Sons of Anarchy
The show “Sons of Anarchy” cast, info, pictures, and trivia!
Warning, the following contains spoilers.
This is an American crime drama, that follows the various lives of an outlaw motorcycle Club that is operated in California’s Central Valley, in a fictional town called, Charming. They are a closely united group with a number of charters in both the United States and overseas. The main focus of the series is on the original and founding charter, SAMCRO, (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original) the Teller-Morrow family along with the other members of SAMCRO and their families. In addition, it also directs attention to the many opposing, as well as friendly gangs, assorted citizens of Charming, varied associates and law agencies that either support or weaken the legal and illegal activities of SAMCRO.
The mother chapter of the club is located in Charming, California, in a clubhouse next to the Teller-Morrow auto mechanic shop. The founders, Piermont “Piney” Winston (William Lucking) and John Teller, co-founded the club after their return from the Vietnam War in 1967, cruising what is known as the “redwood country” of the Northern California coast, from Eureka to Big Sur. The first 9 members of the club, also known as the “Redwood Original 9”, were all veterans from the Vietnam War.
The group is now led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and Vice President Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam) who protect and control the town of Charming. (Later, Jax becomes president.) This is done in various ways, from bribery and intimidation to being close to certain members of the town. They are, however, very passionate when it comes to making sure that both drugs and drug dealers are kept out of their town, and will go to great lengths to ensure this.
The members of the club ride customized Harley-Davidson Dyna motorcycles, that are painted black and for the most part have T-bar style handlebars. But every bike is customized to the style of each individual rider as well, which can range from having the Grim Reaper or circled “A” logo of the club, to having the letters of the Sons of Anarchy on it. Although this applies only to the “patch holder’s” and not prospects for the future, who are not allowed to paint their motorcycles until they have been “patched” in. The members wear jackets with the sleeves cut off called, “kuttes”, and resemble vests. These kuttes, have the club logo on the back, with the Grim Reaper holding a crystal ball with the Anarchist circle-A symbol, while brandishing the conventional scythe of the Reaper, the only difference being that the handle of the scythe has been replaced with the M16 rifle that the club’s founders used while fighting in Vietnam. Only full club members are allowed to wear the official “patch”. There are, however, some smaller patches that have specific meanings to them, such as “First 9”, which is worn by all of the nine original SOA members of the club, President, Vice President, SGT at Arms, Secretary, and of course, the “Men of Mayhem” patch, worn only by club members who have actually shed blood for its benefit.
In the premiere of the series, a rival gang called “The Mayans” set fire to the accommodations that The Sons of Anarchy had been using for both the storage of and the assembling of guns, which then forced the club to purchase land for the building of a new facility, which would be called the “clubhouse”. This would include a living area, along with many other rooms, giving the members the opportunity to spend the night there if they so desired, as well as things like a kitchen, fully operational bar, workout room and pool table. It also included a room that was designated as the “chapel”, which included a very elaborate redwood conference table with a reaper logo that is carved into the top of it, and where all of the patched members of the club gather, both for discussions on club business, as well as to vote on any major decisions that need decided. In addition to the clubhouse, SAMCRO also owns a warehouse outside of the town, purchased from but still maintained by club associate, Elliot Oswald (Patrick St. Esprit), and a very secluded cabin in the woods. In addition to their ownership of these buildings, they also rent a candy shop as well.
What is considered their “day jobs”. are positions in local industries at the Teller-Morrow garage, for most, as mechanics. Their main ways of making money, however, include the illegal importing and then modification of certain kinds of weapons, and then the sale of these weapons to assorted gangs in the area, as well as the execution of protection runs for businesses in the immediate area, by the safeguarding of varied and usually quite valuable truck shipments, against the possibility of being hijacked.
SAMCRO manages to keep both drug dealers and meth traffickers out of their little town of Charming, which does have one drawback unfortunately, and that is that it puts them in a head-to-head relationship with Ernest Darby (Mitch Pileggi) the leader of the white supremacist group, The Nordics. A group whose main goal is to keep their dealing in methamphetamine, both high and profitable. SAMCRO also has to deal with the rival, Oakland-based, Mexican-American motorcycle club, the Mayans, who were previously mentioned when they were the ones shown to be responsible for the torching of a SAMCRO building. This group is led by Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera). A few of the other gangs or variations of groups that have some connection to SAMCRO in one way or another include; the Devil’s Tribe-a motorcycle group based in Indian Hills, Nevada, and run by a man called Jury (Michael Shamus Wiles), the San-Francisco based Chinese mafia Lin Triad-led by a man named Henry Lin (Kenneth Choi) the Russian mob-who was led by a man called Viktor Putlova (Keith Szarabajka), a street gang named the One-Niners, (also known as the 9’ers)-whose members are all African-American and led by a man called Laroy (Tory Kittles). In addition, there is also the Italian-American Cacuzza crime family, headed by Jimmy Cacuzza (Jeff Wincott), a white separatist criminal organization that is known as L.O.A.N. or the League of American Nationalists and headed by a man named, Ethan Zobelle (Adam Arkin), the Real IRA of Ireland, and lastly, the Militia, a right-wing terrorist group that is led by a man who is a Vietnam War veteran, Nate Meineke (Tim De Zarn), along with his son, Russell (James Harvey Ward).
