| Name | Character | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Marsden | Adam Dalgliesh | 48 |
| John Vine | John Massingham | 10 |
| Brenda Blethyn | Angela Foley | 6 |
| Barry Foster | Maxim Howarth | 6 |
| Ray Brooks | Henry Kerrison | 6 |
| Ivor Roberts | Inspector Blakelock | 6 |
| Sheila Allen | Mary Taylor | 5 |
| Liz Fraser | Mavis Gearing | 5 |
| Joss Ackland | Stephen Courtney-Briggs | 5 |
| Malcolm Terris | Tom Doyle | 5 |
| Andrew Ray | Clifford Bradley | 5 |
| Fiona Walker | Stella Mawson | 5 |
| Chloe Franks | Brenda Pridmore | 5 |
| Natalie Ogle | Christine Dakers | 5 |
| Meg Davies | Domenica Howarth | 5 |
| Graham Faulkner | Staff Nurse | 4 |
| Eleanor David | Jo Fallon | 3 |
| Ellen Thomas | Staff Nurse | 3 |
| Rhoda Lewis | Miss Willard | 3 |
| Annabelle Lanyon | Nell Kerrison | 3 |
| Kate Lansbury | Mrs Pridmore | 3 |
| Forbes Collins | Chief Superintendent Bailey | 3 |
| Margaret Whiting | Delia Dettinger | 3 |
| Lennard Pearce | Mr. Coles | 3 |
| Maryann Turner | Mrs. Bidwell | 3 |
| Richard Marner | Martin Dettinger | 2 |
| Cyril Cusack | Mr. Lorrimer | 2 |
| Geoffrey Palmer | Edwin Lorrimer | 2 |
| Adam Bareham | Gerald Sheldon | 2 |
| Peter Howell | Sir Charles Freeborn | 2 |
| John Bryans | Chief Superintendent Mercer | 2 |
| Jack Carr | Mr. Pridmore | 2 |
| Deborah Findlay | Heather Pearce | 1 |
| John Cater | Alfred Goddard | 1 |
| Penny Downie | Kate Miskin | 1 |
| Oliver Ford Davies | Father Barnes | 1 |
| Matthew Marsh | Dominic Swayne | 1 |
| Constance Chapman | Gran | 1 |
| David Swift | Sir Marcus Cohen | 1 |
| Fiona Fullerton | Barbara Berowne | 1 |
| Antony Carrick | Official | 1 |
| Avril Elgar | Emily Wharton | 1 |
| Derek Newark | Gordon Halliwell | 1 |
| Richard Beale | Mr. Bidwell | 1 |
| John Bryans | Chief Inspector Mercer | 1 |
| Tat Whalley | Darren Wilkes | 1 |
| Martin Shaw | Adam Dalgliesh | 0 |