White Collar premiered on Oct. 23, 2009, starring Matt Bomer as con man Neal Caffrey, who makes his living by committing white-collar crimes. After getting caught by the FBI twice, though, he’s asked to help the agency track down other white-collar criminals.
The often-comedic crime drama ran until 2014, and Bomer won a People’s Choice Award the following year. Since then, White Collar’s popularity has endured, thanks to audiences watching the series on streaming services.
In April 2024, the show was added to Netflix and reignited talks of a potential reboot. “It’s technically in the works,” Bomer told Deadline of the project. “These things are never quite as easy as you want them to be … but it seems to be that they are moving in the right direction, and it could be a very real thing within the next year or two.”
Fans of the police procedural didn’t have to wait long before Variety confirmed in June that a revival is on the way, with co-creator Jeff Eastin penning the script.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about Eastin’s vision for the project in August 2024, Bomer said: “It's fantastic, and it's completely in line and in keeping with the show that we were able to do six seasons of. It really just feels like he was able to pick up the right where we left off.”
With the series celebrating its 15th anniversary on Oct. 23, here's where the cast of White Collar is now and what they have been doing since the show ended.
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Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey
Matt Bomer plays Neal Caffrey, a white-collar thief and con man who eventually gets caught by the FBI. With only weeks left on his sentence, he escapes to reunite with his girlfriend but is captured again shortly after. This time, though, the government organization offered him a deal: Help them catch other criminals, and they’ll end his jail term early.
Before his Hollywood career, Bomer grew up in Texas outside of Houston and was childhood friends with actor Lee Pace. “I’ve known him since he was shorter than me, when he was 14 and I was 15,” Bomer told GQ Hype in December 2023. The two later became roommates in New York City as they worked toward becoming actors.
Bomer’s first break came in 2002 when he landed a recurring role on Guiding Light, and he later earned starring roles on the first season of Tru Calling and in the horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).
After White Collar concluded, Bomer won a Golden Globe for his role in the 2014 film adaptation of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, which centered around the HIV/AIDS outbreak in the early '80s. That same year, he briefly appeared on American Horror Story before returning in a larger capacity from 2015 to 2016.
A few years later, Bomer began exploring voice acting with the superhero series Doom Patrol in 2019. In 2023, he appeared in Fellow Travelers, a miniseries about the Lavender Scare in the 1950s; the role earned him both Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Off-screen, Bomer has been married to publicist Simon Halls since 2011. They have three sons: Kit, Henry and Walker. Despite their fame, Bomer and Halls try to ensure their kids have a normal upbringing.
“I don’t want anybody out on stage any time soon,” Bomer told PEOPLE in December 2020. “When I was 8 years old, I asked my parents to get me headshots, and they were like, ‘What are you talking about?! Go outside and play!’ I’m so glad they did.”
On the way, Bomer will star in Outcome, a film about a disgraced Hollywood star who gets blackmailed with a video from his past. Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz are both attached to star, with Jonah Hill writing and directing the project. The actor will also star on Hulu’s Mid-Century Modern, a series following three gay best friends, set to premiere in 2025.
Who Is Matt Bomer's Husband? All About Simon Halls
Tim DeKay as Peter Burke
Tim DeKay portrays FBI agent Peter Burke, who works with Neal to take down white-collar criminals.
Before starring on White Collar, Burke had a recurring part in Party of Five from 1997 to 1999 and appeared on the supernatural HBO drama Carnivàle.
Since White Collar ended, DeKay has landed recurring roles on series like Second Chance, American Crime, Here and Now and Yellowstone spinoff 1923. He also appeared in the seven-time Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer (2023) and the Rachel Noll James-helmed sci-fi film Ingress (2023).
DeKay has been married to actress Elisa Taylor since 1991, and they have two children.
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Tiffani Thiessen as Elizabeth Burke
Tiffani Thiessen plays Elizabeth Burke, Peter’s wife, who often offers him advice and support on his cases.
During the show's six-season run, Thiessen praised her White Collar costars in a 2012 TVLine interview, calling them "one of the nicest casts" she has worked with in her illustrious career.
Long before Thiessen joined the series' roster, she was already a massive television star, thanks to her roles as Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell and Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210. Beyond White Collar, the actress showed up on American Housewife in 2017 and Alexa & Katie from 2018 to 2020.
Amid acting projects, Thiessen has also shared her love of cooking on the Cooking Channel and its sister channel, the Food Network.
She hosted Dinner at Tiffani's from 2015 to 2017 and has appeared on The Kitchen and Food Network Star. In 2017, Thiessen released her first cookbook, Pull Up a Chair, and published her second, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, in 2023.
Since 2005, Thiessen has been married to fellow actor Brady Smith, who costarred alongside her on a 2011 White Collar episode. They share two kids: daughter Harper Renn and son Holt Fisher.
Who Is Tiffani Thiessen's Husband? All About Brady Smith
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Willie Garson as Mozzie
Willie Garson portrayed Mozzie, a fellow con man and one of Neal’s best and most trusted friends.