Keep in mind, that within each season of the series, contains two parallel story lines that both interweave and overlap with each other. The first of these stories are focused intensely on the personal life of main character, Jax Teller, and his immediate family members, while the second deals with the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original or SAMCRO, and what it is really all about.
*So much so, is SAMCRO supposed to actually resemble the real-life Hell’s Angel Motorcycle Club, that it is for that reason in particular, that various members of the real Hell’s Angels have actually appeared on the show. These would include, Chuck Zito (Frankie Diamonds), David LaBrava (Happy), Sonny Barger (Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz), and Rusty Coones (Quinn).
Jackson “Jax” Teller– (Charlie Hunnam) Jax Teller is the main character of the show, and has held the positions of both Vice President and President of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club’s (SAMCRO) Redwood Original chapter, that is based in Charming, California. He was born in 1978, and his parents are John and Gemma Teller, though his father died in 1993, and his mother later marries a man named Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman). Raised in Charming, California, Jax lives with a genetic heart disorder that a brother of his, Thomas “Tommy” Teller, lost his life to at the age of only 6. The motorcycle he rides is a Harley-Davidson Dyna-Glide, he carries a USMC KA-BAR fighting knife, and works as a mechanic at Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair, in addition to first holding the position of Vice President and then later becoming President of SAMCRO. Jax has a number of tattoos on his body, most of which have a very personal nature to them, and he also wears patches of a similar nature on his kutte. He has served some time in prison for both gun-running and smuggling, with his latest arrest being in 2012. His best friend is Opie Winston, (Ryan Hurst) and has been since they were only children, and he eventually marries his high school sweetheart. He also has two sons, one named, Abel and the other Thomas, after his own deceased brother.
Gemma Teller-Morrow– (Katey Sagal) Gemma is the mother of Jax and his deceased little brother, Tommy, as well as the widow of John Teller, and the current wife of Clay Morrow. She was born in 1957, to the parents of Nate and Rose Madock in Charming, California. And, according to the sheriff of the town, Wayne Unser, (Dayton Callie) apparently left at the age of only sixteen years old, returning a decade later with a Vietnam War Veteran husband, an infant son, and a motorcycle club. Gemma is very protective of both her son and grandsons, and will do anything to ensure their safety and happiness, as well as do anything that seems to be necessary for things to go her husbands’ way and for the club to continue on for generations to come. She has a scar on her chest which is explained at a later time, turning out to be the genetic heart disorder she inherited from her mother’s side which she has also passed on to her children. Gemma is totally unapologetic for the things she says and does to accomplish the things she needs to do.
Robert “Bobby” Minson– (Mark Boone Junior) Bobby has been both the Vice President and the Treasurer Secretary of SAMCRO, learning this trait from his father, who was an accountant in Reno, Nevada, and kept two different sets of books for the Mafia. He therefore, does all the record keeping for the club and is completely responsible for all of their financial matters, from small to large. Unlike most of the members Bobby has a very calm and even-tempered personality, something which is very rare in the club, so much so, that he is often the one to calm the apprehensions that arise between the brothers when tensions begin to crop up. Yet at the same time, he is completely unafraid of using violence when and if it is needed for other things. Bobby is Jewish, and has been known to do Elvis Presley impersonations from time to time in Lake Tahoe, which leads to him sometimes being called, “Bobby Elvis”.
