List of Peaky Blinders characters

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

First World War. The fictional gang is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name
who were active in the city from the 1880s to the 1910s.

The programme began on 12 September 2013, broadcast on BBC Two until the fourth series (with repeats on BBC Four), then moved to BBC One for the fifth and sixth series.

The following is a list of characters from the series.

Cast table

Character Portrayed by Series
1 2 3 4 5 6
Thomas "Tommy" Shelby Cillian Murphy Main
Chief Inspector/Major Chester Campbell
 Sam Neill Main[a] Does not appear
Elizabeth Pollyanna "Polly" Gray, née Shelby
 Helen McCrory Main Does not appear
Arthur Shelby Jr. Paul Anderson Main
Grace Shelby, née Burgess
 Annabelle Wallis Main[b][c] Does not appear Main Does not appear
Freddie Thorne
 Iddo Goldberg Main Does not appear
Ada Thorne, née Shelby
 Sophie Rundle Main
John "Johnny" Shelby
 Joe Cole Main Does not appear
Charlie Strong
 Ned Dennehy Main
Jeremiah "Jimmy" Jesus
 Benjamin Zephaniah Main[d][e][f]
Roberts
 David Dawson Main Does not appear
Winston Churchill
 Andy Nyman Main[g] Does not appear
Richard McCabe Does not appear Recurring Does not appear
Neil Maskell Does not appear Main[h]
Billy Kimber Charlie Creed-Miles Main Does not appear
Arthur Shelby Sr.
 Tommy Flanagan Main[i] Does not appear
Darby Sabini
 Noah Taylor Does not appear Main Does not appear
Alfred "Alfie" Solomons Tom Hardy Does not appear Main[j]
May Fitz Carleton
 Charlotte Riley Does not appear Main Does not appear Main Does not appear
Michael Gray
 Finn Cole Does not appear Main[k]
Lizzie Shelby, née Stark
 Natasha O'Keeffe Guest Main[l]
Esme Shelby-Lee
 Aimee-Ffion Edwards Recurring Main Does not appear Main
Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna
 Gaite Jansen Does not appear Main Does not appear
Ruben Oliver
 Alexander Siddig Does not appear Main Does not appear
Johnny Dogs
 Packy Lee Recurring Main
Arch Duke Leon Romanov
 Jan Bijvoet Does not appear Main Does not appear
Grand Duchess Izabella Petrovna
 Dina Korzun Does not appear Main Does not appear
Father John Hughes
 Paddy Considine Does not appear Main Does not appear
Linda Shelby
 Kate Phillips Does not appear Recurring Main
Jessie Eden
 Charlie Murphy Does not appear Main Does not appear
Luca Changretta
 Adrien Brody Does not appear Main Does not appear
Curly
 Ian Peck Recurring Main
Bonnie Gold
 Jack Rowan Does not appear Main[m] Does not appear
Aberama Gold
 Aidan Gillen Does not appear Main Does not appear
Gina Gray
 Anya Taylor-Joy Does not appear Main
Colonel Ben Younger
 Kingsley Ben-Adir Does not appear Guest Main Does not appear
Sir Oswald Mosley
 Sam Claflin Does not appear Main
Jimmy McCavern
 Brian Gleeson Does not appear Main Does not appear
Mother Superior
 Kate Dickie Does not appear Main[n] Does not appear
Brilliant Chang
 Andrew Koji Does not appear Main Does not appear
Barney Thomason
 Cosmo Jarvis Does not appear Main Does not appear
Finn Shelby
 Alfie Evans-Meese Recurring Does not appear
Harry Kirton Does not appear Recurring Main
Laura McKee/Captain Swing
 Charlene McKenna Does not appear Guest Main[o]
Frances
 Pauline Turner Does not appear Recurring Main[p]
Lady Diana Mitford [q]
 Amber Anderson Does not appear Main
Jack Nelson
 James Frecheville Does not appear Main
Hayden Stagg
 Stephen Graham Does not appear Main
Erasmus "Duke" Shelby
 Conrad Khan Does not appear Main
Isiah Jesus
 Jordan Bolger Does not appear Recurring Does not appear
Daryl McCormack Does not appear Recurring Main[r]
Billy Grade
 Emmett J. Scanlan Does not appear Recurring Main[s]
  1. ^ Neill is credited as a guest star in Episode #2.1, and returns to the main cast in Episode #2.2 onwards.
  2. ^ Wallis is credited as a guest star from Episode #2.1 – #2.4, and returns to the main cast from Episode #2.5 onwards.
  3. ^ Wallis is credited as a guest star in Episode #3.1, returns to the main cast for Episode #3.2, and is credited as a guest star in Episode #3.5.
  4. ^ Zephaniah is credited as a guest star from Episode #2.2 – #2.4, and returns to the main cast in Episode #2.6.
  5. ^ Zephaniah appears in only one episode of series 3, although credited with the main cast.
  6. ^ Zephaniah is credited with the main cast in Episode #6.1, as a guest star in Episode #6.4 and returns to the main cast in Episode #6.6.
  7. ^ Nyman is credited as a guest star in Episode #1.1, and is credited with the main cast from Episode #1.2 onwards.
  8. ^ Maskell appears in only one episode of series 6, although credited with the main cast.
  9. ^ Flanagan appears in only one episode, although credited with the main cast.
  10. ^ Hardy appears in only one episode of series 5, although credited with the main cast.
  11. ^ Cole is credited as a guest star in Episode #2.2, and is credited with the main cast from Episode #2.3 onwards.
  12. ^ O'Keeffe is credited as a guest star in Episode #2.1 – #2.5, and is credited with the main cast from Episode #2.6 onwards.
  13. ^ Rowan appears in only one episode of series 5, although credited with the main cast.
  14. ^ Dickie appears in only one episode, although credited with the main cast.
  15. ^ McKenna is credited with the main cast in Episode #6.1, as a guest star from Episode #6.2 – #6.4 and returns to the main cast in Episode #6.6.
  16. ^ Turner is credited with the main cast in only one episode, Episode #6.1, and is credited as a guest star from Episode #6.4 – #6.6.
  17. Diana Mitford
    , who was never called "Lady Diana Mitford".
  18. ^ McCormack is credited as a guest star from Episode #6.2 – #6.5 and is credited with the main cast in only one episode, Episode #6.6.
  19. ^ Scanlan is credited as a guest star in Episode #6.5 and is credited with the main cast in only one episode, Episode #6.6.

