There are few American serial killers whose name carries as much weight as Jeffrey Dahmer, whose years-long killing spree earned him a dreadful reputation and nicknames like “The Milwaukee Cannibal” and “The Milwaukee Monster” before and after his 1991 arrest and conviction. And, over the years, Dahmer’s story has been told time and time again with multiple actors, including Jeremy Renner coming in to portray the notorious killer.
Now, more than 30 years after the convicted murderer and cannibal's reign of terror came to and end, a new 2022 Netflix series explores not only Dahmer’s life but also those of his family, victims, and the detectives who were successful in bringing him to justice. Below is a breakdown of the major members of the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer cast and where you’ve seen them before, starting off with Evan Peters in the lead role.
Evan Peters (Jeffrey Dahmer)
Following in the footsteps of fellow Marvel actor Jeremy Renner, Evan Peters joins the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast in the titular role in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true crime show.
Peters should be instantly recognizable for comic book movie fans as the actor played Peter Maximoff, a.k.a. Quicksilver, in various films, starting with X-Men: Days of Future Past. He also played a different take on the character in the 2021 Marvel series, WandaVision. Outside of the X-Men movies and WandaVision, Peters has spent his career appearing in film and TV projects like Kick-Ass, Elvis & Nixon, Mare of Eastown, and various seasons of American Horror Story, the most recent being 2021’s Double Feature.
Richard Jenkins (Lionel Dahmer)
Taking on the role of the infamous serial killer’s father, Lionel Dahmer, in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast is veteran film, TV, and stage actor Richard Jenkins, whose career goes back nearly five decades.
Over the years, Jenkins, not to be confused with Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings, has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards for his work in movies like The Visitor and The Shape of Water, and has even taken home a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in Olive Kitteridge. At the same time, Jenkins has appeared in more comedic roles in movies like Burn After Reading, The Cabin in the Woods, and the 2008 Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly comedy, Step-Brothers, to name only a few. He has also appeared in shows like Six Feet Under (he played deceased family patriarch Nathaniel Fisher), Ally McBeal, and Into Thin Air: Death on Everest.
Molly Ringwald (Shari Dahmer)
Molly Ringwald, who was at the height of her fame as a member of the “Brat Pack” when Jeffrey Dahmer was in the middle of his reign of terror in the 1980s, portrays the killer’s step-mother, Shari Dahmer.
One of the most recognizable faces in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast, Ringwald became a star with a run of hits in the 1980s that included Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink, to name only a few. More recently, Ringwald has appeared in modern romantic comedies like The Kissing Booth movies, All These Small Moments, and Siberia. She’s also been a consistent presence on the small screen with major roles on teen dramas like The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Riverdale, and as part of The Bear cast in 2022.
Michael Learned (Catherine Dahmer)
Longtime TV star Michael Learned shows up in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast as Catherine Dahmer, the convicted killer’s late grandmother.
Throughout her career, which goes back to the early 1960s, Learned has appeared on shows like The Waltons as Olivia Walton (a role that earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards), Nurse, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Promised Land, Cold Case, and an assortment of soap operas that includes General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and All My Children.
Niecy Nash (Glenda Cleveland)
Glenda Cleveland, the neighbor who tried to stop Jeffrey Dahmer from continuing his years-long killing spree in real life, is portrayed by Niecy Nash on the new Netflix limited series.
Prior to showing up in one of the more prominent roles in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast, Nash made a name for herself with her portrayal of Deputy Raineesha Williams on the long-running Comedy Central series, Reno 911!, a role that she picked back up in the 2020 revival. She's also starred on shows like Scream Queens, Getting On, and Claws, which came to an end in 2022. Biographical drama series are nothing new for Nash, as she has landed memorable roles on limited series like When They See Us and Mrs. America. She currently appears on the Netflix comedy series, Never Have I Ever.
Penelope Ann Miller (Joyce Dahmer)
Penelope Ann Miller shows up in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast as the convicted killer’s mother, Joyce Dahmer.
Over the years, Miller has popped up in movies like Adventures in Babysitting, Big Top Pee-Wee, Awakenings, Kindergarten Cop, Chaplin, The Artist, The Birth of a Nation, and Saving Lincoln, to name a few. Prior to appearing on the new Netflix show, Miller’s TV contributions included The Popcorn Kid, Men of a Certain Age, Mistresses, and American Crime.
Shaun J. Brown (Tracy Edwards)
And then there is Shaun J. Brown, who shows up in the Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story cast as Tracy Edwards, the man who survived one of the serial killer’s attacks and later became instrumental in his conviction.
In recent years, Brown has found success with a number of different TV shows including The Dropout, Dear White People, The Great Indoors, and Run. Prior to that, Brown landed roles on Bunheads, True Blood, The Newsroom, and Glee, to name only a few.
You can see all these familiar faces (plus many others) in action as all 10 episodes of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story are currently streaming for anyone with access to a Netflix subscription. If you want to know what other shows are coming out in the final few months of the year, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule.
Stream Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix.