Alexander “Tig” Trager– (Kim Coates) Tig is the Sergeant at Arms of SAMCRO and a former marine. He is also, without a doubt, the club’s most violent member. A man in his late 40’s or perhaps even his early 50’s, he has some very interesting character traits, the first of which is that he is a necrophiliac, meaning that he is sexually attracted to, or has some type of sexual acts with corpses. Another, is that he suffers from a very intense fear of dolls, or what is called pedophobia. In addition, he has been hinted at having a proclivity for some other rather odd sexual perversions along with the necrophilia, although nothing is ever truly proven in any of these areas. Tig has two daughters, named Dawn and Fawn, though his relationship to them is not close and he only sees them once or twice a year and works during the day at the Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair Shop as a mechanic. Though he is rather sensitive when it comes to animals and women, even being known to take revenge against those who have exploited them, in general, Tig is an incredibly violent man, even having a trademark tactic of biting off a piece of flesh from whomever he may be fighting at the time. Far from disliking having to use violence, Tig actually seems to enjoy it, even using it at times when it may not be called for, which is a reason that he and Jax have at times had a somewhat strained relationship. He has always, however, been incredibly loyal to Clay Morrow.
Filip “Chibs” Telford– (Tommy Flanagan) Chibs is SAMCRO’s connection with the Real IRA, and a man whose life seems full of stories. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but spent his years growing up in Belfast, Northern, Ireland. He also served as a medic in the British Army for a short time, (five months) before he was court-martialed, and can speak, Scottish Gaelic and Irish. During his time living in Ireland, he was a Real IRA member, with a wife and daughter, unfortunately, he was excommunicated by its leader, Jimmy O’Phelan, as well as scarred by him. After O’Phelan told him that he was never to return, as well as stole his wife, Fiona, and daughter, Kerrianne, Chibs joined SAMBEL (Sons of Anarchy Motor Club, Belfast, Ireland) in Ireland, until he eventually decided to transfer to SAMCRO in the United States, becoming a member of the Charming charter which has Real IRA links by way of the Belfast charter. He is an incredibly devoted member of the club, and is especially so, to Jax, in particular.
Edward Kip “Half-Sack” Epps– (Johnny Lewis) Now, Half-Sack is not a member of SAMCRO. He is only a prospective member of the club. And this, unfortunately, does tend to lead to him being requested to do certain jobs that other men may find to be, either troublesome or objectionable, not to mention a certain amount of hazing that often goes along with it. Luckily, the other members of the club have a good attitude, toward him for the most part, when it comes to having to tell Half-Sack some of the things that he is going to be expected to do. He is a man who served in the United States Marine Corps during the time of the Iraq War, becoming injured while he was actually serving in Iraq, and losing one of his testicles, thus prompting the name, “Half-Sack”. He was also a very daunting fighter, and held the position of Junior Lightweight of the Armed Forces boxing competition. Later, he began to work at Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair, while doing some seeking work for SAMCRO.
Dr. Tara Grace Knowles-Teller– (Maggie Siff) Tara was the high-school sweetheart of Jax Teller. She is apparently a native of Charming, who lost her mother to death when she when just a young girl of 9, and grew up with what has been described by ATF Agent Stahl, as having a “drunk daddy”. Also during this time of her life, she had a crow tattooed on the lower part of her back to show her connection to Sons of Anarchy. But at only a young age, she decided to leave Charming, and get away from both the influence of the club, as well as small-town life, and instead moved to San Diego, California, to live with a cousin of her father’s with whom she lived while she studied at UC San Diego. She graduated with honors, then choosing to move to Chicago and attend medical school, where she completed an internship at Chicago Presbyterian. A short time later, Tara returned to Charming. After being gone for a decade, attending medical school, and also dating ATF Agent Joshua Kohn, to whom she became pregnant, had an abortion, and had to take out a restraining order against due to his violence and obsessive behavior.
Clarence “Clay” Morrow– (Ron Perlman) He has held the position of both Vice President and President of the Sons of Anarchy. He is one of the original “First 9” members that was formed in 1967, however, he was not a founding member of the club. He was born in 1949, but is not a native of Charming, California, and was the youngest of the original 9 members, as well as one of only three who were not war veterans. He did, in 1969, join the United States Army as an Airborne qualified Infantryman, and became deployed to Vietnam until 1972, (this is memorialized by a paratrooper pin he wears on his vest and a tattoo that is displayed on his left arm) returning afterward to work in the Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair Shop with his best friend, as well as club President at the time, John Teller. After the death of his best friend in 1993, Clay then became President of SAMCRO, as well as eventually marrying Teller’s widow, Gemma. He does all that he can to ensure that both rapists and drug dealers stay out of Charming, the tattoos on his body are many, but consist mainly of a Paratrooper tattoo on his upper left arm, paired with the words, “Death From Above” to show that he actually served in a military unit, and a Grim Reaper on his upper right arm. He suffers from osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis in his hands, which is slowly worsening as time passes, making it harder and harder for Clay to do things like hold the grip on his motorcycle and ride with effectiveness, two things that could prevent him from keeping his position as President of the club if his brothers were to find out, because it is a rule among them. And on his colors, he wears the patches that read both, “President” and “First 9”.