Main characters

Tommy Shelby

Main article: Tommy Shelby
Cillian Murphy

Thomas Michael Shelby (also known by his alias Tommy Shelby) (played by

Lizzie Shelby. He is the leader of the Peaky Blinders, a criminal gang in Birmingham
, and the patriarch of the Shelby family.

Thomas served as a

Sergeant Major in World War I and received medals for gallantry, which he threw away in a canal after returning from the war. His experiences in World War I left him disillusioned and gave him recurring nightmares
. He becomes determined to increase his family's social rank to prevent his family from being mistreated.

After the vendetta with the

legal business to his older brother, Arthur Shelby
.

Tommy is respected in his

New York Mafia. His experiences in World War I have made him fearless and almost impossible to intimidate. Despite being a gangster, Tommy is not heartless, as he has shown remorse for his actions. By Season 5, Tommy has become depressed and unhappy in life, causing him to be suicidal, as he almost kills himself several times in Season 5.[2]

After the death of

Polly Gray, Tommy becomes sober and quits drinking. Later, he is falsely diagnosed of inoperable tuberculoma due to which he demolishes his house, bids farewell to his family and goes off to live alone in the wild. After returning and watching his wagon
and remaining possessions burn, Tommy rides away.

Arthur Shelby Jr.

Main article: Arthur Shelby Jr.

Arthur Shelby Jr. (played by

Linda Shelby, and is a member of the Peaky Blinders
. He is also Deputy Vice President of Shelby Company Limited and member of the ICA, acting as his brother's assistant. Arthur has drug addiction, which affects him more over time.

