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1[[quoteright:350:[[SelfDemonstratingArticle We would show you a character]], but [[TitleDrop he must not be seen]].]]
2%%
3->''"I've never met your father, no-one has, I'm not even sure he bloody well exists."''
4-->-- '''Maxwell Sheffield''', ''Series/TheNanny''
5
6A regular or RecurringCharacter that is never seen on screen. There are three variants: TheGhost, TheVoice, and TheFaceless.
7
8See also UnseenEvil, InvisibleCelebrityGuest and InvisiblePresident. Compare with HeWhoMustNotBeHeard.
9
10----
11!!Examples:
12[[foldercontrol]]
13
14[[folder:Advertising]]
15* In the [[Advertising/PartnershipToEndAddiction Partnership for a Drug Free America]] PSA "Final Lesson", Susie, the girl who was not taught about the dangers of illegal drugs, is never shown save for some brief photos of her as a child when the camera is panning to various things in her bedroom.
16[[/folder]]
17
18[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
19* As a rule of thumb, The Emperor of Japan (both the living, historical, or even fictitious ones) is never shown or even mentioned in any Japanese media other than news stories or story books. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum_taboo this]] for details. On the other hand, they don't have any qualms to show any daimyo, shogun or even Prime Ministers (both historical and fictitious) in any kind of light. Some clever writers manage to include an equivalent of the Japanese Imperial Family through some good writing:
20** In ''Anime/QueensBlade'', the FantasyCounterpartCulture of Japan, Hinomoto, has an Emperor, who is a girl.
21** Subverted in ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'' at least between the Japanese and American versions: Little Tokyo is ruled by a brainless emperor in the American iteration, but the character is described as a Shogun in the original Japanese airings.
22** Averted in ''Literature/TheAmbitionOfOdaNobuna'' with Himiko, who is also a girl by making her a CaptainErsatz: She is "the head of Yamato court" and said to be an incarnation of the Gods who built Japan, something any Japanese would immediately associated with the empress--but she was ''never'' referred to as the empress of Japan. She's also notable to be the ''only character'' of the series when the number of fan-art (erotic or otherwise) about her can be counted on a ''single hand''.
23** Averted in the ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'' manga for the original game. The Emperor of the parallel Heian Japan-like universe face is seen when he speaks with his brother Eisen - we even see him give Eisen advice on how to interact with Akane.
24** Averted with a revenge in ''Manga/{{Angolmois}}'' when the historical Emperor Tokihito (Antoku) appears, at least in the animated adaptation, something really unusual for an modern adaptation of an anime series.
25** Also averted like hell in ''Anime/HeikeMonogatari'', when the Emperor also appears and mentioned by his name, in this case the Emperor Shirakawa, aka Sadahito.
26* Like the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' example below, there are few, if any parents shown in ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'', even though they are mentioned or alluded to at various points in the series.
27* Toji's sister is mentioned at various points in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', and is important enough that she serves as the main reason he becomes a pilot. Despite this, she never actually appears in the series at all. She does however have a ''very'' brief [[HeWhoMustNotBeHeard non-speaking cameo]] in the second ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' movie. [[spoiler: She then becomes an AscendedExtra in the third movie, and is finally given an actual name ("Sakura").]]
28** This is true of several other characters. For instance, Hikari mentions several times that she has two sisters, but we never see either of them... at least for a long time. They were first seen as part of a promotional campaign for the opening of the 500 Type EVA train featured in merchandise, and going along with the ThemeNaming, they are called Kodama and Nozomi, which along with Hikari are the names of the different speed categories of train used by the Tokaido Shinkansen. They later appeared as a cameo in the kids' mecha anime ''Shinkalion''.
29* ''Manga/AstroBoy'''s Lord Deadcross.
30* The Dancing Giant ghost in ''Manga/HauntedJunction'' is only seen from the knee down, and generally only one leg at a time. He's that big.
31* Ai Enma's "grandma" from ''Anime/HellGirl''. Although she talks, all we ever see of her form is her silhouette. The only human that takes a good look at her is completely horrified by what she saw.
32* Partial example: Tsunade from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' [[VainSorceress always makes herself look much younger than she is]], and on the couple of occasions where she was exhausted enough that the illusion fades we're prevented from getting a good look at her. What little we do see implies that she actually looks ''older'' than she really is, no doubt due to the life-shortening effect of her ultimate healing technique.
33* In ''Taro Kid''[=/=]''Skyers 5'' (name varies depending on jurisdiction) the BigBad (head of a SPECTRE-like criminal organization) is only ever seen from behind his chair.
34* The Sacred Ancestor, the Vampire King {{Dracula}} remains unseen save for flashbacks where he receives no physical description save for his [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes]] in all mediums of ''Literature/VampireHunterD''.
35* In ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', the Hayagami in their humanoid forms.
36* In ''Literature/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'', Ryunosuke, resident in room 102 of Sakura Hall is one of these. Early on, his only interactions with the other characters are over the computer, either via chat room dialogue, or more commonly, a maid AI program that does the speaking for what he's thinking about. He finally appears onscreen in episode 9, and is also [[EvolvingCredits visible in the credits.]]
37* Quite a few of the bigger players in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' are never shown, including Medical Mechanica, Haruko's higher-ups, and Naota's older brother. (Even when there's a picture of him, his face is never shown.)
38** The Pirate King Atomsk is unseen until almost the very end. Even Amarao's earlier mental picture of him has his back to the audience [[spoiler:and Amarao is completely wrong about what he looks like anyway]].
39* In ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' Hitomi occasionally referred to her younger brother, we never see him once at her home in the present day.
40* The writer of [[ShowWithinAShow "Aerial Girls' Squad"]] in ''{{Anime/Shirobako}}'' only appears in the form of cryptic emails and his obnoxious editor, who always loudly insists that his client is too busy to see anyone. [[spoiler:The director finally meets him in the second-to-last episode and, unsurprisingly, it turns out he wasn't really that busy, his editor was just getting in the way.]]
41* {{God}} in ''Manga/HeavensDesignTeam'' is never seen, only heard, usually making animal requests and approving them. It seemed like He was going to make an appearance at Hell's office party, but he ended up sending Garuda in his place with a recorded message.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Blogs]]
45* Nobody is certain who or what Froghand/"Froge" is, aside from the limited information he provides willingly. This is understandable, given his strong views on privacy, security, and anti-surveillance tactics, having formerly devoted his website to the topic of Web security.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comedy]]
49* Creator/BobNewhart was famous for this. Many of his stand-up routines featured a "telephone" bit in which [[NewhartPhonecall you only heard Bob's side of the conversation and had to imagine the other side]]. This gag made it into his TV shows a couple of times.
50-->'''Bob:''' ''[into phone, while drunk]'' Derr Bob Hartley. ... Derr. ... Dee, Ar, period.
51* One who really defies categorization is the character of Vern from any of the late comedian Creator/JimVarney's ''Ernest'' routines since the action was always told in first-person fashion from Vern's perspective, allowing the audience to essentially be that character. Sometimes Vern's hands were seen, such as when Ernest got his hands caught in the window and asks for help, and the audience sees Vern's hands simply closing the blinds.
52* The late Joyce Grenfell used to do the same thing, with the audience taking the perspective of Shirley, or half the guests at a cocktail party (with Grenfell playing all the other half), or a nursery school.
53-->''"George...don't do that."''
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Comic Books]]
57* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': The Joker was this in ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'' for a large part because mostly, ''[[FacialHorror he had no face]]''.
58* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Ben Grimm often speaks fondly of his dear Aunt Petunia, but for decades she was never seen. Finally, issue #239 featured her in person. It's revealed that she is a young woman married to Ben's Uncle Jake. Another couple of decades later, she is StuffedInTheFridge.
59* ''ComicBook/JanJansEnDeKinderen'': Gijs, Jan's older brother, who is always mentioned, but never seen.
60* ''ComicBook/DeKiekeboes'': Mevrouw Stokvis is a friend of Moemoe, Kiekeboe's grandmother. She always talks about her, but we never ever see her appear.
61* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
62** In [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeAndDitko the early comics]], Mary Jane Watson was only referred to and never fully seen -- although one story did feature a brief cameo, we could only see her body and not her face. It would be over two years before readers received their first full glimpse of her in the comics, and Peter (and the audience) is shocked to find out she is actually a very attractive young woman.
63** [[ItWasHisSled Before he was revealed to be]] Norman Osborn, any time the Green Goblin wasn't wearing his mask, his back was either turned to the reader or his face was almost completely shrouded in shadows.
64** Likewise with [[LegacyCharacter the Hobgoblin]], who trod a lot of familiar ground in his debut.
65* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', Mr. Prast, Klara's "husband" and abuser, has appeared in maybe two or three panels in the entire decade or so since she was introduced.
66* ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'': There is a woman in the shadows in the last page who seems to be allied with Quicksilver in the creation of a new Brotherhood of Mutants. She was later revealed to be [[spoiler:Moira [=MacTaggert=], Xavier's ex-wife]].
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Comic Strips]]
70* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'':
71** Adults were seen exactly once: Some adults are partially shown in an early strip depicting Charlie Brown and Lucy at a golf tournament.
72** In a few early strips Linus and Lucy's parents (and blanket-hating grandmother) can be [[TheVoice "heard" off-panel]], and the kids' schoolteachers are heard (albeit [[TheUnintelligible as trombone music]]) in the animated specials (with the exception of "She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown", which featured an actual voice).
73** The Little Red-Haired Girl is also never seen, except once in silhouette, this was to show Charlie Brown's hopelessness in longing for her. (She ''is'' seen in one of the specials, ''It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown'', although this was deemed non-canonical by Charles Schulz.)
74** Also Snoopy's nemesis, The Cat Next Door aka World War II. Although some fans believe that Brutus from ''WesternAnimation/RaceForYourLifeCharlieBrown'' fits the description of the Cat Next Door.
75* Susie's parents in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. Their voices were heard from off-panel once or twice, but they never appeared. Susie's mom was seen from the waist down once.
76* ComicStrip/ThePhantom is usually wearing a mask or sunglasses; whenever he's not, he's usually shown from behind or has his head out of frame. In-story, anyone who sees his face will die (mainly through LaserGuidedKarma), but his wife and other loved ones are apparently excluded. (In one ancestor story, the current Phantom had died and his son arrived at the Skull Cave to take up the role; he's shown completely, face and all, for several frames. Presumably the curse doesn't take full effect before he dons the suit for the first time, or the comic's readership may have taken a drastic drop in numbers...)
77* In ''ComicStrip/CulDeSac'', Dil has a horde of unseen older brothers whose hobbies include building trebuchets.
78* The title characters in George Herriman's early 20th century strip ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyUpstairs''. They live on the top floor of an apartment building and cause endless problems for the poor souls situated below them.
79* This also applied to the title characters in another early strip, Pom Momand's ''Keeping Up with the Joneses''.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Fan Works]]
83* In ''Fanfic/MonstersInParadise'', Hello-san, the story's BigBad, is this. When Koishi meets him for the first time, she finds it impossible to discern his appearance as she cannot see him at all.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
87* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'':
88** The hunter who shot Bambi's mom. Unless you buy the fanon that it was [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]].
89** Thumper's mother constantly refers to his father's {{Green Aesop}}s whenever Thumper is causing her trouble, even though he is never once seen onscreen or even heard in either movie.
90* In the 1980 Claymation educational film ''Dinosaurs!'', neither the main character Phillip nor his classmates are ever actually shown, and his teacher is only briefly seen from behind. When this film was released to home video in 1987, new scenes were added with Phillip being played by Fred Savage. The new footage featured Phillip's unseen mother, as well as a mysterious female voice who educates him on dinosaurs.
91* Sykes was originally going to be this in ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', however as the plot began calling for more action on his part, this idea was eventually dropped.
92* Mickey's father the King, from Mickey's ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceAndThePauper'', is never fully shown; even during his death scene only his hands and silhouette are seen.
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
96* The unseen monster(s) in ''Film/BirdBox''. Though one was originally going to appear in the flesh as a hideous, infant-looking humanoid, it was removed from the final film because Creator/SandraBullock found it too ridiculous.
97* The supposed god in ''Film/TenThousandBC'' makes sure no ones sees him to add to his whole mystique. He even has all blind servants.
98* The Soviet premier in ''Film/DrStrangelove''. Not only not seen, but not heard either. Sellers does a Newhart-style telephone gag where, though you only hear President Merkin's side of the conversation, it's pretty clear what "Dmitri" is saying.
99-->'''Merkin:''' I'm sorry too, Dmitri. I'm very sorry.... All right, you're sorrier than I am. But I am sorry as well... I am as sorry as you are, Dmitri. Don't say that you're more sorry than I am because I am capable of being just as sorry as you are. So we're both sorry, all right? ... All right.
100* Roxy Carmichael from the 1990 movie ''Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael''. Mainly because he's in Russia, which is only shown in the movie as a background-shot.
101* The Blair Witch in ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' is never seen on camera, only spoken of and feared. [[NothingIsScarier This of course makes her all the more scary!]]
102* Blofeld in the ''Film/JamesBond'' films ([[TheBlofeldPloy yeah, him]]) actually started out this way.
103* Sir Not Appearing in the Film from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. But he does appear very briefly, in the illustration on his page of the storybook. From the looks of things, he must be the youngest knight of them all... (the picture is actually of Michael Palin's son).
104* The man directing the criminal organization in ''Film/TheTestamentOfDrMabuse'' is only shown as a silhouette behind a curtain giving orders. It's later revealed that [[spoiler:the man behind the curtain is just a cardboard cutout and a radio; the head of the psych hospital, who has become obsessed with patient Mabuse's titular "crime manual", has been remotely directing the organization the whole time]].
105* ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon1941'':
106** Floyd Thursby, (one of) the murder victim(s).
107** The audience never sees who shoots [[spoiler:Miles Archer]]; all we see is a hand raising a gun, the shot, and him falling backward, as Sam Spade later describes the aftermath, "with his gun tucked away in his hip and his overcoat buttoned". It's this that helps Sam figure out who the killer of both men was.
108* The title character in ''Edward, My Son'' is never seen onscreen. Everything we know about him we hear from other people.
109* Much like Dr. Claw, Mr. Feather's boss "The Man" from ''Film/UndercoverBrother''. only the back of his head and his hands are seen.
110* The 1976 biopic of the Prophet Mohammed, ''Film/MohammadMessengerOfGod'' (US title ''The Message'' ), complies with Islamic law by never showing the Prophet or any of his immediate family. This leads to a lot of very meaningful shots of his camel and his camel-goad.
111* Technically, this tactic was used before in ''Film/BenHur1959''. Jesus cameos in the film, giving water to Judah Ben-Hur and, later, when Ben Hur witnesses the crucifixion. Not once is Jesus' face shown. Many Christians, especially Roman Catholics, are uncomfortable with ''any'' depictions of Jesus' face in contemporary or even classic media, as it puts a potentially misleading visual "face" on Jesus. The director of ''Ben-Hur'' decided not to show Jesus' face in the film out of respect for this.
112** The same tactic was used in the original silent version of ''[[Film/BenHur1925 Ben-Hur]]''.
113* Mrs. Matuschek in ''Film/TheShopAroundTheCorner''.
114* Claude Daigle the boy Rhoda murdered in ''Literature/TheBadSeed'' adaptations is never shown except possibly at the beginning with the other students at the school picnic.
115* In ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'', it appears that Del's wife is this trope. We find out at the end it's much sadder.
116* In ''Film/AngelsInTheOutfield'', none of the angels are directly seen by the audience. Only one of them appears as a voice. Averted in the remake, though.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder:Literature]]
120* Santa Claus is this in the puzzle book series ''Literature/CanYouSeeWhatISee'', with the only signs of his presence being his hat in the chimney, his shadow on the wall, and a faraway shot of his sleigh in the sky.
121* The Soldier in White from ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo''. A hospital patient so covered in bandages that no one knows anything about him. No one even realizes when he dies, until a nurse takes his temperature and he doesn't have one. One soldier speculates there's nothing under the bandages, he's just a hollow plaster shell.
122** Also, the Dead Man in Yossarian's Tent (Lt. Mudd). He died on a mission before officially checking in at the base, therefore the army brass refuse to admit he ever existed, causing a paperwork nightmare.
123* Bod from ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' never sees the Sleer [[spoiler:until the end of the book]].
124* Galbatorix, the BigBad of the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', has yet to put in a physical appearance in the books. He does appear in [[TheFilmOfTheBook The Film]], played by John Malkovich, but this was only for appearances' sake. [[spoiler: He finally shows up in the last book.]]
125** By extension, his dragon Shruikan isn't seen until they confront Galbatorix in his throne room.
126* Matai Shang, [[PriestKing Holy Hekkador]] of the [[PathOfInspiration Holy Therns]] in ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' hovers around the edges of the second book, ''The Gods of Mars'' without ever putting in a direct appearance. He finally shows up in the next book, ''The Warlord of Mars'', where he's half of the BigBadDuumvirate.
127* Let's not forget the "Once-ler" and all his friends and relatives in Dr. Seuss' ''Literature/TheLorax'', of whom only their hands are ever seen. That was so they could represent big companies in general rather than a single person, although the film adaptation shows them fully.
128%%* Floyd Thursby, the murder victim in ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon''.
