Created by Tyler Perry, The Oval is a political drama and domestic soap opera on the BET network. The premise concerns the recently-elected U.S. President Hunter Franklin and the personal and professional travails his family and staff members experience in the White House. Although the series concluded its fourth season in March 2023, fans have yet to receive news of an official Season 5 renewal or cancelation.
Until the fate of The Oval is officially announced, the downtime provides an ample opportunity to introduce the cast of characters and the famous actors who play them on the show. Chances are, most fans of The Oval have seen the talented actors in various movies and TV shows in recent years.
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Ed Quinn as Hunter Franklin
Ed Quinn takes the lead as Hunter Franklin, the newly-elected President of the United States. Hunter is also the husband of Victoria and the father of Jason and Gayle. As the series begins, Hunter adjusts to living among his new staffers inside The White House and immediately deals with a grand tragedy that strikes his butler's family. Meanwhile, Hunter must run the country while grappling with his marital indiscretions.
Quinn is an experienced actor who earned his first big TV role in the 2000 series Young Americans. Following that show, Quinn was cast in recurring roles in Jack & Jill, True Blood, and Eureka. Although The Oval represents Quinn's longest-lasting role, fans may also remember him from Revenge and the beloved CBS sitcom2 Broke Girls. Regarding his film career, Franklin will appear next in Joe Carnahan's upcoming action-thriller Shadow Force.
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Kron Moore as Victoria Franklin
Kron Moore depicts Victoria Franklin, The First Lady of the United States. Victoria is elegant, refined, strong-willed, and does not suffer fools easily. As a shrewd political activist, Victoria uses her sense of cunning to manipulate her staff members for her own benefit. She also directly confronts Hunter for his extramarital affairs, proving she will do whatever it takes to keep her family together.
After playing several background characters for the first half of her career, Moore rose to prominence by playing Dr. Bridget Chapel in DC's Legends of Tomorrow in 2020. Since then, Moore has increased her visibility by appearing in the TV show Covenant and the TV movie Single Black Female.
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While The Oval marks her most substantial recurring role so far, fans can also see Moore reprise her role as Dr. Chapel on the CW superhero series Stargirl.
Daniel Croix as Jason Franklin
Daniel Croix portrays Jason Franklin, the son of Hunter and Victoria. Jason is a troubled teenager who causes a stir when he inappropriately gropes a woman during his father's inauguration ball. Jason's parents do their best to deal with his untoward behavior, which only worsens over time when he continually harasses a maid inside the White House. Jason is also a bad influence on his sister Gayle.
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Croix began his acting career and 2018 and has very few credits as a result. After starring in three short films in 2018, Croix was cast as Tyler in the acclaimed Hulu original seriesLove, Victor. Franklin only played Tyler in three episodes before landing a main role on The Oval, which clearly marks his most significant acting credit.
Whether The Oval returns, Croix has already lined up his next project, the TV series Manhunt about the search for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.
Javon Johnson as Richard Hallsen
Javon Johnson plays Richard Hallsen, The First Butler working in The Whitehouse. Richard is a dignified and esteemed gentleman who has served various Presidents during his tenure and uses his vast expertise to help the Franklins adjust. However, when tragedy strikes him and his family in the pilot episode, Richard's son Barry is forced to take over until he regains his health.
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Johnson is no stranger to working with Tyler Perry. Early in his career, Johnson appeared in Tyler Perry's House of Payne and later appeared as the Reverend in the movie Boo! A Madea Halloween. While The Oval marks his longest-running TV role to date, Johnson has such onscreen gravitas that he's also played pastors in the TV series Survivor's Remorse and the coming-of-age film The Hate U Give.
Ptosha Storey as Nancy Hallsen
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Ptosha Storey plays Nancy Hallsen. Nancy is the loving wife of Richard, the mother of Barry, and the granddaughter of Barry's daughter, Callie. When an unforeseen calamity strikes the family in the pilot, Nancy does her best to keep her family together and remain calm in the face of uncertainty. Although she can be hard on Barry at times, Nancy loves her family and will do anything to protect them.
