Commodore Louis Kaestner

A relic of Atlantic City's old political machine, the Commodore is the man who built the system Nucky Thompson now runs — and he has no intention of fading quietly. Elderly, imperious, and unapologetically bigoted, he holds court from his mansion, dispensing judgment on the men who owe him their careers and expecting deference he no longer commands.

Dabney Coleman plays him with a growl of entitlement that makes his menace feel lived-in rather than theatrical — this is a man who has never had to raise his voice to be obeyed. The show uses him as a living reminder that Nucky's empire was inherited from someone crueler, which complicates any comfort in rooting for its hero.