Tragic Details About The Cast Of The Bear

The following article contains mentions of addiction issues and suicide.

Since 2022, Hulu's "The Bear" has been captivating audiences with its heartwarming moments, tense familial drama, and realistic depictions of working in the culinary industry. So much so, that those who have previously worked in restaurants have referred to the show as "triggering," especially when it comes to the fast-paced nature and verbally abusive environment. While the stress that the characters in "The Bear" endure is of course manufactured, much of the cast has sadly experienced their own level of hardship in their lives.

Whether the actors have used their own personal hardships to inform how they portray their characters, or they put their issues behind them to tackle the difficult subject matter on the show, there's no denying they've done a phenomenal job. With over 160 award nominations (and more than 100 wins), "The Bear" has become one of the most beloved shows on television, with a cast that's been through it all. From Oliver Platt's difficult childhood to Jamie Lee Curtis' struggle with addiction and what we know about Jeremy Allen White's messy relationship history, here are the many tragic details about the cast of "The Bear."

Decades before he played Uncle Jimmy, investor of the restaurant in "The Bear," Oliver Platt was a staple of '90s Hollywood movies. While he seems to have a comfortable life today, growing up was an entirely different story as the actor's father was an American diplomat who moved his family all over the world. While exciting, the lack of roots was also difficult for Platt. From Canada to Washington D.C, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Middle East, the movie star experienced countless cultures during his formative years and attended a dozen schools.

"We're army brats, diplomatic brats and any kids who don't grow up in the culture they're born in," Platt said during his conversation with Tufts Now in January 2014. "Always being the new kid in school is constantly exhausting, so we create our own culture," he added. "And when we grow up, we tend to gravitate toward outwardly focused endeavors like art [and] acting." Platt was fortunate to find a creative outlet wherever he moved, but his passion for it may have stemmed from a lack of stability.

When asked why he thought children of diplomats seek out creative paths, the star replied, "Because we are, by nature, forced to become more observant and communicative. Those are the skills you need when assimilating into new social surroundings is the top priority." Thankfully, Platt finally took control of his own life when he went to college and pursued a career in acting.

If "The Bear" has inspired you to learn how to become a gourmet chef, you might look to Liza Colón-Zayas' character Tina's inspirational arc, as she made it in the industry out of pure determination and grit. Similarly to her role, the actor has had to overcome tremendous adversity from the time she was just a child growing up in The Bronx. Colón-Zayas' family didn't have a lot of money, but they did have a television, which she used as a form of escapism, daydreaming of someday making it in California.

While on the "Q with Tom Power" podcast in July 2025, the actor explained that she finally found a sense of belonging at 16 when she joined the Church of Bible Understanding, a Protestant Christian group. "At first it was great," Colón-Zayas said. The group helped her with homework and they would read the bible together, but there was something more sinister happening behind the scenes. As the star remarked, "I was being groomed," going on to describe the church as a "cult."

When she was 18, members of the group picked her up and took her to Philadelphia, where they isolated her from her family, deprived her of sleep, indoctrinated her, and forced the actor to work without pay. "Thankfully, eventually, little by little, I was able to find communities of people and get educated and find courage," Colón-Zayas said, divulging that she left the group soon after.

The mysterious but lovable Ebraheim, played by Edwin Lee Gibson, is an easy fan favorite on "The Bear." Although he's a man of few words, he runs the takeout sandwich window at the restaurant like a pro. Gibson's expert portrayal of his character is undoubtedly due to his decades of experience — because although his filmography is a little light, he's starred in over 100 theatrical productions, starting from the age of 16.

As the actor explained during his August 2024 interview with SUNY Empire News, he grew up with a stutter. "I'm one of those stutterers who ran toward language and not away from it," Gibson said. Because of this, his mother cautioned him on a career as an actor, thinking he would find it difficult due to his speech issues. However his father, a garbageman and mechanic, had unwavering belief in his abilities. "He told me, 'I don't know anything about that acting, but it's your life, do what you want to do,'" Gibson remarked.

Tragically, "The Bear" star's dad died before he could see his son perform. Gibson landed his first major commercial for Levi's jeans just six months after his father's death. "He'd always say I'll come to the next one, but he never did," the Hulu star explained. "It just wasn't his thing. But he was totally supportive."

