24 Cast Continues to Grow

The guest list for Season Six of FOX’s non-stop thrill ride "24" is ballooning every month. After last season left the recurring cast dwindling near dangerous levels, there seems to be an influx of more new characters than in any previous season. This is only appropriate given than in the show’s history, there have never been more mainstays lost than in the fifth season.

Among the actors new to the successful pressure cooker of a series is Academy and three-time Emmy Award nominee James Cromwell. The acclaimed actor will appear as Phillip Bauer, Jack’s father. Cromwell has appeared in quite a few films, including "I, Robot," "The Sum of All Fears," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Babe" for which he received his Oscar nomination, and next year’s "Spider-Man 3" as Gwen Stacy’s father Captain George Stacy.

Cromwell’s list of TV credits is a long and impressive one that includes such a wide variety of popular shows over the last three decades; "M*A*S*H," "Little House on the Prairie," "Night Court," "Dallas," "Knight Rider," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "ER," "The West Wing," and "Six Feet Under" to name a handful.

In addition to Cromwell, Eddie Izzard and Kal Penn will be joining the cast of "24" as one of the upcoming season’s villains. Izzard has appeared in "The Secret Agent," "Velvet Goldmine," "Mystery Men," and "Ocean’s 12." Penn is most known for his roles in "Van Wilder" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," but his biggest credit to date is playing one of Lex’s men in this summer’s "Superman Returns."

"24" could not be more primed to receive the latest talent to slip in just under the clock. The series may seem like a completely different ballgame when it returns with a slew of new faces to show for itself. By time "24" comes back to the air in January, there could be even more new names added to the sixth day’s roster.