The Family Business Cast & Character Guide (2024)

The Family Business tells the story of the Duncans, a notorious family that owns and runs Duncan Motors, an exotic car dealership in New York, and the Family Business BET cast carried the series to great heights. The show is based on Carl Weber's crime drama book series of the same name. Weber created and developed the show, which premiered as an eight-episode limited series in November 2018. However, following the success of the first season, BET renewed The Family Business for a second season on the streaming service BET+.

Since then, the series has aired for five seasons on BET and picked up a New Orleans-based spinoff. The cast of The Family Business has changed throughout the show's four seasons, but the Duncan family remains at the center of the story. The title of the series refers to their characters, after all. From L.C. Duncan to Paris Duncan, the BET television show shines a spotlight on every member of the family (and a few other characters that serve as their adversaries or allies).

Ernie Hudson As L.C. Duncan

The Patriarch Of The Duncan Family

Actor: Ernie Hudson is best known for playing Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series. He appeared in the first and second movies, returned for a cameo in the 2016 release, and rejoined the cast for Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. He also played Warden Leo Glynn in Oz and had movie roles in features like Leviathan, Airheads, The Crow​​​​​​, The Basketball Diaries, Congo, Miss Congeniality, and The Ron Clark Story. He also had a recent role on Quantum Leap as Herbert "Magic" Williams.

Characters: Ernie Hudson plays the patriarch of the Duncan family, L.C. Duncan, in The Family Business. L.C. is introduced as the CEO of the car dealership in the first season, and he is constantly cleaning up his children's messes to protect their family's image. He is a respected businessman with many connections, but L.C. soon decides that he wants to retire and hand off Duncan Motors to his heirs.

Valerie Pettiford As Charlotte Duncan

L.C.'s Wife And The Matriarch Of The Duncan Family

Actor: Fans might recognize Valerie Pettiford from her roles in several television shows. Pettiford started her role as a dancer for Bob Fosse productions on Broadway, where she picked up roles in Ladies and Gentlemen and West Side Story. She also earned a Tony nomination for her role in Fosse. Around the same time, she got started on soap operas, including One Life to Live and Another World. She played Dee Dee Thomas in Half & Half and starred as Sandra Lucas in Tyler Perry's House of Payne.

Characters: Charlotte Duncan is the matriarch of the Duncan family in The Family Business, and she is portrayed by Valerie Pettiford. Charlotte is L.C.'s wife and relentlessly supports her husband and children throughout the BET series. When viewers first meet her, Charlotte is chastising her daughter, Paris, for getting arrested, but it's clear that it comes from a place of love.

Darrin Dewitt Henson As Orlando Duncan

The New CEO Of Duncan Motors

Actor: Darrin Dewitt Henson got his start in the 1980s as part of the freestyle music group Trilogy, which had the hit single "Good Time." He then worked as a choreographer for bands like NSYNC and The Spice Girls during the MTV music video era. His first big acting role came in 2000 when he played Lem Van Adams in Soul Food. He then added some movie roles to his career, appearing in Stomp the Yard, Tekken, The Salon, and Chocolate City. Most recently, he starred in the TV series Double Cross as Det. Ryan.

Characters: Darrin Dewitt Henson stars as Orlando Duncan in The Family Business. Orlando succeeds his father as CEO of Duncan Motors, given that he inherited L.C.'s charming qualities as a businessman. He is a bit of a playboy and workaholic, but just like the rest of the Duncans, he is fiercely protective of his family.

Javicia Leslie As Paris Duncan

The Youngest Daughter Of The Duncan Family

Actor: Javicia Leslie is most known for portraying Ryan Wilder in Batwoman. The actress took over the leading role after Ruby Rose exited the series, and her character took on the mantle of Batwoman in season 2 while also crossing over with another CW DC series, The Flash. Leslie has also appeared in God Friended Me as a series regular named Ali Finer. As for movie roles, Leslie appeared in the 2019 film Always a Bridesmaid and the 2022 release Something From Tiffany's.

