List of Rome characters

This list is intended as a guide to most characters for the HBO series Rome. More details can be found on the individual character articles linked within the tables, as well as the article Minor characters of Rome.

The historical figures upon which certain characters are based are noted where appropriate.

Additionally, episode-specific and very minor characters may be listed in each episode's article page.

Contents

Primary characters

Character name Portrayed by Status Historical basis
Notes
Lucius Vorenus Kevin McKidd Plebeian Lucius Vorenus
Dedicated to his family and to traditional Roman values, he struggles to balance his personal beliefs, his duty to his superiors, and the needs of his family and friends. He is introduced as a veteran centurion of the 13th Legion to which he returns on promotion after commercial failures in civilian life. His rigid personality leads him to harsh treatment of his wife and children, which he subsequently regrets.
Titus Pullo Ray Stevenson Plebeian Titus Pullo
Being the true definition of a rogue, Pullo is also humorous and faithful to his friends. He is introduced as a Roman soldier, serving under Vorenus
Gaius Julius Caesar Ciarán Hinds Patrician Julius Caesar
A brilliant general, Caesar is also a subtle politician. Intelligent, charming and calculating, he accomplishes most of what he sets out to do, until reaching a sudden end.
Pompey Magnus Kenneth Cranham [1] Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
An enemy of Caesar's who was once his ally and father of his deceased wife. Pompey is represented as a once successful general, who now past his prime falls into uneasy alliance with the conservative patrician element in the Senate.
Atia of the Julii Polly Walker Patrician Atia Balba Caesonia
Manipulative and condescending, she is quite coitally adept. Atia is dedicated to promoting her own and her family's status and influence. She treats her daughter Octavia and son Octavian with a mixture of affection and insensitivity.
Mark Antony James Purefoy Plebeian[2] Mark Antony
Anthony is presented as a crass, hedonistic and arrogant soldier, but also as an efficient and loyal follower of Caesar. After Caesar's death he proves less effective when thrust into leadership himself.
Marcus Junius Brutus Tobias Menzies Patrician Marcus Junius Brutus
Son of Servilia and filled with inner conflict. On the one hand he looks upon Caesar as a father, but he is also a descendant of a founder of the Republic.
Servilia of the Junii Lindsay Duncan Patrician Servilia Caepionis
Servilla is a polished and charming member of one of the old Republican families but also Caesar's lover. Her longstanding feud with Atia ends in violence and death.
Niobe Indira Varma Plebeian Fictional
Heroine of the first series of Rome Niobe is the wife of Vorenus. A strong character, who is left for eight years to bring up her two children while Vorenus is away on military service, Niobe is seduced by her brother in law and bears his child. Much of the tension of the first series arises from her need to conceal this from an often inflexible husband who is not skilled in human relationships.
Gaius Octavian Max Pirkis/Simon Woods Patrician Caesar Augustus
Presented as a cold but exceptionally intelligent youth, Octavian is the son of Atia who alternatively pampers and patronises him. He is taken prisoner in Gaul while travelling to join his uncle Julius Caesar, but saved by Vorenus and Pullo. As a thoughtful student of power and politics he shows early signs of his future as first citizen (Emperor) of Rome.
Octavia of the Julii Kerry Condon Patrician Octavia Thurina Minor
Octavia is the daughter of Atia who dominates and manipulates her. Although showing some of her brother Octavian's intelligence, Octavia's role is essentially that of a victim.
Quintus Pompey Rick Warden Patrician Sextus Pompeius and Gnaeus Pompeius?
Filled with vindictive malice, he is the son of Pompey. A fictional character, Quintus Pompey is a violent and sadistic figure who shows little of his father's qualities.
Porcius Cato Karl Johnson Plebeian Cato the Younger
A fiercely conservative leader of the Senate, Cato is as tough as he is old. For unexplained reasons he is the only member of the Senate to wear a black toga. More importantly he is an acerbic spokesman of conservatism and traditional interests, and an enemy to Caesar's faction.
Marcus Tullius Cicero David Bamber Plebeian Marcus Tullius Cicero
A gifted orator, Cicero is the leader of the moderates in the Senate. He purports to stand for that which is principled and virtuous but increasingly becomes an opportunistic intriguer.
Timon Lee Boardman Jew Fictional
While a loyal servant of Atia's family, Timon is essentially a thuggish horse trader who will accept payment in a variety of ways.
Marcus Agrippa Allen Leech Plebeian Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Longtime friend of Gaius Octavian and Gaius Maecenas, Agrippa is one of the adult Octavian's chief advisors.

