Every New And Returning Cameo

Note: while we make sure not to give away major plot points here, the very nature of this article requires a spoiler warning for season four of “The Bear.”

Ever since its second season, “The Bear” — the Emmy-winning comedy that’s a co-production between FX and Hulu — has made a habit of bringing on huge, high-profile guest stars to pop up from time to time (even though, arguably, this instinct became more of a crutch in season 3 … but I digress). Honestly, on many levels, it makes sense to bring in big actors to show up occasionally on “The Bear.” Because the main focus is centered around the titular sandwich shop turned fine dining destination in Chicago — run by Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), his “cousin” Richie Jermovitch (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Carmy’s right-hand woman Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), and a handful of their friends — it’s easy enough to bring in a few Oscar winners to play fellow chefs (which Olivia Colman did in seasons 2 and 3) or a whole host of famous faces to play Carmy’s extended family.

So who’s new and who’s returning to play around in this fictional version of Chicago in season 4 of “The Bear?” From Carmy’s complicated mom to Sydney’s expanding family to one cast member’s real-life husband, here are all the cameos you need to know about in the fourth season of “The Bear.”

Rob Reiner is definitely best known for directing movies like “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride,” but he picks up acting roles from time to time; he memorably plays Bob Day, father of Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, on “New Girl” and also plays Max Belfort, dad of financial cheat Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio), in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” On “The Bear,” Reiner actually isn’t playing anyone’s dad — instead, he plays Albert, a business mentor and a friend to the restaurant’s line cook Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson), who hails from Somalia and who is now running the walk-up Beef window. 

If the creators of “The Bear” found themselves bristling over the question of whether or not the show is truly a “comedy,” it actually makes sense that they’d bring Kate Berlant on board for a guest role in season 4. On the series, Carmy sometimes goes to meetings at Alcoholics Anonymous — in the first season, he goes to a meeting led by Brat Pack queen Molly Ringwald — and in season 3, Berlant plays Georgie, a woman who tells a story about her brother at one of those meetings as Carmy listens. 

You might know Danielle Deadwyler from period pieces like “Till” and “The Piano Lesson” or recent hits like “Carry-On” and “The Woman in the Yard” — but in season 4, “The Bear” is bringing this acclaimed actress to Chicago. We’ve already met Sydney’s dad (more on him shortly), and Deadwyler helps round out the Adamu family as Chantel, Sydney’s cousin.

In season 3, “The Bear” brought wrestler-turned-actor John Cena into the fray as Sammy Fak, brother to Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) and Theodore “Teddy” Fak (Ricky Staffieri) … and in season 4, the series really upped the ante on the Fak family. Brie Larson, Oscar winner and Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero, is now part of the action as Francine Fak, the gang’s sister, who has a long-standing beef with Abby Elliott’s Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto. 

It’s not all that surprising that Jon Bernthal returns to “The Bear” as Mikey Berzatto, older brother to Carmy and their sister Natalie (Abby Elliott). Bernthal only appears in flashbacks, but he’s been a huge part of “The Bear” since season 1, and seeing snippets of his relationships with Carmy, Natalie, and their mom Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) helps round out the world of the show. It’s not just the Berzattos, though; in season 3, we’re treated to a touching flashback featuring Mikey and his future line cook Tina Marrero, played by Liza Colón-Zayas.

Another returning character — albeit one that didn’t have a huge role in season 3 when all was said and done — is Molly Gordon’s Claire Dunlap, cousin of the Fak family and Carmy’s estranged ex-girlfriend. After a huge blow-up in the season 2 finale, Carmy and Claire split … but there’s no question that the chef is still carrying a (brulée) torch for the girl of his dreams.

The first time we got a glimpse of the larger Berzatto family was in the season 2 episode “Fishes,” set entirely during a Christmas dinner hosted by Carmy, Mikey, and Natalie’s erratic mother Donna; it’s also the first time we meet Richie’s ex and mother of his child, Tiff, played by “Community” alum Gillian Jacobs. Jacobs reappears in season 4 … which makes sense, because Jacobs’ real-life partner is showrunner Christopher Storer.

Another character introduced in the show’s second season, Luca, is back for another round in season 4. Played by Will Poulter from “Black Mirror” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” Luca, a skilled pastry chef who meets Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce) while the less experienced chef is training in Copenhagen. Poulter is a great addition to the cast, particularly because Luca is such a calm, soothing presence amidst the chaos.

Speaking of chaos, that’s what Jamie Lee Curtis’ Donna Berzatto brings to “The Bear.” Curtis also joined the series in a semi-recurring role during its second season — during “Fishes,” specifically — and reappeared during that season’s finale and when Natalie gave birth to her baby in season 3. Donna is definitely a source of stress for both the audience and her entire family, but Curtis is a legend … and Donna is Carmy and Natalie’s mom, so of course she’s back.

Robert Townsend, known for his directing work and time as a stand-up comedian, is perfectly cast as Sydney’s caring dad Emmanuel Adamu, and he’s been popping up on the series since he made his debut in season 2. Emmanuel is a comforting, supportive presence for Sydney, even if he doesn’t totally understand why she’s accepting such low pay and putting in such long hours at the restaurant. Again, since it’s Sydney’s dad, it stands to reason that he’d reappear in season 4.

Here’s something as sweet as one of Marcus’ desserts: David Zayas, the real-life husband of Liza Colón-Zayas, plays David, the husband of her character Tina, on “The Bear.” Zayas, whom you might remember from “Dexter” and “Oz,” makes his first appearance on “The Bear” in season 3 during the episode “Napkins,” where we see flashbacks of David and Tina struggling to make ends meet before she gets a job with Mikey. 

John Mulaney is always a welcome presence, and after we meet him at the Berzatto family Christmas dinner in “Fishes,” it’s not a guarantee that we’ll see him again. Mulaney’s Stevie, who’s an in-law of sorts does pop up in season 3 when we see flashbacks of him housing Carmy while the chef trains at New York City’s very real, very elite Eleven Madison Park. At one point, Stevie memorably tells Carmy that, after a night of work, he “smells like a donkey.”

Michelle Berzatto — a cousin of Mikey, Carmy, and Natalie played by Emmy winner Sarah Paulson — is also introduced in “Fishes” alongside her boyfriend Stevie; Carmy crashed on their New York couch when he headed to the Big Apple for work. She, like her on-screen partner Mulaney, shows up again in season 4.

We hear about Tiff’s new boyfriend-turned-fiancé Frank before he turns up in season 3 — alongside a cameo from a Taylor Swift track, “Long Live” — when Richie heads to his house to see his daughter Eva. Frank, to his credit, is a pretty nice guy who even apologizes to Richie for not giving the guy a heads up before he proposed to Tiff … and he’s back for season 4 as he and Tiff get more serious.

Nicholas Marshall, also known as “The Computer,” is an associate of Richie and Carmy’s main benefactor and “uncle” Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski (Oliver Platt), and as played by Brian Koppelman, he’s the guy who shows up in season 3 to tell everyone at The Bear that the restaurant is barely staying afloat financially. Season 4 of “The Bear” is all about the titular restaurant’s financial viability, so it makes sense that “The Computer” comes back. While he acts on “The Bear,” Koppelman usually makes a living as a writer and producer. He co-wrote the script for “Ocean’s Thirteen” and co-created the TV series “Billions.”