Major Supporting Characters
| Actor | Character | Seasons | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Jenkins | Nathaniel Fisher, Sr. | 1–5 | Patriarch of Fisher family and owner of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home before his death in a car accident in 2000. Husband of Ruth; father of Nate, David and Claire. |
| Jeremy Sisto | Billy Chenowith | 1–5 | Brenda's younger brother who has bipolar disorder; son of Margaret and Bernard Chenowith. |
| Justina Machado | Vanessa Diaz | 1–5 | Licensed Vocational Nurse; wife and high school sweetheart of Federico. |
| Joanna Cassidy | Margaret Chenowith | 1–5 | Psychologist mother of Brenda and Billy; wife of Bernard. |
| Tim Maculan | Father Jack | 1–5 | Priest at the Fisher's family church; presided over Nathaniel's funeral; married David and Keith. |
| Eric Balfour | Gabriel Dimas | 1–3 | Claire's high school boyfriend who was a chronic drug user. |
| Robert Foxworth | Dr. Bernard Chenowith | 1–3 | Brenda and Billy's psychiatrist father; husband to Margaret. |
| Ed O'Ross | Nikolai | 1–2; 5 | Owner of Blossom d'Amour Flower Shop; boyfriend of Ruth Fisher when she worked as a florist. |
| Marina Black | Parker McKenna | 1–2 | A friend of Claire's during high school. |
| David Norona | Gary Deitman | 1–2 | Claire's counselor. |
| Gary Hershberger | Matthew Gilardi | 1–2 | Employee of a major funeral home organization who attempts to buy out Fisher & Sons. |
| Ed Begley, Jr. | Hiram Gunderson | 1; 5 | Had an affair with Ruth Fisher while she was married to Nathaniel. |
| Illeana Douglas | Angela | 1; 5 | Temporarily replaced Federico in Fisher & Sons. Eventually has a one-night stand with Federico. |
| Patricia Clarkson | Sarah O'Connor | 2–5 | Younger sister of Ruth Fisher, an artist who lives in Topanga Canyon. |
| Lili Taylor | Lisa Kimmel Fisher | 2–5 | Nate's former girlfriend and roommate while living in Seattle; his first wife and mother of his daughter Maya. |
| Aysia Polk | Taylor | 2–3 | Keith's niece, who is under his care for season 2. |
| James Cromwell | George Sibley | 3–5 | Geologist/professor; second husband to Ruth. |
| Kathy Bates | Bettina | 3–5 | Sarah's friend and caretaker who becomes a good friend of Ruth. |
| Peter Macdissi | Olivier Castro-Staal | 3–5 | Claire's Professor of Form and Space at LAC-Arts; lover to Margaret Chenowith. |
| Ben Foster | Russell Corwin | 3–5 | A friend of Claire's from art school and one-time boyfriend. |
| Rainn Wilson | Arthur Martin | 3–5 | A young intern from Cypress College mortuary school who works for the funeral home briefly. |
| Justin Theroux | Joe | 3–4 | Brenda's neighbor and boyfriend during season 4. |
| Sprague Grayden | Anita Miller | 4–5 | A friend of Claire's from art school. |
| Peter Facinelli | Jimmy | 4–5 | An artist and friend of Claire's from art school and one-time lover. |
| Mena Suvari | Edie | 4 | Free-spirited lesbian artist and friend of Claire's from art school. |
| Tina Holmes | Maggie Sibley | 4–5 | Daughter of George Sibley. |
| Chris Messina | Ted Fairwell | 5 | Lawyer at Claire Fisher's temp office job; boyfriend of Claire Fisher during season 5. |
| Kendre Berry | Durrell Charles-Fisher | 5 | Adopted son of David and Keith. |
| C. J. Sanders | Anthony Charles-Fisher | 5 | Adopted son of David and Keith. |
Read more about this topic: Six Feet Under (TV series), Character Histories and Cast
Famous quotes containing the words major, supporting and/or characters:
“What, really, is wanted from a neighborhood? Convenience, certainly, an absence of major aggravation, to be sure. But perhaps most of all, ideally, what is wanted is a comfortable background, a breathing space of intermission between the intensities of private life and the calculations of public life.”
—Joseph Epstein (b. 1937)
“There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.”
—Samuel Richardson (1689–1761)
“Socialist writers are made of sterner stuff than those who only let their characters steeplechase through trouble in order to come out first in the happy ending of moral uplift.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)