Aside from his role on White Collar, Garson was best known for portraying Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City from 1998 to 2004. He reprised the role in Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010) and again on the sequel series And Just Like That.... His other credits include NYPD Blue, Whole Day Down, Hawaii Five-0 and Supergirl.
Garson died at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer on Sept. 21, 2021. Since his death, his former costars have shared fond stories about and tributes to the actor in his memory.
The December following Garson’s death, Kristin Davis teared up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert while honoring the late actor, saying that he was “full of joy and so incredibly brilliant and smart.”
Bomer also shared heartfelt words about him, telling PEOPLE in February 2024: “He made every day more fun. He made every day more funny. He certainly added color to any room he was in, any conversation he was in, and he was a beautiful actor to get to work with.”
Garson is survived by his son, Nathen Garson, who set up a fund after his father’s death to help support foster care agencies.
"He wasn't just my father, he was my best friend and a mentor before I even knew what that was," Nathen wrote on Instagram in September 2022 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his dad’s death.
He added, "He inspired me when I was younger to be better than I ever thought I could and because of that, I try to always do better. … I would not be where I am today if not for him. I wouldn't be who I am if not for him."
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Marsha Thomason as Diana Berrigan
Marsha Thomason plays Diana Berrigan, a fellow FBI agent who works on cases with Neal and Peter.
When White Collar debuted on Netflix in April 2024, she posted photos of her time on the show and shared a sentimental message on Instagram.
"This was such a special job for me, spent with these gorgeous friends and our amazing crew. What a dream come true," she captioned the post.
Originally from Manchester, England, Thomason landed her first major role on the long-running British drama Where the Heart Is. Her other acting credits include Las Vegas, Lost, Cobra and a recurring role on The Bay.
Since 2009, she has been married to Craig Sykes, with whom she shares a daughter named Tallulah.
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Sharif Atkins as Clinton Jones
Sharif Atkins portrays FBI agent Clinton Jones, who helps the team with their missions and often works surveillance duty.
In September 2024, Atkins spoke to TV Insider about his expectations and possibilities for his character in Eastin's White Collar revival.
“The mystery, the thriller,” he said. “White Collar was one of those shows that had this beautiful balance of quick wit, interesting storylines, and also great relationships, and so all of the above. And to also see, where is Jones now? What is Jones doing? Who is Jones leading? Which department is he the head of now?”
Aside from his role on White Collar, Atkins is best known for playing Dr. Michael Gallant on ER from 2001 to 2006. He’s also had recurring roles on The 4400, Queen of the South and Apple TV+’s Me. From 2021 to 2024, Atkins starred on NCIS: Hawai‘i as Norman “Boom Boom” Gates.
Some of his notable film appearances include Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Netflix’s The Open House (2018).
Atkins is married to Bethany Lynn Hotchkiss. The couple dated for more than three years before he proposed onstage at a charity benefit in 2014. Later that same year, they wed and have since started a family.
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Hilarie Burton as Sara Ellis
Hilarie Burton plays Sara Ellis, an insurance investigator who ends up working with Neal and eventually falls in love with him.
Burton started as an MTV VJ in the early 2000s, regularly appearing on the network’s various shows throughout the decade, including Total Request Live and MTV Hits. During that same time, she also had a starring role on One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2009.
In 2024, Burton was announced to reprise her One Tree Hill role on a sequel series at Netflix, co-producing with fellow costar Sophia Bush.
Besides her TV work, Burton is also an author. She released The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm in 2020 and published a second memoir, Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief, in 2023.
Burton is also devoted to her family. She’s been married to The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan since 2019, though the couple has been together since 2009.
In a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, Burton mentioned their decade of dating, saying, "We've lived as husband and wife forever, but we like being married." They have two kids: son Augustus and daughter George Virginia.
Hilarie Burton Gets Emotional Talking About Late White Collar Costar Willie Garson: 'My Biggest Cheerleader'
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Natalie Morales as Lauren Cruz
Natalie Morales portrays Lauren Cruz, an FBI agent on Peter’s team. Despite having a leading role, the character exited the series after season 1.
Afterward, Morales continued landing leading and recurring parts on series like Parks and Recreation, The Grinder, Dead to Me and The Morning Show. She also appeared on Grey’s Anatomy in 2024. On the big screen, Morales has booked roles in films like No Hard Feelings (2023) and My Dead Friend Zoe (2024).
In 2017, Morales came out as queer in an essay for Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls online zine.
"I don't like labeling myself, or anyone else, but if it's easier for you to understand me, what I'm saying is that I'm queer," she wrote. "What queer means to me is just simply that I'm not straight. That's all. It's not scary, even though that word used to be really, really scary to me."
In 2024, Morales took up voice acting in the animated film Thelma the Unicorn alongside Will Forte and Zach Galifianakis. In October 2024, Deadline reported that the actress had joined the cast of Netflix’s limited series The Beast in Me, also starring Claire Danes and Brittany Snow.