Harry “Opie” Winston– (Ryan Hurst) Opie has been the best friend of Jax, ever since childhood. In addition to being the son of SAMCRO’s co-founder, Piermont “Piney” Winston, (William Lucking) as well as a member of the Sons of Anarchy, despite his mother taking him away from not only his father, but also Charming and its well-known criminal and violent surroundings, when he was only 16 years old. He later returned on his own to both his father and the club, and is now married to Donna Winston. He and Donna have two children together, Ella and Kenny, who unfortunately have had to make ends meet on their own, after Opie is caught by police at a crime scene, after being abandoned by his getaway driver, and sent to Chino State Penitentiary for a five-year period. After finally being released, Donna is adamant that she does not want Opie to return to SAMCRO and its criminal ways, no matter how difficult a time the family has been having fending for themselves while he has been gone, which he doggedly tries to stick to. But in the end, he simply cannot put up with all the guilt and worry for his family, and returns to committing illegal activities with SAMCRO.
Piermont “Piney” Winston– ((William Lucking) Piney was one of the co-founders, along with Jax’s father, John Teller, of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. It was 1967, and Piney had just returned from serving as a Marine in the Vietnam War, with John Teller, and was feeling excluded from the society he had just fought so hard to protect. He was one of the First 9, served as John’s or JT’s Vice-President from 1967-1991, until which time he was diagnosed with emphysema. Later, though he could no longer hold the office of Vice-President, and must carry an oxygen tank with him at all times due to his emphysema becoming so severe, preventing his taking part in things such as going out on runs, though he does still prove to be strong and attends “Church”. He was at one time married to Mary Winston, and is the father of Opie, who is Jax’s best friend. Piney is also the only SAMCRO member to wear the original Sons of Anarchy denim kutte, instead of a leather one.
Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz– (Theo Rossi) Juice is a member of the club who is of both Puerto Rican and African-American descent, and was sponsored by Jax Teller. He seems to show great talent when it comes to technical ability, but is somewhat simple minded if it is some other type of task, which usually ends up getting him given menial tasks, especially as Clay Morrow does not think of him as reliable. From Queens, New York, he has a sister, according to Gemma Teller, with whom he seems to have a very distant relationship, if any, and has tattoos on each side of his head of matching tribal designs. He also has a short Mohawk and wears the “Men of Mayhem” patch on his colors. Also, due to his constant bouts of simple mindedness, he seems to constantly be collecting hazing from other club members.
Chief Wayne Unser– (Dayton Callie) Wayne Unser is the Chief of the Charming, California Police Department. A native of Charming, Wayne served in the Vietnam War as a Marine, when he was younger, and upon returning, decided to join the police force. Now in his 50’s, he is not only the chief of police, but also an associate of SAMCRO, because he actually sees the Sons of Anarchy as a benefit to the town, due to their great efforts at keeping both drugs and violence out of Charming. In addition to his association with SAMCRO, Wayne also owns Unser Shipping, which is a trucking company that delivers various items, and is protected by SAMCRO. He is also married to a woman named Della Unser and they have two daughters. But, unfortunately for Wayne, the worst thing in his life is that he is suffering from terminal bladder cancer, which leaves him lagging for energy and smoking marijuana for relief of pain, but knowing that in the end, he won’t have long.
My Opinion
This series is a dark type of drama that has you rooting for what would, in normal circumstances, be the bad guys. It is the first show of its kind to ever depict the inner workings of what a modern day motorcycle club consists of, from top to bottom. Always exciting and incredibly unexpected turns-of-events are about to take place from moment to moment, with a cast playing the roles that could never have been played by any other actors. Gritty, unique and always full of edge of your seat action, Sons of Anarchy is, without a doubt, a new level in drama. I give it an 8 out of 10.