Back in 1978, Jamie Lee Curtis got her big break as the lead scream queen in "Halloween." She's since gone on to have an impressive career with nearly 100 credits to her name, but it hasn't been without difficulty. Drug addiction sadly impacted several members of her family, including her brother who died from a heroin overdose at 21 years old. Additionally, Curtis would use cocaine with her father and eventually developed an addiction to painkillers and alcohol. Thankfully, after 10 years of relying on Vicodin, the actor managed to get sober in 1999.

Throughout the first season of "The Bear," we got snippets of Carmen's and Natalie's trauma surrounding their alcoholic, anxiety-inducing mother. But it wasn't until the intense Christmas episode in Season 2 that Curtis made her iconic debut as Donna Berzatto — and given her history, it's easy to see why she related to her character so much.

In speaking with Time in June 2025, Curtis said her character was "designed to create instability." With a deeper understanding as to what struggling with addiction would mean for Donna, she remarked, "I've been sober a long time. ... Part of being sober is acknowledging the past." Curtis added, "There is a process within being a sober alcoholic or sober drug addict that in order to move freely into the future, you have to acknowledge the past." Donna, the actor said, hadn't been ready to do so for a very long time.

Like his "The Bear" character Mikey, Carmen and Natalie's brother, Jon Bernthal has a troubled past. But where his on-screen character tragically died by suicide, the actor managed to turn his life around after a horrific incident that almost landed him in jail. Back in 2009, Bernthal was unenthusiastically working on the ABC series "Eastwick," and when he wasn't working, he was getting into trouble.

Drinking at bars and getting into fistfights was a regular part of the actor's routine. One day in 2009, after a drunk man and his friends took to harassing Bernthal and his dog, "The Bear" star punched the guy in the face. Although he'd been in countless fights in his time, proven by his crooked nose that's been broken 14 times, this time was different. The drunk man hit the ground and was out cold. Bernthal was arrested and, as he revealed to Esquire in January 2018, the cops told him, "If that guy doesn't wake up, you're going away for life."

Thankfully, the man eventually woke up — and Bernthal knew he had to turn things around. He has been sober ever since, having acknowledged the link between his drinking and anger issues. "I know now life is more about working things out and heading off that violence," he told the outlet. Now a father of three, Bernthal added that "extremism and lack of compromise is the enemy of what I want to teach them."

Canadian chef, restaurateur, and internet personality Matty Matheson is the surprising breakout star of "The Bear," playing Neil Fak, a mechanic-turned-server on the show. It's surprising that acting wasn't his first calling, given his comedic timing and sweet disposition, and he may not have endured so much tragedy if he'd picked another career path early in life. Matheson used to be a big partier in Toronto. He began drinking and doing cocaine in high school, but after a three-day bender that resulted in him suffering a heart attack at just 29 years old, it was clear the chef needed to stop.

At first, he vowed to cut down on hard liquor, but this lasted only a few months and he was soon back to his old habits. Matheson's friends, family, and employers were all concerned with his behavior and what his continued drug use could mean for his health. Eventually, they staged an emotional intervention for him and inspired him to get help. "Everything is 10,000 times better than I ever thought it would be. I love things genuinely now," Matheson told Toronto Life in July 2016.

The chef-turned-television star celebrated 11 years of sobriety in November 2024, telling his Instagram followers, "There's a world where you don't need drugs or alcohol! There's rooms where people will love you until you love yourself again!"

Even though she hails from a comedic family, Abby Elliot had to work her butt off to land her spot on "Saturday Night Live" in 2008, years before playing Sugar on "The Bear." Her father, Chris Elliott of "Groundhog Day", and her paternal grandfather, Bob Elliot, undoubtedly served as inspirations when she pursued a role on the coveted skit show — but once she joined "Saturday Night Live," uncertainty set in.

"Every week was a new week, and your happiness would depend on whether you got something on air or not," Elliot told The Independent in June 2025. "And if three weeks went by without a sketch, you'd think, 'Uh-oh, am I going to be fired?'" With her big eyes and knack for silly voices, the actor nailed impressions of Zooey Deschanel, Anna Farris, and many other stars for four seasons. "There was always that looming threat of getting fired. That was the worst that could happen," Elliot added, alluding to why many stars left "SNL."

"And then, I kind of did [get fired]." She asked Lorne Michaels, creator and producer of the show, if she could leave, but quickly changed her mind. Unfortunately, the showrunner didn't budge. "As much as I enjoyed being on that show, sketch comedy wasn't going to be it for me," Elliot said. Thankfully, she didn't struggle to continue landing projects, as she scored recurring roles on "Odd Mom Out" and "Indebted" before starring on "The Bear."

