"1923" Cast and Character Guide: Who's Who on the "Yellowstone" Prequel

Get ready to turn the clocks back to 1923, because a second season of the prequel Western is in the works. 1923, the second spinoff of the major hit Yellowstone, is set a century before the main series and decades after its fellow spinoff, 1883. All three shows follow the Dutton family across their respective time periods, explaining how the clan came to own Montana's Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest in the country. 1923 centers on the ancestors who came two generations before Kevin Costner's John Dutton, the protagonist of Yellowstone. Leading the 1923 cast are Harrison Ford as John's great-granduncle, Jacob Dutton, and Helen Mirren as his wife Cara, who endure the hardships of the '20s, including drought, depression, and prohibition.

The first season of 1923 premiered in December 2022, and a second season is coming. Fortunately, you have plenty of time to go back and catch up on Season 1 and to read our helpful cast and character guide to help you get a lay of 1923's land. Read on to learn who's who.

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Ford, a major movie star, took on his first leading TV role with 1923. (He has since gone on to star in another TV show, the Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking).

In 1923, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, the patriarch of the family and owner of the Dutton Family Ranch, having taken over operations from his younger brother James. James and his wife Margaret, played by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, are the main characters of 1883 and died when they were shot by horse thieves. Jacob and his wife Cara raised his late brother's children, Spencer and John Dutton Sr., as their own.

Oscar-winner Mirren plays Cara Dutton. Perhaps even more than her husband, it's Cara who really runs the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, managing the day-to-day operations and stepping up when Jacob is temporarily out of commission.

Brandon Sklenar, whose biggest part as an actor is his main role in 1923, plays Spencer Dutton, the youngest son of James and Margaret Dutton and the adoptive son of Jacob and Cara. A World War I veteran, Spencer begins the show as a big game hunter in Africa, though upon learning that his family is in trouble, he endeavors to make it home from Namibia to Montana—a lengthy, dangerous journey. It's in Africa where Spencer meets his future wife, Alexandra.

Julia Schlaepfer, known for Netflix's The Politician, plays Alexandra, a high-class British socialite who meets Spencer in Africa. The two fall for each other even though Alexandra is already engaged, and she opts to follow Spencer back to Montana.

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James Badge Dale of 24 and Iron Man 3 fame has a small but important part in 1923 as John Dutton Sr., Spencer's brother and Jacob and Cara's other adoptive son. He meets his end pretty early into the spinoff, but he has a son of his own, Jack Dutton.

A third-generation Dutton, Jack is John Dutton Sr.'s son and the nephew of Jacob and Cara. Young and headstrong, Jack is an ambitious rancher and he's set to marry his finance, Elizabeth Strafford. He's played by Darren Mann.

Relative newcomer Michelle Randolph plays Elizabeth "Liz" Strafford, Jack Dutton's fiancé. Hardworking and capable, she's looking forward to becoming a part of the Dutton family and living life on the ranch.

Tim DeKay, known for his role in the series White Collar, plays Bob Strafford. A fellow rancher and neighbor to the Duttons, he's anticipating his daughter Elizabeth's marriage to Jack Dutton.

Horror film vet Marley Shelton plays Emma Dutton, mother of Jack Dutton and John Sr.'s widow, in the 1923 cast. While she normally helps Cara run the ranch when the men are occupied, her husband's death sends her into a depression.

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Brain Geraghty, who you might recognize from Flight or The Hurt Locker, plays Zane Davis, the loyal ranch foreman who has been working with the Duttons for some time and is almost family himself.

Caleb Martin (far right) appears on 1923 as Dennis, one of the ranch hands who works alongside Zane Davis at Yellowstone Dutton.

Aminah Nieves plays Teonna Rainwater, one of the show's Indigenous American characters. She's taken from her family and the rest of the Crow tribe and placed in an abusive, government-funded Catholic boarding school from which she tries to escape. It's speculated that she has might be the mother of Thomas Rainwater, a major character in the core Yellowstone series.

Jennifer Ehle appears as Sister Mary, an Irish nun at the school where Teonna is held captive. While generally cruel and vindictive, she seems to especially have it out for Teonna.

Father Renaud is played by Sebastian Roché, of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural fame. Renaud is the sadistic French Roman Catholic priest who's headmaster of Teonna's boarding school.

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Native actor Leenah Robinson is Baapuxti, one of Teonna's friends and "classmates" at the Catholic school.

Jerome Flynn, best known for playing Bronn on Game of Thrones, is Banner Creighton, a Scottish immigrant and a sheepherder. He becomes a dangerous adversary of the Duttons as one of the only people in the area willing to stand up to Jacob and Cara in heated conflicts about grassland usage.

Former James Bond Timothy Dalton plays antagonist Donal Whitfield. A powerful land developer, Whitfield has his eye on the entire valley—including Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. He's in cahoots with Banner Creighton to achieve his goal of taking it over.

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Brian Konowal co-stars as Clyde, a Scottish shepherd in the employ of Banner Creighton who is also acting as a spy for Whitfield.

William McDowell is played by Robert Patrick, of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Peacemaker. McDowell is the sheriff of Gallatin County and a longtime, loyal friend to the Dutton clan.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Michael Greyeyes had a main role in the sitcom Rutherford Falls and in 1923 plays Hank Plenty Clouds, a Crow shepherd from the Broken Rock Reservation who crosses paths with Teonna.

Isabel May is heard but not seen as the narrator in 1923. She reprises her role of Elsa Dutton, the eldest daughter of James and Margarett Dutton, in 1883. Though her fate was left ambiguous at the end of that series, Elsa's voice survives to tell this part of the story.