Will Lyman as William Tell, the reluctant hero. A former mercenary, Tell has long since put his life of violence behind him and has resolved to live the life of a pacifist. When we first meet Tell he is living with his family in the village of Claremont, working as a blacksmith.

Just as he had feared, once his crossbow had been raised, he could never put it down again. In saving his son's life, he had invited himself into a world of true evil. Gessler's world. Amazed at the story of Tell's skill with the crossbow, Gessler decided to teach Tell a lesson he would never forget. Matthew was tied to a post and the, now famous, apple placed on his head. Tell was then told to shoot the apple off his son's head. The expected outcome was that he would certainly miss and kill his own son, a punishment far more damaging than a simple execution and much more amusing for Gessler. Unfortunately for Gessler, William Tell shot the apple on top of his son's head and a legend was born.

As an outcast from society, never able to settle in one place, Tell quickly adapts himself to the situation at hand. He stealthily moves from town to town, picking up the odd companion along the way. Although, he never looks for trouble it always manages to find him and he is always quick to fly to the aid of young widows, abandoned children, and fellow outcasts, all those in need will find a friend in him. A born strategist, there appears to be no one able to outwit Tell. In addition to his famously accurate marksmanship, he is also a skilled swordsman, and an excellent horseman, able to tame a wild stallion through his gentle patience and air of confidence. These skills combined with his quick wits and a keen observant mind are what distinguish him from ordinary man. He is always triumphant against great odds, a hero through and through.

Tell is by no means infallible, situations have been known to arise where he was overpowered. He has been, shot with arrows, hack with swords, tortured, hit in the head with large beams of wood, tortured again, had a noose around his neck on more than one occasion, had his head on a chopping block, been entombed in a spider's web (that was one of the weirder episodes), had his hair bleached, and perhaps worst of all, chained to Gessler! His ability to make good friends has proved invaluable in these situations. Where his strategists mind could not help him a little help from his friends and the difficulty is soon rectified.

His natural geniality makes him well liked wherever he goes, which accounts for his ability to make strong and reliable friends. Despite all his misfortunes, Tell never manages to lose his sense of humour and his winning charm.

His handsome appearance and readiness to help the odd damsel in distress has made many a lady lose her heart. Tell's journey, however is one he must make alone and he is always careful to remain unattached. But no matter how much he tries he cannot help breaking the hearts of impressionable young women. There is always a thoughtful look in those deep blue eyes, in one sharp glance you can see the fervour, the caution, the searching need, and the wisdom of a man who has been forced to live by his wits a man who has learned to live with a troubled heart. His total self reliance has cuased him to look inwardly for strength and forbearance. His life is one of constant self examination. A pacifist at heart, Tell's moral convictions are always at odds with the fire raging within him. The more injustices he sees the greater becomes his struggle to suppress that fire. Pushed almost to the brink many, many times by the destruction Gessler has caused to those he loves, still the goodness inside him prevents him from ever sinking to Gessler's level and seeking revenge. -"The fighting has to stop somewhere."- Once he is reunited with his son Tell tries to teach him this sense of magnanimity, as his son is always all too eager for a fight. Tell's journey becomes one of constant struggle between his desire to end all violence and the need to protect himself and others from those who live by the sword.

His prowess with the bow, his wisdom, and his unending benevolence soon give Tell a larger than life status. He becomes an indestructable icon. A symbol of rebellion. There is no man who can catch him, no hardship that can sway him, he has cheated Gessler and countless other tyrants in their treacherous plans hundreds of times, but can he cheat the one element in life that all of us must face in time? Can William Tell cheat death?

In the final series we witness the transformation of Tell the man into Tell the legend. As he journey's into the wasteland he must make decisions and confront fears too difficult for an ordinary man. William Tell is not an ordinary man, however . The journey he makes is an ethereal one and as he travels further into the wasteland he becomes more phantom like. We are witness to this transformation and it is an exciting road to travel. For in this journey Tell must ultimately face himself and reconcile the differences between man and legend.

The man behind our hero is, Vermont born actor, Will Lyman. With his subtle delicately crafted performance, Lyman has made the character of William Tell his own. It is in his eyes that we see all of Tell's inner conflicts. One well placed glance or taught expression is enough to convey all the complexities of the character. It is a carefully understated performance, anything more could have made Tell over the top, a paraody of a hero. Lyman handles the role with masterly skill, so that we never lose sight of the humanity of the hero.

