Inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography, Last King of The Cross has been labelled an operatic story of two brothers, John and Sam Ibrahim who organise the street but lose each other in their ascent to power. The series screens on Paramount+.
Season One reminder
Season One spanned John Ibrahim’s formative decades from a young child in 1978 in war-torn Tripoli, Lebanon – through to the arrival of the family in Australia in the 1980s (specifically Sydney’s Western Suburbs which is where the family lived) and his ultimate rise in Kings Cross.
The elevated serialised drama tracks John Ibrahim’s rise from a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects, to Australia’s most infamous nightclub mogul in Sydney’s Kings Cross -– a mini-Atlantic City, barely half a mile long with every form of criminality on offer.
Season Two
Season Two starts 18 months on from the events of season one, with Kings Cross now a shadow of its former self, John lying low overseas and Sam locked up in jail.
Returning to Sydney, John sets his sights on capturing a new kingdom – the glittering prize of Oxford Street, Sydney’s nightclub empire. And with it, comes all new challenges and enemies. John is thrown into a struggle for power with Oxford Street nightclub owner Ray Kinnock, who is determined to either keep John out, or take him down, while facing the relentless scrutiny of newly promoted Senior Sergeant Liz Doyle and her new task force.
But perhaps John’s greatest threat comes directly from his family. Released from jail, Sam builds the largest bikie chapter in Australian history, putting John on a collision course with the entire criminal world, while their youngest brother Michael (Dave Hoey) walks a moral tightrope, grappling between a life of promise – or throttling head-first into a life of crime.
Ibrahim brothers Fadi, Sam, John and Michael as portrayed in Last King of the Cross
See also:
John Ibrahim is back: Everything you wanted to know about Last King of Cross S2
Producer Mark Fennessy’s guide to the return of the Helium Pictures series on Paramount+.
Who plays who is Season Two
Filmed in and around Sydney, Last King of the Cross sees Lincoln Younes and Claude Jabbour return as the characters of brothers John and Sam Ibrahim, with acclaimed Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominee Naveen Andrews joining the cast as the fictional character of Ray Kinnock.
The family dynamic takes centre stage this season, with audiences introduced to John’s older younger brothers Fadi, played by newcomer Alex Kaan and youngest Ibrahim brother, Michael Ibrahim, played by digital creator Dave Hoey (Granny Flat Comedy).
Also making their return as characters of the Last King of the Cross are Tess Haubrich as Liz Doyle, Matt Nable as Big Tony, Uli Latukefu as Tongan Sam and Janet Anderson as Simone.
Last King of the Cross production notes
Last King of The Cross is a HELIUM Pictures production for Paramount+ Australia with Cineflix Rights as the exclusive international distribution partner. The series is supported by Screen Australia, Screen NSW through the Made in NSW fund and Fulcrum Media Finance. Post, digital and visual effects supported by Screen NSW and Screen Queensland.
Last King of The Cross season two is directed by Grant Brown, Ian Watson and Tori Garrett and is written by Sam Meikle (Wakefield), Sarah Smith (Amazing Grace), Fin Edquist (MaveriX), Jane Allen (In Our Blood), Tim Pye (Bali 2002) and James Pope (Last King of The Cross season one).
The series is produced by Alexandra Doering, executive produced by Mark Fennessy and John Ibrahim, with Alexander Pettaras as associate producer.
Last King of the Cross: Key cast
JOHN IBRAHIM: PLAYED BY LINCOLN YOUNES
Attractive, adaptive, and a well of charisma, John is controlled in his demeanour and always in control of those around him.
While trying to regain his control of Sydney’s nightclub scene after a self-imposed exile in the wake of the Royal Commission, John also feels the pull of family as Sam sits in prison and his younger brothers step into the club scene, trying to live up to the Ibrahim family name.
LINCOLN YOUNES plays the character of JOHN IBRAHIM
One of Australia’s leading actors, Lincoln recently starred in the celebrated Paramount+ drama Last King of The Cross as the central character “John Ibrahim” opposite Academy Award-nominated actor Tim Roth. Following this he completed filming on the Stan Original dark-comedy C*A*U*G*H*T alongside Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn. He also made a special guest appearance on the period comedy Gold Diggers for ABC/CBS and the Binge Original Series Strife opposite Asher Keddie.