The Cast
Jackson “Jax” Teller-Charlie Hunnam
Gemma Teller-Morrow-Katey Sagal
Robert “Bobby” Minson-Mark Boone Junior
Alexander “Tig” Trager-Kim Coates
Filip “Chibs” Telford-Tommy Flanagan
Edward Kip “Half-Sack” Epps-Johnny Lewis
Dr. Tara Grace Knowles-Teller-Maggie Siff
Clarence “Clay” Morrow-Ron Perlman
Harry “Opie” Winston-Ryan Hurst
Piermont “Piney” Winston-William Lucking
Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz-Theo Rossi
Chief Wayne Unser-Dayton Callie
Happy Lowman-David Labrava
Recurring Cast
Happy Lowman-David Labrava
Chuck “Chucky” Marstein-Michael Ornstein
Lyla WInston-Winter Ave Zoli
Nero Padilla-Jimmy Smits
George “Ratboy” Skogstrom-Niko Nicotera
Philip “Filthy Phil” Russell-Christopher Douglas Reed
Wendy Case-Drea de Matteo
Marcus Alvarez-Emilio Rivera
Lieutenant Eli Roosevelt-Rockmond Dunbar
Margaret Murphy-McNally Sagal
Abel-Ryder and Evan Londo
Rane Quinn-Rusty Coones
Deputy Chief David Hale-Taylor Sheridan
Officer Eglee-Marya Delver
Kiki-Natalie Skyy
Agent June Stahl-Ally Walker
Jacob Hale, Jr.-Jeff Kober
Deputy Sheriff Cane-LaMonica Garrett
Luis Torres-Benito Martinez
Ally Lowen-Robin Weigert
Allesandro Montez-Jacob Vargas
The Voice of John Teller-Nicholas Guest
Tyne Pounder-CCH Pounder
Romero “Romeo” Parada-Danny Trejo
August Marks-Billy Brown
Henry Lin-Kenneth Choi
Ernest Darby-Mitch Pileggi
Tyler Yost-Mo McRae
Elliot Oswald-Patrick St. Esprit
Fiasco-Reynaldo Gallegos
Miles-Frank Potter
Herman Kozik-Kenny Johnson
Lincoln “Linc” Potter-Ray McKinnon
Cameron Hayes-Jamie McShane
James “Jimmy” O’Phelan-Titus Welliver
Ima Tite-Kristen Renton
Charles “Charlie” Barosky
Ethan Zobelle-Adam Arkin
Luann Delaney-Dendrie Taylor
Taddarius Orwell “T. O.” Cross-Michael Beach
Galen O’Shay-Timothy V. Murphy
Brooke Putner-Hayley McFarland
Laroy Wayne-Tory Kittles
Homeless Woman-Olivia Burnette
Agent Estevez-Marcos A. Ferraez
Trivia
In 2001, Kurt Sutter acquired a job on FX’s “The Shield” series. Starting out first as a staff writer, and after staying with the show for its entire seven seasons, ending up as it’s Executive Producer for the last two.
Ron Perlman’s (Clarence “Clay” Morrow) first real breakthrough role as an actor, came when he landed the role of Vincent, the lion-man, in CBS’s “The Beauty and the Beast”, with actress Linda Hamilton. He was the only actor/actress to be in every episode of the series.
The actor who plays SAMCRO club member, Happy Lowman, is David Labrava, and David is an actual, real life member of the Hell’s Angel MC. (He has the legendary ‘death head’ tattooed on his body.) The reason he was hired for the show, was not as an actor, but as a technical advisor to the show, until he begged the show’s creator Kurt Sutter, for a chance to be on the show itself. And the reason for the name behind his character, “Happy”, was due to the smiley face that he actually has tattooed on his arm. (This along with many other tattoos are all David’s own.)
Charlie Hunnam (Jackson “Jax” Teller) met his now ex-wife, Katherine Townsend, at an audition for Dawson’s Creek, and they married only a few weeks later.
The father of the well-known actress, singer, dancer and more, Katey Sagal, (Gemma Teller-Morrow) was famed Russian-born director and writer, Boris Sagal.
In one season of the series, two ladies who are working for a pornography company in the show, are actual adult film actresses, Alektra Blue and Jessica Drake.
David Labrava (Happy Lowman) will not discuss any of his real-life association with the Hell’s Angel MC, although it is said that he is in good standing with the club, despite being an inactive member, since his work with Sons of Anarchy. However, there are photographs of him online that can be found, where he is wearing his kutte.
Maggie Siff (Dr. Tara Grace Knowles-Teller) has been married since October of 2012 to Paul Ratliff, with whom she had a daughter, Lucy, in April of 2014.
The scars on the face of the character, Chibs, are not done with make-up and lighting, but are instead the very real result on the face of the actor who plays him, Tommy Flanagan, after being attacked by a group of hoodlums and cut with a knife after walking home from a DJ gig in Scotland, when he was young. The conclusion, and what is known as his trademark, a ‘Glasgow Grin’, or a facial scar on each side of his face.