129%%* Emmanuel Goldstein in [[Creator/GeorgeOrwell Orwell's]] ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour nineteen eighty-four]]'' (''sic'').
130%%* The Patient in ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters''.
131%%* Beatrice Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket's ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''.
132* ''Literature/TakeshiKovacs'': ''Altered Carbon'' includes the often-referenced but never-present Elias Ryker. [[spoiler:It emerges that the central character, Takeshi Kovacs, is inhabiting Ryker's body or "sleeve" while Ryker himself is "on stack", imprisoned in a digital environment.]]
133* For some reason, Glenis the Guinea Pig is frequently mentioned in the first ''Roland Rat'' [[TheChristmasAnnual Christmas Annual]], but never actually shown (her character profile has a photo of Harrods, and she makes one illustrated appearance behind a pile of shopping). It's possible that the lead-in time meant that the annual's writers were aware of the new character being introduced in the October show, but hadn't seen the puppet design.
134* Dr Seuss' ''There's a Wocket in my Pocket'' features a whole host of weird creatures with which the narrating character - a young boy - lives, except one. "The only one I'm really scared of is that VUG under the RUG," the character narrates; and indeed, all you are shown of it is a formless, nonspecific lump under a rug in a darkened room.
135[[/folder]]
136
137[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
138* Hive in his first appearance on ''Series/AgentsOfShield'', where he's referred to as "It" for the entirety of the episode. We do see him as a figure in a black cloak and the corpse of an astronaut, but we don't see his face until the episode "Maveth". It takes even longer to reveal his true form or even his ''name''.
139* Possibly the most famous example, Charlie from ''Series/CharliesAngels''. He's never been seen in any version of the show. Not even the movies! But for those who really want to know and be spoiled it was [[spoiler:John Forsythe]]
140* ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'' features an example in Mrs. Slocombe's friend Mrs. Axelby. Her cat Tiddles (or at least one bearing the same name) appeared in the AfterSeries ''Grace and Favour''.
141* In public-relations specials, these characters need not even be fictional. After playing TheVoice (Carlton the doorman on ''Series/{{Rhoda}}''), Lorenzo Music (who also provided the voice for [[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends Garfield]]) later appeared on a ''WesternAnimation/{{Garfield|Specials}}'' TV special with his back to the camera at all times, as Garfield's creator Jim Davis remarked that he'd never seen his face. However, Music did once appear on camera during an interview for ''Here Comes Garfield'', but after that, when out in public, he either wore a Garfield mask or just wore a beret and sunglasses. The producers of an E! special on Beanie Babies did something similar with the founder of the Ty corporation.
142** Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and ''Literature/GravitysRainbow'' author Creator/ThomasPynchon, both of whom refuse to appear on camera throughout their whole careers.
143** In his first interview after leaving the band in 1980, former Music/{{KISS}} drummer Peter Criss appeared with his back to the camera, apparently at the insistence of his former band mates. At the time, KISS had never appeared in public without their trademark stage makeup. Criss would reveal his face in a television appearance later that year. The band would abandon its makeup in 1983 in an "unmasking" on Creator/{{MTV}}.
144** Similar to the first example, Creator/VH1's ''[[ILoveTheExties I Love The 90s]]'' had a segment on [=MovieFone=], with the celebrities commenting that they had no idea what "Mr. [=MovieFone=]" looked like. They actually had the actor, Russ Leatherman, on the show.
145* Don Pardo announced the prizes on many game shows, and the cast on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during the '70s, without ever appearing on-camera. One SNL skit lampshaded this by having Pardo appear as, literally, an invisible man; auditioning for the SNL announcer gig ("Don Pardo? Is he still alive?"), his invisible presence sits down in a swivel chair which visibly moves and audibly creaks.
146** Subverted on the NBC episodes of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', as he would occasionally be seen on camera as a substitute host whenever regular host Creator/BillCullen was either sick or on vacation.
147** Also subverted for much of the 1980s on WNBC, NBC's flagship station- he announced their ''Live at Five'' newscast from 1980 until around 1990 (and made a return for its' last edition in 1991 (it's been revived a few times since, though)), and starting around 1984, he'd be seen on-camera doing the announcement live.
148* In ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'', Caroline's father, Martin, was originally unseen -- Justified because he's in jail, but both she and Max were shown talking to him on her phone. He later appeared on screen, played by Creator/StevenWeber.
149* On ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'', Goober started out as one of these; his cousin Gomer would tell Andy, "Goober says 'hey,'" when the two men met. Goober finally made an appearance (alongside Gomer) in the season 4 episode "Fun Girls," and after Gomer left for his own show Goober essentially became his SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
150** Sarah, the town telephone operator.
151** Then, of course, there was "Juanita", the waitress that Barney sometimes flirted with on the telephone.
152* From ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', the mother of Howard Wolowitz. And given her shrilling voice and what we know about her, it sure as hell better stay that way.
153** In "The Countdown Reflection" she can bee seen from a birds eye view thanks to the Google Earth satellite from Leonard and Sheldon's apartment roof.
154** In "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation" She is seen through a slightly ajar door 3 times each lasting around a second or two each only her back side is seen as well as the back of her brunette hair.
155*** And her arms during TheStinger.
156* John Bracken, studio head and title character of ''Series/BrackensWorld'', was not seen until season two.
157%%* The main character's father in ''Series/CaptainNice''.
158* ''Series/Castle2009'': Martha's often-talked-about boyfriend Chet is never seen on screen. [[spoiler:Since he's killed off in episode 3x02, it's doubtful that he ever will be.]]
159* And, of course, the ultimate example, Charlie, from ''Series/CharliesAngels''. He usually appears as TheVoice, but has sometimes appeared as TheFaceless in several episodes and only finally reveals himself to the Angels [[spoiler:during the final episode, "Let Our Angel Live" when he shows up at the hospital to be by Kelly's side after she is shot]].
160* Norm's wife Vera in ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', although she was occasionally given a voice or partially shown.
161** Also Sam's brother Derrick, although he was given a voice.
162* Mrs. ''Series/{{Columbo}}''. Some fans theorize she doesn't exist, partly because some scenes really stretch the feasibility of it (she's nowhere to be seen at the policeman's ball despite Lt. Columbo asserting she'd be there), and partly because it ties into [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation theories about]] [[ObfuscatingStupidity how Columbo]] [[GeniusDitz solves his cases]].
163%%* ''Series/TheCosbyShow'': Kenny's chauvinist older brother.
164* Captain Mainwaring's wife Elizabeth from ''Series/DadsArmy'', who is apparently much scarier than the Nazis. We get the briefest of glimpses in one episode where the two are lying in bunks, with the captain on the bottom. Above him in the top bunk is an extraordinarily massive indentation, suggesting a mountain of a woman.
165* ''Dan & Becs'' is absolutely ''made'' of this trope. Although the only characters to appear onscreen are the titular ones recording their video diaries, between them they reference dozens of characters. Just for starters: their respective parents, Becs's sister, their various respective friends, their various respective friends' siblings, Becs's agent, Dan's various exes, the various people they meet when looking for work... the list goes on. And that's not even starting on the real-life people who are unseen characters within the show.
166* The Banker from the game show ''Series/DealOrNoDeal''. His body can be seen from the booth, but there is no lighting on him, making him practically a shadow.
167** In the UK version, he is simply the voice on the other end of the telephone.
168* The '50s sitcom ''December Bride'' had as one of its supporting characters next-door neighbor Pete Porter (Harry Morgan), who often spoke of his unseen wife Gladys. Morgan was popular enough to get his own AfterShow called ''Pete and Gladys''...in which the latter ''did'' appear.
169* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
170** The creatures inside the Daleks fitted this trope for the first few years of the show's run, with only the occasional (and often contradictory) hint as to their true nature. A hand was seen in the first story, a "time-destructed" octopus in the fourth, and so on. This added considerably to their menace.
171*** Justified in that the Daleks have altered themselves many times, sometimes through natural evolution and sometimes by deliberate choice. Somewhat ironically for a species so dedicated to racial purity (and often leading to wars between ''almost'' identical sub-species).
172*** It got so extreme that even the creators of the LongRunner show apparently forgot/didn't know that there was something inside and referred to them as a race of robots in one serial.
173** Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII made fairly frequent non-appearances. It's partly a running joke, partly because they likely didn't want to have someone playing her onscreen and it obviously not being her. Hence why in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis "Silver Nemesis"]], she's played by a lookalike shot from far away. (They'd originally wanted [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Edward]] to play himself, but he graciously declined.)
174** The Silence played this role during Series 5, with their presence only being alluded to by the term "Silence Will Fall" or some variation of it. [[spoiler:They are later revealed to be the ones responsible for blowing up the Doctor's TARDIS in the penultimate episode of Series 5, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E12ThePandoricaOpens "The Pandorica Opens"]].]]
