Netflix’s Escape at Dannemora: Full cast list explored

Escape at Dannemora premiered on Showtime on November 18, 2018, and has recently been released on Netflix. The series is based on the real-life prison break at the Clinton Correctional Facility that occurred on June 6, 2015. The series ran for seven episodes and was directed by Ben Stiller.

Escape at Dannemora focuses on two convicted murderers—Richard Matt and David Sweat—who escaped imprisonment by digging through their cell walls.

They did this with the assistance of two employees of the same prison. One of them was Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell, who the series portrays as romantically involved with the inmates. The other was inmate escort, Gene Palmer.

---

Escape at Dannemora main cast and characters

The main cast of Escape at Dannemora are as follows:

Benecio del Toro as Richard Matt

Benecio del Toro has had a career going back over 20 years (Image via Showtime)

Richard was a career criminal who had been in and out of prison multiple times before the murder of his old boss, William Rickerson. After this, he fled to Mexico, where he murdered another man named Charles Perrault.

Benicio de Toro has had a storied acting career spanning over 20 years. He gained prominence in 2000 for his role as officer Javier Rodriguez in Traffic. More recently, he's played Alejandro in Sicario and Pablo Escobar in Escobar: Paradise Lost.

---

Paul Dano as David Sweat

Paul Dano played Edward Nashton in The Batman (Image via Showtime)

David Sweat was the second convicted murderer who escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015. Having a troubled childhood, he was eventually remanded to foster care after moving to Florida. He began a criminal career with his cousin, Jeffrey Nabingler, and embarked on a series of burglaries.

During one burglary, he and Jeffrey were working with an accomplice named Shaun Devaul when they were spotted by Kevin Tarsia, a Broom County sheriff's deputy. Tarsia was subsequently murdered by David and Jeffrey, earning them life sentences in prison.

Paul Dano is an actor who gained prominence for his roles in 12 Years a Slave and Prisoners. More recently, he's played Edward Nashton/The Riddler in Matt Reeves's The Batman. He also wrote a prequel comic series for The Batman titled Riddler: Year One.

---

Patricia Arquette as Joyce Mitchell

Patricia Arquette has had a career in Hollywood since the 1990s (Image via Showtime)

Joyce Mitchell was one of the prison employees who assisted Richard Matt and David Sweat in their prison break. She supplied them with the hacksaw blades and drill bits they used to break out of their cell walls. While the series portrays her as being romantically involved with the inmates, the real Joyce has denied this.

Patricia Arquette is an American actress who is best known for her roles in films such as True Romance, Lost Highway, The Hi-Lo County, and Holes. She was also one of the lead actors in 2014's Boyhood, which began production in 2002 and was the story of a child as he grew up.

---

Escape at Dannemora supporting cast

The supporting cast of Escape at Dannemora is as follows:

• Bonnie Hunt as Catherine Leahy Scott, the New York State Inspector General.
• Eric Lange as Lyle Mitchell, a maintenance worker at Clinton Correctional and Joyce's husband.
• David Morse as Gene Palmer, the inmate escort at Clinton Correctional and one of Richard Matt and David Sweat's accomplices.
• Jeremy Bobb as Dennis Lambert, a friend of Lyle's who's also a correctional officer.
• Michael Beasely as Murder, an inmate who works alongside David Sweat in the prison shop.
• Joshua Rivera as Angel, one of the inmates at Clinton Correctional.
• Carolyn Mignini as Ilene Mulvaney, Joyce's supervisor who isn't on good terms with her.
• Gregory Dann as Albert Boyd, a feared correctional officer on whose shift Matt and David made their escape.
• Michael Imperioli as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
• Charlie Hofheimer as Kenny Barrile Sr.
• Jim Parrack as deputy sheriff Tarsia.

---

Escape at Dannemora is available to stream on Netflix.