Mark Boone, Junior, (Robert “Bobby” Minson) was born on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1955, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ron Perlman has one trademark that he is well-known for, and that is his deep rolling voice. He has used this for many things other than just stage and television acting, he has also used it for various animated films and series, as well as his work on certain video games, most especially, “Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game” series.
Johnny Lewis (Edward Kip “Half-Sack” Epps) was what used to be referred to as a Renaissance Man, meaning he was not only a superb actor, but that he excelled in many of the other arts also. He was a poet, productive writer, as well as a painter.
Sadly, William Lucking’s (Piermont “Piney” Winston) first wife of 30 years, Mimi, died of breast cancer.
Katey Sagal has been a back-up singer for greats such as Bette Midler, Tanya Tucker, Gene Simmons and the legendary Bob Dylan.
Tommy Flanagan, (Filip “Chibs” Telford) who was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, got into acting at the suggestion of his friend, Robert Carlyle, after his career as a DJ for local dance clubs, nearly ended his life due to a violent attack. Flanagan then joined Carlyle’s Rain Dog Theatre Company where he made his debut in various stage productions. After working in a variety of different local films and smaller television projects, Flanagan managed to land a small role in Mel Gibson’s epic movie, “Braveheart”. Once Mr. Gibson saw Flanagan in the role he had been hired for, which was the rebel, Morrison, Mr. Gibson then expanded the role to be even larger than it was, so impressed was he with Flanagan’s acting. This, of course, exposed Mr. Flanagan to a worldwide audience, and put him on the path to a much larger career.
Goof in season 1 episode 9. It begins toward the end of the episode when Tara and Jax get into bed to cuddle up to each other, and Jax begins massaging her shoulder with his right hand, holding her left hand just a short time later. Then, the camera shifts sides once or twice, showing Jax massaging her shoulder, while in the next shot it is perfectly clear that they are still holding hands.
Kim Coates (Alexander “Tig” Trager) was born in Canada, has worked in film, television series and Broadway, and became a United States citizen in 2010.
Kurt Sutter appeared on his wife Katey Sagal’s former series, “Married with Children”, during its 9th season as an unaccredited mugger.
Charlie Hunnam was born in Newcastle, England.
Theo Rossi (Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz) is an Ambassador to the Boot Campaign, he therefore works directly with numerous organizations that help to raise money for wounded soldiers, as well as for those returning with (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Additionally, he has helped with organizing the yearly Boot Ride event that benefits the Boot Campaign, which gave fans a chance to spend a day riding with the Sons of Anarchy cast, while at the same time raising money for United States military veterans. Rossi also travels to various bases throughout the off-season, in order to visit with United States military women and men on a regular basis.
The majority of the main characters on the series, actually do, not only their own motorcycle driving, but their own stunt work as well.
Dayton Callie (Chief Wayne Unser) is a veteran of the Navy, who served during the time of the Vietnam War.
The series creator, Kurt Sutter, and actress, as well as a main character on the show, Katey Sagal, who plays Gemma Teller-Morrow, have been married since October 2004.
When the creator, Mike Mignola, and the director, Guillermo del Toro, first met with each other to disclose who each of them wanted for the lead role in the movie, (still to be made at that time) “Hellboy”, without hesitation, both of them said at the same moment, “Ron Perlman”. This was so funny because Revolutions Studio wanted a much bigger name for the lead than Perlman. But in the end, after 4 years of fighting, del Toro won, and Ron Perlman was Hellboy.
In 2012, Ron Perlman underwent the 4-hour make-up routine that is necessary to change him into the Hellboy character again. But this time, it was not for a movie or money, or anything like that, it was for the Make-A-Wish request of a little boy named Zachary, who was 6 years old and had leukemia. With the help of Spectral Motion, as well as the assistance of Lufeng Qu and Eden Elizalde, both Ron and Zachary were changed into Hellboy for the entire day. In addition, Mr. Perlman ordered a gigantic meal for the entire Spectral Motion crew, Zachary and his family to enjoy, of burgers, fries and shakes.
Stephen King guest-starred in one episode of the series, by playing a character that was called Bachman. What made this so special, was that King, had used the pen name, Richard Bachman, much earlier in his career, so that he could publish many other books, while still not diminishing from the famed Stephen King brand.
Ryan Hurst (Harry “Opie” Winston) was planned only to have a recurring part during season 1 of Sons of Anarchy, but this was changed quickly for season 2, once it became clear what a large fan base he had, and he quickly became a “fan favorite”.