Arthur is loyal to his family. He has great remorse over his actions, but he cannot always control himself, as he gets aggravated easily, especially over things that, as he feels, are meant to attack his or his family's pride.

Ada Thorne

Ada Thorne (née Shelby) (played by Sophie Rundle) is the fourth and only female of the Shelby siblings and the only sibling initially not involved with the Peaky Blinders. By the end of 1924, however, Ada assumes a leading position in the United States branch of Shelby Company Limited, dealing only with legal acquisitions, unlike her brothers Birmingham.

She is the

Freddie Thorne, with whom she had a son, Karl Thorne—named after Karl Marx
.

Polly Gray

Helen McCrory

Elizabeth Pollyanna "Polly" Gray (née Shelby) (played by

Michael and Anna Gray, and the aunt of Arthur, Thomas, John, Ada and Finn Shelby, as well as being the matriarch
of the Shelby Family. She is part of the Peaky Blinders and is a certified accountant and company treasurer of Shelby Company Limited.

While the Shelby brothers were absent during World War I, Polly managed the Peaky Blinders business. Since her nephews came back, she has helped her family with family feuds and advising on the company's actions and policies.

She was killed by the IRA, as a consequence for her nephews' actions after they tried to have Oswald Mosley assassinated. Her body was then delivered to Thomas' house, Arrow House, where he broke down in tears from grief and guilt.

John Shelby

Joe Cole

John Michael Shelby (also known by his alias Johnny and John Boy) (played by

Esme Shelby. John had seven children, two sons and two daughters
with his deceased first wife Martha Shelby, and three children with Esme. One of his daughters is called Katie Shelby.

John was a high-ranking member of the Peaky Blinders, as well as being a 1/3 shareholder of the Shelby Family business, Shelby Company Limited.

John was

Changretta's
men.

Grace Shelby

Annabelle Wallis

Grace Helen Shelby (née Burgess) (played by

Inspector Campbell who used to know her late father
, and she claimed to be trained as a secret operative.

By the end of Series 1, she and Thomas Shelby became lovers, but she eventually left for America, urging Thomas to come with her. However, Thomas refused her offer.

Two years after, Grace was married to Clive Macmillan, a rich banker and living in Poughkeepsie, New York. However, her feelings for Thomas have not faded. When she came to London, she met Thomas. She later revealed to him that not only is she still in love with him, but she is now carrying his child.

In Series 3, the pair marry and were happy living in a beautiful country estate with their young son, Charles. She was

shot dead while they were hosting an evening party, killed by an Italian assassin
on the orders of Vicente Changretta.

Chester Campbell

Sam Neill

Chester Campbell (played by

Winston Churchill to locate and recover the missing consignment of guns from the Birmingham
Small Arms factory.

While he was clearly dedicated to his job of upholding the law, he had no problem with using excessive brutality and underhanded methods to do so. He had no problems with asking his henchmen to carry out criminal acts.

shoots
him.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill (played by

Inspector Campbell to retrieve his stolen machine guns, a man who he finds amusing but a good candidate for the job. It is revealed that two years after the death of Inspector Campbell, Churchill is still making deals with Thomas Shelby
that benefit the both of them

Michael Gray

Michael Gray (played by

legal side
of the family business, Shelby Company Limited.

After

Gina
named Laurence.

Michael sets up his

corpse
to rot.

Freddie Thorne

Iddo Goldberg

Freddie Thorne (played by

Ada Thorne before his death, and the two have one son together, Karl Thorne – named after Karl Marx
.

Freddie died of "pestilence", likely the Spanish Influenza pandemic.

Finn Shelby

Finn Shelby (played by Alfie Evans-Meese (series-1) and Harry Kirton (series 2 – series 6) is the youngest member of the

Ada Shelby
. He is later married to Mary Shelby.

Finn has always been the

partying
.

Upon finding out that

Duke Shelby banishes Finn from the family and the Peaky Blinders
.

