Narcos is a deep-dive into the life of Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, from a small-time narco dealer and kidnapper into a ruthless cocaine kingpin that ruled the West with his Medellín Cartel. During his glory days, Escobar generated up to US$60 million daily from the illegal drug-trafficking alone. His controversial, Robin Hood-like persona has drawn so many people's affections, proven by over 25,000 attendants during his funeral.
Being a based-on-real-life show required the casting directors to find the perfect cast for the characters presented. How do these TV actors actually resemble their real-life counterparts? You decide!
10 La Quica (Diego Cataño)
Dandeny 'La Quica' Mosquera is Escobar's chief assassin, right-hand man, and a lethal hitman. He's the evil mind behind the Avianca Flight 203 bombing that took the lives of 107 passengers and he was sentenced to 10 life sentences.
Later, it was revealed that Escobar was plotting a criminal act to assassinate the presidential candidate César Gaviria Trujillo before the upcoming 1990 elections. On Narcos, La Quica is portrayed by Diego Cataño.
9 Valeria Vélez (Stephanie Sigman)
Valeria Vélez was a TV journalist and Escobar's illicit love-interest. She eventually fell in love with the kingpin and even introduced him to her connection in politics, including Fernando Duque. Spoiler alert, she was killed by Los Pepes.
Valeria Vélez was based on the real-life person Virginia Vallejo, a TV journalist and the first anchorwoman to interview the drug lord. She later wrote a book titled Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar, that details her experience dealing with Escobar. She's still alive as of this writing, and Stephanie Sigman portrayed her on-screen character.
8 Hermilda Gaviria (Paulina Garcia)
Hermilda Gaviria is Escobar's mother, known for her ability to make a jacket that could hide five kilograms of cocaine. Upon his death, she never believed her son was a notorious criminal who ended so many lives in cold-blood.
"I didn't believe he was a criminal and I've never thought so. I will never be ashamed of being Pablo's mother," Gaviria said in the 2004 documentary, The Private Archives of Pablo Escobar. Paulina Garcia plays her character on Narcos.
7 Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera (Alberto Ammann)
Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera is Escobar's rival and the Cali cartel's flamboyant, de facto leader. He rose to power in 1986 after dealing with the Medellin and the Guadalajaran cartel and became even more powerful after Escobar's death in 1993. He spent a couple of years in jail and devoted himself to soccer before he was killed in prison in 1998.
Pacho is the primary center of Narcos's third season and a recurring character on Narcos: Mexico. He's portrayed by Alberto Ammann.
6 Tata Escobar (Paulina Gaitán)
Tata Escobar is a fictional character, but she was based on the real-life Escobar's wife, Maria Victoria Henao.
In real life, Henao married Escobar (26) when she was only 15. The pair eloped and had two children: Manuela and Juan (now Sebastián Marroquín, an author and an architect). On Netflix, Tata was played by Paulina Gaitán.
5 Gustavo Gaviria (Juan Pablo Raba)
As Escobar's cousin and most trusted right-hand man, Gustavo Gaviria was the moral compass (if he had one) that kept Escobar on the right track. Spoiler alert, his death was the ultimate reason why Escobar surrendered to the government and it triggered his violent persona to become even worse.
On Narcos, Gus was played by Juan Pablo Raba, a Colombian telenovela actor who also appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Joey Gutiérrez in the third season.
4 Connie Murphy (Joanna Christie)
Connie Murphy is the wife of DEA agent Steve Murphy. On Narcos, the pair adopted a daughter before Connie took her to the States after being fed up with Colombia.
In real life, Connie and Steve adopted two children and she stayed in Colombia while her husband hunted Escobar. Her character was portrayed by Joanna Christine, known for her work with Danielle Radcliffe in Equus.
3 Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal)
Javier Peña is a DEA agent who worked alongside Steve Murphy during their hunt for Pablo Escobar.
Born in 1948, Peña was raised in Texas before joining the DEA. In Narcos, he was involved in the DEA's taking down the Cali cartel, which is contrary to what actually happened in real life. Real-life Peña served as the series' consultant and he was portrayed by Pedro Pascal.
2 Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook)
Steve Murphy, portrayed by Boyd Holbrook, is Narcos' central character and main narrator.
In real-life, Murphy joined the DEA in the 1980s and worked his way up from arresting lowlife, small-time drug dealers in Miami before being transferred to Colombia. Murphy has retired from the Agency in 2013 and he dedicated more than 25 years of his life to it.
1 Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura)
Fun fact: Wagner Moura, the actor who played Pablo Escobar, is not even Colombian. In fact, he's Brazilian, although he admitted to living in Colombia for six months while taking Spanish courses to perfect his role.
He gained almost 40 pounds to portray the drug lord, and it was all worthwhile, as it got him Golden Globe and Imagen Awards nominations.