‘Blue Bloods’: 12 of the Best Guest Stars

Blue Bloods has one of the most consistent casts in the history of police procedurals. There have only been a few main cast members to leave the series, but the core Reagan characters have remained the same since day one. The writers and producers do bring in several guest stars to work with them though, many of whom have connections to classic television shows.

The most recent season featured Larry Manetti, who starred with Tom Selleck in the original Magnum P.I. Although Selleck and Manetti didn’t share any scenes together, the actor was a welcome sight for Blue Bloods‘ fans. Manetti played a retired police officer whose grandson died in a fentanyl overdose. He shared scenes with Vanessa Ray and Will Estes. 

“I was so excited to do this show. It was such a thrill,” Manetti told PopCulture.com in April. “My wife and I had gone to Hawaii and I did a Magnum P.I., and then we flew to New York and we did Blue Bloods and it was heaven. From the moment I stepped on the New York earth, it was just wonderful. Selleck and I had dinner every night with my wife Nancy, at his favorite restaurant for I think six or seven nights. So it was a truly surreal event.”  

Many of the show’s guest stars appear in just one episode, but a few have popped up frequently over the years. Kevin Dillon appeared as Danny’s son-in-law a few times, while Lorraine Bracco appeared as a liberal New York politician who clashed with Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). In Season 12, Treat Williams returned for another episode, while Stacy Keach pops in during a November episode. Many guest stars also have another thing in common: they often play Frank’s longtime friends. After all, who would miss a chance to act alongside Tom Selleck?

Scroll on for a look at some of the best guest stars Blue Bloods has had. Episodes air on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. on CBS. Past episodes are also available to stream on Paramount+.

Treat Williams

Treat Williams has been making fairly regular appearances on Blue Bloods since 2016. He plays Lenny Ross, another of Frank’s friends who served on the police force with him. Lenny often comes to Frank with a problem or a big offer. During Lenny’s latest appearance, he offered Frank a cushy job at the NFL. Of course, Frank turned him down.

Ed Asner

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In the March 2020 episode “Vested Interests,” the legendary Ed Asner appeared as Chuck Kennedy, an old friend of Frank’s whose home is invaded. This turned out to be one of Asner’s last television roles. Asner died on Aug. 29, 2021 at age 91. 

Lou Diamond Phillips

Lou Diamond Phillips played Luis Delgado, the man who torched Danny’s house at the end of Season 7. Delgado, a hitman for the Mexican cartels Danny is investigating, was thought to be dead at the end of the season nine premiere. However, it turns out he was alive and is now on the run. He also revealed that Danny’s wife, Linda (Amy Carlson) did not die in a helicopter accident as previously thought. Linda’s death was ordered by a cartel in retaliation for Danny’s investigation.

Kevin Dillon

Former Entourage star Kevin Dillon has played Linda’s brother Jimmy O’Shea twice on Blue Bloods. He first appeared in 2017’s “Hard Bargain,” then came back for last season’s “Close Calls.” Jimmy was always in trouble with the law, but he agreed to help Danny in an investigation when we last saw him.

Aasif Mandvi

Former Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi is better known for making audiences laugh. However, he has recently taken on more serious roles, like Uncle Monty in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. He joined Blue Bloods this season as Shamar Charwell, Erin’s (Bridget Moynahan) partner in the District Attorney’s Office. He only appeared in three episodes.

Melissa Benoist

Long before Melissa Benoist became Supergirl, and even longer before she earned her break-out role on Glee as Marley Rose, Benoist starred in an episode of Blue Bloods. She appeared in the first season episode “Privilege.”

Like many New York-based actors just starting out, Benoist’s early career included one-episode appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2021, Benoist made her Broadway debut in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, showing just how far she has come in eight years.

Karen Allen

Karen Allen, beloved for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, appeared in the 2014 episode called “Unfinished Business” as Betty Lowe. In the episode, she played a mother who ask Frank to find her daughter’s killer. Allen also recently appeared in the movies Year by the Sea and Bad Hurt.

Bebe Neuwirth

Two-time Emmy winner Bebe Neuwirth has appeared on eight episodes of Blue Bloods as Kelly Peterson, the inspector general overseeing the police department. After spending four years on Madam Secretary, the former Cheers actress returned to Blue Bloods in 2021. She made her most recent appearance in the season nine episode “Meet the New Boss.”

Geoffrey Owens

Former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens appeared in the 2017 episode “Love Lost” as Sgt. Walker. In September, Owens attracted more attention after a photo of him working at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s went viral. The incident led to Owens getting parts on NCIS: New Orleans and Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots.

Bobby Cannavale

If you’re filming a show in New York, you have to get Bobby Cannavale involved. The two-time Emmy winner appeared in three episodes from 2010 to 2011 as Charles Rosselini – “Brothers,” “Family Ties” and “My Funny Valentine.” Cannavale recently starred on Amazon Prime Video’s Homecoming alongside Julia Roberts. He also appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp as Paxton.

Lorraine Bracco

The Oscar-nominated Lorraine Bracco is best known for her roles as Karen Hill in Goodfellas and Dr. Jennifer Melfi on The Sopranos. She has appeared in five episodes of Blue Bloods from 2017-2018 as Mayor Margaret Dutton, a liberal politician who never saw eye-to-eye with Frank. She made her last appearance in “Friendship, Love, and Loyalty,” in which Dutton said she would not run for a full term.

Whoopi Goldberg

Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg appeared in two episodes of Blue Bloods as City Council Speaker Regina Thomas. Her last appearance came in 2017’s “The Enemy of My Enemy.” Today, Goldberg is the co-host of ABC’s The View, but continues to act. She recently starred in Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool.