Unraveling the Guinness Family Dynasty: Complete Cast Guide to Netflix's Latest Historical Drama

Steven Knight, the creative mind behind Peaky Blinders, brings his storytelling prowess to Netflix’s ambitious new series House of Guinness, which delves into one of Europe’s most storied and powerful families. The narrative unfolds across 19th-century Dublin and New York, tracing the reverberations of Sir Benjamin Guinness’s death and how his will reshapes the destinies of his four adult heirs—Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben—alongside the interconnected lives of those who work within and around the thriving brewery enterprise.

The Central Guinness Family Tree: Four Siblings Navigate Power and Inheritance

The foundation of House of Guinness rests on the complex dynamics among the four siblings, each inheriting vastly different expectations and capabilities.

Arthur, portrayed by Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air, Derry Girls), represents the eldest sibling with aristocratic refinement honed at Eton. He masks vulnerability beneath a composed exterior, harboring deep anxieties and competitive impulses. Boyle notes that Arthur’s emotional restraint at his father’s funeral reveals his tendency to internalize turmoil rather than express it openly, making him a study in repressed ambition.

Edward, embodied by Louis Partridge from the Enola Holmes franchise, is the youngest brother who spent his formative years learning brewery operations from the ground up. Though less naturally charismatic in upper-class circles than Arthur, Edward compensates with unwavering principle and assertiveness. He believes his hands-on experience qualifies him to lead the family empire, creating immediate tension with his more polished elder.

Benjamin, captured by Fionn O’Shea (Normal People), occupies the painful position of overlooked middle son. Battling personal demons including gambling addiction and substance dependency, he struggles to carve out meaningful identity within the family hierarchy. O’Shea portrays him as someone yearning for recognition he’s perpetually denied, existing as a ghost within his own household.

Anne, played by Emily Fairn (Black Mirror, The Responder), breaks the mold as the family’s sole daughter. Locked in an unsatisfying marriage to a minor aristocrat, she navigates the severe constraints placed on women during this era while desperately seeking agency in family affairs and business operations. Fairn emphasizes Anne’s quiet rebellion against circumstances designed to minimize her influence.

The Power Players: Allies, Rivals, and Hidden Forces

Beyond the siblings themselves, House of Guinness introduces a constellation of characters whose loyalties, ambitions, and moral codes shape the family’s trajectory.

Sean Rafferty, portrayed by James Norton (Happy Valley, Bob Marley: One Love), commands the brewery as an uncompromising foreman whose authority extends throughout operations. His relationship with the Guinness siblings grows complicated following their father’s death, particularly with Edward, whom he once mentored. Norton describes Rafferty as someone for whom work has become spiritual devotion—a man willing to embrace chaos if it serves organizational efficiency.

Aunt Agnes, embodied by Dervla Kirwan (True Detective: Night Country), emerges as a stabilizing maternal figure following her brother’s death. As a Victorian woman tasked with protecting family reputation amid her “inherited” children’s turmoil, she faces an almost impossible mandate. Her character anchors the family during their most vulnerable transitional period.

Lady Olivia Hedges, brought to life by Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone), represents ambition wrapped in aristocratic privilege. Despite her family’s depleted finances, she maintains lavish appearances and forward-thinking conduct, bending social conventions to maximize her advantages within restrictive circumstances.

Adelaide Guinness, played by Ann Skelly (The Nevers, The Sandman), presents herself as the witty, independent cousin whose unmarried status defies family expectations. Her kinship with Anne creates one of the series’ more compelling female relationships, as both navigate male-dominated institutional pressures.

The Revolutionary Undercurrents: Threats from Outside

The Guinness family’s stability faces challenges from those with ideological motivations rather than familial loyalty.

Patrick Cochrane, portrayed by Seamus O’Hara, serves as leader of the Fenians, a revolutionary nationalist movement dedicated to disrupting Anglo-Irish ascendancy. His fierce commitment to Irish independence puts him fundamentally at odds with the Guinness establishment, though familial bonds with his sister Ellen temper his volatility.

Ellen Cochrane, played by Niamh McCormack (Everything Now, The Witcher), embodies passionate Irish republicanism alongside her brother’s revolutionary fervor. More measured and intellectually rigorous than Patrick, she demonstrates how political conviction manifests through female agency in an era offering women minimal formal power.

Bonnie Champion, brought to life by David Wilmot (Station Eleven, Bodkin), operates within Dublin’s criminal underworld as a calculating distributor whose control over barrel logistics grants him leverage. His transactional approach to secrets and allegiances introduces genuine peril to Guinness operations.

Secondary Characters Rounding Out the World

Byron Hedges, played by Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, Sex Education), functions as a versatile cousin deployed to New York to cultivate business relationships. Born to a Catholic rebel father and wealthy Protestant mother, he exploits his dual positioning, navigating anti-Irish prejudice while advancing family interests across the Atlantic.

Reverend Henry Gratton, portrayed by Michael Colgan (Say Nothing, The Regime), represents old-guard loyalty, having served the previous generation and raised the current one. His entrenched position within the family ecosystem means he possesses intimate knowledge of their vulnerabilities and histories.

Sultan, played by Hilda Fay, introduces a mystical dimension through her character as a mysterious healer from rural Ireland whose path intersects with Anne’s, suggesting forces beyond conventional power structures.

The Historical Foundation: Real People Behind Fictional Drama

Creator Steven Knight emphasizes that while House of Guinness represents creative interpretation, its characters draw genuine inspiration from documented historical figures. The real Guinness family’s patriarch did leave behind four children who shaped the brewery’s evolution, and peripheral characters reflect actual individuals who participated in 19th-century Dublin and New York life. Knight’s methodology prioritizes fidelity to these historical foundations while allowing dramatic license that brings human complexity to archival records.

The series premiered on Netflix in 2025, inviting contemporary audiences to witness how inheritance, ambition, political ideology, and personal weakness collide within one of Europe’s most influential commercial dynasties.