‘This Is Us’: All of the Actors Who Portrayed Randall Pearson on the NBC Drama From Sterling K. Brown to Niles Fitch
With the final season of This is Us unfolding, fans are itching to see what happens to the Pearsons as the family plunges into an uncertain future. As the Emmy-winning drama exits as one of NBC’s most popular shows, star Sterling K. Brown takes a bow as Randall Pearson, who now finds himself at an increasingly complicated part of parenthood. Here’s a look at all the actors who made Randall one of the most celebrated characters on NBC’s smash hit.
Sterling K. Brown helped set the tone for ‘This Is Us’
Ambitious in scope even from the beginning, This is Us needed an anchor when it first launched in September 2016. Fresh from winning an Emmy for his role in the limited series American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, Brown quickly became a star as audiences got to know Randall, the kind-hearted adopted son of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). In a meaty dramatic role with plenty of twists, Brown landed his second Emmy win in as many years just as This is Us found its footing.
The role of Randall was also at the perfect intersection of talent and personal experience for Brown. Right around the time the first episode aired, the St. Louis native told People how his own father died at a young age as well. This helped him forge a sharp emotional connection to the character. A Stanford graduate, Brown also toyed with pursuing a career in business before following his passions elsewhere, echoing Randall’s path.
Not that Brown needed a dusting of personal attachment to the character, as his career exploded in other directions while starring in This is Us. Brown was nominated for Emmys for roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, winning another Emmy for Outstanding Narrator for Lincoln: Divided We Stand in 2021. In between award-winning TV roles, Brown appeared on the big screen in blockbusters like Black Panther. He also landed on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people.
The young actors who contributed to Randall Pearson’s childhood
Telling the Pearson family’s story over multiple generations, This is Us has used many actors to flesh out characters throughout their lives, as Insider reports. While Brown heads off to executive produce and star in the upcoming Hulu series Washington Black, the future also looks bright for the young actors who took a turn playing Randall.
Portraying Randall in his teenage years, Niles Fitch was on screen for some seminal points of Randall’s life. With a decade of roles under his belt before his 21st birthday, Fitch most recently co-starred in HBO Max’s acclaimed feature The Fallout.
Further filling out Randall’s childhood was Lonnie Chavis, who played Randall as a prodigious 10-year-old figuring out a complicated life. Chavis, now 14, has been in a slew of TV series and short films since he first appeared on screen at the age of seven. More than just a talented actor, Chavis made waves for a compassionate anti-racism letter published by People in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
‘This is Us’ goes out on top
Although This Is Us doesn’t enjoy the sky-high ratings it did when it first hit the airwaves, it retains a loyal fan base. According to Deadline, the emotionally intense drama was the top-rated Tuesday primetime show during its Season 6 premiere, besting popular shows like Abbott Elementary and FBI. It even topped its own season-five premiere concerning viewership.
Critics remain fully on board as well; This is Us has enjoyed a Rotten Tomatoes score above 90% each season, including a rare 100% for Season 5. With 38 Emmy nominations (four wins) and huge overall ratings throughout its tenure as an NBC tentpole, Dan Fogelman’s series wraps as one of the most successful dramas of the last decade.
After a short break for the Winter Olympics, This Is Us is expected to finish up an 18-episode final season sometime in the spring, bringing it just past the coveted 100-episode milestone.
