The Walking Dead has kept Beta’s identity within the show under wraps for a while. There have been hints along the way of his true identity.
Not only that but because the show has kept Beta’s mask on him for most of the season, it hasn’t revealed to AMC viewers who the actor is underneath that skin.
Who is Beta on The Walking Dead?
The actor under the mask is Ryan Hurst. He has played the part since Season 9, Episode 12, and it is one that he will be remembered for in the years to come.
But that’s not the only place that actor Ryan Hurst is known from.
Hurst also played Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans and had memorable roles in The Ladykillers, We Were Soldiers, and Saving Private Ryan.
When part of Beta’s mask was ripped off during the last episode, some viewers suddenly realized that this was the same guy who had played Opie on Sons of Anarchy for years.
It’s a familiar theme on social media, and below are some posts from when viewers figured out the real identity of Beta:
Just discovered Beta on the walking dead is Opie. Whaaaaaat.
The walking dead is good at casting the perfect actors as killers that are hard to hate lol.— Moll Doll (@molly_vancuren) March 17, 2020
I still can’t believe Opie from SOA is beta on the walking dead
— Amum (@Squirrauhls) March 16, 2020
How have I only recently noticed that Beta from the walking dead is opie aka Ryan Hurst. pic.twitter.com/LL4uykTwSK
— CJAggett – Deep: The climb of truth??♂️? (@CJAggett) February 1, 2020
HOLY SHIẞE
So I've took two days to catch up on this season the The Walking Dead. And I've been digging Beta. And I thought, "Damn, that voice sounds familiar. Wouldn't it be funny if that was Opie."
Finally looked. Ryan Hurst. MOTHERFRICKING OPIE.
My poor SoA heart.— Jared ✌? #VlaLove (@TheDruidBoy) November 22, 2019
Beyond just being Ryan Hurst, though, viewers have been trying to figure out who the character of Beta is on The Walking Dead. This is because a fellow whisperer recognized him when Beta’s mask was torn.
And the realization of who Beta was under that mask led to the death of that whisperer, as Beta killed him almost immediately. There is an interesting story behind it all.
Beta on The Walking Dead is a celebrity
In the TWD comic books, Beta was a famous NBA player and actor before the apocalypse took place.
He sought to keep his identity a secret by donning the skin mask, which probably made the character more menacing to his foes as an antagonist.
Within the context of The Walking Dead on AMC, it seems they are going in a slightly different direction with Beta’s true identity. And it also seems that the producers threw a huge clue into an older episode of Fear the Walking Dead.
Take a look at the image that was shared on Twitter of a music album that appeared on Fear the Walking Dead:
In an Easter egg over on Fear the Walking Dead last season, the show revealed the identity of Beta when one of its characters, Daniel, dropped a crate of albums, revealing this : pic.twitter.com/2DyvIOQNq6
— wills (@_WilliamHumes) March 17, 2020
Yep, that’s an image of Ryan Hurst, right on a music album that has even been heard in the world of The Walking Dead.
It further confirms that the character of Beta is still a famous celebrity, which is why the other walker recognized him right away.
More to this backstory will be revealed in the coming episodes, but first, Michonne takes center stage for her final episode. And, after that, we get to see what Beta will do when he finds out that Alpha has been murdered.
The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.