There were several recurring characters in the 1985 television series ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both po ...

'' and its 2016 reboot. ''MacGyver''s producers had a tendency to use an actor in multiple roles throughout the series. Several recurring characters were added throughout the series run, appearing as guest-stars in the opening credits.

Overview

Main characters

MacGyver

: Portrayed by

Richard Dean Anderson Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a retired American actor and producer. He began his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series ''General Hospital'', and then rose to prominence as the lead a ...

in original,

Lucas Till Lucas Daniel Till (born August 10, 1990) is an American actor. In a career spanning two decades, he has appeared in multiple film and television projects spanning a variety of genres. He is a five-time Teen Choice Award nominee. His most notabl ...

in 2016 reboot MacGyver is a troubleshooter who prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible. He refuses to carry or use a gun due to a childhood accident with a

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

that resulted in the death of a friend. MacGyver is an outspoken advocate of

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

, as well as a supporter of environmental preservation, racial equality, and assisting the poor. Even in cases where his improvised devices are used to attack hostile opponents, he is always doing so in

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

and, if possible, subduing or disabling rather than killing. He is often suspicious of militaristic attitudes within the government; he sees his ''Phoenix Foundation'' employer as an alternative to the more conventional (and violent) means of law enforcement. In the 2016 reboot, MacGyver is a U.S. operative who works for the Phoenix Foundation, a covert agency operating under the guise of a think tank. Trained as an

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the militar ...

technician for the Army, he prefers to use non-lethal means to stop his enemies. Mac spends the majority of the first and second seasons searching for his father James, who abandoned him as a child shortly after losing his mother. He eventually finds him in the season 2 finale, where he learns James has been watching over him all his life, and is now his boss codenamed 'Oversight'. Unable to work for people he doesn't trust, Angus quits the Phoenix and refuses to rejoin as he cannot trust his father. Maddy convinces James to quit, which leads Angus to rejoin.

/

: Peter Thornton portrayed by

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series ''MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immediate ...

in original; Patricia Thornton portrayed by

Sandrine Holt Sandrine Claire Holt (born Sandrine Vanessa Ho; 19 November 1972) is a British-born Canadian model and actress. Early life Holt was born Sandrine Vanessa Ho in Croydon. Her middle name was later changed to Claire. Her father, Man Shun ("Horace" ...

in 2016 reboot Peter Thornton (portrayed by

) is MacGyver's boss and best friend. Pete is divorced from Connie Thornton (portrayed by Linda Darlow). Pete is an operative at the ''Department of External Services'' (DXS) which is where he is impressed by Mac's ingenuity while tracking down

Murdoc Murdoc is a fictional character that appears in the ABC television series ''MacGyver'' and in the CBS reboot series of the same name. In both portrayals, Murdoc is an assassin and frequent antagonist of both series. Original series Murdoc i ...

, an international assassin. When Pete takes the position of Director of Operations at the ''Phoenix Foundation'' several years later, he brings MacGyver into the program. In addition to sending Mac out on various tasks for the Foundation, Pete is many times forced to bail MacGyver out of the trouble he gets into. Pete has a son, Michael, who has always been resentful that he was never around when he was growing up. In the sixth season Thorton begins going blind as a result of

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

. (Elcar was diagnosed with glaucoma.) In 2016 reboot, Patricia Thornton is an ex-field agent & director of operations for the

Department of External Services There are various fictional organizations in the 1985–1992 American television series ''MacGyver''. Department of External Services The DXS is a U.S. intelligence agency where MacGyver and Peter Thornton are employed during the first season. It ...

and

Phoenix Foundation The Phoenix Foundation is a libertarian foundation that has supported numerous attempts, at times violent, to create independent libertarian states. The foundation was created by Nevada-based real estate millionaire Michael Oliver, his friend ...

. In the 12th episode, "Screwdriver", she is discovered to be a mole working for the Organization and arrested.

