alcohol in Atlantic City who gets a girl pregnant, diverts funds, and runs off (with the baby) when confronted by his darkest secrets. The metamorphosis of Nelson Van Alden into a down-and-out bootlegger and killer has been a tough one, but people shouldn't press his buttons, unless they're asking for it.