The second part of Ryan Murphy’s Monster The anthology series on Netflix tells the case of the Menendez brothers, who murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills home. When the couple went on trial, the story argued over whether they committed the crime because of years of abuse or whether they did it to inherit the family fortune.
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the series captures the key events and people involved in the high-profile 1990s case. Both brothers were convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Read on to find out who was involved in Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez.
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Erik Menendez (Cooper Cook)
Erik Menendez is the younger brother of the couple. Cooper Koch was previously in You/Your (2022) as Stu, Swallowed (2022) as Benjamin and PBook II: Ghost as Chase.
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Lyle Menendez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez)
Photo credit: Netflix
Lyle is the older Menendez brother. Nicholas Chavez also appears in Ryan Murphy’s other current show, which starts September 25th – grotesque — as Father Charlie. He also appeared as Spencer Cassadine in General Hospital and as Jason Curtis in Crushed (2022) .
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Jose Menendez (Javier Bardem)
Photo credit: Netflix
Erik and Lyle’s father José Menendez was a music manager. Javier Bardem won an Oscar for his supporting role in No Country for Old Men (2008) and was nominated for his performances in Before Night Falls (2001), Biutiful (2011) and The Ricardos are (2022). He also appeared in Eat, Pray, Love (2010), Dune – The Desert Planet – Part 1 (2021), Dune: Part Two and The Little Mermaid (2023) as King Triton.
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Monsters_n_S1_E1_00_23_28_21R
Photo credit: Netflix
Mary Louise Menedez, who called herself Kitty, was the matriarch of the Menendez family. Chloë Sevigny also recently appeared in FX’s FEUD: Capote vs. the Swans, The Girl from Plainville, Russian doll, We are who we are and more. Upcoming projects include Luca Guadagnino’s After the hunt.
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Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane)
Photo credit: Netflix
Dominick Dunne was the Vanity Fair journalist who covered the brothers’ trial. Nathan Lane is known for his voice for Timon in The Lion King (1994) and for his roles as Albert in The Birdcage (1996) and as Max Bialystock in The producers (2005). More recently, he appeared as Teddy Dimas in Only murders in the building and Ward McAllister in The Gilded Age.
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Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor)
Photo credit: Netflix
A well-known Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, Leslie Abramson became Erik Menendez’s lead defense attorney in the trial. Graynor is known for her performances as Caroline in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008), Eva Destruction in Whip It (2009), Daisy Darling in What’s Your Number? (2011), and Juliette in The Disaster Artist (2017). She also appeared in Surface Season 1 and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
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Judalon Smyth (Leslie Grossman)
Photo credit: Netflix
Judalon Smyth was a patient and lover of Dr. Oziel, so she becomes involved in the Menendez brothers case and also helped in their arrest. Grossman is known for her roles as Mary Cherry in Popular and as Barbara Read and Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt, to name a few characters, in American Horror Story.
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Craig Cignarelli (Charlie Hall)
Photo credit: Netflix
Craig Cignarelli was Erik Menendez’s best friend, but he was key to the testimony in court. Charlie Hall is the son of Julia-Louis Dreyfus and appeared in Single drunk woman, Bel-Air, Big Shot And The sex life of college girls.
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Les Zoeller (Jason Butler Harner)
Photo credit: Netflix
Les Zoeller was the Beverly Hills Police Department detective who led the Menendez investigation. Harner is known for his roles as Roy Petty in Ozark, Varick Strauss in Ray Donovan, Gordon Northcott in Changeling (2008), and more.
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Jill Lansing (Jess Weixler)
Photo credit: Netflix
Jill Lansing was another defender of the Menendez brothers. Weixler previously appeared in The good wife And The son.
