See the Cast of Shameless Then and Now (2024)

Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher

For nine seasons, Rossum played Fiona, the oldest of the five Gallagher children who hail from Chicago's South Side. The star's fierce, mother-figure character took on every challenge her dysfunctional family threw at her as she worked odd jobs to support her siblings.

The actress announced her departure from the show in August 2018 and has since appeared in A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018), Cold Pursuit (2018) and as the titular character on the Peaco*ck limited series Angelyne (2022).

Though Shameless fans anticipated that Rossum would return as a surprise during the show's final season, her character did not return after the season 9 finale. Series developer John Wells told Entertainment Weekly that a final appearance by Rossum wasn't possible because of scheduling and COVID-19 lockdowns, saying, "It just didn't feel safe or practical for her to come back."

Jeremy Allen White as Lip Gallagher

Lip — fan-favorite and second in charge — was played by White throughout all 11 seasons. Since the show's debut in 2011, the star has also appeared in The Time Being (2012), Bad Turn Worse (2013), The Rental (2020), The Birthday Cake (2021) and several shorts. He later starred on the Hulu series The Bear.

In March 2024, Macy told Entertainment Tonight that he's proud of his former on-screen son.

“He’s got a huge career. I’m really proud of him,”he said. "I'm such a fan ofThe Bear.”

William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher

Macy had a storied career before his role as Frank, an alcoholic absentee father who often serves as the family's constant headache. In 1997, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. Before sinking his teeth in all 11 seasons of Shameless, Macy also starred in Boogie Nights (1997) and Pleasantville (1998).

Since the premiere of Shameless in 2011, Macy has continued to appear in various films and on TV shows, including The Sessions (2012), Cake (2014), Room (2015), Hulu's The Dropout and ABC's The Conners.

Steve Howey as Kevin Ball

Howey plays Kevin Ball, the good-natured friend of the Gallagher family and bartender at Frank's favorite neighborhood bar.

Before landing Shameless, the actor played Van Montgomery on Reba from 2001 to 2007 and appeared on episodes of New Girl, Sons of Anarchy, Workaholics and Law & Order: SUV while filming the show.

After Shameless wrapped, Howey was cast in the lead role of the CBS reboot True Lies, based on the 1994 blockbuster movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Shanola Hampton as Veronica Fisher

Kevin's sharp and beautiful wife Veronica is played by Hampton, who also had recurring roles on TV shows such as Related and Miami Medical before landing her role on Shameless. Hampton also appeared in 2021's Deadly Illusions. She was also cast on the NBC comedy pilot Night School, based on the 2018 movie starring Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart. However, according to Variety, the pilot was canceled before filming.

Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher

Cutkosky had done print ads and commercials and had a small role in 2007's Fred Claus before landing the part of Carl — the delinquent of the Gallagher family who cares deeply for his siblings — at just 11 years old. Outside of the show, the actor starred in Vic Mensa's "OMG" video in 2017 and appeared as young Tommy Egan on the Starz series Power. He also starred in the 2022 film Alex/October and appeared on an episode of The Conners.

Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher

Fans have watched Debbie, played by Kenney, mature from being the scrappy little sister to surprising audiences as she turns out to be more like Frank than fans would've liked.

Since Shameless premiered, Kenney also played Harris Conner-Healy on The Conners and voiced Sarma in the animated film My Love Affair with Marriage (2022). Kenney has also appeared in Robert the Bruce (2019), Back to Lyla (2022) and Murder at Yellowstone City (2022).

Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher

The big-hearted third oldest Gallagher kid went from dropping out of high school to enlisting in the military and eventually marrying childhood friend Mickey Milkovich. Monaghan appeared in several shorts and on TV shows, including Malcolm in the Middle, Corey and Lucas for the Win (2011) and Gotham, joining his fictional TV sister, Emma, in the 2022 animated film My Love Affair with Marriage, as the voice of Sergei.

His other film roles include Vampire Academy (2014), The Giver (2014), Amityville: The Awakening (2017), Anthem of a Teenage Prophet (2018), Shattered (2022) and Paradise Highway (2022).

Noel Fisher as Mickey Milkovich

The neighborhood's biggest bully, who eventually grows feelings for Ian, is played by Fisher, who is no stranger to TV. He has acted on a string of TV shows before and during his time on the Showtime series, including X-Men: Evolution, The Riches, Castle Rock, The Red Line and The Conners. He also performed the motion capture and voice for Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and its 2016 sequel and starred in Capone (2020).

Christian Isaiah as Liam Gallagher

Prior to Isaiah taking on the role of Liam during season 8, the youngest Gallagher was played by twins Brenden and Brandon Sims since season 3, and twins Blake and Brennan Johnson as babies from season 1, according to Vulture. Isaiah brings the audience along as Liam grows a bond with dad Frank and eventually excels at school while trying to remain close to his family.

Isaiah has also played the role of a young Tupac Shakur on the series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and in Notorious B.I.G. (2018), as well as Phil Saunders on the podcast series Borrasca and young Andre in the film 21 Bridges (2019).