Alfie Solomons

Tom Hardy

Alfred "Alfie" Solomons Jr. (played by

gang leader residing in Camden Town, London. The character is based on a real-life Jewish gangster named Alfred Solomon. Most of Alfie's income comes from racetrack rackets, although he also runs a rum distillery, a jewellery business and protection rackets in Camden Town. Alfie is protective of Britain's Jewish community.

Billy Kimber

William "Billy" Kimber (played by Charlie Creed-Miles) was an English gangster and head of the Birmingham Boys, the main enemy of Thomas Shelby and the Peaky Blinders. He ran most of the legal tracks outside of London, leading to tensions between Kimber and the Peaky Blinders, who looked to expand their control into inner city London.

Due to his wealth and influence, Kimber had policemen on his

Roberts
.

Darby Sabini

Noah Taylor

Charles "Darby" Sabini born, Ottavio Handley Sabini (11 July 1888 – 4 October 1950) (played by Noah Taylor) is a British Italian gang leader from London, England. He was at war with Alfie Solomons and Thomas Shelby in Series 2.

As leader of the

racecourse protection rackets operated against bookmakers, it was also involved in a range of criminal activities including extortion, theft, as well as operating several nightclubs. It had an estimated 300 members, and is said to have included imported Sicilian gunmen, although the Sabinis originated in central Italy. The members were also notorious for razor attacks. At its peak, Sabini had extensive police and political connections including judges, politicians, and police officials
.

Conflicts with competing gangs the Birmingham Boys, Elephant and Castle Mob, Cortesi brothers, the Yiddishers, and the White family were common, and in 1922, he was involved in a gunfight with the Cortesi brothers.

Lizzie Shelby

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Shelby (née Stark) (played by Natasha O'Keeffe) is the second wife of Thomas Shelby, mother of Ruby Shelby, and stepmother of Thomas' elder son, Charles Shelby. Lizzie was a former prostitute in Small Heath, Birmingham.

She is treated horribly by the Shelby family, and yet continues to remain loyal to them. Thomas makes her his secretary, but not only does he expect her to play the

whore
for him when his plans require it, the family refuses to allow her any say in who she dates or what does in her off-hours.

In 1934, Lizzie finally has enough and leaves Thomas when she finds out he has been

Diana Mitford. When Charles says he wants to go with her, she tells him that Thomas
will not let her. Thomas surprises both of them by telling Charles that he can go with Lizzie.

Linda Shelby

"Linda Shelby" (played by

Christian movement. She then helped Arthur with his sobriety
in his life, among other things.

Esme Shelby

Esme Martha Shelby (née Lee) (played by

John Shelby
, a member of the Shelby Family.

She has little involvement within the Shelby family business or the Peaky Blinders, rather the marriage between the two was arranged to bring peace between the two families and provide a mother for John's four children.

After John's Death, Esme moves to the

Duke Shelby
.

Isiah Jesus

Daryl McCormack

Isiah Jesus (played by

Hayden Stagg
mission.

After

Duke Shelby to finish off Grade. Fortunately, Duke emptied the first two chambers of the gun, saving Isiah's life and having Finn banished from the Shelby family
.

Tatiana Petrovna

Gaite Jansen

Tatiana Petrovna (played by

jewels
so that he can return them to her and she can run away to another country where a lover is waiting for her.

Father Hughes

Paddy Considine

Father John Hughes (played by Paddy Considine) was a member and representative of The Economic League, working with Patrick Jarvis.

Hughes represented the

Communists
.

It is revealed that Hughes

Michael insisted that he be the one to end Hughes' life. Michael kills Hughes by stabbing him to death
.

Aberama Gold

Aidan Gillen

Aberama Gold (played by

Luca Changretta, set on revenge against the entire Shelby family, arrives in England
.

Aberama tells

boxing champion
.

After the

Polly eventually become engaged. During an ambush plan on McCavern, Aberama is ambushed and stabbed to death by the IRA
.

Luca Changretta

Adrien Brody

Luca Changretta (played by Adrien Brody) was an Italian-American mobster from New York City, the son of Audrey and Vicente Changretta, and the new leader of the Changretta family.

