Grace and Frankie is a heartwarming, feel-good Netflix comedy series that ran for seven seasons and touts a dynamite cast full of Hollywood legends. The charming program follows the mismatched titular characters Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two wives and mothers who are shocked to discover their husbands have had an ongoing love affair for decades and are leaving them for one another. Despite the extreme and distressing circumstances, the leading ladies strike up a powerful and unbreakable bond that audiences can’t get enough of.

With a superb cast of acting greats like Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Martin Sheen, the comedy was a slam dunk for Netflix and garnered numerous accolades and nominations, helping it become one of the most buzzed-about shows on the massive streaming giant. Grace and Frankie is in no short supply of talent both old and young, but it’s the seasoned actors headlining the comedy that truly helped make it such a triumph for the platform. Let’s take a closer look at the incredible careers of 6 of its fantastic cast members.

Lily Tomlin - Frankie in Grace & Frankie

The charming and always hilarious Lily Tomlin has been entertaining audiences for over 50 years, having received her first major breakout role on the extremely popular sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in 1969. The actress was able to showcase her impressive comedic chops on the fun series, becoming famous for her quirky and diverse characters. While appearing on Laugh-In, she would release multiple comedy albums including This Is A Recording, which became the highest-charting album ever by a solo comedienne. When the show ended in 1973, Tomlin shifted her attention to the big-screen, earning both a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for her performance in director Robert Altman's sprawling film Nashville.

Tomlin went on to find immense success in the cinema, famously starring in the beloved 1980 comedy 9 to 5 alongside Dolly Parton and lifelong friend and collaborator Jane Fonda. Her other most notable works include The Late Show, Big Business, Flirting with Disaster, and I Heart Huckabees. The beloved star has also had a successful Broadway career, winning a Tony Award for her one-woman stage play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. In 2015, Tomlin joined forces with Jane Fonda on the hit Netflix show Grace and Frankie, for which she received an Emmy nomination and widespread praise for her portrayal of the free-spirited Frankie Bergstein.

Jane Fonda - Grace in Grace & Frankie

Silver screen legend and outspoken activist Jane Fonda comes from acting royalty, with her father Henry Fonda having been a decorated movie star for decades in Hollywood. Jane made her major debut in the 1960 Broadway play There Was a Little Girl, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination, and that same year she appeared in her first picture, the romantic comedy Tall Story. The 1960s proved to be a highly influential and successful period for Fonda, with the stunning performer headlining memorable films like Cat Ballou, Barefoot in the Park, and Barbarella, the latter of which firmly establishing her as a sex symbol. It was Fonda’s portrayal in the bleak psychological tragedy They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? that served as a turning point in her career, demonstrating her impeccable range and talent as a leading lady.

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During the 1960s, the star engaged in passionate political activism and was very vocal about her opposition to the Vietnam War, and fully supported the feminist movement and civil rights in the ‘70s. Her stellar career only wavered slightly from her activism, but she went on to star in popular films like The China Syndrome and 9 to 5, while winning two Academy Awards for her work in Klute and Coming Home. Fonda segued to fitness in 1982, with her exercise video Jane Fonda’s Workout becoming the highest-selling VHS of the 20th century. She would subsequently keep acting in the 2000s with roles in Monster-in-Law and Georgia Rule before landing the endearing role of the no-nonsense Grace Hanson in Grace and Frankie.

Sam Waterston - Sol in Grace & Frankie

Renowned for his incredible work in both television, film and theater, Sam Waterston has starred in over 80 pictures throughout his 50-year career, demonstrating his ability to tackle any role and medium. Having first got his start on the New York stage, the performer has appeared in lauded plays like Measure for Measure, Indians, Hamlet, and Abe Lincolin in Illinois, the latter for which he received a Tony Award nomination. Waterston switched gears and focused on his film work in the 1970s, earning a Golden Globe nod for his commanding role as Nick Carraway in the 1974 Oscar-winning adaption of The Great Gatsby. He would go on to find further success in esteemed ‘80s pictures like Heaven’s Gate, The Killing Fields, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Oliver Stone’s 1995 historical drama Nixon.