175*** [[spoiler:The Silence have aliens that work for them called "Silents", which are aliens that are forgotten about the moment you turn away from them. So with that in mind, [[FridgeHorror who's to say that these Silents were there all along in Series 5, but were just forgotten about?]] But what about the fact that they were never seen onscreen, you may ask? [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou Who's to say that the viewers didn't also forget about these Silents as well?]]]]
176* First boss Mr. Bell in ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow''. His voice is frequently heard over intercom, but he doesn't appear on-screen until the end of the first season (in which he's been fired).
177%%* Same with Urkle's parents from ''Series/FamilyMatters''.
178* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': Adam starts out as TheVoice on the telephone, then becomes TheFaceless to the audience for a few seconds at the end of "Look Before You Leap," and for Henry at the end of "The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths." His face is finally shown to Henry and the viewer at the same time at the end of "Skinny Dipper."
179* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'':
180** Maris. The creators had initially planned to show her, but the [[TakeOurWordForIt descriptions of her]] made her so monstrous that after a few seasons, they couldn't think of a way to show her without underselling the character.
181** Also the source of a hilarious subplot involving Niles getting a pet whippet that everyone agrees is basically a canine Maris -- this is basically the closest the audience ever gets to seeing the woman.
182*** Except that we did see a heavily bandaged-up Maris in a flashback in one episode set in a hospital, but it was brief and she was almost entirely covered up. Another episode showed us her silhouette against a shower curtain.
183** Queen [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII]] does make one appearance in an episode, in a dream sequence where Daphne is horrified to see her on the balcony enjoying a barbecue with Marty. She is played by an unconvincing impersonator, mind you.
184* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' has "Ugly Naked Guy" who is blessedly always off-camera. The only time "Ugly Naked Guy" appeared on-screen, he was shot from the back (and thankfully above the waist).
185* Kimmy Gibbler's parents and brother from ''Series/FullHouse'' are regularly mentioned by Kimmy, but are never shown onscreen.
186* On ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Dorothy's crossdressing brother Phil is frequently mentioned and joked about but never seen. Rose's husband Charlie is the only former husband of the girls never seen; Sophia and Blanche's husbands are seen in flashback, and Dorothy's ex-husband Stan is a recurring character.
187%%* Bernie "the bolt" on ''Series/TheGoldenShot''.
188* On ''Series/HannahMontana'', the main characters frequently mentioned eccentric relative Uncle Earl. He finally appeared in a late Season 2 episode, portrayed by Creator/DavidKoechner, then appeared again in the last two episodes of Season 3.
189* On ''Series/HappyDays'', the character of Jenny Piccalo was an offscreen "bad girl" friend of Joanie until the eighth season. Once brought onscreen, her character became much LighterAndSofter.
190* Linderman of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' was this for much of the show's run, often referenced with characters seen speaking to him over the phone, or middle men conveying his orders. This makes sense as he's very much the shadowy manipulator but it was actually because the show couldn't afford to have a big star like Creator/MalcolmMcDowell appear in too many episodes.
191** This makes it even more strange to see a kind, grandfatherly character as the BigBad, while we have been assured that "Mr. Linderman" is a truly ruthless, merciless villain. InformedAbility anyone?
192*** Except that he really is an evil manipulator, so he's closer to AffablyEvil.
193* The physical incarnation of this particular trope is undoubtedly Wilson from ''Series/HomeImprovement''. If it wasn't the fence hiding his mouth, it was a tree branch, a grill, other people, a Santa beard, or even a yam!
194%%** Also, Al's mother. Tim makes ''many'' references to her enormous size, but we only ever see one of her arms (which is also in the episode where she dies, and is laid to rest in a casket that, as Jill says, "looks like someone polished a barn").
195%%*** Wilson's mother.
196* If the titular mother in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' does make appearances, we never see her face. In "Girls vs. Suits", Ted sees her ankle. In "No Pressure", only the back of her covered head is shown. In "No Tomorrow", the yellow umbrella is covering half of her body and she is wearing jeans.
197** [[spoiler:Until the Season 8 Finale, when we finally get to see her face.]]
198* The game show ''Series/{{Inquizition}}'' was hosted by a mysterious, shadowy figure known only as "The Inquizitor" whose main job was to belittle and goad the contestants. To this day, it is unknown who portrayed him.
199* Kim's "best friend" Tina on ''Series/KathAndKim'' never seems to spend any time with Kim at all.
200* ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances'':
201** Hyacinth's rich sister Violet (and husband Bruce) remained unseen for the earlier series. She eventually made her full-time appearance as a character in the final series.
202** Sheridan remained off-screen, though frequently mentioned, for the entire series, apart from a brief glimpse in a late episode of a figure dressed in motorbike gear (including helmet) that completely concealed his appearance.
203* Angela Valentine was a girl in Beaver's class at Grant Avenue Elementary School in ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver''. She was mentioned in no fewer than 16 episodes throughout the series' run. Usually concerning her sixth toe or getting sick in class, having a real gold filling, the eating of library paste, winning a tool chest at the local theater, suggesting (and then winning) a class beauty contest, losing her bite plate on the playground, bringing a "baked Alaskan" to the cake sale, getting her extra toe cut off, calling Beaver a "dirty, rotten, smelly old apple," having a birthday party, getting sick in the back of the school bus and wearing a Jackie Kennedy wig to school. (She is shown very briefly in 2 episodes but only from behind and later running or walking by. No one seems to know who played the part.)
204** Also, Larry Mondello's father.
205* ''Series/TheLibrarians2007'': Frances' daughter Bernadette. While the effects of her rampant sociopathy are visible, she herself never is. Later progresses to TheVoice.
206* On ''Series/{{Lost}}'':
207** One of the main things keeping viewers in suspense from the very first episode onwards was the true nature and appearance of the "monster", an enigmatic creature with terrifying distinct roars and the capacity to uproot trees and brutally mutilate. For a long time, the camera refuses to get a shot of the monster and we were kept in suspense of what it was. That is, until [[spoiler:we got a ''very'' brief glimpse of it in the first season finale, and we finally begin to get a clear shot of it in the second season]].
208*** By the end of the series, this turns out to be Subverted: [[spoiler:we saw the Monster repeatedly throughout the first season, except we didn't know it was the Monster because we didn't yet know it had the ability to do a DeadPersonImpersonation.]]
209** There's also the mysterious [[spoiler:Jacob. After frequently being mentioned and painted as a powerful figure in seasons 3-5 but never appearing, we had no idea who he was (and if he was even real at all), until the human form of the monster dropped a WhamLine revealing the existence and appearance of Jacob.]]
210* Accounts Executive Mitch on ''Series/{{MadMen}}'', Harry Crane's enemy, with a very attractive wife.
211* Robin Masters, the author who owns the estate on ''Series/MagnumPI''. This led to in and out of universe speculation about whether or not Higgins was really Masters all along.
212* Peggy's mother in ''Series/MarriedWithChildren''. She is implied to be ''amazingly'' obese, so perhaps the idea is that the camera couldn't have fit her in? The only thing visible about her is the vibrations in the house she causes when she moves.
213* Lars Lindstrom, Phyllis' husband on ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow''.
214** Chuckles the Clown was one of these for the most part, although he did appear onscreen in a couple different episodes (played by [[TheOtherDarrin a couple different actors]]).
215** As noted, Carlton the doorman in the spin off, ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'' (aside from a gloved hand in one episode).
216* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': Sparky, the radio operator at I-Corps who Radar or Klinger often speaks with, pretty much fits this trope... although he did make a single, brief appearance in the season 1 episode "Tuttle".
217** The characters' loved ones back in the States, obviously...although some of them did "appear" via home movie, including Henry's wife Lorraine, Frank's wife Louise, B.J.'s wife Peg, and Radar's mother (played by [[UncannyFamilyResemblance Gary Burghoff in drag]]).
218** B.J.'s wife Peg appears again in the surreal episode "Dreams", in a depressing NightmareSequence that is meant to show how much he misses her and how he believes the war has pulled him away from her. Naturally, everyone else is suffering a case of this throughout this particular episode.
219** In the "Run for the Money" episode, Charles gets a tape recording from his sister Honoria, so we get to [[TheVoice hear her voice]] (which includes a bad stutter).
220** Colonel Potter's wife in the states, Mildred, does not appear in the main series (save as a photograph on his desk), but is a regular character (played by [[TheOtherDarrin two different actresses]]) in the short-lived spin-off ''Series/AfterMASH''.
221* Arthur Daley's wife in ''Series/{{Minder}}'', fearfully referred to as "'Er Indoors."
222* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' had the episode "Michael Ellis" which involved Eric Idle being repeatedly mistaken for the mysterious Mr. Ellis, who is never seen.
223* ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' characters often referred to the "Ensalmo Case", which sort of combines this with NoodleIncident: The case was only mentioned in passing. There were no characters named Ensalmo, nor did the case ever come to a close. It's revealed in the GrandFinale that it was never solved.
224* Nils' mother Elna in the first season of Norwegian sitcom ''Mot I Brøstet'', only referred to and heard through one-sided phone calls for the first 7 episodes. The sequel series ''Karl&Co'' did the same with Ulf's wife Magda, who stayed unrevealed throughout the entire series.
225* Adele, Sherrif Metzger's wife in ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' is often mentioned but never seen.
226* During several episodes of ''Series/MySoCalledLife'', Rayanne Graff mentions a friend named "Tino" who never made a physical appearance throughout the show's [[ShortRunners unfortunately short run]].
227* Cambot in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', apart from his brief appearances in the [[ThemeTuneRollCall Robot Roll Call]]. Justified in that everything on the Satellite of Love is seen through his lens.
228* Until the last season Morty Fine, Fran's father, from ''Series/TheNanny''.
229* ''Series/TheOddCouple1970'':
230** Felix's ex-wife Gloria did not appear on-screen until the second season.
231** Oscar's girlfriend "Crazy Rhoda Zimmerman" was never seen.
232* The documentary film crews from all the [[Series/TheOfficeUS various]] [[Series/TheOfficeUK versions]] of ''The Office'', who never speak or overtly involve themselves with the office workers, but who must have some offscreen relationship with them, especially in the long-lasting American version.
233* When the One Away game is played on ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', Drew has the contestant plead to the "Mighty Sound Effects Lady" to see if they got X numbers right on the board. Naturally, said sound effects lady is never seen or heard on camera.
234* ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'':
235** Red's wife Berince was never seen (except in a Christmas special near the series end).
236** Dalton's wife Ann Marie also went unseen for most of the show, but was later upgraded to TheVoice.
237** Actually, the show was full of these people. There were a number of lodge members who were alwayso talked about but never seen, mainly Moose Thompson and Old Man Segewick.
238** For that matter there were often ''entire episodes'' in which unseen characters would have significant roles.
239* ''Series/TheRoyleFamily'', which rarely leaves the confines of one house, creates a whole community of characters only ever described by the core cast. Chiefly; Jim and Barbara's neighbour 'Leggings' Lorraine, the housebound Elsie (who lives in the same flats as 'Nana' Norma and whose eventual death provides the background to an episode in the third series) and Dave's best friends Tony Macca and Gary. Most memorable though is Tony's supposedly tarty - and well-endowed - younger sister, Beverley.
240** Some characters are talked about in several episodes before we do eventually get a glimpse of them, including Anthony's best friend Darren and girlfriend Emma (plus her parents). Dave's parents were also regularly mentioned but didn't appear onscreen until the 2008 Christmas special. In addition, crucial aspects of Norma's character are introduced in the very first episode, when she makes a phone call to the Royle household, but it's not until later in the series that we see and hear her.
241%%* "This is Dr. Kahn..." from ''Series/SaluteYourShorts''.
242* ''Series/SamsonEnGert'': This show has a lot of characters that are always talked about, but never seen: Bobientje, Marlèneke, Fred Kroket…
243* The extent to which Burnside is/is not willing to reconcile with his ex-wife Belinda in ''Series/TheSandbaggers'' is a plot point in several episodes. However, she is never seen.
244* In ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'',
245** there was a character in the first season or two (later phased out) who drove around in a limo giving out orders/assignments. The name of the character was Blue Leader."
246** Amanda's boyfriend during the 1st half of Season 1 is Dean. His face is never shown.
247* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' had several, most notably George's Boss George Steinbrenner, whose face is never seen, Kramer's never-seen friends Bob Sacamano and Lomez, and Jerry's cousin Jeffrey, about whom Uncle Leo talks constantly.
248** George Steinbrenner was then real part owner and managing partner of the Yankees when George supposedly worked for the team. Steinbrenner was in the news a lot, and everyone knew what he looked like. Rather than try and get the real Steinbrenner to play himself, or find an actor who looked uncannily like him, whom audiences would accept, the producers chose to use someone who just looked like Steinbrenner from the back.
249* On ''Series/TheSopranos'', Janice's estranged son Harpo is mentioned repeatedly over the course of the show, but never seen.
250* Amber, daughter of Tim and Daisy's landlady Marsha in ''Series/{{Spaced}}''. The others hear her having raging (but indistinct) rows with her mother, and at one point she storms downs the stairs played by the producer's sister in a wig, but neither they nor we ever meet her or see her face.
251* On ''Series/SportsNight'', Luther Sachs was the owner of Continental Corp, which owned Continental Sports Channel, which broadcast the titular ShowWithinAShow. Though there were many times he was referenced (through such things as people having to take a call from him or having to go meet him, etc.) he was never seen or heard.
252* Chef in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. In the last episode, he's revealed to be... William Riker? Actually, Riker was on the holodeck playing Chef.
253* Captain Boday in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. He was said to have various strange features, such as a brain visible through his transparent cranium.
254* ''Series/StElsewhere'':
255** Dr. Oliver London, Craig's main surgical rival at St. Eligius. [[SubvertedTrope However]], he makes two brief, wordless appearances in flashbacks to 1955 in "Time Heals, Part 2".
256** Robert Wade, Jackie Wade's husband.
257* In ''Series/SuperHumanSamuraiSyberSquad'', main character Sam Collins' sister Elizabeth. Sam, who's almost always in the basement, talks to Elizabeth through the laundary chute, and sometimes she drops something down it on his head. The one time she actually comes down into the basement, the power is out and it's pitch black in the basement so we still can't see her. We also never see ''or'' hear Sam's parents, though sometimes one of the team is heard talking to them on the way down the basement stairs.
258* In ''Series/TwinPeaks'', Agent Cooper constantly recorded messages to "Diane" with his mini recorder, but Diane herself is never seen or heard. She does apparently mail Coop some earplugs at one point, however, so she is assumed to actually exist. She is finally seen in Season 3 as a major character played by Laura Dern - 27 years later.
259* This trope fits the grossly oversized Stan ([[TakeOurWordForIt or so we are told]]) from ''Series/WillAndGrace'' to a tee.
260** His hand is seen in one episode, grabbing at Karen's breast.
261** This trope is more applicable to [[TransparentCloset Beverly Leslie's]] wife Crystal who is never seen once in the show.
262* The Prime Minister is this in ''Series/Utopia2014''. His only appearance was a non-speaking cameo in which he was in costume as a mascot. The character is always referred to as male, but no party is specified, nor is it clear if it's the same Prime Minister from one reference to the next.
263* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', Mulder often made calls to someone at the FBI named "Danny", requesting warrants, paperwork, or other small but difficult-to-retrieve items they needed in the field. Sometimes Scully called Danny, and once John Dogget did as well. However, audiences never got to see Danny. The closest Chris Carter ever got to a character description was once during an interview when he joked that Danny was a gnome that lived in Mulder's desk.
264[[/folder]]
265
266[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
267* On WWE ''Smackdown'', Tazz frequently referred to a mystery bookmaker named Joey Numbers who gave him insider dirt on the wrestlers currently in the ring.
268* ''Wrestling/WWERaw'' has an anonymous general manager who only communicates to whomever's in the arena via e-mails sent to Wrestling/MichaelCole.
269** Recently, it was revealed that the anonymous GM was [[spoiler:Hornswoggle]].
270*** And even more recently, that was eventually {{Retcon}}ned away -- likely due to so much negative fan reception -- making the AGM an enigma once again.
271* Wrestling/VinceRusso was this at the beginning of his WCW tenure as "The Powers That Be," and vowed never to show his face. After he was fired and re-hired, he showed his face for the first time in WCW.
272[[/folder]]
273
274[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
275* On ''Series/FraggleRock'', Doc's neighbour Ned Schimelfinny is never shown, and only one side of conversations are ever heard.
276* Scooter's uncle, the theater owner, was supposed to be this on ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He actually ''did'' appear in a couple of season 2 episodes, but the writers decided he was better kept unseen for the force of the gag.
277* On ''Series/SesameStreet'', Charlie the chef is never shown, but is frequently mentioned by Grover the Waiter. He is heard in one sketch, the Russian Restaurant sketch, where he says "Nyet!" (Russian for "No!")
278[[/folder]]
279
280[[folder:Theatre]]
281* Dorothy Gale in ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''. She is only heard crying in Elphaba's dungeon, and seen in silhouette when she [[ForegoneConclusion throws the bucket of water]].
