List of How to Get Away with Murder characters
How to Get Away with Murder is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Viola Davis stars as Annalise Keating, a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with five of her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot. The series features an ensemble cast with Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza as Keating's students, Charlie Weber and Liza Weil as her employees and Billy Brown as a detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, and Annalise's lover. From the third season onward, Conrad Ricamora was added to the main cast after recurring heavily in the previous two seasons. Following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various seasons since the drama's premiere.
Overview
Main characters
Annalise Keating
Born Anna Mae Harkness, Annalise Keating is a high-profile Philadelphia-based criminal defense attorney and law professor at the fictional Middleton University. Annalise is an emotionally troubled woman capable of anything to get what she wants and to protect those she loves. Annalise has been romantically involved with Nate Lahey — although she used him multiple times as a backup — and her college sweetheart Eve Rothlo. In the first season, Annalise selects a group of her best students to work at her firm. The body of a student who has been missing for months, Lila Stangard, is found in the water tank of her house by a repairman. Annalise eventually gets involved in the accidental murder of her husband Sam Keating, co-caused by four of her students. In the aftermath of Sam's death, the four students come together to burn Sam's body during a university party and throw his remains in the trash. Their plan is flawed, and the police end up finding the remains and an investigation is initiated.The second season deals with Annalise's case of Caleb and Catherine Hapstall, and their alleged involvement in the death of their adoptive parents. In the mid-season finale, Emily Sinclair is murdered, and Annalise helps cover it up, at the expense of her being shot in the stomach by Wes. Wes Gibbins — who, during a while, was considered Annalise's favorite — starts an investigation around his mother's suicide ten years ago, and it is revealed from flashbacks how involved Annalise was with Wes' mother's suicide. The season ends with Annalise finding out that it was Frank that was responsible for her being in a car accident and losing her baby, and Annalise sends him away.
During the third season, Annalise restarts teaching Criminal Law in a pro bono clinic and her students being defense attorneys, each one proving their cases to be the representation. However, Annalise's position at the university is threatened, after an unknown person is targeting her with a series of flyers identifying her as a killer. Frank has also gone missing with Annalise and Nate trying to find him, while the murder of Wallace Mahoney is still under investigation. In the mid-season finale, Annalise is arrested after Wes' corpse has been retrieved from her burning house. However, Nate discovers that Wes was already dead before the fire started. The season later focuses on the investigation about Wes' death, and the identity of his murderer. While Annalise is having a hard time in jail, tensions rise within the remaining Keating 4, as they do not agree to consider if Annalise is really guilty or being framed. Soon, it appears the DA's office wants to keep Annalise in prison at any cost, so Bonnie and Frank team up to save her and eventually manage to get her free. She pins the murders on a deceased Wes thanks to a phone call he placed moments before his death. Days later, she writes recommendation letters to Connor, Michaela, Asher, Laurel, and Bonnie in order to let them go from her and the law clinic. She gets her license back after being caught with alcohol in her blood and also starts visiting a therapist, Isaac Roa.
During the sixth season, Annalise is investigated and tried for the various deaths that have happened around her, particularly Sam Keating's. In flash-forwards, Annalise is shown to have died under unknown circumstances with a funeral being held in her honor. Ultimately, Annalise is exonerated of all charges after an impassioned closing statement in which she confesses her faults and the crimes she did commit over her career and shows everyone who she truly is for the first time. It's shown that after her exoneration, Annalise lived a long life with Teagen before eventually dying of old age with many of her friends and former students attending her funeral. After Annalise's death, Christopher Castillo takes over her old law class at Middleton and renames it How to Get Away with Murder in Annalise's honor, seeing her amongst the students for a moment before she vanishes.
For her performance, Davis won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. The role also won her two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and one NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, as well as two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.
Nate Lahey
Nathaniel Nate Lahey Jr. is a shrewd, fair and entitled detective with the Philadelphia Police Department who is having an affair with Annalise. Nate is married to Nia, who was diagnosed with cancer prior to the series' beginning.In the first season, Nate serves as strength for Annalise when the latter is having a hard time. He investigates the night Sam Keating left town for a conference—the same night Lila died—and discovers he went to Yale University and returned to Philadelphia during exactly the same time Lila was killed. Nate omits that fact from Annalise, but eventually reveals to her when they have a fight. By the end of the first season, Nate is charged for Sam's murder.