Secondary characters

Character name Portrayed by Status Historical basis
Notes
Cleopatra Lyndsey Marshal Greco-Egyptian Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Married to her brother Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra is not above using Pullo to build an alliance with Caesar. In "Rome" she appears as a more alien and exotic figure than in previous film and television recreations.
Ptolemy XIII Scott Chisolm Greco-Egyptian Ptolemy XIII of Egypt
Younger brother and husband of Cleopatra, he is both immature and feckless.
Caesarion Nicolò Brecci/Max Baldry Greco-Egyptian Ptolemy XV of Egypt/Caesarion
Son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. However, it is indicated he is actually the son of Cleopatra and Pullo.
Gaius Maecenas Alex Wyndham Plebeian Gaius Maecenas
Longtime friend of Gaius Octavian and Marcus Agrippa, the poet Maecenas becomes one of the adult Octavian's advisors towards the end of the series.
Livia Alice Henley Patrician Livia Drusilla
Wife of Gaius Octavian.
Alfidia Deborah Moore Patrician Aufidia
Mother of Livia.
Calpurnia Haydn Gwynne Patrician Calpurnia Pisonis
Wife of Caesar.
Cassius Guy Henry Plebeian Gaius Cassius Longinus
Is quite successful in his ability to persuade Brutus to consider Caesar's intentions.
Lepidus Ronan Vibert Patrician Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
General under Mark Antony, one of the Second Triumvirate.
Charmian Kathryn Hunter Slave Charmian
Slave and advisor to Cleopatra.
Scipio Paul Jesson Patrician Metellus Scipio
Comrade and follower of the crusty Cato.
Herod René Zagger Jew Herod the Great
Prince of Judea and Tetrarch of Galilee.
Newsreader Ian McNeice Fictional Works of Quintilian[3]
He announces the latest news as well as a few advertisements.
Posca Nicholas Woodeson Slave Fictional
Witty, intelligent, loyal and even sarcastic, he is not only Caesar's slave, but also his confidant.
Eirene Chiara Mastalli Slave/Freedman Fictional
Claimed by Pullo as his slave, but housed by Vorenus, she is the object of Pullo's affection.
Erastes Fulmen Lorcan Cranitch Plebeian Fictional
Crime leader of Rome.
Lyde Esther Hall Plebeian Fictional
Tormented by her sister's betrayal, she longs for the love of her husband, Evander Pulchio.
Gaia Zuleikha Robinson Slave Fictional
The former supervisor at a brothel who kept the customers in line, Gaia negotiates a similar job with better pay with Vorenus, now the leader of the Aventine.
Glabius Roberto Purvis Patrician Fictional
First husband of Octavia of the Julii.
Evander Pulchio Enzo Cilenti Plebeian Fictional
The unfaithful husband of Lyde.
Jocasta Camilla Rutherford Plebeian Fictional
Daughter of a wealthy merchant, and friend to Octavia of the Julii.
Mascius Michael Nardone Plebeian Fictional
An old comrade of Pullo and Vorenus, he comes to the Aventine seeking work under Vorenus.
Levi Nigel Lindsay Jew Fictional
Outspoken brother of Timon. Religious and resentful of the Romans, he soon helps a troubled and conflicted Timon rediscover his Judaism.
Vorena the Elder Coral Amiga Plebeian Fictional
Elder daughter of Lucius Vorenus and Niobe.
Vorena the Younger Anna Fausta Primiano/Valery Usai Plebeian Fictional
Younger daughter of Lucius Vorenus and Niobe.
Lucius Marco Pollack/Alessio Cuna/Stefan Brown Plebeian Fictional
Son of Niobe by Evander Pulchio.
Eleni Suzanne Bertish Slave Fictional
A slave completely dedicated to Servilia of the Junii.
Merula Lydia Biondi Slave Fictional
A slave completely dedicated to Atia of the Julii.
Memmio Daniel Cerqueira Plebeian Fictional
Captain of one of the largest underworld gangs, the Caelians; keeps an uneasy alliance with Vorenus, leader of the Aventine.

References

  1. ^ DVD: Rome: The Complete First Season (2005) (Released 2006). The DVD's All Roads Lead to Rome feature states that Pompey is part of a class called Arriviste, which means he was low-born but gained status through wealth.
  2. ^ DVD:Rome: First Season. The DVD commentary states that Antony was "high born", but when Atia proposes marriage in the sixth episode , Antony states that he is not noble-born. In history, Antony was a Plebeian; his mother was a Julii and distant cousin of Julius Caesar and thus, a Patrician. But his father was Plebeian, albeit from a wealthy and politically important family (Antony's grandfather had been consul.) Since children took on the lineage of their fathers, Antony was considered a Plebeian regardless of his mother's rank.
  3. ^ DVD:Rome: First Season. Both the commentary and All Roads Lead to Rome on the DVD say that the gestures used for the herald were based on The Elements for Orators, written by Quintilian during the time of Nero. Though this work was written much later than the time period of the series, the producers imagined that that these gestures were handed down for many years and that it was likely, in their opinion, that they were in use as early as the time of Julius Caesar.
Characters
Episodes
Related articles