Characters: Paris Duncan is the first Duncan family member that viewers meet in the pilot of The Family Business. Paris, played by Javicia Leslie, is the youngest of L.C. and Charlotte's daughters, and, as a party girl with spoiled tendencies, she often finds herself in trouble. However, despite her always getting into trouble, it is clear her parents love her and will do almost anything for her.

Sean Ringgold As Junior Duncan

The Oldest Of The Duncan Children

Actor: Sean Ringgold got his biggest break on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, where he played Shaun Evans from 2006-2012. Around this same time, he got a lot of one-shot guest roles on TV shows like Ugly Betty, Damages, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and White Collar. He also had some movie roles, with one of his biggest coming in Notorious, where he played Suge Knight. He also starred in Luke Cage as Sugar, a former villain who teamed with Cage to clean up the streets.

Characters: Sean Ringgold portrays Junior Duncan in The Family Business on BET. Despite his name, Junior is the eldest of the Duncan children, and given his large and strong stature, he is the family's security specialist who tends to get his hands dirty while taking care of business as the "security specialist." He also takes a much bigger role in season 5 when he betrays his father, L.C., and pretty much starts a Duncan family civil war, something L.C. never expected to happen.

Tami Roman As London Duncan-Grant

L.C. And Charlotte's Oldest Daughter

Actor: Tami Roman broke into Hollywood when she picked up one of the slots in the MTV reality series, The Real World: Los Angeles season 2 in 1993 (here name then was Tami Akbar). After a few years of small roles in movies and TV shows, she played herself in the reality TV series Basketball Wives from seasons two through eight (she was former NBA star Kenny Anderson's ex-wife). Other than numerous reality TV appearances, she also starred on the TV shows Truth By Told and The Ms Pat Show.

Characters: Tami Roman stars as London Duncan-Grant, L.C. and Charlotte's oldest daughter, in The Family Business. London is married to Harris Grant and Mariah and Maria's mother in the BET television series, but she also has many secrets of her own.

Miguel A. Núñez Jr. As Harris Grant

London's Husband And The Duncan Family Lawyer

Actor: Miguel A. Núñez Jr. has a relatively long acting career. He got his start in the 1980s and appeared in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and The Return of the Living Dead in 1984. He went on to have small roles in some big movies of the era, including Action Jackson, Lethal Weapon 3, and Street Fighter. He also had a lead role in the popular 1990s sitcom Living Single. In 2002, he got the lead role in Juwanna Mann and then picked up another lead in the 2005 Friends spinoff series Joey.

Characters: Miguel A. Núñez Jr. portrays London's husband, Harris Grant, in The Family Business. Harris works for London's father, L.C., as the family's lawyer and fixer, and when viewers first meet him in the first episode, they quickly learn that he isn't the best man. During one of his first scenes with London, Harris hits her when she tries to grab his phone, and later, he is very upset when L.C. appoints Orlando as his successor.

Arrington Foster As Rio Duncan

Paris's Twin Brother

Actor: Arrington Foster doesn't have a lot of experience behind him as an actor. His most known role is as Rio in The Family Business. He has most of his credits early in his career in short films, although he did have some one-shot roles in TV shows, although without a character name. This includes Evil Twins and Deadly Affairs in 2012 and 2013. He got a four-episode turn on Co-Ed as Ashley Taylor Evans and a two-episode role on Bro-Dum as an extra.

Characters: Rio Duncan is Paris's twin brother in The Family Business, and he is portrayed by Arrington Foster. As Paris points out in the pilot episode, she is technically older than him because she was born first, but the two siblings are very close in the BET television show. As a gay man, Rio doesn't tend to get the same respect from his father that his brothers do, but he is successful in his own right since he manages a club and lounge in the city.

