Where are the Heroes cast now? From major Hollywood successes to addiction issues and racism accusations, what happened to the franchise's most notable names

Daily Mail​

25-07-2025

Heroes was an immediate smash hit when it arrived on screens back in 2006, propelling its cast to overnight fame.
The sci-fi series followed a group of ordinary people who develop superhuman abilities and use their powers to save humanity from destruction.
Gaining a strong following, the show ran for four series until 2010, and was briefly rebooted for 2015's Heroes Reborn, with some of the original cast returning.
Last year, it was rumoured that another reboot, titled Heroes: Eclipsed, was in the works with original creator Tim Kring attached to the project.
However, little has been heard about the venture since and original star Milo Ventimiglia shared his doubts, telling Deadline they'd already tried to bring it back.
Though Milo appeared to shut down returning to the franchise, it is not known if any of the other cast would be willing to return if another reboot was in the works, having all moved on to different things since Heroes ended.
Hayden Panettiere
After her four-season stint as Claire Bennet on Heroes, Hayden, 35, went on to nab a leading role in another major drama series.
She starred as Juliette Barnes in country-music drama Nashville, which ran for six seasons from 2012 until 2018.
Her love life came under interest from Heroes fans as she dated her co-star Milo for more than a year before going their separate ways in 2009.
The couple, who had a 12-year age gap, first insisted they were just 'good friends' and kept their romance under wraps after becoming involved during filming.
Hayden also scored other major successes throughout the 00s including n 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing, 2009's I Love You as well as Scream 4.
However, after wrapping up filming on Nashville she took an unplanned four-year break from acting amid her struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
Hayden made her acting comeback in 2023 and later said of the break: 'I had taken four years off.
'Didn't know or plan to, but that's just the way it panned out, and I desperately needed it.'
She has openly discussed her addiction over the years and made her return to the spotlight appearing in Scream VI in 2023, once again playing Kirby Reed.
Her past addiction struggles saw her make the difficult decision for her daughter Kaya to live with her ex, Ukrainian former boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Hayden, who is now sober, got engaged to Wladimir in October 2013 and they welcomed Kaya the following year, but went their separate ways in 2018.
She later dated Brian Hickerson but over the course of their relationship, he faced multiple domestic violence charges, and in 2021 he served time for injuring her.
In 2023, Hayden said they had become friends again while pursuing their sobriety, which was 'contingent on him continuing on this road of recovery'.
She has reentered the spotlight in more recent years, starring in other releases including Amber Alert in 2024 and 2025 release A Breed Apart.
Milo Ventimiglia
Milo, 48, rose to fame as quite the teenage heartthrob in the 2000s, starring as Rory Gilmore's misunderstood love interest Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls.
His character quickly became a firm fan favourite and fans spent years hoping he and Rory would get back together - with the theories sparking up again when he returned for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016.
At the same time as his Gilmore Girls fame, he soared to further stardom when he took on a leading role in 2006 sci-fi series Heroes.
Starring as Peter Petrelli, Milo's talents were shown to a whole new audience when he joined the star-studded cast and he stayed for the entire four-series run.
However, fans were left disappointed when Milo didn't reprise his role for the 2015 reboot, Heroes Reborn, as he instead focused on other projects.
He has secured a string of high-profile roles since his 00s fame, including in The Art of Racing in the Rain, 2012's That's My Boy and Creed II.
But he is arguably best-known for having starred as Jack Pearson on This Is Us from 2016 until 2022, which saw him nab three Emmy nominations.
In his personal life, Milo welcomed his first child with his wife Jarah in January 2025, two years after they tied the knot.
The arrival of their daughter, Ke'ala Coral, came just days after they devastatingly lost their home during the LA Pacific Palisades wildfires.
Jarah was 38 weeks pregnant when they were forced to evacuate their home in the blaze, which completely destroyed an array of celebrity homes.
Announcing the arrival of their daughter, the couple said they were overjoyed to simply be 'healthy and safe' following the tragedy.
'We are deeply grateful to all of the heroes who help battle fires, as well as care for everyone affected by the aftermath for years to come,' they added.
Milo got choked up as he revisited the remains of their former home following the fire, telling how it had been all set up for their daughter's arrival and spoke of the memories lost.
He said: 'I think there's a shock moment where you go, this is real and this is happening. Then, at some point, you just turn it off. What good is it to continue watching?'
