Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Cast & Character Guide

Kevin Hart leads a starry cast of characters in Peacock’s new crime drama miniseries, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. As its title suggests, the series is based on an exceptionally ambitious heist, previously documented in iHeart Radio’s similarly titled true-crime podcast helmed and hosted by Jeff Keating. Both recount the true-to-life events of a shocking armed robbery that occurred the night of Muhammad Ali’s first professional boxing match after being banned from the sport for years as a result of refusing to be drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

The stakes were high not only for the renowned boxer’s comeback but for a crowd who gathered to celebrate Ali’s historic fight at an ill-fated afterparty targeted by thieves. Fight Night series creator Shaye Ogbonna brings together an assemblage of big-name actors and TV newcomers to depict all parties involved in the catastrophe in what’s looking to be one of the most exciting TV shows on Peacock’s September slate. Fight Night’s first three episodes are available now to stream, and subsequent episodes will be released every Thursday for viewers to witness how the rest of the story unfolds.

Kevin Hart As Gordon ‘Chicken Man’ Williams

Date Of Birth: July 6, 1979

Actor: Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hart began his career winning stand-up comedy competitions. His first breakthrough into acting occurred in a recurring role alongside Seth Rogen and Jason Segal in Judd Apatow’s sitcom comedy Undeclared. Hart’s comedic reputation grew exponentially in the 2000s thanks to the release of his stand-up comedy specials, i.e., I’m A Grown Little Man and Laugh At My Pain, and roles in comedy films such as Soul Plane and Little Fockers. Now an exceptionally distinguished comedian and actor, Hart can be seen leading big-budget movies, like Jumanji, and hosting his own talk show, Hart to Heart.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Kevin Hart plays Fight Night’s main character, Gordan ‘Chicken Man’ Williams, a hustler with big dreams for himself and the city of Atlanta. Equipped with the aspiration of being the harbinger of bringing wealth and notoriety to his city, Chicken Man partners with big-money gangsters to organize a massive house party the night of Ali’s comeback fight. However, a group of calculated robbers targets Chicken Man’s party, leaving him to face a tarnished reputation and the ire of the members of the Black mafia he collaborated with to bring the celebration to fruition.

Taraji P. Henson As Vivian Thomas

Date Of Birth: September 11, 1970

Actor: Golden Globe-winning and Tony, Emmy, and Academy multi-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson hails from Washington, D.C. After studying acting at Howard University, Henson made her film debut in the 1998 crime thriller Streetwise. Her breakthrough role came a few years later when she appeared as Yvette in John Singleton’s Baby Boy (2001), leading to a string of prominent 2000-era roles in films, including Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination. Since then, Henson has starred in huge projects, such as the hit TV show Empire and The Color Purple remake.

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Character: Taraji P. Henson stars as Chicken Man’s right-hand woman and mistress, Vivian Thomas. Together, Vivian and Chicken Man run the hustling scene in Atlanta before devising their plan to host the best party the city’s ever seen, which they dub “Black Vegas.” Vivian’s role in their agenda is to prepare her house for such an ambitious gathering – though her efforts quickly take a turn for the unfortunate when the venue becomes the site of a crime involving over 100 guests and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Don Cheadle As J.D. Hudson

Date Of Birth: November 29, 1964

Actor: Kansas City, Missouri native Don Cheadle began his career in the ’80s with small roles in TV shows and movies, such as Fame and Hamburger Hill, before garnering attention for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). For that, Cheadle was named Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics, his first major accolade toward an incredible career distinguished by many awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe win for his part in House of Lies. Above all, Cheadle is best known for his long-standing role as the MCU’s James Rhodes.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Don Cheadle plays J.D. Hudson in Fight Night, one of the first Black officers appointed to the police force in Atlanta. When Ali arrives in Atlanta for his momentous fight against Jerry Quarry, Hudson leads his protection detail. Hudson’s efforts at keeping Ali out of harm’s way prove successful, so much so he’s later appointed as the lead detective on the notorious armed robbery case that transpired because of Chicken Man’s party.