282* The unseen Mrs. Grundy, in Thomas Morton's ''Speed the Plough'', in which Dame Ashfield continually worries, "What ''will'' Mrs. Grundy say?" of each development. Since then the term "Mrs. Grundy" has passed into everyday speech as the embodiment of [[MoralGuardians prudery and censorship]].
283* Nell from ''Theatre/TheComedyOfErrors'', whose infamous breadth is probably better described than seen.
284* Wilson, the unseen boss of Gus and Ben in Harold Pinter's ''The Dumb Waiter''. He may or may not be the one sending them mysterious messages via the titular device throughout.
285* [[Theatre/WaitingForGodot Godot]] never does turn up.
286* Charlie and Myra in Neil Simon's ''Rumors''. Charlie (the host) spends the entire play in his bedroom having shot himself through the earlobe for an unexplained reason, and his wife Myra reveals that she spent the entire evening locked in the basement in the play's final line.
287* The pooka Harvey in the play and movie of the same name.
288* Mrs. Lovett's rival in the pie business in ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'', Mrs. Mooney. She is mentioned several times throughout the play and her apparent use of house cats for meat in her pies at least partially inspires Lovett to use a [[TheSecretofLongPorkPies secret ingredient]] in hers, but she is never seen on stage.
289[[/folder]]
290
291[[folder:Toys]]
292* Franchise/{{LEGO}} outright forbid the ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' writers to give away what the [[{{Precursors}} Great Beings]] look like. Since the story was mostly told in written form, this wasn't a problem. In two instances, though, the writers used this trope to bend the rules -- images in the ''Mata Nui Saga'' included tiny silhouettes of them, and a pre-existing toy of another character was retroactively revealed to have been a [[KingIncognito disguised Great Being]]. The latter is a DoubleSubversion, since while it's a tangible representation of a GB, it's explicitly not their real form.
293[[/folder]]
294
295[[folder:Video Games]]
296* The original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' made this famous - the only reason anybody knows what he looks like is the face in the [[StatusLine status bar]].
297* Gordon Freeman of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', whose appearance is only known at all thanks to the box art. He shows up very briefly in the expansions, but then in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' he doesn't even have a model.
298* Mental from ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' is this taken the extreme. He's the BigBad of all the games, and yet all we've seen of him is a bony hand. In a ''spinoff''.
299* An odd example from ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': Jing King, the Panda King's daughter, is only ever seen as a silhouette behind a screen. No reason is ever given for this. (It may be a reference to the story, "[[Creator/RayBradbury The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind]]".)
300** Sly's father, in games' flashback scenes, is only seen from the legs down.
301* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': Despite being clearly seen in ''VideoGame/Halo2'', the Gravemind is never seen beyond its tentacles in ''VideoGame/Halo3'', much to the annoyance of many fans. To some degree, though, we ''do'' see it. Some hints suggest that after taking over the Covenant capital of High Charity, the Gravemind grew and merged with it; essentially, Gravemind ''is'' High Charity at that point.
302* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Most of the sidequests in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 first game]] are given to you by Admiral Hackett, yet he never appears in person until the Arrival DLC of the [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second game]]. He has a much more prominent role in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 thrid game]], and as such appears regularly to give you missions or update you on the current situation.
303* Mickey Mouse is absent for much of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', having left his castle to face the Heartless himself, and depending on his trusting aids Goofy and Donald to guide [[KidHero Sora]]. While he does show up in the story's climax, he's only really seen from the back, and not for very long at that. Though Mickey is ''much'' more prominent in the various sequels.
304* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' loves this trope. Most of the really big players in this universe have not been seen yet although heavily impacting the lore. The Evanuris who are confirmed imprisoned somewhere in the fade, the Titans who we only get to see from the inside, and of course the forbidden ones, the older gods, and the forgotten ones, that might or might not be the same people.
305* Gary Smith is absent for the majority of the game ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'', so much so that [[spoiler:Jimmy nearly forgets about him, and this gives him time to take over the school himself (or at least set it in a frenzy) in all of two hours]].
306* In ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'', Stephanie Morgan always talks about her best friend Dorothy, who is never seen in the game.
307* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Most human characters seldom appear on-screen outside of [[ArtShift Atari-style minimalist mini-games]] with the focus being on the player character (whom can't be seen since the game is from his P.O.V) being alone with the [[HostileAnimatronics animatronics]]. For a while, the closest thing to a human character showing up as a 3D-model was [[spoiler:William Afton's mangled remains inside of Springtrap]]. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the Steel Wool-developed games which are more kin on featuring humans characters.
308* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
309** The Lich King is this for the core campaign of ''Warcraft III'', despite being one of the main villains and having his backstory described in detail in the manual (though to be fair, he is a disembodied spirit [[SealedEvilInACan sealed inside a block of ice]], controlling his minions telepathically). He does show up in the expansion.
310** Until "Wrath of the Lich King", this was a staple of most of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. The BigBad was rarely seen other than his or her particular raid encounter. The Lich King, however, had a very prominent and personal role for the player all throughout Wrath of the Lich King, as does Deathwing in Cataclysm, so this seems to have changed.
311* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', Ryder, one of CJ's childhood friends, mentions his homie LB several times in his missions yet LB never makes an official appearance.
312* In the games ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' and ''VideoGame/ReturnToKrondor'', there is a character called the Crawler. The Crawler is never seen or heard, only mentioned through conversations and letters. What is known for certain is that the Crawler is some sort of crime boss, and is assumed to be male. He has an agent named Bear, who is very dangerous on his own. He also has powerful connections (one letter from a powerful man in a land called Kesh warns his niece to "Beware the master of Durbin. The Crawler's plot is a web within a web."). It is too bad a game has not made where you actually get to fight this guy.
313* The protagonist in the game ''VideoGame/InThe1stDegree'' is prosecutor Sterling Granger. The character is male, and you can hear his voice. However, he is never seen in the game.
314* Bain, the crew's brains behind the heists in ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' is never seen and is basically a VoiceWithAnInternetConnection. Even in official media, Bain's face is always covered by shadows, making his true identity a mystery. We finally do get to see what he looks like during the Hell’s Island heist.
315* In ''VideoGame/FredbearAndFriends'', the murderer's mysterious associate is never seen, only heard. It's not even clear if the voice [[spoiler:on the phone]] is him or the murderer himself.
316* ''VideoGame/CampfireCatCafeAndSnackBar'': Alessia frequently appears in photos and other flashbacks, but she is always seen from the back to hide her face.
317[[/folder]]
318
319[[folder:Webcomics]]
320* The BigBad of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Xykon, has a monster that he's keeping in the shadows for the final confrontation with the heroes. When they leave the dungeon, this shadow is provided by a pink Hello Kitty umbrella which, nonetheless, casts a pitch black shadow in which nothing but the monster's eyes can be seen. Even later the monster is placed in a box to preserve the surprise. Rich Burlew is well aware of this trope, and teases the readers by offering small displays of the creature's powers.
321** Burlew has also confirmed that whatever the creature is, it's not something he thought up.
322* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]] is ''sorta'' seen in the webcomic, ''WebComic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'' but only as a featureless silhouette.
323* By the time Gordon Freeman arrives in ''WebComic/{{Concerned}}'', you only get to see his arm (and weapon he's holding). Sometimes he is in full view, but so far away you can't make out any detail.
324* In ''Webcomic/{{Blip}}'', K's roommate is only shown in silhouette, and never named.
325* Old Cobbley, Sylvester's (possibly psychotic) homeless friend from ''[[http://www.agameoffools.com A Game of Fools]] is mentioned in passing quite a bit, but yet to make an appearance.
326* Ssid in ''Bitmap World''. Originally, he was not seen because he was hiding, however, after that storyline, the character is only shown as a pair of eyes under his desk. No explanation is given as to how he manages to get any work done. [[http://bitmapworld.com/comic/issue109/ His first appearance.]]
327* In the webcomic WebComic/{{Jix}}, the bounty hunter Maricax is never seen out of his armor, though at the end of his story arc, he is seen wrapped in bandages and some of his burned skin, one of his eyes and the tip of his nose can be seen as well as some green fur poking out of the bandages, but his face itself has never been seen.
328* ''WebComic/DragonCity'' has a parody of Batman named Batdragon. His face has never been shown in the comic. This is because the comic isn't about him. This allows the reader to see him as the main characters do and none of them know his real identity.
329* ''{{Webcomic/Erfworld}}'s'' Charlie, much like [[Series/CharliesAngels his real-world namesake,]] is never seen by ''anyone'' except a select few of his highest Archons. If he needs to send a [[{{Telepathy}} Thinkagram]] to someone, he'll appear to them as a variety of whimsical symbols that either [[http://www.erfworld.com/book-2-archive/?px=%2F2010-08-19.jpg reflect how the conversation is going or what he thinks of whom he's speaking to.]]