Eventually, while watching the live footage, he said: 'We kind of accepted the loss.'
The arrival of their daughter, Ke'ala Coral, came just days after they devastatingly lost their home during the LA Pacific Palisades wildfires
Zachary Quinto
Arguably one of the best-known Heroes cast, Zachary has gone on to launch himself into mainstream Hollywood since his role as villain Sylar/Gabriel Gray.
The American actor, 48, memorably took over the role of Spock from the late Leonard Nimoy in J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek adaptation.
He has gone on to reprise his role in two Star Trek sequels - 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond.
There has been much interest in a fourth movie in the series and it was reportedly in development, but no official announcements have yet been made.
Zachary recently brushed off concerns about a time gap before a potential fourth movie, admitting he would love the chance to reprise the role again.
'The great thing is Star Trek is a limitless universe. Look at all the television shows, look at all the stories, look at all the characters and timelines,' he said last year.
'Anything is possible. That's the joy of the franchise. That's why it's lasted for 55, 60 years. I'm open to it. I would love it. I would absolutely love it.'
Away from Star Trek, Zachary has also taken on roles in big projects including 2011's Margin Call and 2024 medical drama Brilliant Minds.
Zachary was previously in a long-term relationship with Miles McMillan but the couple went their separate ways in February 2019 after six years together.
He is currently not known to be in another relationship but also previously dated actor Jonathan Groff, before their 2013 split.
Greg Grunberg
Greg starred as Matt Parkman on Heroes and has continued to pursue acting, also joining a major sci-fi franchise, much like his co-star Zachary.
While Zachary joined the Star Trek franchise, Greg joined the Star Wars world, appearing in the modern sequels to the beloved original trilogy.
He took on the role of Temmin 'Snap' Wexley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Greg has also starred in other major Hollywood blockbusters including A Star Is Born, which sees Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga leading the cast.
He additionally featured in 2020's Max Reload, The Nether Blaster and 2022 release The Fabelmans.
Greg nearly reunited with Zachary on-screen as he was offered the part of Olson in Star Trek by J.J Abrams but was unable to accept it due to scheduling conflicts.
Olson was instead played by Greg Ellis, and he instead voiced Kirk's stepfather Frank during the opening sequence of the final film in the franchise.
In his personal life, Greg is married to Elizabeth Dawn Wershow and they share three children - Sam, Jake and Ben.
Their son Jake, 29, has epilepsy, which has inspired Greg to pursue an active role in raising awareness for the neurological disorder.
Masi Oka
Masi famously took on the role of Hiro Nakamura on Heroes and went on to have another high-profile role on CBS' Hawaii Five-0 remake.
The Japanese actor, 50, starred as Doctor Max Bergman on the long-running crime drama until 2017, when he left to pursue other interests.
Despite Heroes coming to an end, he never let his love for the franchise behind him and he returned for the Heroes Reborn sequel in 2015.
He was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Heroes in a huge achievement.
As well as his TV fame, he has also nabbed film roles including in Friends With Benefits, 2013 release Jobs, 2018's The Meg and Bullet Train, which also starred Brad Pitt and Joey King.
He is still working as an actor and will be starring in an adaptation of dark fantasy manga series Claymore, Deadline reported earlier this year.
He will serve as executive producer on the live-action CBS show, which is based on the series by Norihiro Yagi.
Masi has also explored other business ventures away from the screen and is also the co-founder of tech company Mobius Digital.
Kristen Bell
Though arguably one of the most famous Heroes alumni, it is often forgotten that she got one of her early jobs on Heroes.
Kristen, 45, joined the cast for the franchise's second and third series in 2007 and 2008, playing Elle Bishop after wrapping up on Veronica Mars.
She appeared in 12 episodes before she was killed by villain Sylar (Zachary) and she has gone in to become a Hollywood staple.
Kristen starred in a string of smash hit rom coms including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Couples Retreat, while she is also the famous Gossip Girl narrator.
In more recent years, she showed off her vocal talents as Anna in Frozen and took on the leading role in quirky comedy The Good Place.
Most recently, Kristen won over legions of fans starring as the leading lady in Nobody Wants This alongside Adam Brody, with their on-screen love story winning over fans.
They will both be returning for a second series of the heartwarming comedy, which is based on creator Erin Foster and her husband, music executive Simon Tikhman.
Kristen also has a high-profile marriage to Dax Shepard and the couple have two daughters - Lincoln and Delta, who they keep out of the public eye.