A veteran stage actor, Will Lyman has long enjoyed success in the theatre in New York and in Boston. In television he is best known to the general public by his voice, as the narrator of Frontline, PBS's acclaimed documentary series, in the USA.

David Barry Gray as Matthew Tell, William Tell's tempestuous son. Although he inherited his father's moral fervour and concern for the oppression of the poor, he does not share his father's sense of pacifism. He has all the restlessness and strong convictions of youth, without the caution and wisdom of age. Action is the only philosophy he understands.

His dignity and freedom are more important to him than life and with those sentiments he rushes headlong into disaster. His eagerness to show his distaste for Gessler's rule is what leads to the apple incident. The incident that tears apart his family and makes his father a legend. His subsequent disappearance becomes the subject of Tell' travels throughout the first series, which ends with Matthew's rescue. He has been kept as a companion to Prince Martin, the Emperor's young grandson, who felt sorry for Matthew's plight. During his time in the Citadel Matthew's hatred of Gessler and his need for revenge only deepens. Once reunited with his father Matthew he only talks of fighting and rebellion. In his eyes the ends justifies the means and he is not above stealing from the rich if it serves his noble endeavor.

It takes the steady hand and watchful eye of his father to calm Mattew's rage. It takes many lessons in hardship and life threatening scrapes, but Matthew finally matures and learns to follow his father's lead and think with his head not his heart. In episode 28, 'Nemesis' his heart is stolen away by Sadie Frost and he settles down and is never seen again. Although he was seen somewhere around 21 Jump Street.

Anne Lonnberg as Katrina Tell, William Tell's ill-fated wife. A patient and understanding wife and mother, her life is torn apart by Gessler. After her husband and son were arrested she heard nothing from them and was left to fend for herself. All she was told was that her husband had shot her son with an arrow and she buried a coffin she was told was Matthew's.

Anne Lonnberg has appeared in films in both France and the US. Among her American film credits are Woody Allen's Love and Death, the Bond film Moonraker, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. And the successful television mini-series Mistral's Daughter.

Conrad Phillips as Stefan, Tell's old friend and comrade-in-arms. In his search for Matthew, William Tell runs into his old friend Stefan. They fought together in the border wars when Tell was a mercenary and tell saved Stefan's life. The bond between them is a strong one and they have eachother's trust. We first find Stefan as the leader of a ragtag group of outlaws and rebels in the mountains. Their activities include undermining Gessler's authority and relieving him of his gold. A widower with one daughter, Eleanor, whom he has raised like a son, Stefan has done his best to make a life for himself and his daughter, but it is a life of constant and unpredictable change.

Dana Barron as Eleanor, Stefan's tom-boyish daughter. Having grown up without a mother, Eleanor learned to fight, ride, swim, and hunt just like her old man. Surrounded by her Father's rebel friends, she has learned to be careful of strangers and is always ready to defend herself. When she first meets Tell she over powers him and takes him prisoner, unaware of who he is. She's the best scout around or so her father boasts, and she has proved it by the amount of times she's managed to track Tell down.

She and her father accompany Tell in the search for Matthew in the first series and more than pulls her wait in the search, she's never shy with her actions or her opinions. She can take care of herself and everyone else, frequently acting on her own initiative. At one point she even manages to rescue Tell from Gaston.

Following the destruction of Claremont, Roland and Blade flee to the hills and spread sedition.

His ideals are high but his methods are not the wisest. In trying to raise a rebel army Roland takes Tell's name in order to gain more followers. In doing this he compiles a following of rebels and outlaws, which ends with him dragging Tell's name through the mud. The name of William tell becomes the name of a notorious theif and pillager. A reputation tell himself is none to happy about. Roland's lust for power and action puts him in way over his head among ruthless cutthroats who soon betray him.

Melinda Mullins as Blade Roland's rebel companion. She appeared in the first 12 episodes with Roland. The two were the first to talk of rebellion in Claremont and following Tell's arrest and the burning of their village they fled to the hills to insight insurrection and rebellion against Gessler and the empire. She cut her hair and dawned balck leather trousers and became a very clever schemer and a stabilising force for Roland. You could almost say she is the brains of the outfit, planning and strategising while Roland did all the talking. There relationship is never clearly defined, but they are inseparable and share the same ideals. She gets separated from Roland in episode 11 'The Imposter' and ends up faking her own death in order to escape murder by Gaston, a bandit with a lower agenda.