Waterston is perhaps most known and admired for his famous role as Jack McCoy in the groundbreaking television police procedural Law & Order, which he starred in from 1994 to 2010 and later returned to in 2022 for the revival. After having appeared in the HBO drama The Newsroom and Godless, the actor spent seven years as the gentle and kind-hearted Sol Bergstein on Grace and Frankie, winning the hearts of audiences everywhere with the sweet portrayal.

Martin Sheen - Robert in Grace & Frankie

The father of fellow actors Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, decorated performer Martin Sheen has had a stellar career on both the big and small screen, first rising to prominence in the 1968 drama The Subject Was Roses and then Terrence Malick's 1973 crime drama Badlands. Sheen was catapulted to superstardom when he brilliantly portrayed Captain Benjamin Willard in Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning psychological war film Apocalypse Now, in which he appeared alongside Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall. The actor continued building up an impressive resume with roles in pictures like Catch 22, Gandhi, Wall Street, and Firestarter, even directing his very own film with 1990’s Cadence.

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Sheen continued demonstrating his superb skills as an actor when he nabbed the role of President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet on the critically lauded political drama The West Wing, winning two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe for his compelling portrayal. The seasoned star has worked with some of Hollywood’s most revered directors throughout his extensive career, such as with Martin Scorsese in the film The Departed, David Cronenberg in The Dead Zone, and Steven Spielberg in 2003’s Catch Me If You Can. Sheen was outstanding in his performance as the buttoned-up Robert Hanson on Grace and Frankie, and in 2021 he starred in the sports drama 12 Mighty Orphans alongside Luke Wilson.

Sam Elliott - Phil in Grace & Frankie

Famous for his signature mustache, powerfully deep voice, and commanding presence, the esteemed Sam Elliott has utilized his dominating persona since his film career began back in 1967 with the American Western The Way West. After a minor role in the beloved shootout classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Elliott found further fame in the ‘70s horror flicks Frogs and The Legacy, while also making appearances in television shows such as The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O, and Gunsmoke. The distinct actor rose to prominence when he starred alongside Cher in the biographical drama Mask, in which he portrayed motorcycle family member Gar in the Academy Award-winning picture.

Elliott quickly established himself as a dazzling character actor with parts in the TV movie Gone to Texas, ‘80s cult classic Road House, and the historical drama Gettysburg, before landing more noteworthy roles as Virgil Earp in 1993’s Tombstone and The Stranger in the Coen Brothers’ beloved dark comedy The Big Lebowski. In the 2000s the performer appeared in We Were Soldiers, The Golden Compass, and Up in the Air, before finding later success in 2018’s A Star is Born as Bobby Maine, for which he garnered universal acclaim. Elliott has been in the spotlight recently, headlining Netflix’s The Ranch for four seasons as patriarch Beau Bennett, portraying Jane Fonda’s long-lost love Phil Milstein on Grace and Frankie, and starring as Shea Brennan in the 2022 Yellowstone prequel from Taylor Sheridan, 1883.

Ernie Hudson - Jacob in Grace & Frankie

The always charismatic Ernie Hudson has had his fair share of triumphs and accomplishments in both film and television, first winning audiences over with his scene-stealing performance as part of the cast of the iconic movie Ghostbusters, playing Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 supernatural comedy. When he wasn’t busy ridding the world of pesky little spirits, Hudson kept quite busy on the small screen with appearances on classic shows like Taxi, The Dukes of Hazzard and The A-Team, and later reprising his character of Zeddemore in 1989’s Ghostbusters II. The actor would go on to nab roles in ‘90s classics like The Crow, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The Basketball Diaries, firmly cementing his status as a Hollywood Jack of all trades.

Hudson gained further widespread recognition when he was cast as Warden Leo Glynn on the edgy, groundbreaking 1997 prison drama series Oz, the first one-hour program to be produced by HBO. The show featured a gritty and brutal depiction of life in prison, earning widespread praise and acclaim during its six-season run. Hudson would maintain a dominating television run, with roles in Desperate Housewives, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Law & Order and Modern Family, before portraying Frankie’s romantic interest, the organic farmer Jacob, on Grace and Frankie. He has most recently reprised his role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and is set to co-star in the upcoming Quantum Leap reboot.