Their 11-year marriage is going as strong as ever and they have become one of Hollywood's strongest couples.
Most recently, Kristen won over legions of fans starring as the leading lady in Nobody Wants This alongside Adam Brody, with their on-screen love story winning over fans
Cristine Rose
Cristine starred as tightly-wound mother Angela Petrelli on Heroes, first appearing as a recurring character for two series before becoming a regular feature.
She reprised her role once again for the 2015 miniseries Reborn and it is arguably of her her most high-profiles role to date.
However, she also took on a notable role as leading character Ted Mosby's mother Virginia Mosby in smash hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
She has stepped away from the spotlight in recent years, not racking up any further acting credits since starring in Sharp Objects for one episode in 2018.
Cristine has also worked as a playwright away from the spotlight with her play Sanctuary having a successful run in London last year.
Jack Coleman
Heroes certainly wasn't Jack's first foray into the spotlight as he spent six years starring on Dynasty in the 1980s.
He then took on the role of Claire Bennet's father Noah on the supernatural series and returned for the 2015 reboot.
A fan of the supernatural genre, he also starred as Caroline Forbes' father Bill on The Vampire Diaries, taking on a recurring role in the show's early series.
His other acting credits include starring in 2009's Polar Storm, 2006 release Cow Belles and Rattlesnakes in 2019.
Jack has been married to his wife Beth Toussaint since 1996 and the couple share a daughter called Tess.
Leonard Roberts/Ali Larter
Leonard portrayed DL Hawkins on Heroes while Ali starred as his on-screen wife Nicole Sanders.
Leonard only appeared in one series of Heroes and he has since accused Ali of having him written off the NBC programme.
In 2020, Leonard said systemic racism ruined his role on Heroes in an essay for Variety, in which he recounted how he was hired and then fired from his role.
Leonard wrote: 'I've been a Black actor for 25 years but I've been a Black man in America my whole life.
'Those are never separate journeys, nor do I believe they ever should be. The Black Lives Matter protests clearly were bringing up feelings of anger, fear and shame connected to a time in my professional past I now believe are deserving of reflection.'
He went on to describe his contentious working relationship with Ali and said art was imitating life in the script's suggestion of their 'volatile relationship'.
Responding to his allegations, Ali said she was 'deeply saddened' to hear of his experience and insisted it did not line up with her own memories of the show.
'I am deeply saddened to hear about Leonard Roberts' experience on Heroes and I am heartbroken reading his perception of our relationship, which absolutely doesn't match my memory nor experience on the show,' she said in a statement to TVLine.
'I respect Leonard as an artist and I applaud him or anyone using their voice and platform. I am truly sorry for any role I may have played in his painful experience during that time and I wish him and his family the very best.'
Since then, Leonard has continued to work in the entertainment industry and starred in 2023's Goosebumps as Happy Sam Sawyer.
He has also taken on roles in the rebooted Charmed series, Hawaii Five-0, Bosch: Legacy and The Upshaws, among many others.
Meanwhile, Ali has most recently starred in TV series Landman alongside the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Michelle Randolph and Demi Moore.
She portrays Angela Norris in the show, sex-crazed ex-wife of Billy Bob's Tommy Norris, and often films scantily-clad scenes for the role.
'I get to work with an incredible cast and the entire crew is so gifted and talented that I just feel like I'm playing at the top of the game and so that's really exciting,' she recently gushed.
'And now to see the fans really love these characters and love the story that's unfolding is very exciting, because you never know when you're making something if it's gonna connect with an audience and this show obviously has.'
Ali has been married to actor Hayes MacArthur since 2009 and the couple tend to keep their relationship relatively private.
Adrian Pasdar
Adrian appeared as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes from 2006 until 2009, before he was killed off by Skylar in a shock twist.
He has secured roles in other major TV series since including The Lying Game, Avengers Assemble and Supergirl.
Adrian was also married to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for 17 years but she filed for divorce back in 2017.
They tied the knot in 2000 and went on to welcome two sons - Jackson Slade and Beckett Finn.
They were locked in a divorce settlement following their split but finalised the arrangement in December 2019 after a two-year legal battle.
In the years since, he has continued to rack up acting credits in the likes of The Exorcism in 2024, Sabre: A Fencer's Story and East New York.
Adrian was also married to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for 17 years but she filed for divorce back in 2017