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While Younger was just a little TV series that started on TV Land, it blew up to become hugely popular thanks to the pretty stellar Younger cast. Foster stars as Liza Miller, a 40-year-old divorcee who realizes she can pass off as a 20-something woman and lies about her age to get a job in the publishing industry. She then makes new friends but has to keep lying about her age to protect her job. Some actors have been in the business for decades, and some have lengthy resumes in the theater world.
Hilary Duff may have been the most recognizable name in the cast. Still, fans might recognize other cast members from projects they have been in, with Foster in the lead role and names like Debi Mazar and Miriam Shor in key supporting roles. Many of the Younger cast members have also already gone on to star in other projects, like Duff, who followed up this series with the lead role in the How I Met Your Mother spin-off series, How I Met Your Father. Sadly, there were plans for a Kelsey spin-off series, but HIMYF ended those hopes.
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Sutton Foster |
Liza Miller |
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Hilary Duff |
Kelsey Peters |
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Debi Mazar |
Maggie Amato |
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Nico Tortorella |
Josh |
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Miriam Shor |
Diana |
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Peter Hermann |
Charles |
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Molly Bernard |
Lauren |
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Charles Michael Davis |
Zane |
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Sutton Foster As Liza Miller
Birthdate: March 18, 1975
Character: Sutton Foster plays Liza Miller, a 40-year-old divorced mother in the Younger cast. When her husband leaves her, and her grown child moves away, she realizes she has a unique opportunity to reinvent herself. However, she goes about it in a deceitful manner. She gets a job at a large publication in New York City, but she lies about her age, claiming she is in her 20s, and quickly rises to the rank of assistant to the head of Empirical Press Marketing Chief, Diana Trout.
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The Angriest Man In Brooklyn (2014) |
Adela |
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Gravy (2015) |
Kerry |
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Bunheads (2012-2013) |
Bunheads (2012-2013) |
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Anything Goes (2021) |
Reno Sweeney |
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Ridley Jones (2021-2023) |
Sarah Jones / Mrs. Sanchez |
Actor: Sutton Foster was known mainly for her extensive Broadway work before landing the lead role on Younger, having appeared in huge plays like Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, and Violet. On television, her most notable credits outside of guest appearances in several series include a lead role in the short-lived ABC comedy-drama Bunheads from 2012-2013 and as Sarah Jones in the 2021 series Ridley Jones.
Hilary Duff As Kelsey Peters
Birthdate: September 28, 1987
Character: Hilary Duff plays Kelsey Peters, a 26-year-old book editor at Empirical Press. After they start working together, she quickly becomes friends with Liza. However, this puts them in a tough spot since Liza lies to her about her age, as she does with everyone, and Kelsey doesn't find out until the third season that her new friend has been lying to her all along. She ends up remaining Liza's closest friend after a period of strife and becomes her biggest ally.
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Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004) |
Lizzie McGuire |
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Cheaper By The Dozen (2003) |
Lorraine Baker |
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A Cinderella Story (2004) |
Sam Montgomery |
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Gossip Girl (2009) |
Olivia Burke |
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How I Met Your Father (2022-2023) |
Sophie Tompkins |
Actor: Without a doubt, Hilary Duff's most recognizable previous role is the title character in the series Lizzie McGuire, which helped her rise to teen idol status in the early '00s. Since then, she has appeared in many movies, from Agent Cody Banks to Cheaper by the Dozen, its sequel, and A Cinderella Story. She also played Sharon Tate in the 2019 movie The Haunting of Sharon Tate, which she executive produced. And, as previously noted, Duff has been tapped to play a lead role in the upcoming spin-off series, How I Met Your Father.
Debi Mazar As Maggie Amato
Birthdate: August 13, 1964
Character: Debi Mazar plays Maggie Amato. She is Liza's lesbian best friend and roommate. She is one of the only people in the series who knew that Liza was really 40 from the start, and it was actually Maggie's idea that she lie on her resume and claim she is only 26. Through it all, Maggie remains an ally to Liza and helps keep her secret, even if Liza is terrible at hiding the truth, as she eventually lets almost everyone know her age before Charles's ex finally exposes it.
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L.A. Law (1993-1994) |
Denise Iannello |
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Entourage (2004-2011) |
Shauna Roberts |
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Ugly Betty (2006) |
Leah Feldman |
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Happy! (2017-2019) |
Isabella Scaramucci |
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Kaos (2024) |
Medusa |
Actor: Acting since the '90s, younger generations will recognize Debi Mazar as Shauna from Entourage, while those who saw the iconic film will recall her as Sandy in 1990's Goodfellas. Her movie resume, however, is extensive, with films like So I Married an Axe Murderer, Empire Records, and Return to Babylon. Mazar's list of TV credits is just as long, including main roles in Civil Wars and L.A. Law in the '90s, Working (1998-1999), That's Life (2000-2002), and Extra Virgin (2011-2015).