Jack Dalton

: Portrayed by

Bruce McGill Bruce Travis McGill (born July 11, 1950) is an American actor. He worked with director Michael Mann in the movies '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Ali'' (2001), and ''Collateral'' (2004). McGill's other notable film roles include Daniel Simpson "D-Day" ...

in original as recurring, by

George Eads George Eads is an American actor, known for his role as Nick Stokes on the CBS police drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He later starred as Jack Dalton on the CBS action-adventure series ''MacGyver'' for three seasons. Biography Earl ...

in 2016 reboot as main In the original series, Jack is an aviator and old friend of MacGyver's with a weakness for

get-rich-quick scheme A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that partic ...

s that invariably get both of them into trouble. He always wears a peaked cap and twitches his left eye when lying. In the 2016 reboot, Jack Dalton (played by former '' CSI'' star

) is Mac's partner in the field and a former

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

soldier and

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

operative. Jack's history with Mac goes back to his days in the Army and unlike Mac, he is not afraid to use guns in the field. He also has history with Riley, because he was once in a relationship with her mother and had an altercation with her abusive father. While mostly easy-going and laid-back, Jack can get serious when the situation calls for it and often calls upon his special forces training to help the team get out of a tight spot. * Actor Bruce McGill guested in the reboot series as Detective Greer in episode 2x11 "Bullet + Pen".

Wilt Bozer

: Portrayed by Robin Mossley in original as recurring, by

Justin Hires Justin Hires (born June 24, 1985) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Hires is known for portraying Detective James Carter on the CBS television series '' Rush Hour'', Juario in '' 21 Jump Street'', and Wilt Bozer in the 2016 reboot serie ...

in 2016 reboot as main In the original series, Wilt Bozer is in a handful of episodes: ''Serenity'', ''The Lost Amadeus'', ''Hearts of Steel'', and ''MacGyver's Women''. In the 2016 reboot, Wilt Bozer is an aspiring filmmaker, prosthetic makeup artist, and MacGyver's best friend and roommate. At first, he doesn't know about MacGyver's real job. Bozer later joins the Phoenix Foundation after discovering MacGyver's secret, and uses his talents to create lifelike masks and facial prosthetics as well as a humanoid robot.

Riley Davis

: Portrayed by

Tristin Mays Tristin Mays (born June 10, 1990) is an American actress. Mays portrayed Riley Davis in the reboot of the ''MacGyver'' series on CBS who works as a covert operative for the Phoenix Foundation. Early life and education Mays' parents, Viveca and Mi ...

in 2016 reboot as main A computer systems expert and skilled hacker recruited by Phoenix Foundation. She was in a Super Max prison for hacking the

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

. Davis was recommended to Director Thorton by Jack Dalton, one of her mother's boyfriends due to Nikki Carpenter being allegedly killed in action. Her sentence was cut short by request of the DXS and continued working with the Phoenix.

Matilda Webber

: Portrayed by

Meredith Eaton Meredith Hope Eaton Gordon (sometimes credited as Meredith Eaton-Gilden; born August 26, 1974) is an American actress. She is tall, and refers to herself as a "short-stature actress". She is known for portraying the attorney Emily Resnick on t ...

in 2016 reboot as main Matilda "Matty" Webber is the new Director of Operations at Phoenix Foundation and Jack's ex-boss at the CIA. She takes over after Patricia Thornton is outed and arrested.

Samantha Cage

: Portrayed by

Isabel Lucas Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress and model. She is mainly known for her roles in '' Home and Away'' (2003–06), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), ''Daybreakers'' (2009), ''The Waiting City'' (2009), ' ...

in 2016 reboot as main Samantha Cage is a

officer and formerly

SASR The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the Special Air Service, British SAS sharing the motto, "Who ...

4th Squadron. After she is discharged from the CIA for her unsanctioned actions to save a

MIA Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 1983) ...

SEAL Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

, in the second-season premiere, Matty recruits her into the Phoenix Foundation.

Desiree "Desi" Nguyen

: Portrayed by

Levy Tran Levy Tran (born November 16, 1983), born as Vy Le Tran, is an American actress and model, best known for her role as Roenick in the 2018 film ''The First Purge'', Desi Nguyen in ''MacGyver'', the guest hostess to MTV's ''Guy Code'', for her appe ...

in 2016 reboot as recurring (season 3) and main (seasons 4 and 5) Desi Nguyen is the Phoenix Foundation's newest agent, who uses her skills to protect MacGyver and his team on their global missions. She replaced Jack Dalton as the team's muscle.