330* Played with in ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive''. Mike's son is shown occasionally, but his FACE never is. He's supposedly grotesquely ugly, but you have to [[TakeOurWordForIt take the characters' words for it.]] It is [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp01072013.shtml eventually]] [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in TheReveal. We never see the kid's face as anything younger than a toddler, though.
331* ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}'':
332** Vincent was formerly given this treatment. He appears more often in [[http://precociouscomic.com/images/incentives/50109a.jpg voting incentives]] and in the ''[[{{Spinoff}} Copper Road]]'' strip.
333** Also, the Rights, the Hus' neighbors (mentioned only as another WhosOnFirst gag).
334* In ''Webcomic/NicoleAndDerek'', we have yet to see the grown-up [[Webcomic/NamirDeiter Cerise Namir]], only hearing from her in text exchanges with Derek, her cousin.
335[[/folder]]
336
337[[folder:Web Videos]]
338* Oswald Sherzikien in ''WebVideo/TheCartoonMan'' and ''Return of the Cartoon Man''. [[spoiler:He finally appears in ''Journey of the Cartoon Man''.]]
339* ''WebVideo/MidnightScreenings'' has Lettie, Brian Lewis' girlfriend, who "appears" in just about every video he's in, except she's scrunched down in the back seat (or working the camera, depending on how many people are there).
340* There are many WebVideoCreators never shown their faces as their defining characteristic.
341** [[LetsPlay/ChaoticMonki Cryaotic]]'s adamant refusal to ever show his face is one of his defining characteristics. Fans always depict him wearing a mask of his mascot, "Sup Guy".
342** ''LetsPlay/{{Dream}}'''s real appearance is unknown. He has shown rare photos of himself (naturally hiding his face, of course) that reveals he has dirty blond/brown hair, but that's the extent of what he's revealed.
343* LetsPlay/ZoeyProasheck was this for a long time due to her intense anxiety and privacy fears, and was famously the only main member of the LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} to never appear on camera. However, since 2014, she has been doing all she can to subvert this, initially posting some pictures on Twitter and moving on to scattershot livestream appearances. Eventually, during the 2015 holiday streams, she appeared on the main channel to sing karaoke live with her girlfriend and hosted a stream that included both extended camera segments and a permanent facecam as a donation reward.
344* Mostly played straight for ''LetsPlay/{{Darkmindedsith}}''. He doesn't record his let's play with a webcam, but he does have videos showing his face.
345* LetsPlay/{{Supergreatfriend}} is a man with a boxhead who may or may not be a robot masquerading as a human, as seen [[https://supergreatfrien.fandom.com/wiki/Supergreatfriend here]].
346* ''WebVideo/GirlfriendReviews'': Shelby and Matt went one year from starting the channel to showing their faces: one still picture on social media, and a few seconds of video.
347[[/folder]]
348
349[[folder:Western Animation]]
350* King Features' ''WesternAnimation/CoolMcCool'' and Terrytoons' ''WesternAnimation/JamesHound'' both had the title secret agents with bosses who were only seen sitting in a chair but their faces were never seen.
351* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' we have Francine's older stepsister Gwen whom she would periodically mention and Stan would remark on how attractive she is, she never made an onscreen appearance until the season 11 episode "Now And Gwen".
352* Fire Lord Ozai from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' isn't clearly shown for the first two seasons. Most of the time he was a shadow behind a curtain or too far away to be seen in detail, or only his back or legs were shown. When his face is finally revealed to the audience, he turns out to be a surprisingly handsome man. Subsequent appearances are used to demonstrate that, appearances aside, Ozai is as monstrous and evil as they come.
353* Due to bizarre rights issues (as well as a desire to focus on lesser-known heroes), ComicBook/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/WonderWoman were barred from appearing in the first few seasons of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. They were partially seen in one episode, but didn't make proper appearances until the final season. Superman was also usually alluded to via nicknames like "Big Blue" rather than his actual name.
354* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles''[='=] manager Brian Epstein is shown from the coat collar down at the beginning of the cartoon "Thank You Girl".
355* WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead's moms -- they occasionally mention them and sometimes call to them but they are never seen.
356* In ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'', Linda frequently mentions and talks on the phone with her best friend, Ginger. Her voice is never heard and she is almost never seen; when she is, she is only shown from the back. In "Clear and Present Ginger", Linda spends the entire episode preparing for a visit from Ginger while the rest of the family is out. Ginger's arrival is constantly delayed, and when she only shows up at the very end, she is again only seen from the back, as well as a silhouette during the credits. The Season 1 episode "Hamburger Dinner Theatre" briefly shows Linda out with two friends, one of whom wears the same clothes as Ginger in her proper "appearances", leading to theories from fans that this woman was Ginger, but this was never confirmed.
357* In ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', Mr. Peanutbutter often leaves mid-conversation to speak to a never-seen entity only known as Erica. Also, on Tom Jumbo-Grumbo's show, whenever a bad joke is written in Jumbo-Grumbo's script, he blames it all on "Randy", who is also never seen. Some fan theories say that Erica and Randy are the same person.
358* One of the stranger examples of this was in the episode "I Oughta Be in Toons" of the Disney series ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'', in which Mickey Mouse is the focal point of the plot (he is kidnapped by an impostor who attempts to sign a large contract with a rival studio) but is never actually shown on screen (except for a brief silhouette toward the beginning) or mentioned by name, only heard from inside the cage in which he had been locked.
359** Disney had a weird, unwritten policy in the '90s that actually putting Mickey Mouse in cartoons would somehow dilute his iconic marketability. The logic was that if anything he was in was ever regarded as ''bad'', it might hurt the whole company, so it was better to never actually do anything with the character at all. A similar policy was instituted for ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. This weird policy was thankfully dropped in the 2000s, probably because people began to question just what the hell he actually did besides pose for merchandise.
360* Gazpacho in ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'' often talks about his mom, but she never appears in the series.
361* XANA from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''. As an artificial intelligence, he solely exists as a program inside supercomputers. Hence he never takes a visible form, but his influence is certainly felt, symbolized by the ever-present "Eye of XANA" logo. There is one point where XANA ''does'' appear physically, but takes on Jérémie's appearance, and another episode where he appears in Franz Hopper's form. It's debatable that XANA also appears in the form of a black shadow with the logo on it.
362* ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' parodied this one -- the (human) parents of the title characters didn't exist above their waist. This was only shown twice: in the pilot, and in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel'' (its spinoff), "Who Rubbed Out Cow and Chicken?" However, their shadows turned up too, and photos of them were of their upside-down legs.
363** One episode played with this; Chicken, rummaging through the closet, pulls out what appear to be the upper halves of a man and a woman, possibly their parents. After a stunned second, Cow says it's from an old school project.
364* The General on ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' was never seen but heard over Dastardly's telephone. He pays a visit to the squadron in "Stop Which Pigeon?" but we still only hear him as opposed to see him. Subverted in two comic book stories (Gold Key, Hanna-Barbera Fun-In issues 4 and 7) where he is clearly seen.
365* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', Principal Buttsavitch was mentioned but never shown. In the "Doug Graduates" (part of the last episode before Disney took over the show, not counting the Christmas special), Doug and Roger actively searched for him so that they could get some words of reassurance, since they were nervous about graduating, but they never actually found him. Also, Skunky Beaumont was a character who was often mentioned but never seen. He appeared in ''Disney's Doug'', and he is portrayed as practically an {{expy}} of Jeff Spicoli from ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh''.
366* Eddy in ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' often spoke highly of his brother, who never appeared [[spoiler:until the [[GrandFinale finale]] [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow movie]].]]
367** Also adults in general they sometimes mention their parents and talk to them but we never see them except in one episode where we see Ed and Eddy's parents' hands drag them away over bad report cards, in the episodes where they're in school the teachers and faculty are also unseen.
368*** Adults do finally appear during a bus scene in the movie finale, but they are only seen from the waists down and none of them actually speak.
369* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' Leela would periodically refer to her ex-boyfriend Sean, he finally made an appearance in the episode "Fry and Leela's Big Fling".
370* In the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', there is a character that Gerald refers as "Fuzzy Slippers" and who knows a lot about urban legends, the local guys and how to contact a superheroine, but Fuzzy Slippers is never seen.
371** There is also the boarding house resident Mr. Smith we never see him aside from his silhouette and hand and when they eat together he has Arnold send him his food through a dumbwaiter, one episode has the residents try to break into his apartment so they can see him but Arnold convinces them to respect his privacy after they see he has a photo of the residents whom he considers his family.
372* Dr. Claw from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' is never shown except in an over-the-shoulder shot of him sitting in a high-backed chair which obscures everything except his gloved right fist (although his left arm has also been shown in some episodes). This was played on in the opening, which had Gadget run in and handcuff him... only to reveal that he's really handcuffed a glove attached to a chair with a bomb in it.
