Here's What the 'Mindhunter' Actors Look Like Compared to the Real Serial Killers They Played
Netflix's hit crime show Mindhunter has everything a true crime fan could ask for from a TV show: two whip-smart FBI agents based on real people, a whole lot of fascinating criminal psychology, and some incredible portrayals of the most infamous serial killers in American history.
As agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) continue to grow the agency's Behavioral Science Unit in Mindhunter season 2, they take on interviews with some of the most notorious criminals of the late '70s and early '80s.
Here, we take a look at each of the killers who appear in the hit Netflix show's second season — and how their appearances compare to the actors who portrayed them.
Charles Manson (Damon Herriman)
Although Charles Manson might not technically have killed anyone himself, he was found guilty of murder after several of his "Manson Family" followers killed nine people — including actress Sharon Tate — at his behest in the summer of 1969.
In Mindhunter season 2, we finally get to see Holden and Bill interview the infamous Charlie, who was played by actor Damon Herriman. (Coincidentally, Damon also played the notorious cult leader in this summer's blockbuster film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.)
David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam" (Oliver Cooper)
Before he was caught and his true identity revealed, New York City serial killer David Berkowitz was simply known as "Son of Sam," a nickname he gave himself in ominous letters he wrote to the New York Daily News.
Today, David — who shot and killed six people and injured seven others between 1976 and 1977 — is 66 years old and serving out his six consecutive sentences at Shawangunk Correctional Facility. And in Mindhunter season 2, actor Oliver Cooper (of Project X and Californication fame) made for a seriously convincing fictional version of the killer.
Dennis Rader, "BTK Killer" (Sonny Valicenti)
So far in Mindhunter seasons 1 and 2, Dennis Rader — also known as the "BTK Killer" — has only played a minor role, appearing in eerie vignettes across both seasons' episodes. But there's a reason for this: The BTK Killer, who bound, tortured, and killed (hence the nickname) 10 people in the Wichita, Kansas, area between 1974 and 1991, wasn't caught until 2005.
Whether we'll see the eventual apprehension of BTK in future seasons of the Netflix show is still unknown, but for now, it's been fascinating to see actor Sonny Valicenti take on the role.
Edmund Kemper (Cameron Britton)
In season 2 of Netflix's hit crime show, actor Cameron Britton reprised his role as Edmund Kemper, who was also known as the "Co-ed Killer." Edmund infamously murdered 10 people, including his mother, before turning himself in and asking to be given the death penalty. Capital punishment was illegal in California at the time, so he was given eight concurrent life sentences instead.
Today, Ed is 70 years old and serving out his sentences at the California Medical Facility in Burbank.
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. (Robert Aramayo)
Serial killer Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was just 17 years old when he was arrested for his involvement in the Houston Mass Murders, a series of killings led by "Candy Man" Dean Corll between 1972 and 1973.
In Mindhunter season 2, Wendy (Anna Torv) and Gregg (Joe Tuttle) interview Elmer — played by actor Robert Aramayo, who you might have also seen as young Ned Stark on Game of Thrones — in episode 4.
Paul Bateson (Morgan Kelly)
You might have heard before that a man who appeared briefly in the hit 1973 horror movie The Exorcist went on to become a murderer. That man is Paul Bateson — and in 1979, he was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison for the murder of a man in New York City. In Mindhunter,
Paul (who was released from prison in 2003 and is 78 years old today) is played by actor Morgan Kelly.
Tex Watson (Christopher Backus)
As one of Charles Manson's followers in the late 1960s, Charles "Tex" Watson was involved in the notorious Manson Family murders of 1969.
He was sentenced to death in 1971 before California abolished capital punishment in 1972 and his sentence was commuted to life in prison. In Mindhunter season 2, he's played by Christopher Backus, who has also appeared in HBO's Big Little Lies.
Wayne Williams (Christopher Livingston)
More than 20 black children and six young black men were kidnapped and murdered in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981 before Wayne Williams was found acting suspiciously near a river where some of the bodies had been found.
Eventually, Wayne was found guilty of two of the killings, and police attributed the majority of the other so-called "Atlanta Child Murders" to him. Today, many of those cases have been reopened for further examination, but 61-year-old Wayne is still serving out his two consecutive life sentences at Georgia's Hancock State Prison — and being played by actor Christopher Livingston in Mindhunter.
William Pierce, Jr. (Michael Filipowich)
William Pierce — or "Junior," as he preferred to be called — was released from prison on parole in May 1970, despite a prison psychologist's warning that he could be "dangerous to himself and others."
And in the months that followed, he did prove to be a danger, murdering nine people before being arrested again in March 1971. He's only featured briefly in Mindhunter season 2, but he's played by actor Michael Filipowich.
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