There's a reason why the cast of "The Bear" looks so familiar. For instance, Robert Townsend, who portrays Sydney's concerned father, has been acting since 1975 and directing since the '80s. Aside from writing and making a number of movies, including "Hollywood Shuffle," "The Five Heartbeats," and "The Meteor Man," Townsend's next-biggest claim to fame would likely be for portraying the family patriarch on "The Parent 'Hood'" in the '90s. He portrayed Robert Peterson, a college professor who struggles to raise his four children in New York, alongside his wife Jerri, portrayed by Suzzanne Douglas.

He and his on-screen partner worked together on the sitcom for five seasons before it ended in 1999. Tragically, at the age of 64, Douglas died in July 2021 due to complications caused by cancer. She and Townsend were undeniably close, so he shared a tribute to his longtime co-star and friend at the time on X (via The Hollywood Reporter). "My heart is full, because yesterday I lost my amazing dancing partner on TV for 5 years Suzanne Douglas," the actor wrote. "We did 'Work' on THE PARENT'HOOD. I just remember a lot of laughter and a lot of tears. ... Her regal bright light will be missed."

Ebon Moss-Bachrach had been in the entertainment industry for decades before most of the world knew him as Richie — aka "Cousin!" — in "The Bear." He played Desi, Marnie's musician boyfriend on "Girls," David Lieberman in "The Punisher" series, and Anital Szigeti in 2020's "Tesla" before portraying the sarcastic and stubborn character on the Hulu series. But, of course, "The Bear" is arguably the most popular recent project Moss-Bachrach has been involved with, which has brought an intense surge of fame to the actor.

"I get a lot of comments. People yell 'Cousin!' at me all day," he told The Guardian in June 2024. Moss-Bachrach revealed that he was even approached by a couple fans while he was visiting a mountain in Kyoto. It can be tiring to have to be switched on for fans all the time, as he added, "Sometimes, you know, you're just not having a great day. And it's just like: I'm sorry, man, I don't have much for you."

Thankfully, the heightened popularity has been good for the actor's career, and he's managed to break into other types of roles that separate him from Richie. From "Andor" to "No Hard Feelings" and his upcoming Broadway appearance in "Dog Day Afternoon" with his "The Bear" co-star Jon Bernthal, Moss-Bachrach will hopefully have a character more iconic than "Cousin!" someday soon.

The past few years have definitely been coming up Jeremy Allen White, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. From his long run in "Shameless" to "The Iron Claw" and landing the lead role in "The Bear" as Carmen Berzatto, he's proven his acting chops and became beloved by fans on the internet. But while the stunning transformation of White has been impressive, the star tragically went through a tough time during his rise to fame.

He and Addison Timlin first met as teenagers while they were students at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City, but didn't start dating until 2013. They welcomed two children together and tied the knot in October 2019. However, their marriage lasted only three years, as Timlin filed for divorce from "The Bear" star in May 2023. Having just been shot to stardom due to the Hulu series, White found the paparazzi all over him amidst the news of his marriage ending. "It's been insane," he told GQ in November 2023 about how his year had gone. "A lot of high highs, a lot of terribly low lows."

The couple haven't spoken much about their split publicly. White and Timlin decided to share custody of their two kids, with the actor agreeing to also undergo alcohol testing as part of every visit with his children. In addition, he was ordered to attend two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and one therapy session a week.

Writer, comedian, producer, and actor Ayo Edebiri has had a stunning transformation over the years. Although the quadruple-threat had been in the industry for a little while beforehand, her role as Sydney in "The Bear" skyrocketed her to fame and helped her win an Emmy award. While many would give their right arm to be where she is today, there's also been a tragic downside to Edebiri's household name status.

Back in 2024, the actor received death threats due to a rumor that was started on social media via Elon Musk. Why the technology industry leader had any interest in Edibiri is beyond us, but many of his followers became enraged when he claimed that Disney would be replacing Johnny Depp in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise with her. The Hulu star shared her experience in a March 2025 Instagram story (via Vulture), writing a caption over Musk's post. "Just remembering when I got some of the most insane death threats and racial slurs of my life ... for a fake reboot of a movie I had never even heard of because of this man," Edebiri wrote. It was an unfortunate situation the actor never should have been dragged into. However, it seems Edebiri was fortunately able to handle the brief controversy with grace and humor.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues or mental health, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org