Last year bought about some major changes to Suits after series regulars Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) left the show at the end of Season 7. Despite losing two of its pivotal characters, Suits has soldiered on, promoting a few of its recurring characters to central fixtures and introducing some new talent to the mix in the form of newcomer, Katherine Heigl. Whether or not Suits season 9 can prove as successful as previous seasons, we’ll need to wait and see (although with this year’s run reducing from its usual 16 episodes to just 10, we won’t have too much time to make up our minds). To see how the talent stacks up, let’s take a look at which characters we can expect to hear more from over the coming season.
Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
Reprising his role as Harvey Specter is 46-year-old actor, Gabriel Macht. Macht’s first screen performance came at the age of 8 when he played Jorge in the 1980 comedy-drama film, Why Would I Lie. Macht’s outstanding performance in the film earned him a Young Artist Awards for Best Young Motion Picture Actor nomination, but it would be another 11 years before he appeared on camera again. After completing his education at Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, Macht made his television debut in 1991 as Tal Weaver in an episode of the long-running series, Beverly Hills, 90210. Since then, he’s appeared in numerous TV and film features but is perhaps best known for playing The Spirit in the 2008 film of the same name, and Dr. Mark Gabriel in The Others. Outside of acting, Macht is happily married to the Australian actress Jacinda Barret, with whom he shares 2 children.
Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
Taking on the role of Louis Litt once again is Rick Hoffman. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Hoffman relocated to Los Angeles in a bid to further his acting career. His first acting gig after moving to the city came in the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory, which saw him take on the minor role of a security guard. After several more years of playing small characters in big productions (an unnamed Police Officer in Lethal Weapon 4 as a case in point), he landed his first starring role as Freddie Sacker in the Wall-Street based series, The $treet. Although the show was pulled from the air after only 7 episodes, it did at least allow Hoffman to quit serving as a waiter and focus his efforts purely on acting. After moving back to New York, he began landing ever more significant roles, including Terry Loomis in Philly, Jerry Best in The Bernie Mac Show, and Chase Chapman in Samantha Who.
Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
Former legal secretary turned COO, Donna Paulsen, is played by Sarah Rafferty, a 46-year-old actress who, since graduating magna cum laude from Hamilton College in 1993, has been working in TV and film since 1998. Her first role came in the made-for-television film, Trinity, in 1998, and she’s since appeared in such features as Falling For Grace (2006), Without a Trace (2003), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004), Samantha Who? (2008), and Brothers and Sisters (2010). As the International Business Times notes, Rafferty has been life-long friends with fellow Suit’s star Gabrielle Macht, ever since the two first met at the William Theatre Festival in 1993.
Amanda Schull as Katrina Bennett
After being promoted to a series regular in season 8, Amanda Schull stars once again in season 9 as Katrina Bennett. The Hawaiian born actress initially trained as a ballerina, studying ballet and journalism at Indiana University on a ballet scholarship, and attending the San Francisco Ballet School on a one-year scholarship. After completing her studies, Schull was offered an apprenticeship at the school by its creative director, and she subsequently joined its corps de ballet as a full-time member. Simultaneous to her activities at the school, Schull began to launch her acting career, starring as Jody Sawyer in the 2000 film Center Stage and as Davina Mayhan in the YTV sitcom My Family and Me. After hanging up her dancing shoes for good in 2006, Schull focused her attention fully on acting, starring in the film adaptation of Li Cunxin’s Mao’s Last Dance in 2008, and making guest appearances in shows such as Ghost Whisperer, Lie to Me and Sorority Wars. In 2010, she landed the recurring role of Meredith Sorenson in Pretty Little Liars, and 3 years later, Suits came up. On the home front, Schull is married to George Wilson, who she met in Australia while filming Mao’s Last Dancer
Dule Hill as Alex Williams
Like Schull, Dule Hill was promoted from a recurring character to a series regular in season 8 and will be reprising his role as Alex Williams once again in season 9. After studying acting at the William Esper Studio, Hill landed his first major acting gig in 1993 in Jim Henson’s CityKids. That same year, he accepted his first film role in the Leon Ichaso directed crime caper, Sugar Hill. Since then, he’s appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including The West Wing (his performance in which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series), Ballers, and She’s All That. In addition to his film and TV career, Hill has also built a significant portfolio of work on stage, appearing in such productions as Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole (2017 +2019), Stick Fly (2011) and After Midnight (2013).
Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler
Katherine Heigl stars as Samantha Wheeler, a new partner at the law firm who joined the cast in season 8. The actress, film producer, and former model has appeared in numerous features since making her acting debut in That Night (1992), including teen drama series Roswell, medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and the short-lived NBC series, State of Affairs. Heigl is married to singer Josh Kelley, and has three children.Meghan Markle
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