Charlie Hunnam was going to play the role of the “stoner” in the movie Anderson’s Cross, but due to scheduling conflicts couldn’t do it. Instead of replacing the part, Director Jerome cut the part out of the film completely saying, “No one replaces Charlie Hunnam”.
Katey Sagal has a number of siblings, including a younger set of identical twin sisters.
Kurt Sutter spent time with different members of an outlaw motorcycle club in Northern California, as research for his series, Sons of Anarchy.
Johnny Lewis died on September 26, 2012, under what many have called surprising and strange circumstances, although the death was ruled accidental. In 2011, Lewis had suffered head injuries from a high-speed motorcycle accident, and after several very bizarre arrests in 2012, was diagnosed with having TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury, along with chemical dependency, despite having no drugs found in his system.
Otto, the Sons of Anarchy member who is in prison, is played by the series creator, Kurt Sutter.
With striking comparison, many of the Sons of Anarchy cast members also take pleasure from riding motorcycles in real life. Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jax Teller, in particular, rides his own bike all over, as opposed to driving a car.
When Katey Sagal was at auditions for Married with Children, it was actually her idea to dress up Peggy Bundy in clothes from the 1960’s.
Not only is Theo Rossi an incredible and generous humanitarian in a variety of aspects, but within days of Hurricane Sandy hitting at his home base of Staten Island where he was born, Rossi, with many friends and family members founded, “Staten Strong”, a program that was administered by the Boot Campaign. Staten Strong ended up rebuilding a total of three homes for Hurricane Sandy victims on Staten Island.
Charlie Hunnam auditioned for the role of Anakyn Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.
One of the characters on the show, Tig, is afraid of dolls, this is called Pedophilia. The series creator, Kurt Sutter, actually suffers from this condition in real life.
As there are in so many shows, there are one or two moments where if you look closely, you can spot an error here or there. In this case, it happens to be with the characters of Clay Morrow and what later turns out to be, Marcus Alvarez, the leader of SAMCRO’s rival gang, The Mayans. In an interview with series creator, Kurt Sutter, apparently they originally shot all of Clay Morrow’s scenes in the pilot episode, with the actor, Scott Glenn. Later, they decided to go a different way and hired Ron Perlman for the role instead, but entirely re-shooting all the scenes that had Glenn as Morrow in them, except for one. In the end scene of the pilot episode, after they blow up the warehouse, there is apparently a shot of all of the Sons running away from the explosion, and instead of Ron Perlman, if you look closely, Scott Glenn can be spotted in the foreground instead. Also in this same scene, is where you can see actor Emilio Rivera as a part of the group, as he was originally cast as a member of the Sons of Anarchy, instead of what he ended up becoming for the rest of the series, Mayan gang leader, Marcus Alvarez.
Mark Boone Junior is friends with actor, Steve Buscemi.
Katey Sagal was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 9, 2014.
Goof in season 1 episode 4. Clay is shown clasping his right hand around Tig’s neck, but in the next shot is clearly shown with his left hand.
Some well-known people to appear on Sons of Anarchy include, Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love, Henry Rollins and Dave Navarro.
Kurt Sutter began making talks with FX in 2013, regarding a Sons of Anarchy prequel series that was to be set back in the 1960’s. The series, which will probably be called “The First 9”, will be probably not be worked on before 2017, stated Sutter in February 2015.
Ron Perlman, who plays Clay Morrow, took a bit of time to become used to his Harley, as he was very fearful of it in the beginning.
Ally Walker (Agent June Stahl) was Clairol’s “Nice & Easy Girl” in 1989.
Ryan Hurst (Opie) and the character of Piney, played by William Lucking, were not originally related. But, during the filming of the pilot episode of the show, creator Kurt Sutter saw the two of them beside each other, both with their excessive heights, Hurst at 6′ 4″ and Lucking at 6′ 5″, and dressed in their biker outfits, and thought that the two looked so much like father and son in real life, that he would re-write the characters so that they would become father and son on the show.
Katey Sagal’s godfather is sitcom producer, Norman Lear.
The very last episode of the series aired on December 9, 2014. Kurt Sutter, who created the series, released a book on the show the following day.
Charlie Hunnam is dyslexic.
Kim Coates has been married for over 30 years and has two children, Kyla and Brenna.
The woman who plays Gemma Teller-Morrow, Katey Sagal, and who plays mother to Jackson “Jax” Teller, also has a son in real life named, Jackson.
In his memoir, Ron Perlman states that by the time of his departure from the series, he was not close to a single member of the cast.
