The Gilded Age has a fascinating ensemble of characters that has captivated audiences worldwide since its original debut in 2022. Now, the series’s creators have kept viewers hooked with its sweeping period drama, leading up to its highly anticipated fourth season. But before it premieres on November 1 on HBO Max, let’s recap on the characters so you’re fully prepared for the next chapter of high-society drama. Grab your tiaras, teas, and elbow-length gloves, because we’re about to head back to 1880s New York City. Elbows down, pinkies up, folks!
Here’s a full breakdown of the Russell and van Rhijn family tree for The Gilded Age fans.
Agnes van Rhijn — Family Matriarch
Karolina Wojtasik/HBO
Agnes van Rhijn, played brilliantly by Christine Baranski, is the proud, sharp-tongued matriarch of the old-money van Rhijn household. She is a fierce traditionalist who guards New York high society’s gates with an iron fist and refuses to let new-money interlopers dilute elite traditions, which naturally puts her at war with her ambitious neighbors across the street.
Ada Brook — The Gentle Aunt
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Agnes’s sister, Ada Brook played by Cynthia Nixon, lives with her in the East 61st Street mansion. While Agnes is rigid and uncompromising, Ada is soft-spoken, empathetic, and romantic. Despite living under Agnes’s formidable shadow for decades, Ada occasionally finds her own voice, and perhaps even a late-in-life chance at happiness and financial independence.
Bertha Russell — The Ambitious Matriarch
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Bertha Russell, played by Carrie Coon, is the brilliant, ruthless new-money queen of the Gilded Age. Married to railroad tycoon George, Bertha will stop at nothing — whether it’s managing opera house politics or engineering elite marriages — to secure her family’s place at the absolute pinnacle of New York society.
Marian Brook — The Impoverished Cousin
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Ada and Agnes’s penniless orphaned niece, Marian Brook played by Louisa Jacobson, arrives in New York at the start of the series after the death of her father leaves her destitute. Clever, independent, and progressive, Marian navigates the strict rules of high society while carving out her own path, testing the patience of her formidable Aunt Agnes at every turn.
George Russell — The Robber Baron Patriarch
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George Russell, played by Morgan Spector, is a ruthless, brilliant railroad tycoon and family patriarch. While he is fiercely protective and deeply in love with his wife Bertha, he shows no mercy to business rivals or union organizers who stand in the way of his empire. At home, however, he remains a devoted husband and father.
Gladys Russell — The Coveted Debutante
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George and Bertha’s younger daughter, Gladys played by Taissa Farmiga, is a sheltered and spirited young woman poised to take high society by storm. While Bertha is determined to use Gladys’s youth and beauty to bag an aristocratic European title, Gladys simply wants a bit of independence and agency over her own life and heart.
Larry Russell — The Modern Son
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George and Bertha’s eldest child, Larry played by Harry Richardson, is a charming and ambitious young man studying architecture. Unlike his mother, Larry cares very little about the rigid caste system of old vs. new money. He pursues his career passionately while navigating modern romances that frequently ruffle feathers in elite circles.
Peggy Scott — The Ambitious Writer
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Peggy Scott, played by Denée Benton, is a talented young Black writer from Brooklyn who becomes Marian Brook’s secretary and confidante. Smart, poised, and fiercely determined, Peggy navigates the complexities of the era’s publishing world while holding close a deeply emotional and carefully guarded family history.
Dorothy Scott — The Graceful Anchor
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Dorothy Scott, played masterfully by Audra McDonald, is the accomplished pianist and devoted mother of the Scott family living in Brooklyn. As a pillar of New York’s Black elite, Dorothy balances artistic grace with quiet resilience, frequently serving as the emotional bridge trying to heal the deep rifts between her ambitious daughter, Peggy, and her rigid, traditionalist husband, Arthur.
Oscar van Rhijn — The Calculating Heir
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Agnes and the late Mr. van Rhijn’s son, Oscar played by Blake Ritson, is charming, witty, and deeply invested in securing a wealthy match to maintain his luxurious lifestyle. As a gay man navigating the dangerous social codes of late-19th-century New York, Oscar must constantly balance discretion with his pursuit of status and fortune.
Aurora Fane — The Society Guide
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A cousin to the van Rhijns, Aurora Fane by Kelli O’Hara acts as an essential social guide and mediator between the old-money establishment and the aggressively rising Russell family. She helps newcomers navigate the treacherous waters of Newport and New York etiquette.
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