After his

surviving mother, Audrey, to launch a vendetta in Birmingham against Thomas
and the rest of the surviving Shelby family.

John, by shooting Luca in the forehead with a pistol
.

Jessie Eden

Jessie Eden (played by

union convener. She leads all-female factory workers in Birmingham out on strike protesting on the Bull Ring. She was based on the real life person of the same name
.

Jessie is a

British Communist Party
.

In 1924, Jessie is a

Linda Shelby
.

Gina Gray

Anya Taylor-Joy

Gina Gray (née Nelson) (played by

Michael's proposal, Michael and Gina are both banished from the Shelby Family
and told to never return.

By 1933, Gina has given

Michael says only Tommy and Arthur
will die and that is it, as it is unnecessary for there to be a bloodbath.

Oswald Mosley

Sam Claflin

Sir Oswald Mosley (played by

Diana Mitford and Oswald get married at the home of Joseph Gobbels, with Adolf Hitler
as guest of honor.

Oswald Mosley is based on the real life person, Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley.

Jimmy McCavern

Jimmy McCavern (played by

Bonnie Gold to send a message to Tommy, showing no remorse
for his actions as he strung him up on a cross.

He seems very strongly against

gypsies, despite his temporary agreement with Thomas Shelby
.

Barney Thomason

Cosmo Jarvis

Barney Thomason (played by

mental asylum shortly after the war after committing an unknown crime, presumably due to his severe shell-shock and was certified insane
.

He served as a sniper in WWI, trained by the Royal Marines. He gained a reputation of being a very skilled marksman, and according to Thomas, never missed a target.

Prone to

manic episodes and hearing voices, Barney was only able to be calmed down by Thomas, for whom Barney had deep respect as Thomas was his superior in the War
.

Barney was key in the

shot
. His killer remains unknown.

Jack Nelson

James Frecheville

Jack Nelson (played by

buying the United States import licenses to all the best Scotch and Irish whisky distilleries. Jack is in league with the IRA. They are both engaged in an opium deal brokered through Thomas
.

Laura McKee

Charlene McKenna

Laura McKee (also known by her alias Captain Swing) (played by

Battalion Commander of Fermanagh branch
.

McKee, as Captain Swing, calls

Michael Gray in Ireland from forces trying to kill him while on his passage back to the United Kingdom
.

Once again in her role as Captain Swing, McKee calls

Polly's death
is his fault for "not knowing his limits."

The

Polly's murder when he kills McKee outside the Garrison Pub
.

Duke Shelby

Erasmus 'Duke' Shelby (played by

half-brother
of Charles and Ruby Shelby.

In May 1914,

fight in WWI
and never saw Zelda again.

In early 1915, Zelda gave

hazel eyes and named him Erasmus. She told Erasmus that his father was the Duke of the Saxon Shore. As a result, Erasmus changed his name to 'Duke' and does not like people using his birth name
.

Although Thomas returned from war in 1918, he never tried to contact Zelda and she raised their son alone.

Many years later, Zelda became seriously ill, so Duke rushed her to a

thief
.

Esme Shelby told Thomas about him and, he welcomed Duke into the Shelby Family
.

In 1934, Duke Shelby empties the

Billy Grade
.

Billy Grade

Emmett J. Scanlan

Billy Grade (played by

Oswald Mosley to Billy, who tips off the IRA
.

Jack Nelson violently forces Billy to act as his informant on the Peaky Blinders so he can have Arthur Shelby
killed.

In the end,

executes
Billy.

Supporting characters

Charlie Strong

Charlie Strong (played by

shipments
. He is a friend of their mother.

Roberts

David Dawson

Roberts (played by

betting license
.

Arthur Shelby Sr.

Tommy Flanagan

Arthur William Shelby Sr. (played by

shot sometime during 1924 in Boston after leaving a bar. The children, having not known their father or had a negative relationship with him, are not saddened about his death
.

Curly

Curly (played by lan Peck) is a

Gypsy
.