Russell "Russ" Taylor

: Portrayed by

Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series ''Lost'', for which he received a Primet ...

in 2016 reboot as main. Russ Taylor is an Ex-MI6 Agent-Turned-Private Military Contractor described as a master manipulator and salesman, Russ is skilled in propaganda and lie detection, and boasts an extremely high emotional intelligence. He is also very wealthy, and thus is used to both getting his way and enjoying the spoils of war (including expensive suits, fast cars, private jets and a house in Monte Carlo).

Recurring characters in both series

Murdoc

Murdoc (portrayed by

Michael Des Barres Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original ''MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of ''MacGyver'' (2016) ...

) is MacGyver's most frequent opponent. He is a master assassin who never fails—except when MacGyver gets involved. Murdoc is a master of disguise, as well as highly skilled and creative in the use of

booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

s. Murdoc's signature for each hit is to take photographs of his victims at the moment of their deaths. His first appearance in the series is presented as his second run-in with MacGyver. Murdoc returns for revenge for their first encounter—to the surprise of MacGyver, as Murdoc had apparently been killed. Murdoc's revenge scheme not only fails, but results in him apparently being killed again. This became a recurring theme: each of Murdoc's subsequent appearances ends in another apparently certain "death", which he incredibly survives, to return in a later episode. In the 2016 reboot, Murdoc (played by

David Dastmalchian David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Univers ...

) is a hired hitman known as Suspect 218 to the CIA whose targets are enemies and MacGyver. After being captured by the Phoenix Foundation in season 1, in season 2 he escapes and becomes obsessed in finding his lost son, Casian. Michael Des Barres, who played Murdoc in the original series, plays Murdoc's mentor, Nicholas Helman, in the reboot.

Nikki Carpenter

Nikki Carpenter (portrayed by

Elyssa Davalos Elyssa Davalos (born May 30, 1959, in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California) is a former American television and movie actress. Her father was actor Richard Davalos and her sister is musician Dominique Davalos. She is the mother of actress Alex ...

) joins the Phoenix Foundation in the third season. She often has differences of opinion with MacGyver, although the two eventually come to respect each other as professionals. In the 2016 reboot, the character (played by

Tracy Spiridakos Tracy Spiridakos ( gr, Τρέισι Σπυριδάκος) is a Canadian actress. She starred as Becky Richards on the Teletoon children's comedy series ''Majority Rules!'' from 2009–2010. She then starred as Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson on th ...

) is a former agent for the DXS and MacGyver's former girlfriend who went rogue but later revealed to be an undercover agent for the CIA.

Harry Jackson

Harry Jackson (portrayed by

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

) is MacGyver's grandfather, who helped raise MacGyver after his grandmother and father were killed in a car accident when MacGyver was aged nine. Seven years later, Harry left MacGyver to work in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, sending money to MacGyver and his mother. At this time, MacGyver and Harry lost contact, but beginning in season one, ''MacGyver'' and Harry meet again, after eighteen years without contact, in the episode "Target MacGyver", in which MacGyver and his grandfather work together to defeat an assassin named Axminster (

D'Mitch Davis D’Mitch Davis (born July 15, 1941) is an American actor and musician best known for his roles as the Axminster in the 1990s TV show ''MacGyver (1985 TV series), MacGyver'', and the Bartender in the 1985 film ''Weird Science (film), Weird Scienc ...

). Harry appears in the five episodes "Target MacGyver" (season 1), "Phoenix Under Siege", "Friends" (both season 2) "Passages" (season 5) and "Harry's Will" (season 6). Harry dies of a heart attack in the fifth-season finale episode "Passages". In the 2016 reboot, the character (played by

Michael O'Keefe Michael O'Keefe (born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr.; April 24, 1955) is an American actor, known for his roles as Danny Noonan in ''Caddyshack'', Ben Meechum in ''The Great Santini,'' for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Bes ...

) first appears in a flashback in the fourth episode of season 2.

Coltons

The Coltons (portrayed by

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

Cleavon Little Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of ''Purlie'', for which he earned both ...

, Richard Lawson, and

Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), he appeare ...