In 2019 Lincoln starred as “Danny” in Grand Hotel for ABC US, executive produced by Eva Longoria, before being cast in the coveted role of “Benjamin” in the television adaptation of The Lost Boys for THE CW which ceased production due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
First appearing on Australian television screens in the role of “Romeo Kovac” in the celebrated Foxtel series Tangle opposite Ben Mendelsohn, Lincoln received the 2013 ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor. His other television credits include “Ollie” in After The Verdict for Channel Nine, as well as roles in the special event SBS drama Dead Lucky, Channel Nine’s Love Child and Doctor Doctor, ABC TV’s Barons and Hiding.
Seven’s City Homicide and his portrayal of ‘River Boy’ Casey Braxton in Seven’s Home and Away garnered national and international acclaim. Heralded for his starring role as Hassim in Abe Forsythe’s feature film Down Under, Lincoln has also appeared in The Wedding Party and in Forsythe’s latest feature Little Monsters. In 2023, Lincoln was nominated for the Silver Logie for Most Popular Talent.
Lincoln Younes
SAM IBRAHIM: PLAYED BY CLAUDE JABBOUR
Plain-speaking, unpretentious and uncomplicated, Sam is John’s older brother and just about the toughest man that ever breathed air.
In prison at the start of Season Two, Sam has his sights set on his own Black Flags chapter, while still keeping an eye on his brothers from the inside.
CLAUDE JABBOUR plays the character of SAM IBRAHIM
Claude Jabbour is an Australian actor of Lebanese descent. His notable TV credits include Netflix miniseries Stateless alongside Cate Blanchett and Yvonne Strahovski, Stan Original series Eden as lead antagonist, Paramount+ hit series The Secrets She Keeps and most recently as ‘Sam Ibrahim’ in Paramount+ series Last King of The Cross, alongside Tim Roth and Lincoln Younes.
In film, Claude appeared opposite Hugo Weaving and Daniel Henshall in M4M. In 2021 Claude received the CGA Rising Star Award.
Claude Jabbour (centre)
RAY KINNOCK: PLAYED BY NAVEEN ANDREWS
Ray Kinnock is a nightclub owner who will employ every trick in his well-connected arsenal to keep John out of Oxford Street and protect the queer community’s safe haven.
NAVEEN ANDREWS plays the character of RAY KINNOCK
Naveen was the male lead alongside Amanda Seyfried in Hulu’s acclaimed miniseries, The Dropout, produced by Michael Showalter and Katherine Pope. Naveen reunited with Michael Showalter to do the upcoming Amazon comedy series, The Pradeeps Of Pittsburgh. He was one of the leads in the J.J. Abrams’ hit Lost. He also starred in the iconic classic movie The English Patient directed by Anthony Minghella.
Naveen Andrews
TONGAN SAM: PLAYED BY ULI LATUKEFU
John’s right-hand man and protector in the Cross, Tongan Sam is as loyal as he is tough.
ULI LATUKEFU plays the character of TONGAN SAM
Uli Latukefu recently completed production on the upcoming Binge Original drama series The Last Anniversary alongside Teresa Palmer and the second season of the popular Australian Paramount+ drama series Last King of The Cross. He was recently seen in Taika Waititi’s feature Next Goal Wins alongside Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss and starred in NBC’s hit series Young Rock, after being handpicked by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to portray him during his college football and early wrestling years.
Uli will next be seen in Ti West’s feature film Maxxxine with Mia Goth, Michelle Monaghan and Kevin Bacon. His other screen credits include reteaming with Dwayne Johnson in his DC feature Black Adam, Sophia Banks’ debut feature film Black Site opposite Michelle Monaghan, Jason Clarke and Jai Courtney, Kiel McNaughton’s feature The Legend Of Baron To’a in the lead role of Fritz, JJ Winlove’s feature June Again, Kriv Stenders’ feature Danger Close, Ridley Scott’s feature Alien: Covenant, Netflix’s epic drama Marco Polo, Foxtel drama series The End, Nine Network’s drama series Doctor Doctor, ABC drama Harrow and the ABC comedy Sando. He also featured in Chris Lilley’s Jonah From Tonga which screened on ABC and HBO, and the critically acclaimed Foxtel series, Devil’s Playground which was awarded the 2015 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Telemovie and the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries.
Uli made his Broadway debut in Peter Pan at New York’s New Victory Theatre. Uli graduated from Australia’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2012 and was a 2016 Heath Ledger Scholarship finalist.