In the second season, Annalise arranges lawyer and her ex-lover Eve Rothlo to take Nate's case. Nia dies, not before having an awkward conversation with Annalise. Nate is released from his charges; however, he is accused of giving Nia pills so she can die the way she wanted to. He is once again represented by Rothlo. He is eventually released and helps Annalise with the murder of Emily Sinclair.
In the third season, Nate and Annalise have another vicious fight and he ends up sleeping with A.D.A. Renee Atwood, the one who was mounting a case against Annalise. However, Nate, realizing that Atwood only hired him to gain intel on Annalise, ends their relationship. Events lead to Nate and Laurel arriving in Annalise's house minutes before a fire blazes the house down while someone is inside. They go to the hospital, where Nate identifies the one who was inside the house as Wes. Nate and Laurel get close since Nate always liked Wes. He helps her in gathering info about the house fire. Nate also discovers that his signature is on the papers instructing Wes' body be moved, a falsification made by Atwood in order to win the case against Annalise. It is revealed that Atwood not only moved Wes' body and tried to frame Nate and Annalise for it, but also had his body cremated, making it impossible for a second autopsy to clear Annalise.
In the fourth season, Nate starts working with Bonnie against Annalise, which also includes trying to ruin one of her cases. His father subsequently becomes the star of Annalise's class action lawsuit that goes all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Annalise wins the case and the right for a retrial for all of her clients, including Nate Sr.
In the fifth season, after his father is murdered in prison, Nate nearly beats Ronald Miller to death at Connor and Oliver's wedding, suspecting him of being responsible for the murder. Bonnie subsequently suffocates Miller to protect Nate, though it is later discovered that Miller really was innocent and just trying to help Nate Sr.
In the sixth season, Nate seeks justice for his father's murder, filing a civil suit and ultimately learning that Xavier Castillo ordered the murder. With Annalise on trial, Nate is offered a deal to testify against her in exchange for immunity for his own crimes. At odds with Annalise, Nate is offered the chance at revenge when Annalise and Frank capture Xavier who confirms that he had Nate Sr. murdered on the orders of Governor Birkstead. Nate murders Xavier in retaliation and attempts to use it to get Jorge Castillo to turn against the governor. Nate also solves Asher Millstone's murder, helping the FBI catch the true killer, one of the governor's aides disguised as an FBI agent. Nate is subsequently offered a twenty million dollar settlement from the Attorney General for Nate Sr.'s murder. To Annalise's surprise, Nate testifies on her behalf on the stand, though he commits perjury that Annalise did not frame him and instead reveals the FBI and AUSA's crimes, including covering up the murder of Asher Millstone. Nate and Annalise subsequently make peace and Nate uses his settlement to open a rehabilitation center in his father's honor. Nate's testimony and advice helps clear Annalise of all charges and he provides Annalise with Wes' recovered confession which she destroys.
Wes Gibbins
Wesley Wes Gibbins is a smart, sweet and eager-to-help student who was on the wait list for Middleton and is later selected to be part of Annalise's group. In the first episode, Wes finds out that Annalise is cheating on her husband and this makes him and the professor closer. Wes is dogged by his next-door neighbor Rebecca Sutter, who was Lila's friend before her death. One night, after Rebecca is arrested for Lila's murder, Wes finds in his bathroom Lila's cell phone which Rebecca had hidden there the night before.In the first season, Wes helps in Rebecca's case in court along with Annalise. Rebecca is eventually released and over time, she and Wes become romantically involved. The two along with Wes' colleagues become embroiled in Sam's murder. Wes gets overprotective of Rebecca in the meantime. Rebecca is eventually killed by Bonnie in order to protect Annalise.
In the second season, Wes gets shocked after finding out that his deceased mother Rose was Annalise's client and that he was born Christophe Edmond. He also is embroiled in Emily Sinclair's murder. Over time, he develops a romantic relationship with Laurel.
In the third season, Wes is killed while Annalise's house burns down. It is revealed that Dominic, Laurel's former boyfriend and good friends with Laurel's father, is responsible for Wes' death following orders he received from Laurel's father.
In the sixth season, in a flashforward, Wes or someone similar in appearance is seen attending Annalise's funeral. During her trial, Annalise worries that the prosecution will bring in Wes as a surprise witness or find the confession he had written. However, in the series finale "Stay," Nate recovers Wes' confession which is destroyed by Annalise. The person attending Annalise's funeral is revealed to actually be Wes' son Christopher who grew up to be the spitting image of his father and takes over Annalise's old law class.