Brian Cox plays Ethan Lawrence Talbot's father in Penny Dreadful. Anthony Hopkins played Lawrence Talbot's father in The Wolfman (2010). Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter (1986) and Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (1991) and its sequels.
The surname of the female fencer (and thanatologist), Catriona Hartdegen, seems to be of German origin, and would translate to "hard épée".