The actors who play the characters of Nurse Toric (Karina Logue) and her US Marshal brother Lee Toric (Donal Logue) are actual brother and sister in real life.
Kurt Sutter has stated on several occasions, that the homeless woman who simply showed up on the series from time to time, was always meant to be ambiguous and that the audience can make up whatever meaning for her that they think she should have. Despite this, however, conflicting information seems to have been discovered that implies that Kurt Sutter said he actually wrote the character as an embodiment of Jesus Christ, but tried to leave it ambiguous. In the end, it is still up to each person to decide what they think that the meaning of the homeless woman should stand for.
In 2012, Katey Sagal was interviewed on the NPR program, “Fresh Air”, by Terry Gross, and made the statement that there was at least one song performed by her on every episode of Sons of Anarchy.
During his research for portraying the character of Jax Teller, Charlie Hunnam came to the realization that the riders he was traveling with rarely, if ever, wore boots, they wore sneakers. And due to this realization, Hunnam is therefore, seen wearing only white sneakers during almost the entire length of the show, with the exception of a few brief moments at the very end of the series. This moment comes when he throws a pair of white, bloody sneakers away, and trades them in for boots.
The first episode of season 3 is titled SO. And the last episode of season 3 is titled NS. When the two are put together it spells out SONS, as well as is a reference to the two rings that Jax Teller is constantly seen wearing.
Mark Boone Junior was actually born Mark Heidrich. He took his stage name Boone from a New York City war memorial.
Johnny Lewis briefly dated singer-songwriter, Katy Perry.
In addition to real life Hell’s Angel member, David Labrava, appearing on the series, there are also three other real life Hell’s Angel club members that appear. They are Sonny Barger, Chuck Zito, and Rusty Coons. Barger, makes a few cameo appearances on the show as the character, Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz, and is one of the founding members of the Oakland chapter of the Hell’s Angels MC. Chuck Zito plays “Frankie Diamonds” and Rusty Coons plays “Quinn”.
Goof in season 1 episode 1 (pilot). When the character Donna refers to her children both as boys when she tells them to go in, and one of them is obviously a girl. Opie and Donna have a daughter and son, not two sons.
Boom! Studios began publishing a Sons of Anarchy comic book in 2013. At the end of its series run, 25 issues had been published. And on June 1, 2016, Kurt Sutter and Boom! Studios will partner together and launch a six-issue series called “Lucas Stand”, in both comic shops and digitally, that has been created by Sutter himself.
Every season finale is directed by Kurt Sutter.
Ally Walker was listed as one of People magazine’s “40 Most Fascinating People on TV” in 1996.
Tommy Flanagan served as an altar boy when he was a child.
Two of the actresses from the show, Katey Sagal (Gemma) and Drea de Mateo (Wendy) have the same birthday in common, January 19th. Although they do have an 18-year age difference, with Sagal being the older of the two.
One of Katey Sagal’s “Peg Bundy” bras is in the Frederick’s of Hollywood Lingerie Museum in Hollywood. In 1993, during the riots, it was stolen, but later returned by the thieves after they discovered how valuable an item it was.
Something which former “The Sopranos” lovers may find amusing in season 2 episode 2 of Sons of Anarchy, is the following statement to Otto’s wife….”Relax, I didn’t invite you here to Adriana you.” This, of course, is a reference to how the character of Adriana is killed on The Sopranos, and done so because the role of Adriana on The Sopranos and the role of Otto’s wife on SOA, were one and the same, Drea de Mateo.
NBA player, Carmelo Anthony, had a small part in season 7.
A great deal of the shots during the first season were shot around the SoCal town, Tujunga. The local high school of the town, Verdugo Hills High, was also used for some specific shots.
Unlike some shows, there is absolutely no improvisation on set, as the scripts are followed verbatim. If there is any chance for change, it is discussed first with Kurt Sutter.
Kurt Sutter (series creator) and his wife, actress Katey Sagal (Gemma Teller-Morrow) have one child together, a daughter named, Esme, born via surrogate.
Tommy Flanagan who plays Chibs, appeared in the movie, Alien Vs. Predator (2004). While Johnny Lewis who plays Half-Sack, appeared in the sequel movie, Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).
In season 4, “Baby Thomas Teller” was played by identical mirror girl twins, Mia and Ella Allan. The mirror part means that one twin is left-handed, Mia, and the other, Ella, is right-handed.
The character of John Teller and the series’ real life creator, Kurt Sutter, both share the same birthday of May 5th.
Ron Perlman has been married to his wife, Opal Stone Perlman, for 35 years and they have 2 children.