Samuel L. Jackson As Frank Moten

Date Of Birth: December 21, 1948

Actor: Samuel L. Jackson, the highest-grossing actor of all time (per IGN), was born in Washington, D.C. The prolific actor made his first appearance in 1972’s Together for Days but truly broke out in the early 1990s with performances in Jungle Fever and Pulp Fiction. With almost 200 acting credits to his name, Jackson has become not only a cultural icon but has enough commended performances in his catalog that it’s a feat to pinpoint what he’s best known for. That said, some of his more notable movies include Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill, and Django Unchained.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Samuel L. Jackson commands the screen as New York gangster Frank Moten in Fight Night. As one of the most powerful gangsters in the country, Moten arrives in Atlanta to attend Ali’s fight alongside big-name celebrities like Sidney Poitier and Coretta Scott King. Moten entertains Chicken Man’s idea for an after-party and even attends. Exploited like the rest of Chicken Man’s guests, Moten becomes enraged and decides to hunt down the ringleader of the robbery.

Terrence Howard As Cadillac Richie

Date Of Birth: March 11, 1969

Actor: Born in Chicago, Illinois, Terrence Howard began his career as Justin in three episodes of the television soap opera All My Children. In 1995, he nabbed his first big break in the Oscar-nominated film Mr. Holland’s Opus as athlete-turned-bass drum player Louis Russ. From there, Howard grew into prominence, particularly for his Oscar-nominated leading role in Craig Brewer’s crime drama Hustle & Flow. Howard is best known for his performances in Hustle & Flow and Crash (2004) and, more recently, the Fox hit series Empire.

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Character: Howard features as New Jersey gangster Cadillac Richie. More than just one of Jersey’s biggest gangsters, Cadillac is a colleague of Moten and accompanies him on the ill-fated night of Ali’s fight. Similarly to Moten, Cadillac is not one to be messed with and feels slighted by Chicken Man’s catastrophe, causing him to join the hunt for those involved in carrying out the robbery.

Fight Night’s Supporting Cast & Characters

Fight Night’s Supporting Cast Includes Noteworthy Stars

Dexter Darden as Muhammad Ali: Dexter Darden plays the boxing icon of Fight Night’s story, Muhammad Ali. Darden is best known for his role as Frypan in the Maze Runner film franchise.

Atkins Estimond as Silky Brown: Recognizable for his TV roles in Hightown, Lodge 49, and Swarm, Atkins Estimond appears as Chicken Man’s fellow crime partner, Silky Brown.

Sinqua Walls as McKinley “Mac” Rogers: Sinqua Walls’ McKinley ‘Mac’ Rogers is one of the heist’s ringleaders, having helped concoct the scheme as a means to bring money back to his family at home. Before Fight Night, Walls performed in series, such as The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Power, and Teen Wolf.

Chloe Bailey as Lena Mosley: Chloe Bailey rose to fame as one half of the singing duo Chloe x Halle and has since performed in roles on big and small screens in titles including Last Holiday and Grownish. In Fight Night, Bailey guest stars as Lena Mosley, a significant player in the armed robbery heist.

Myles Bullock as Willie Black: Myles Bullock’s Willie Black serves as one of the armed robbers involved in the heist. Bullock is known for roles in BMF, Runaways, and Calmatic’s 2023 White Men Can’t Jump remake.

Artrece Johnson as Faye Williams: Artrece Johnson, who has previously appeared in FBI: Most Wanted and P-Valley, plays Chicken Man’s wife and mother of three, Faye Williams.

Lori Harvey as Lola Falana: Lori Harvey plays the famed singer, dancer, and actor Lola Falana in the first scripted role of her career. While Harvey is new to small screens, she is known as a runway and campaign model.

Marsha Stephanie Blake as Delores Hudson: Marsha Stephanie Blake, an alum of Orange is the New Black and When They See Us, features as J.D. Hudson’s wife, Delores.

Teresa Celeste as Maxine: Maxine, a friend of Chicken Man’s and a guest at his party, is portrayed by Teresa Celeste, who can be seen in previous titles like Millennials and Seven Deadly Sins: Lust.

RonReaco Lee as Senator Leroy Johnson : RonReaco Lee, who’s previously had lengthy roles in series such as First Wives Club, Survivor’s Remorse, and Sister, Sister, portrays Senator Leroy Johnson, the first Black man to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly since the end of the Reconstruction era.

Jayson Warner Smith as Herbert Turner Jenkins: Jayson Warner Smith of The Walking Dead and Rectify series features as Atlanta’s chief of police.

Michael James Shaw as Lamar: Best known for his role in the MCU as Corvus Glaive and in The Walking Dead as Michael Mercer, Michal James serves as Moten’s muscle guy in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.

Source: Forbes, IGN