DETECTIVE SENIOR SERGEANT ELIZABETH DOYLE: PLAYED BY TESS HAUBRICH
An incorruptible and doggedly determined Australian Federal Police officer, Detective Senior Sergeant Elizabeth Doyle can’t loosen her grip on John Ibrahim, convinced that the major player is about to make a big move on his return to Kings Cross.
TESS HAUBRICH plays the character of ELIZABETH DOYLE
Tess Haubrich stars in the Netflix original film Spiderhead alongside Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller. Most recently she has been seen in After The Verdict on the Nine Network.
Tess’s feature film credits include the role of Rosenthal in the Twentieth Century Fox feature Alien: Covenant directed by Ridley Scott, alongside Michael Fassbender. The same year she starred in Chinese/Australian co-production Bleeding Steel opposite Jackie Chan. Previous feature credits include Wolverine with Hugh Jackman and sci-fi feature Infini, which streams exclusively on Netflix. She also appeared alongside Monica Bellucci in the Hopscotch feature Nekrotronic which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018.
Tess’s television lead roles include Treadstone for USA Network/Amazon Prime, Bad Mothers, produced by Jungle for the Nine Network, Netflix/Screentime series Pine Gap alongside Parker Sawyers, Stephen Curry, Jacqueline McKenzie and Steve Toussant and Wolf Creek, a Stan original. Tess’s guest roles include ABC’s Jack Irish: Dead Point opposite Guy Pearce, a recurring role on Home and Away and in the Foxtel series Slide.
MICHAEL IBRAHIM: PLAYED BY DAVE HOEY
John and Sam’s youngest brother, a confounding mix of the best – and the worst – of John and Sam. Michael is equal parts eager and earnest in his desire to be connected to his brothers and his family, to learn, to be part of something bigger than himself.
DAVE HOEY plays the character of MICHAEL IBRAHIM
Accepted into AFTRS straight out of high school, Dave knew he wanted to pursue a career in the film industry from a young age. In his first few years as a filmmaker, Dave wrote and directed several award-winning web series and short films before transitioning to online comedy content creation, launching the popular sketch comedy group “Granny Flat Comedy”.
Alongside his co-creator, Nicholas Burton, Dave writes, directs and stars in weekly cinematic comedy sketches that have rapidly grown in popularity. In his first year of content creation, Dave has collaborated with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Michael Bublé, Jack Black, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Maia Mitchell, Lincoln Younes, as well as a web-series collaboration with smoothfm.
Off the back of his online success, Dave was cast in Paramount+ drama Last King of The Cross as Michael Ibrahim, a lead character in the show.”
Dave Hoey
KATIE LARSEN: PLAYED BY BELLA GREEN
As a policewoman, Katie shows real promise. She’s smart, observant, and a good listener. She can be a little gung-ho, but that comes with being young.
Confident, self-possessed, and ultimately principled, Katie will learn that it’s not as easy to walk the tightrope as she thinks it is. As she tries to balance her life as a policewoman with her attraction to John, Katie will come to a pivotal moment where she must choose who she wants to be.
BELLA GREEN plays the character of KATIE LARSEN
Newcomer Bella Green is a full-time graduate and holds a diploma from the Australian Institute of Music in Dramatic Arts. Bella has also trained under the expert guidance of Les Chantery.
Bella Green
BENNY VASQUEZ: PLAYED BY MATUSE
Benny is a grenade with the pin pulled. Violence is his language of choice and his go-to answer to just about any problem.
His instincts are sharp, which makes him a formidable, but manageable threat to the Ibrahims. However, when Benny strikes a new partnership with Dean, the pair become a far more dangerous and imminent threat to John and Sam.
MATUSE plays the character of BENNY VASQUEZ
Hailing from Sydney, the Australian-born Matuse is an actor, screenwriter and artist.
Since beginning his acting career, Matuse has appeared in the action blockbuster The Fall Guy starring alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga from director George Miller.
Other screen credits include the iconic Australian series Underbelly and feature film Cedar Boys.
Matuse
SIMONE: PLAYED BY JANET ANDERSON
Dave’s partner Simone moved on from Kings Cross after his death and is now an assistant manager at Ray Kinnock’s Oxford Street club, LDT, where she helps John gather intel to make a hostile takeover. Simone is a smart, shrewd operator and fiercely loyal to John after his support for Dave.
JANET ANDERSON plays the character of SIMONE
Janet Anderson graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2022. She made her television debut in the ABC series Reef Break in 2019 and can be seen in the Paramount+ television series Last King of The Cross Season 1 alongside Lincoln Younes.
