J Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy)
J Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Second World War. The film focuses on the career and personal life of Oppenheimer, including his role in the Manhattan Project which saw him lead the Los Alamos Laboratory – the group that built the first atomic bombs.
Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor who has received critical acclaim for his TV and film roles, which include playing Tommy Shelby in the BBC drama series Peaky Blinders, Breakfast on Pluto, The Dark Knight trilogy and Oppenheimer. For his role in Oppenheimer, Murphy has won a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer (played by Emily Blunt)
Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer was J Robert Oppenheimer’s wife. Kitty was a botanist and biologist who moved to Los Alamos with Robert whilst he worked on the Manhattan Project.
Emily Blunt is a British actress who has appeared in numerous film roles including The Devil Wears Prada, The Girl on the Train, A Quiet Place, Jungle Cruise and Oppenheimer.
Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh)
Jean Tatlock was an American psychiatrist who entered into a romance with Robert Oppenheimer when she was 22 and he was 32. Despite marrying Kitty, Robert still saw Jean a few times in the years that followed before she tragically took her own life in 1944.
Florence Pugh is a British actress who has appeared in a number of movies including Lady Macbeth, Midsommar, Little Women, Don’t Worry Darlin and Dune: Part Two.
Leslie Richard Groves (played by Matt Damon)
Lt. General Leslie Groves was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who was appointed as head of the Manhattan Project in 1942. He personally chose Oppenheimer to lead the Los Alamos laboratory – even waiving the security clearance process to prevent holding up the atomic bomb’s development.
Matt Damon is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He has a slew of awards and nominations to his name, having begun his acting career in 1988 when he appeared in the film Mystic Pizza. Notable appearances include roles in Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr Ripley, Jason Bourne franchise, Saving Private Ryan and The Martian.
Lewis Strauss (played by Robert Downey Jr.)
Lewis Strauss was an American businessman and served as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. It was during his time as an AEC Commissioner, that Strauss and Oppenheimer’s became hostile with the pair’s ideological views and thoughts on developing a hydrogen bomb differing.
Robert Downey Jr is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, having appeared in movies including Chaplin and Sherlock Holmes, as well as starring as Iron Man in ten Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
Albert Einstein (played by Tom Conti)
Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity and creating the mass energy formula of E = mc. Oppenheimer and Einstein were both colleagues and friends, and in the movie the pair share scenes where they discuss the implications of the atomic bomb.
Tom Conti is a Scottish actor who has earnt himself several accolades including a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award and nominations for a BAFTA, Academy Award and Golden Globes. He has appeared in the Broadway and West End production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? and films including Reuben, Reuben, The Dark Knight Rises and Paddington 2.
Niels Bohr (played by Kenneth Branagh)
Niels Bohr was a Danish physicist and a recipient of the 1922 Nobel Prize. Oppenheimer admired Bohr for his scientific contributions and considered him a mentor.
Kenneth Branagh is a British actor and recipient of an Academy Award, BAFTA Awards, Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Olivier Award. He has appeared in several Shakespeare film adaptations including Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Hamlet. Other notable performances include roles in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, My Week with Marilyn, Dunkirk and Conspiracy.
Isidor Rabi (played by David Krumholtz)
Isidor Rabi was an American physicist who was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1944. He worked with Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project during the Second World War and was a staunch defender for Oppenheimer during his security hearings.
David Krumholtz is an American acro who has appeared in films and TV shows including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Santa Clause franchise and The Deuce.
Ernest Lawrence (played by Josh Hartnett)
Ernest Lawrence was a nuclear physicist, close friend and associate of Oppenheimer’s. At the end of the movie, Lawrence withdraws from testifying against his friend at his security hearing having claimed to be ill.
Josh Hartnett is an American actor who began his career on the TV show Cracker. Following this Hartnett appeared in several films including Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down, and TV show Penny Dreadful.
David Hill (played by Rami Malek)
David Hill was an American nuclear physicist who worked alongside Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project.
Rami Malek is an American actor who is the recipient of an Emmy Award and an Oscar. He is best known for his role in TV series Mr Robot and for playing Freddie Mercury in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Roger Robb (played by Jason Clarke)
Roger Robb was a US judge and attorney who served as special counsel to the Atomic Energy Commission at Oppenheimer’s security hearing.
Jason Clarke is an actor who has appeared in several TV and films including White House Down, Zero Dark Thirty, Dawn of the Planet Apes, Brotherhood and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.