Nico Tortorella As Josh
Birthdate: July 30, 1988
Character: Nico Tortorella pays Josh, a 26-year-old tattoo artist who owns his own studio. It is Josh who initially mistakes Liza as a 20-something woman, so they are the main reason that Liza gets the idea to lie about her age to get her dream job after her divorce. Josh is also one of the first people to learn the truth, as they discover it in the 11th episode of the first season, and is hurt the most because it spoils the trust they had in her.
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Scream 4 (2011) |
Trevor Sheldon |
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The Following (2013) |
Jacob Wells |
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Menendez: Blood Brothers (2017) |
Lyle Menendez |
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The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020-2021) |
Felix Carlucci |
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City On Fire (2023) |
William |
Actor: Before appearing on Younger, Nico Tortorella starred in the horror movie Scream 4, and they also played a crucial part in the Fox crime drama The Following, starring Kevin Bacon. However, Tortorella is best known for a role they secured recently, while still filming Younger, as they now star in the latest The Walking Dead spin-off series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. They may have only started acting in 2009, but they have quickly become a rising star.
Miriam Shor As Diana
Birthdate: July 25, 1971
Character: Miriam Shor plays Diana, Liza's new boss at Empirical Press and the head of marketing for the company. She is temperamental and not easy to get along with. She also had one of the worst first dates on Younger when an Instagrammer catfished her to get a photo of her expensive purse. Diana is the last person to find out about Liza's age since the lie was to help Liza get her job. However, their friendship grew so much over the years that, while this caused a panic attack in Diana, she quickly forgave her friend and moved on.
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Hedwig and the Angry Itch (2001) |
Yitzhak |
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Swingtown (2008) |
Janet Thompson |
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The Americans (2018) |
Erica Hskard |
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Maestro (2023) |
Cynthia O'Neal |
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American Fiction (2023) |
Paula Baderman |
Actor: Not only did Miriam Shor star in the film adaptation of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but she also appeared on stage in the musical itself. Acting since the '00s, she has had mostly small parts but for main roles in a few short-lived TV series like Then Came You (2000), Inside Schwartz (2001-2002), Big Day (2006-2007), Swingtown (2008), GCB (2012), along with a five-episode arc in Damages and in six episodes of The Good Wife.
Peter Hermann As Charles
Birthdate: August 15, 1967
Character: Peter Hermann stars as Charles Brooks, the head and heir of Empirical Press. He is Pauline's ex-husband and the father of her children. He also dates Liza, and Pauline's jealousy towards Liza causes her to spill her secrets into the world. Charles learned the truth in season 5 when a vindictive author (Edward L.L. Moore) told him the truth. Luckily, despite taking the lies worse than everyone else, he finally comes around and it is Charles and Liza who end up together.
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United 93 (2006) |
Jeremy Glick |
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Edge Of Darkness (2010) |
Sanderman |
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Goodnight Mommy (2022) |
Father |
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Law & Order: SVU (2002-2022) |
Trevor Langan |
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Blue Bloods (2012-2024) |
Jack Boyle |
Actor: Married to Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann is another actor from the show with Broadway credits to his name. He met his wife while acting in a guest appearance on SVU, one of many such guest roles he secured over the last two decades on a long list of shows. Hermann got his start on television in the world of soap operas and is most notable for his role as Dr. Michael Burke on Guiding Light, which he played from 1997-1998. He currently stars in the series Blue Bloods.
Molly Bernard As Lauren
Birthdate: April 10, 1988
Character: Molly Bernard stars as Lauren in Younger, a 20-something friend of Kelsey's. Lauren is also one of the last to learn the truth, as she hears about it when Pauline tells the world about Liza's actual age at a major publishing event. Since she is a PR person, and she is there when Pauline tries to destroy Liza, it seems she will have to fix things. She quickly catches on and starts calling Liza "Ms. Miller" since she respects her elders.
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Pay it Forward (2000) |
Molly |
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The Intern (2015) |
Samantha |
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Transparent (2016-2017) |
Young Shelly Pfefferman |
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Sully (2016) |
Alison |
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Chicago Med (2018-2020) |
Elisa Curry |
Actor: Playing one of the characters fans would most want to be friends with, Molly Bernard doesn't have as long and extensive a resume as the others from the cast, but she has made her mark in the industry. Her most notable other role is a recurring one on Chicago Med as Elsa Curry. Bernard also had a recurring role on Alpha House (2013-2014) as Angie Sullivan and in Transparent (2016-2017) as a young Shelly Pfefferman.