Johnny Dogs

Johnny Dogs (played by Packy Lee) is a friend of

allied with the Lee family. Johnny Dogs works for Thomas
.

Jeremiah Jesus

Benjamin Zephaniah

Jeremiah "Jimmy" Jesus (played by

Isiah Jesus
.

May Carleton

Charlotte Riley

May Fitz Carleton (played by

proprietor
of Carleton stud.

May Carleton comes from a well-to-do family. She grew up riding

racehorse trainer
, she is lonely and bored with her strait-laced life.

Leon Petrovich Romanov

Grand Duke Leon Petrovich Romanov (played by Jan Bijvoet) is the husband of Grand Duchess

Tatiana Petrovna. He was forced to flee Russia after the revolution. Since arriving in England, Petrovich has been staying at the Ritz
.

Petrovich meets with Thomas Shelby to pay him for the murder of Anton Kaledin as well as for future business transactions.

Petrovich plans to kill Thomas once he is done getting what he wants from him.

Izabella Petrovna

Dina Korzun

Grand Duchess Izabella Petrovna (played by

Leon have been staying at the Ritz
.

Ruben Oliver

Alexander Siddig

Ruben Oliver (played by

Polly Gray. When Charles Shelby is kidnapped, Thomas makes her believe that Ruben betrayed
her. However, Ruben comes back and makes it clear that whatever she is been told is not true.

Bonnie Gold

Jack Rowan

Bonnie Gold (played by

Jimmy McCavern
in 1929.

Ben Younger

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Ben Younger (played by

Oswald Mosley
.

Frances

Frances (played by

demolished
Arrow House.

Mother Superior

Kate Dickie

Mother Superior (played by Kate Dickie) is the head nun of the orphanage that the Shelby company donates to.

In season 5,

Polly confront nuns about child abuse. Mother Superior refuses to repent for her actions, causing Tommy to lash out at her. Tommy
tells her that he knows a black child killed herself out of fear of her temper.

Brilliant Chang

Brilliant Chang (played by

Finn Shelby
's office.

Aberama Gold, and a few others arrive to collect a cargo of opium from Chang at the dock, but they get ambushed by the Irish
Titanic mob and find Chang injured.

Brilliant Chang is based on the real life person of the same name

Diana Mitford

Amber Anderson

Lady Diana Mitford (played by

Sir Oswald Mosley. Dina had an affair with Tommy. Diana and Oswald get married at the home of Joseph Gobbels, with Adolf Hitler
as guest of honour.

Hayden Stagg

Stephen Graham

Hayden Stagg (played by Stephen Graham) is a union convenor who is stealing some of the opium in storage at the Salthouse docks in Liverpool.

Isiah and his cousins from Alum Rock
, confronted Hayden about the leak.

References

  1. ^ "Peaky Blinders – Full Cast & Crew – TV Guide". TV Guide. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  2. ^ Mozafari, Laurence (22 September 2019). "Peaky Blinders season 5 ending explained – what was Tommy Shelby's finale about, eh?". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  • Text was copied from the following pages at Peaky Blinders Wiki, which is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license: Thomas Shelby, Arthur Shelby, Ada Thorne, Polly Gray, John Shelby, Grace Shelby, Inspector Campbell, Winston Churchill, Michael Gray, Freddie Thorne, Finn Shelby, Alfie Solomons, Billy Kimber, Darby Sabini, Lizzie Stark, Linda Shelby, Esme Shelby, Tatiana Petrovna, Father Hughes, Aberama Gold, Luca Changretta, Jessie Eden, Gina Gray, Oswald Mosley, Jimmy McCavern, Barney Thompson, Roberts, Arthur Shelby Sr., Curly, Johnny Dogs, Jeremiah Jesus, May Carleton, Leon Petrovich Romanov, Izabella Petrovna, Ruben Oliver, Bonnie Gold, Ben Younger, Brilliant Chang, Laura McKee, Frances, Diana Mitford, Jack Nelson, Duke Shelby, Isiah Jesus and Billy Grade
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Peaky_Blinders_characters&oldid=1217513203"