While Storey is likely best known for her standout performance on The Oval, she also played Naya Benedict on The Young and the Restless, giving her plenty of soap opera experience. Storey also played Chyna on the hit dramatic series Empire and made single episodic appearances on the popular TV sports dramaAll American and Bel-Air in 2023.
Vaughn W. Hebron as Barry Hallsen
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Vaughn W. Hebron plays the aforementioned Barry Hallsen. Also known as Bartholomew Hallsen, Barry is the son of Richard and Nancy and the father of four-year-old Callie. When his father becomes incapacitated, Barry is forced to grow up fast by stepping into Richard's role as the First Butler in The White House. However, the more comfortable and confident he becomes, Barry begins writing his own rules that threaten to undermine his family's legacy.
Hebron has been turning heads since his career began in 2017. He's appeared in the TV shows S.W.A.T., Prince of Peoria, and TiTi Do You Love Me. He's also played minor roles in such movies as the award-winning biopic King Richard and the crime thriller The Devil You Know.
Most recently, Hebron wrapped a 20-episode run on the Paramount+ sports sitcom The Game.
Teesha Renee as Sharon Welles
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Teesha Renee depicts Sharon Welles in The Oval. Sharon is Barry's on-and-off girlfriend who lives inside the Butler's quarters and brings a lot of domestic drama to the household. When she leaves Barry to be with Kareem, Nancy does everything in her power to keep Sharon and her son together. Sharon is strong, independent, and willing to fight for what she wants.
Like most of her fellow cast members, The Oval has provided Renee with a character that can be fully fleshed out over the course of 90 episodes. As such, the show has been a great breeding ground to hone her craft. Before starring as Sharon Welles, Renee appeared in the small-screen spinoff of Fatal Attraction and ATL Homicide. Since playing Welles, Renee has most famously starred as Destiny in The CW's Arrowverse TV showBlack Lightning.
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Lodric Collins as Donald Winthrop
Lodric Collins portrays Donald Winthrop, the newly-appointed Chief of Staff to President Franklin. Donald is calculating and ruthless and will do everything in his power to protect his influential reach and keep his secret crimes hidden from the public. Along with his lackey Kyle, Donald is more concerned with protecting the presidency than the person holding the title. As such, he often double-crosses President Franklin when it suits him.
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Collins began his career on the long-running soaps All My Children, and General Hospital, making him an ideal player in The Oval. Collins's other notable credits include recurring stints in Grimm and Z Nation. In 2020, Collins participated in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. In 2023, he appeared in the hit-and-run thriller movie Love Marry Kill.
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Walter Fauntleroy as Sam Own
Walter Fauntleroy plays Sam Owen in The Oval. Sam is the leading Secret Service Agent who risks his life every day to protect President Franklin and his family. Much of the show's appeal comes from seeing how the various staffers interact with each other, and Sam proves to be one of the more upstanding and trustworthy employees in The White House. When he isn't keeping the Franklins safe, Sam is often spending time with his wife Priscilla.
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Fauntleroy played Donaldson in Stephen King's The Mist to begin his career. After a recurring role on The Young and the Restless in 2011, Fauntleroy went on to appear in everything from NCIS and Grey's Anatomy to HBO's Insecure and Barry, proving he has the chops to play crime, comedy, and drama. During the middle of his run on The Oval, Fauntleroy was cast in Tyler Perry Madea's Farewell Play in 2020.
Taja V. Simpson as Priscilla Owen
Taja V. Simpson portrays Priscilla Owen, Sam's loving wife who operates with the same level of honor and integrity as her husband. No matter the criminal activity that goes down inside The Whitehouse, Priscilla, and Sam always aim to do what is morally sound, which causes great conflict when they encounter the Franklins and the Winthrops. Without Priscilla supporting Sam, the ethical backbone of The Whitehouse would crumble.
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Simpson is a versatile actor with many notable credits to her name. After making various TV appearances early in her career, Simpson scored a breakout role on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2012. While she's gone on to appear in Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, Insecure, and All American, Simpson's most notable movie role includes starring as Lola in the boxing drama Lola and Lola 2.