373** In 1992, Tiger Toys released an action figure line based on ''Inspector Gadget'' (despite the fact that the show hasn't had new episodes made since 1986, it was still popular thanks to reruns on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}). One of the figures was one of Dr. Claw himself, making it the first time his face would be shown in any form. In fact, this revelation was such a huge selling point for the figure, that Tiger covered its face with a sticker on the blister pack, forcing kids to buy the toy if they wanted to see how Dr. Claw looked like. Once unpackaged, the figure revealed Dr. Claw to be an elderly-looking man with wild white hair, a goatee and an angry expression. The only other time this version of Dr. Claw would appear again was in the 1993 ''Inspector Gadget'' video game for the Super NES by Creator/HudsonSoft, where he appears as the game's final boss. Later revival movies and shows completely ignored this face reveal and kept portraying Dr. Claw as a faceless antagonist.
374** Dr. Claw would also been shown in the [[Film/InspectorGadget1999 1999 live-action movie]], in which he is played by actor Rupert Everett. However, his potrayal of the character was a far-cry from the EvilOverlord depicted in the show, being more of a smooth-talking suave businessman. The movie's DirectToVideo sequel, ''Film/InspectorGadget2'', made him an unseen character once again in an attempt to portray the character more like his cartoon counterpart.
375* Wade from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' in person; broken in a late Season 3 episode.
376* The nanny from ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' is usually only ever seen from the waist down; we never see her face. In a time travel episode we see her whole body but she is bent over while talking to someone in a car so her face is obscured.
377* Starswirl the Bearded in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', at least initially. He had been mentioned numerous times, was responsible for creating spells which fueled the plot of several episodes, Twilight dressed up as him for Nightmare Night, and he's a DistaffCounterpart of an earlier generation character, but nothing about his appearance or personality was known for a while (which spawned a fan theory that he eventually became [[WildMassGuessing Discord]]). It was later averted when he was extensively depicted in the comics and shown in a flashback in season four's two-parter finale ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Kingdom]]'' (albeit stylized), in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd Three's a Crowd]]'' (also stylized), and finally in season seven's two-parter finale ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E25ShadowPlayPart1 Shadow]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E26ShadowPlayPart2 Play]]'' (this time in flesh and even interacting with the main cast, with a backstory behind his absence).
378* In the original ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' specials, adults were never seen (and only heard as "Mwah-wah" sounds, making them also TheUnintelligible), although on at least one occasion the unseen teacher's hand was shown giving a paper to Peppermint Patty.
379** A few specials and one of the movies showed adults. The Little Red-Haired Girl occasionally put in an appearance, under various designs.
380* The cannibal tribe in the 1960’s WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}} short “Jingle Jangle Jungle” all that’s shown of them are their eyes in the bushes, their hands putting Popeye in their cauldron, and their silhouettes.
381* The Nightmare Prince's mother in ''WesternAnimation/PotsworthAndCompany''.
382* The User in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''. The closest we ever get to seeing the human operating Mainframe is a computer screen when he or she [[DeusExMachina restarts the system]]. This is averted in ''Series/ReBootTheGuardianCode'' where the user is seen onscreen.
383* Rocko's next-door neighbor/unattainable unrequited crush Melba Toast on ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''. We only see an arm here or a leg there, and she is never seen at all, only mentioned, after the first season (rather cleverly, the comic book played off of the lack of information about Melba in one issue by having her be a successful model... of products which only require the hand or foot to be displayed).
384* In the first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Chuckie's mom was presumed to be alive, and would be referenced periodically. It wasn't until the Mother's Day episode that she was finally seen, and the revelation came that she was dead.
385** In earlier episodes Grandpa Lou would often refer to his younger brother "Sparky" whom he had a lot of crazy stories about including one where he supposedly sucked on a bottle for "15 years", we never saw him.
386* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had the main characters temporarily joining a nefarious cult. The actual cult leader, known only as "The Leader", never shows his face, traveling among his disciples in a limousine with tinted windows and making himself visible only by sticking his right arm out the window and waving to his disciples with a white-gloved hand in a nod to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajneesh Rajneesh]]. We don't get to see the inside of the limo until more than halfway through the episode, when the white-gloved hand suddenly grabs Homer and yanks him inside - and the person wearing the gloves turns out to be Marge, who had escaped from the cult's compound earlier in the story. While it's obvious that Marge managed to overthrow The Leader and take his place to help the rest of her family escape, it is never shown exactly how she did this. Yet, it's also subverted because we do see the cult leader's face on big billboards and in the final scene he escapes.
387* An odd example occurred in the final season of ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock''. The Comicbook/TeenTitans were mentioned, which was intended as a nod to the team's then-upcoming [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans TV debut]]. However, Creator/PaulDini was unaware of the fact that ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' was NOT part of the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, and thus the crossover that was alluded to never took place.
388* Most of the characters' parents in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' were like this; if they were shown at all, it was from the waist down. The notable exceptions were Hamton's parents (seen in TheMovie), Elmyra's entire family, Calamity Coyote's dad, and Plucky's dad.
389* In older MGM cartoons such as ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'', humans are only shown from the legs down, with an occasional shaken finger for emphasis.
390** However, In the uncensored version of Saturday Night Puss (the version that does not feature June Foray's character), Mammy Two-Shoes is finally seen in-full for a split second as she runs home to stop Tom's raucous party.
391* In ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'', Chloe Montez is commonly discussed yet never seen.
392* ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'': Mrs. Jenkins is married to a Mr. Jenkins. He is mentioned in the episode "Just in Time", but when we see Mrs. Jenkins' house in "Get Well Soon", he is nowhere to be seen.
393[[/folder]]
394
395[[folder:Real Life]]
396* This trope applies equally to anyone considered a prophet in Islam -- thus, movies about figures considered prophets like Jesus (Isa) or Moses (Musa) are often banned in Islamic countries. [[UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} Muhammad]] is probably the most notable. Depictions of Muhammad (typically in Western media) have often led to threats of or actual violence by certain Muslim groups. This was not always the case [[note]] [[http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/things/depictions-of-muhammad-in-islamic-art.htm This page]] is a good starting point for understanding this[[/note]] and it's still a matter of contest among various Muslim sects.[[note]]Some of the more extreme sects, most notably the Taliban, took this to extremes by labeling ''all'' works of art depicting living things as idolatry.[[/note]] Until around the turn of the millenium, pictures of Muhammed were common in many Islamic countries.
397* [[Website/FourChan Anonymous]]. Or at least the "true" face of Anonymous (which is everyone and no one, simultaneously). If one must illustrate Anonymous, the most popular images are [[ComicBook/VForVendetta a Guy Fawkes mask]], a headless man wearing a suit, or a green-headed featureless man in a grey suit and red tie.
398* The Albrecht brothers, Karl and Theo, formerly some of the richest people in the world (Karl even being in the top 10), were nearly a complete mystery to the public before their deaths. What is commonly known about them is that they took over their mother's convenience store and created a business empire with a discount store chain.
399* John Swartzwelder has written more episodes of WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons than anyone else but lives a notoriously reclusive lifestyle. He is the only main Simpsons writer to not appear on any DVD commentary and is rarely photographed or makes public appearances.
400* Until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Japanese Emperor was this to a certain extent. For most common Japanese citizens, they had to avert their eyes when the Emperor passed by, and even the High Command gave their reports to the Emperor with him screened from view. This did not preclude his being filmed and photographed, however.
401* During his time in prison, the South African apartheid regime prevented any photographs of Nelson Mandela from being taken. Right up until he was released in 1990, the most recent pictures of him anyone had seen were from 1964. Most people, having only seen images of a middle-aged man, didn't recognise the elderly man in his 70s walking out of prison.
402* Creator/JDSalinger lived outside the public view from 1965 until his death in 2010.
403* Creator/GretaGarbo also refused all interviews and media attention after she left the movie industry in the 1940s until her death in 1990.
404* Creator/ThomasPynchon is another well known recluse.
405* Creator/{{Banksy}} was an example of someone whose face was never seen...[[https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/banksy-identity_n_4179303 until a photograph of him turned up]]. A former collaborator, Joel Unangst, confirmed that it was him.
406* Music/TheResidents: The identities of the band members are secret. During performances they cover their faces in masks and grotesque make-up. In 2017, a year before dying, Hardy Fox revealed himself as the co-producer.
407* Inverted with [[UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}} Mustafa Kemal Ataturk]], where it is seen as illegal to hide or blur his image. To the point where Russian internet company, Yandex, and their version of [[Website/{{Google}} Street View]] had to go back and unblur all the accidental blurring of his face.
408[[/folder]]
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