Janet recently starred in the one-woman play Collapsible at the Old Fitz in Sydney – a well-reviewed production she helped bring to Sydney from the UK. Prior to this, Janet performed in the theatre production Mercury Fur directed by Kim Hardwick and in the critically acclaimed Overflow directed by Dino Dimitriadis which is having follow-up seasons in 2023 in both Sydney and Melbourne.
Janet is also a changemaker and vocal advocate for trans rights, she has written op-eds for Vogue and been interviewed for the ABC.
AMIR HAIDAR: PLAYED BY HAZEM SHAMMAS
Amir became a police officer because he wanted to serve the community that gave him so much, and help other immigrant kids from falling into the traps of cultural dislocation and disillusionment.
When Amir crosses paths with John, Sam, and Michael Ibrahim, he will be challenged to cross certain lines he’s never thought he was capable of crossing.
HAZEM SHAMMAS plays the character of AMIR HAIDAR
Hazem’s recent screen credits include The Clearing, The Twelve, After The Verdict, Barons, Hungry Ghosts, The Hunting, My Life Is Murder, The Secret She Keeps, The Gloaming, Halifax: Retribution, Safe Harbour, Underbelly, East West 101. He also appears in Fisk S3 and Ladies In Black. In film, he appeared in the features X, The Tumbler and Alex And Eve and will soon be seen in The Correspondent.
Renowned for his performances in theatre, his credits include Rules For Living (Sydney Theatre Company), Counting And Cracking, Sami In Paradise, Atlantis, Mother Courage And Her Children, Scorched, Antigone, Paul, Stuff Happens (Belvoir); Disgraced (Melbourne Theatre Company); Othello (State Theatre Company South Australia); The Tempest, A Comedy Of Errors (Bell Shakespeare); The Call (Griffin); Trustees, Criminology (Malthouse Theatre); The Tribe and Buried City (UTP/Belvoir/Sydney Festival). He was most recently in Bell Shakespeare’s production of Macbeth in the title role.
Hazem’s performance in Safe Harbour garnered a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Talent and an AACTA Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.
WAHIBA IBRAHIM: PLAYED BY DORIS YOUNANE
The matriarch of the Ibrahim family, Wahiba just wants what’s best for her sons and for her sons to get along and protect one another.
DORIS YOUNANE plays the character of WAHIBA IBRAHIM
Doris Younane has a career that spans over 35 years with an extensive body of work in television, film and theatre. Doris charmed audiences in her role of the much-loved ‘Heather’ in all four seasons of Five Bedrooms, garnering a nomination for Best Comedy Performer at the 2022 AACTA Awards and is well renowned to audiences worldwide for her portrayal of ‘Moira Doyle’ over several seasons of the phenomenally successful McLeod’s Daughters. Her television credits are extensive and include False Witness, Blackjack and Seachange, along with more recent projects Party Tricks, Fat Tony & Co, Soul Mates, The Wrong Girl, Harrow, Frayed, Secret City, The Clearing and she will soon be seen in Apple Cider Vinegar. Doris appeared in the feature film The Heartbreak Kid, leading to a role in the spin-off television series, the original Heartbreak High as ‘Yola Fatoush’. Other feature films include The Combination and Measure For Measure, for which she received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2020.
Doris has worked in many major theatre companies, winning a Green Room Award for Best Actress for her work in A Beautiful Life (Performing Lines) and a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Jump For Jordan (Griffin Theatre).
In addition to her body of work as an actor, Doris trained with Circus Oz in acrobatics and flying trapeze. Doris is also actively involved as an Ambassador with Dementia Australia.
FADI IBRAHIM: PLAYED BY ALEX KAAN
Charming, intelligent, and conniving, Fadi wants to be part of John’s world, but he just doesn’t have it. Where John and Sam – and even Michael – are prepared to get their hands dirty, Fadi is more interested in good times, in nice things.
ALEX KAAN plays the character of FADI IBRAHIM
Alex is a Turkish/Australian actor. Currently recurring as ‘Zach’ on TROPPO and most recently wrapping on season 2 of Last King of The Cross playing ‘Fadi Ibrahim’. Alex played ‘Faraz Mouron’ in Fremantle Media’s Rock Island Mysteries and toured with Dead Puppets Society playing the role of ‘John Wickham’. Alex is a QUT Graduate.
See also: Last King of The Cross becomes most-watched Australian series on Paramount+