Lily James
The show served as the actress' breakout role, and after her character Lady Rose MacClare departed the show for her new life in New York, Lily James took off on the big screen, starring in films like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Yesterday. Most recently, James made waves with her jaw-dropping transformation into Pamela Anderson for the 2022 limited TV series Pam & Tommy.
Maggie Smith
Before Maggie Smith ever graced us as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham with a biting tongue, we knew her from her iconic role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, the last film of which she filmed while Downton Abbey was airing.
Since both of those franchises ended, Smith has voiced a character in the film Sherlock Gnomes and was in the 2021 movie A Boy Called Christmas alongside Kristen Wiig and Sally Hawkins.
Allen Leech
We loved watching the arc of Allen Leech's character, whose heartbreaking love story was one of the highlights of the show, and were thrilled to see the actor in films like The Imitation Game while he was still on the show.
After his character's exit, Leech also starred in films like Bohemian Rhapsody and The Hunter's Prayer.
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville had already made a name for himself in films like Notting Hill before taking on the role of Robert Crawley, and since his turn as the Earl of Grantham, Bonneville has appeared in the Paddington films and the show Sofia the First as its narrator.
Jessica Brown Findlay
We were heartbroken when (spoiler!) Jessica Brown Findlay's character died during childbirth, but that did free the actress up to star in the Hulu series Harlots and Peacock's Brave New World series.
Dan Stevens
We only got to spend three seasons with the beloved character Matthew Crawley, but that didn't stop our time with Dan Stevens!
After all, we saw the heartthrob in films like The Cobbler and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb before Stevens took on the iconic role as the Beast in the live-action Beauty and the Beast. The star also was a main character in Legion and most recently acted alongside Julia Roberts in the limited TV series Gaslit.
Laura Carmichael
Laura Carmichael's big break was being cast as Lady Edith Crawley in the series, and we have since seen her in the TV mini-series The Spanish Princess and in The Secrets She Keeps.
Jim Carter
After seeing Jim Carter play Charles Carson for 52 episodes, we heard him voice Cogman in Transformers: The Last Knight and saw him appear in the TV series Knightfall.
Brendan Coyle
After spending all those years with Mr. Bates, we saw Brendan Coyle reprise the role in last year's film adaptation of the series, as well as in movies like Me Before You and Mary Queen of Scots.
Michelle Dockery
Michelle Dockery's breakout role as Lady Mary Crawley led her to being cast in plenty of other shows such as Godless, Good Behavior and 2020's Apple+ TV series Defending Jacob. She most recently starred alongside Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend in the 2022 miniseries Anatomy of a Scandal.
Joanna Froggatt
Right as Joanna Froggatt wrapped as Anna Bates, she was cast as the voice actor for Wendy in the Bob the Builder children's series, as well as in the shows The Commons, Liar and Angela Black.
Robert James-Collier
After winning a SAG Award with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, the actor went on to act in the film The Ritual, a supernatural horror film that was produced by Netflix.
Phyllis Logan
After playing Mrs. Hughes, Phyllis Logan kept acting on TV, including roles on the shows Girlfriends and The Good Karma Hospital.
Elizabeth McGovern
After her role as the Countess of Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern appeared in films such as The Chaperone before landing a recurring role in the show War of the Worlds.
Sophie McShera
Sophie McShera followed up her time on Downton Abbey with another historical show when she starred in Galavant, the short-lived but charming musical comedy surrounding a knight on his quest for love.
Lesley Nicol
After saying goodbye to her role as Mrs. Patmore, we saw Lesley Nicol in Shona Rhimes' show The Catch and on the TV series Sarah & Duck for multiple seasons.
Penelope Wilton
After playing Isobel Crawley, Penelope Wilton brought some of the show's royal inspirations to her role as The Queen in The BFG, and then starred in multiple shows like Brief Encounters and After Life.
Kevin Doyle
After serving as butler Joseph Molesley for the duration of the series, Kevin Doyle moved on to shows like Happy Valley, Paranoid and Miss Scarlet and the Duke.