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Meet the cast of BBC's Canadian crime drama Cardinal

Meet the gang of Algonquin Bay here 

TV & Film Editor
June 10, 2020

Cardinal is the brilliant Canadian crime drama export which is currently airing on BBC2, and follows detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme as they investigate crimes in Algonquin Bay. Based on the novels by Giles Blunt, each season follows a different instalment of his bestselling works. But who plays who in the hit show? Meet the cast here... 

Karine Vanasse - Lise Delorme 

Karine, 36, plays Lise on the popular show. The mum-of-one, who shares a two-year-old son with her husband, Hugues Harvey, has previously starred in Revenge, Pan Am and Set Me Free. In fact, her role as Lisa was the first time she has ever portrayed a Québécoise character in an English language show. 

Billy Campbell - John Cardinal

A troubled police officer in Algonquin Bay, John and Lise make the perfect crime-solving team. John is played by Billy, 60, who is perhaps best known for his role as Luke Fuller in Dynasty. He has also starred in Dracula, The Killing and Helix. The actor lives permanently in Norway with his wife and their child. 

Alanna Bale - Kelly Cardinal 

Alanna plays Billy's daughter, Kelly. Born in Ottawa, Alanna has plenty of acting roles from a young age under her belt, including Prime Radicals, Reign and Good Witch. She regularly posts about Cardinal on Twitter, and recently retweeted snaps of herself with her onscreen dad, Billy, which read: "Aww we love a father-daughter reunion in downtown Toronto!" 

Kristen Thompson - Noelle Dyson 

Kristen, 54, is perhaps best known for her one-woman play I, Claudia, which was adapted into a film in 2004, with all of the roles played by the talented star. The Canadian actress has also starred in Away From Her and I Shout Love, and has received several award nominations, including three Dora Awards for her theatre roles. 

Glen Gould - Jerry Commanda

Glen plays the detective on the popular BBC2 show, and has also previously starred in North Mountain, Charlie Zone and Rhymes for Young Ghouls. He has an unusual family history, with his uncle, Donald Marshall Jr, wrongfully convicted of murder the day before he was born in 1971. Len plays a role in a true crime film Justice Denied, which looked at how Donald was convicted for a crime he didn't commit. Donald was acquitted in 1983, 11 years after his conviction. 

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James Downing - Ian McLeod

James has appeared in the show since 2017. He has had some impressive film roles, and has starred in Total Recall, Fargo, Reign and The Incredible Hulk. 

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Zach Smadu - Ash Kular 

Appearing from season two onwards, Zach joined the show as detective Ash Kular. The Canadian actor is best known for his role as Fayez in The Expanse, and has also starred in A Simple Favour and Save Me. He recently posted a snap of himself with Billy to celebrate the show's finale being aired in Canada, writing: "When you’re trying to take a nice selfie... Series finale of @cardinalctv airs TONIGHT! Who is tuning in?!" 

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