) are a family of

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

s (Mama Colton, Frank, Jesse and Billy), introduced one at a time—the only episode in which more than one appears is their collective final appearance in the final season, on which occasion they (and their bulldog, Frog) took over the episode entirely, relegating MacGyver to a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

. This episode, called "The Coltons", was actually intended as a

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

for a spin-off starring the Coltons, but ABC network officials decided that series would not be picked up. In the 2016 reboot, they are played by

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film '' A Piece of the Action'', before landing the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she received a ...

Lance Gross Lance Darnell Kwaku Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' and OWN sitcom '' Tyler Perry's The Paynes''., as well as appearing in other Tyl ...

Javicia Leslie Javicia Leslie ( ; born May 30, 1987) is an American actress. After landing her first major role in the Lifetime film ''Swim at Your Own Risk'' (2016), she appeared as a series regular on the BET drama '' The Family Business'' (2018–present) a ...

, &

Jermaine Rivers Jermaine Lateef Rivers (born September 22, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Shatter on Fox/Marvel's television series The Gifted. He is also notable for his role as Officer Carter in the Lifetime (TV network), Lifetime ...

and first appear in the first-season episode 16, "Hook", when they get the upper hand on Mac and Jack several times, until a Foundation team retrieves the fugitive from them. Mac, Jack, Bozer & Riley end up saving the Coltons' lives from their criminal employers. They reappear in the second-season episode "Riley + Airplane", after which Billy Colton (Gross) becomes Riley's love interest.

Charlie Robinson

Charlie Robinson (portrayed by

Steven Williams Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''21 Jump Street'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on '' The Equalizer'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on ...

) is MacGyver's Army Bomb disposal EOD Specialist with EOD Tech Specialist MacGyver sent by DXS to work with him. He appears in Episode: "Countdown" In the 2016 reboot, he is portrayed by Emerson Brooks as an old friend of EOD Tech Specialist MacGyver; he's another EOD Specialist in Army Bomb disposal. He appears in Season 1: Episode: "Wrench", Season 2: Episode: "Mac & Jack" & Season 3: Episodes: "Revenge + Catacombs + Le Fantome" and "Mason + Cable + Choices".

Penny Parker

Penny Parker (portrayed by

Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film ''Tomor ...

): Penny Parker and MacGyver meet in line at an airport in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

when she tries to smuggle some jewels out of the country in his pocket. With little talent, but big dreams, her pursuit of a show business career gets her into trouble more than once; she was once used by Murdoc as an unwitting pawn in an attempt to eliminate MacGyver. She was also the spitting image of her late aunt Betty Parker, who was murdered in 1958 by her boyfriend, and was suffering from lead poisoning., Like the somewhat impulsive identically named female-sleuth character of author

Mildred Benson Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (July 10, 1905 – May 28, 2002) was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest Nancy Drew mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under ...

, Penny isn't exactly stupid, but she tends to act without thinking things through, and has only a shaky grasp of how the world works. Thus, the long-suffering MacGyver often has to bail Penny out of trouble and otherwise assist her in handling life situations. In the 2016 reboot, she's played by Bianca Malinowski.

Jimmy MacGyver

James "Jimmy" MacGyver is MacGyver's father. He is portrayed by

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: ''Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and ''Adam-12'', which ai ...

in the original series. In the 2016 reboot, where he is portrayed by

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in ''The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

, he is Angus' long lost father. After losing his wife and Angus' mother, James abandoned his family not long after, leaving Angus in the care of his grandfather. It is revealed in the season 2 finale that the unseen and enigmatic head of the Phoenix Foundation (and every name it went by before this) codenamed 'Oversight' is in fact James: a fact Angus learns when Maddy forces a face-to-face meeting when Angus quits the Phoenix. James reveals that he left his family to protect Angus from the enemies he'd made around the world, many of whom wouldn't hesitate endangering a child's life, but also because the pain of losing his wife made James scared of what he might do around Angus.

Recurring characters only in original series

*Helen Wilson (portrayed by Susan Chapple): Pete Thornton's secretary. Episodes – ''The Odd Triple'', ''The Spoilers'', ''Rock the Cradle'', ''Cleo Rocks'', ''The Battle of Tommy Giordano'', ''Blind Faith'', and ''Strictly Business'' *Willis (portrayed by

Bruce Harwood Bruce Harwood (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian character actor best known for his role of John Fitzgerald Byers, one of The Lone Gunmen on the television series ''The X-Files''. In addition to ''The X-Files'', Harwood portrayed Byers in th ...