Charles Michael Davis As Zane
Birthdate: December 1, 1984
Character: Charles Michael Davis plays Zane in the Younger cast. He is an editor at Rivington who competes with Kelsey when it comes to their success. Zane is also one of the last to learn the truth about Liza (along with Lauren and Diana). He is actually sitting right in the front when Pauline exposes the truth. However, unlike many people on Younger, he doesn't really have a relationship with Liza. As a result, he just looks at her disapprovingly when he hears the truth.
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Switched at Birth (2011) |
Liam Lupo |
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The Originals (2013-2018) |
Marcel Gerard |
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Chicago P.D. (2019) |
Blair Williams |
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For the People (2019) |
Ted |
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NCIS: New Orleans (2020-2021) |
Quentin Carter |
Actor: Before (and during) his role on Younger, Charles Michael Davis spent five years playing Marcel Gerard on the CW series The Originals from 2013-2018. Fans might also recognize Davis from a role he's in now, as Special Agent Quentin Carter on NCIS: New Orleans. Behind Duff, he has the second-most Instagram followers of all the cast members.
Younger Supporting Cast
Laura Benanti As Quinn: Laura Benanti is another Broadway star, having appeared in plays like Gypsy and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. When it comes to television, Benanti might be recognizable as Alura and Astra in Supergirl and the TBS comedy The Detour. Nowadays, fans might recognize Benanti from her recurring role as First Lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Tessa Albertson As Caitlin: Tessa Albertson, who played one of the least likable characters on Younger, portrayed Alex Faustner in the 2017 movie November Criminals, a role that saw her work with rising young stars in Hollywood, Chloe Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort. She might also be familiar to those who saw the 2008 movie Phoebe in Wonderland, where she played Alice, and from Shrek the Musical, where she was the teenage Fiona.
Phoebe Dynevor As Clare: Fans were delighted to see Phoebe Dynevor in this series, instantly recognizing her from her breakout role as Daphne Bridgerton in the massive hit Netflix series Bridgerton. While Clare wasn't the best match for Josh, Dynevor was a great addition to the cast. She was also in Snatch, the crime drama that appeared on the Crackle streaming service from 2017 to 2018.
Michael Urie As Redmond: Michael Urie's best-known role was a leading one in the ABC dramedy Ugly Betty from 2006-2010, a character who was very similar to Redmond. Alongside a long list of theater credits to his name - including, most recently, Brian in Grand Horizons at the Hayes Theater and Hamlet in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's run of the play of the same name in 2018 - he has mostly had small guest roles on shows from Modern Family to The Good Wife and Hot in Cleveland.
Dan Amboyer As Thad/Chad: Dan Amboyer has a regal look to him, so it's no surprise he secured the role of Prince William of Wales in the movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance, where he worked with such well-known actors as Victor Garber and Jean Smart. Fans might also recognize the actor who played one of Kelsey's most questionable boyfriends (and his twin) from the short-lived spin-off of The Blacklist, The Blacklist: Redemption, where Amboyer played Dan Pool/Trevor.
Chris Tardio As Enzo: Appearing on four episodes of The Sopranos, Chris Tardio portrayed the character of Sean Gismonte. He also had a recurring role on Showtime's Ray Donovan as Danny Bianchi. One of the funniest characters on Younger, Tardio has had small roles in a laundry list of series, including Sex and the City, NCIS, Bones, Lie to Me, Justified, Daredevil, and, most recently, Pose.
Jennifer Westfeldt As Pauline: There's a long list of places fans might recognize Jennifer Westfeldt from. She was in six episodes of 24 in the recurring role of Meredith Reed and three episodes of Grey's Anatomy as Jen Harmon. She also had a lead role in the series Notes from the Underbelly, which aired from 2007-2010. In the film world, Westfeldt is best known for Kissing Jessica Stein and Friends with Kids, both of which she also worked on behind the scenes, including directing, producing, and writing the latter.
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After being mistaken for a 20-something, 40-year-old, recently divorced Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) lies about her age to get a job and resume her career in the publishing industry. While she passes herself off as younger than she is, her personal and professional lives are measured against those of up-and-comers in the business.
Release Date March 31, 2015
Cast Debi Mazar , Nico Tortorella , Hilary Duff , Miriam Shor , Peter Hermann , Charles Michael Davis
Seasons 7
Showrunner Darren Star
English (US) ·