Dylan Weber As Nevada Duncan

L.C. And Charlotte's Grandson

Actor: Dylan Weber is still a young actor, so besides the BET series, he has only appeared in two other projects. In 2013, he was the narrator for a short film called Circuit Breaker (although he would have been very young at that time). In 2018, he played a character named Christian in a movie called Throwback Holiday. He also currently has nothing in the works.

Characters: Dylan Weber stars as Nevada Duncan, L.C. and Charlotte's grandson, in The Family Business. Since he is only a teenager, Nevada is just learning about the ins and outs of the business at the beginning of the series. Nevada's father, Vegas Duncan, is missing when the show starts, so L.C. and Charlotte look after him.

Clifton Powell As Uncle Lou Duncan

L.C.'s Brother

Actor: Clifton Powell is a very accomplished actor, appearing in well over 100 films over his career (which started in 1981). His career was small in the 1980s, but he ended up in some huge movies in the 90s, including roles in Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, Buffalo Soldiers, Deep Rising, Rush Hour, and Next Friday. He finally enjoyed critical success in 2004 when he starred as Jeff Brown in Ray, which neared him an NAACP nomination. He had a recurring role in Army Wives and a lead role in Saints & Sinners.

Characters: Lou Duncan is L.C.'s brother and the uncle of Junior, Orlando, Paris, London, Rio, and Vegas in The Family Business. Lou, played by Clifton Powell, works as L.C.'s partner at the dealership, but he is more concerned with the criminal side of the business rather than selling cars.

The Family Business Supporting Cast & Characters

Other Important Characters Outside The Duncans

Armand Assante as Sal Dash - Of course, The Family Business features other important characters outside the Duncans, including Sal Dash, played by Armand Assante. Sal is a mafia crime boss and close friend of L.C. Duncan, so he has a special interest in the change of leadership at Duncan Motors in the first season. Assante has also appeared in Gotti, The Odyssey, When Nietzsche Wept, and I, the Jury.

Emilio Rivera as Alejandro Zuniga - Whereas Sal is a friend of the Duncans in the BET series, Emilio Rivera's Alejandro Zuniga is their adversary. Alejandro runs the Zuniga Cartel in Los Angeles, and the crime boss tries to mend his relationship with the Duncans in the series. Fans might recognize Rivera from his role as Marcus Álvarez in Sons of Anarchy and its spinoff, Mayans M.C., but the actor has also starred in Weeds, Hand of God, Z Nation, Saints & Sinners, and On My Block.

KJ Smith as Sasha Duncan - Sasha Duncan is one of the Duncans' cousins in The Family Business, and she is portrayed by KJ Smith. She shares many qualities with Paris, resulting in them butting heads. Other than the BET series, Smith has starred in Family Time, Queen Sugar, Dynasty, Sistas, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Michael Jai White as Vegas Duncan - Son, Vegas Duncan, played by Michael Jai White, is missing when The Family Business begins. However, he finally returns home in season 5. White is a huge action movie star who appeared in the 1997 movie Spawn and several DTV action movies, including Mortal Kombat: The Legacy and Universal Soldier: The Return. He also played the title role in the critically acclaimed 2009 blaxploitation film Black Dynamite.

The Family Business (2018)

TV-MA

Crime

Action

Drama

The Family Business (2018) follows the Duncan family, who operate an exotic car dealership by day while secretly running a criminal organization at night. Led by patriarch L.C. Duncan (Ernie Hudson), the family navigates power struggles, loyalty, and danger while pursuing their own form of justice.

Cast

Valarie Pettiford , Darrin Dewitt Henson , Sean Ringgold , Tami Roman , Ernie Hudson , Arrington Foster , LisaRaye McCoy , Dylan Weber

Character(s)

Charlotte Duncan , Orlando Duncan , Junior Duncan , London Duncan , L.C. Duncan , Rio Duncan , Donna Duncan , Nevada Duncan

Release Date

November 18, 2013

Seasons

5