Who Plays Antaan On Lanterns

"Lanterns" has proved a hit for HBO Max, finally giving fans of the Green Lantern comic books a worthy adaptation. Part of its success is almost certainly down to the cast, who are all excellent in their respective roles. That goes for supporting cast members, too. Though we don't see much of him in the series' first half, actor Paul Ben-Victor did a fantastic job of making his character, Antaan, a memorable addition to the show in his one brief scene in Episode 2. The character certainly looks set to become pretty important as Season 1 goes on, and many fans will no doubt be wondering where they might have seen Ben-Victor before. Well, like so many of the supporting cast members on this show, he has an impressive filmography dating back decades before "Lanterns."

Antaan first appears in "Lanterns" Episode 2, which, aside from poking fun at a classic superhero movie suit flaw, also sees Aaron Pierre's John Stewart taken captive by a band of aliens disguised as humans. Antaan, the leader of this mysterious clan, informs Stewart that the main villain in "Lanterns," known as the Manhunter, is part of a synthetic alien race responsible for destroying Antaan's homeworld and its residents. Now, he and his fellow survivors are out for revenge, and Antaan is relying on John to help him track down the Manhunter's whereabouts.

Some have speculated that Antaan could turn out to be the villain Atrocitus from the comic books. For now, however, he remains a mysterious figure who may be much more villainous than he seems. While we wait for that mystery to be solved, let's solve the mystery of Antaan actor Paul Ben-Victor's background.

"Lanterns" is DC's riskiest show yet, but it hasn't taken any risks with the casting. That's no different with Paul Ben-Victor, who's been delivering quality performances ever since she started his career back in the mid 1980s.

That career kicked off when he appeared in a 1986 episode of the NBC legal drama, "L.A. Law," before playing a small role in the 1987 TV movie "Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife." His next role, a small part as "Trucker #2" on the CBS police procedural "Cagney & Lacey," set a precedent, with Ben-Victor going on to appear in multiple police dramas throughout his career, including some of the most celebrated examples of the genre. On his way there, however, he landed a starring role in the Sci-Fi Channel's action comedy "The Invisible Man," which ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2002. Meanwhile, Ben-Victor continued his run of appearances in popular cop dramas.

As well as episodes of "Monk" and "CSI," the actor secured a recurring role on one of the best TV shows of the 2000s, "NYPD Blue," which at one time also featured his "Lanterns" colleague, Garret Dillahunt, who plays the inscrutable rancher William Macon on the show. Ben-Victor played con man Steve Richards, who appeared in three episodes of the procedural between 1994 and 1997. This wasn't the last time he featured in a seminal police drama, either.

Not content to appear in one of the most influential shows of the era, "NYPD Blue," Paul Ben-Victor went on to land the role for which he's best known today. In 2003, he debuted as mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos in the Season 2 premiere of "The Wire," remaining part of the main cast throughout the season before returning in a recurring capacity in Seasons 4 and 5. Around the same time, Ben-Victor appeared in his other best-known role as Alan Gray on "Entourage," appearing in seven episodes of the HBO dramedy between 2005 and 2008.

After "Entourage," Ben-Victor continued to work consistently. He was part of the main cast for the short-lived HBO drama "John from Cincinnati" before landing another main role in the USA Network's "In Plain Sight," which ran for five seasons. Ben-Victor played chief inspector Stan McQueen in 58 episodes of the show before it was canceled in 2012. The actor has also been part of the main cast in "Vinyl," "The Neighborhood," and "Gravesend," as well as appearing in nine episodes of Netflix's romantic dramedy "Nobody Wants This" between 2024 and 2025.

Throughout this impressive small-screen career, Ben-Victor also worked solidly in movies. Since making his film debut in 1987's "Pass the Ammo," he has appeared in multiple features, including the celebrated Western "Tombstone," Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," and Gerard Butler's 90s throwback "Plane." More recently, he had a role in the Mark Wahlberg action thriller "Flight Risk" and appeared alongside Al Pacino in 2026's "Killing Castro." But he remains best known for his TV work, and that looks set to continue with "Lanterns."