): Episodes – ''The Wall'', ''The Wasteland'', ''Trail of Tears'', and ''Hind-Sight'' *Maria Romburg (portrayed by Brigitta Stenberg): Maria appears in the sixth season initially to scam a friend of MacGyver's. She changes sides, joins the Phoenix Foundation, and becomes a love interest of MacGyver. *Mei JanSeason 5, Episode 7 - "Children of Light". Mei Jan's mission was to broadcast the

Tiananmen Square protests The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

nationally to gain public interest. (portrayed by Michele Chan) (initially calling herself Sue Ling):is MacGyver's foster daughter who enlists MacGyver's help in completing her mission for the Chinese student movement. She later reveals that the real Sue Ling was killed in the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

. *Cynthia Wilson (portrayed by Roxanne Reese): Introduced with her husband Booker (

Michael D. Roberts Michael D. Roberts is an American actor. Career Roberts played the role of "Rooster" in the 1970s television series ''Baretta''. Roberts starred in the short-lived 1983 television series ''Manimal'', appearing in five of the eight episodes whic ...

) in "The Challenge", Cynthia runs the ''Challenger's Club'', a program for troubled inner-city teens. In episodes where MacGyver tries to help runaways or other youths, he invariably sends them to the ''Challenger's Club'' as a safe haven. *Lisa Woodman (portrayed by

Mayim Bialik Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...

): is a young girl who MacGyver originally meets at a Swiss boarding school in the episode "Cease Fire", where she accidentally loses his trusty Swiss Army knife. She later returns in two more episodes, "Hearts of Steel" and "Twenty Questions", the latter involving Mac helping her overcome an alcohol abuse problem. *Mike Kiley (portrayed by

Jackson Davies Jackson Davies (born 17 March 1950) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as RCMP Constable John Constable in the television series ''The Beachcombers'', which he reprised in the TV movies ''The New Beachcombers'' (2002) and ''A Bea ...

): Episodes – ''Twenty Questions'', ''The Wall'', and ''Lesson in Evil'' *Mama Lorraine (portrayed by

Kimberly Scott Kimberly Aileen Scott is an American actress. She received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination for her performance in the 1988 play ''Joe Turner's Come and Gone''. Scott later appeared in films including ''The Abyss'' (198 ...

): is a

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

priestess. She appears in episodes ''The Hood'', ''The Prometheus Syndrome'' and ''Walking Dead''.

Recurring characters from the 2016 reboot

*Sarah Adler (portrayed by

Amy Acker Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Winifred Burkle and Illyria on the supernatural drama series ''Angel'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on the action drama series ''Alias'' (2005 ...

): Jack's former partner and ex-girlfriend from the

. *Jill Morgan (portrayed by Kate Bond): A forensics expert at the Phoenix Foundation. She was killed by Murdoc. *Leanna Martin (portrayed by

Reign Edwards Reign Edwards (born December 1, 1996) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Nicole Avant on the CBS soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', for which she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actr ...

): A recruit whom Bozer meets and becomes good friends and later starts a relationship with at the Operative Training Center. It is later revealed she had been allegedly killed during an undercover CIA op. *Cassandra Glover (portrayed by

Lauren Vélez Luna Lauren Vélez (born November 2, 1964) is an American actress and the identical twin sister of actress Lorraine Vélez. Her most notable television roles are as María LaGuerta on Showtime (TV network), Showtime's ''Dexter (TV series), Dexter' ...

): a coordinator for Operative Training Center. *Elwood Davis (portrayed by

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

): Riley's estranged father. *Gwendolyn "Gwen" Hayes (portrayed by

Jeri Ryan Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...

): MacGyver's Aunt and his Mother's Sister; an ex-DXS agent who was presumed dead; head of Codex. *Zoe Kimura (portrayed by

Amy Okuda Amy Okuda is an American actress. She portrayed Julia Sasaki on the Netflix comedy-drama ''Atypical'' (2017–2021), where she was a series regular during the first two seasons. Okuda is most well-known as Tinkerballa in the popular web series '' ...

): MacGyver falls in love with her, she and 31 other students get trapped in a room filled with water and sadly drowns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacGyver Lists of action television characters Lists of American television series characters

List A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...