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The Bluths | Recurring Characters | One-Shot Characters

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Main Supporting Characters

    Steve Holt 

Steve Holt

Played by: Justin Grant Wade

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/steve_holt.jpg

Steve Holt is a student at George Michael and Maeby's high school. Introduced first in "Bringing Up Buster", he is initially Maeby's crush, and is a Book Dumb high school jock. Spoiler Information 

By Season 4, he's opened his own pest control business.


  • Future Loser: In Season 4, Steve has finally gotten out of high school, works as a pest exterminator, has gained some weight, and his hairline is starting to recede just like he feared it would. On the other hand it's very downplayed, since he's still cheerful, energetic, self-employed and successful. Which is altogether more what the rest of his biological family can say.
  • Generation Xerox: His mother, EVE HOLT!
  • I Was Quite a Looker: Season 4 reveals he’s the very picture of someone who peaked in high school.
  • Large Ham: He even makes a big deal out of shouting his name.
  • Luke, You Are My Father: It turns out he's actually GOB's son. However, it's not him who tells his father this, but Michael, who easily puts two and two together upon seeing them.
  • Malaproper:
    • “There’s no me in team!”
    • "There’s no “i” in “win”!"
  • Parental Abandonment: Steve's father has been missing from his life since he was young, and he goes on a quest to find him after "The Immaculate Election".
  • Parental Neglect: Steve is often disappointed by GOB's constant failed attempts to try and connect with him.
  • Popular Is Dumb
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we seen of him, he was left behind in Mexico and it was never stated what happened to him afterwards.
  • Yank the Dog's Chain:
    • In Season 4. For a moment it looks like GOB is going to make a serious attempt to reconnect with him, but he eventually bails out on Steve and even berates him later for not sending him any birthday cards through the years. Then Maeby doesn’t recognize him despite him doing his trademark pose.
      Steve: Heck of a birthday this is shaping up to be...
    • In Season 5, he finally introduces himself to his cousins George Michael and Maeby and follows them to Mexico... where they promptly ditch him.

    Lucille 2 

Lucille Austero/Lucille 2/"Standpoor"

Played by: Liza Minnelli

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucille_2.jpg

Lucille Austero, known by the Bluths as "Lucille 2", is Lucille's next-door-neighbour, best friend and rival. She also suffers from chronic vertigo. She begins a relationship with Buster in the first season after unknowingly flirting with him in "Key Decisions". In Season 2, we see that she is a major investor in the Bluth company stocks, which she has registered under the named "Standpoor" as a nod to her vertigo, to the point of her taking ownership of the company away from the Bluths themselves.

In Season 4, she has become the majority shareholder in the Bluth company. Spoiler Information 


  • Ascended Extra: In Season 4, after becoming the major shareholder in the company. In fact, most of the season's storyline revolves around her.
  • Beware the Nice Ones:
    • She refuses to sell her Bluth shares when she finds out Lucille took advantage of her.
    • She delivers a withering "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Lucille in Season 4, while being deposed as a defense witness.
  • Killed Off for Real: The Cliffhanger of Season 4 and Driving Question of Season 5 is the disappearance and possible murder of Lucille 2. The Season 5 finale reveals that she was indeed murdered by Buster.
  • Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Most of her interactions with Lucille. By Season 4 it's become a lot less passive.
  • One-Steve Limit: Deliberately averted as the Bluth matriarch is also named "Lucille", which is how Lucille Austero becomes known as "Lucille 2". It helps draw the duality in their rivalry and also plays a little into Buster's character. Unfortunately, by the end of Season 5 this is played darkly straight, as she is now dead.
  • Sitcom Archnemesis: With Lucille Bluth as social friends and passive-aggressive rivals.
  • Uncertain Doom: At the end of season 4, she is missing, but whether she's alive is unknown. Buster saw her unconscious or dead in a staircase and there was blood, but her body vanished before he could interact with it and that's all the hint he has. It's also noteworthy that more than one person in the part had reason to want her dead. The Season 5 finale puts the question to rest: she is dead, and Buster killed her.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lucille. She begins to give as good as she gets in the later seasons.

    Kitty Sanchez 

Kitty Sanchez

Played by: Judy Greer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kitty_sanchez.jpg

"And say goodbye... (flashes breasts) to these."

Kitty Sanchez is George's, and later Michael's personal secretary. She's still loyal to George despite his imprisonment. George was actually having an affair with her, and continues to throughout the series. After getting breast implants in Season 1, she becomes fond of flashing her breasts to people. She also makes multiple attempts to take over the Bluth company. Spoiler Information 

In Season 4, she has begun working at Imagine Entertainment, and is one of Michael's co-workers.


  • Beautiful All Along:
    • Subverted, as much as GOB tries (even though she is played by an attractive actress). When he gets her to take off the glasses and let down her hair, he finds out that she is crossed-eyed and her hair is a puffy, unruly mess. While putting off having sex with her, he keeps trying different combinations in the hopes that she'll look better.
      GOB: Glasses off. Glasses on. Hair up. Glasses off. Down, on. Have we done up, off?
    • Later played straight as she does look much better upon her return in the last two episodes of Season 2, which carries over into Seasons 4 & 5.
  • Big-Breast Pride: After getting (botched) breast implants she refuses to stop flashing Michael anytime he doesn’t give into her demands to show him “what [he’s] missing” and then get angry at him for staring at her breasts.
  • Breast Expansion: She decided to get breast implants when the makers of Girls With Low Self-Esteem refused to use footage of her taking her top off.
  • The Bus Came Back: In "Spring Breakout", where she plays a major part in the plot when she kidnaps George Sr.
  • Catchphrase:
    • "Take a good look at these! Because it's the last time you're ever going to see them!", or "And say goodbye... to these!"
    • In Season 4, she becomes fond of ending sentences with “you pig,” generally when she’s disgusted by (perceived) sexist behavior.
  • Cloud Cuckoo Lander
  • Disney Death: For a few minutes in "Missing Kitty", where we see a flashback of her boarding the yacht, just after hearing that GOB sunk the yacht for his illusion.
  • The Ditz: Displayed several times that she's not exactly bright. Quite possibly her biggest blunder was challenging Lucille to a drinking contest of all things.
  • Jerkass: At least to Michael; she's hostile and unhelpful to him in almost all of their encounters.
  • Manchild: She still acts like an extremely immature teenager (taking time off for spring break and partying excessively).
  • Plucky Office Girl: A quite crazy version of this.
  • Put on a Bus: For the first half of Season 2, where she is only seen attending George's Mexican funeral.
  • Sanity Slippage: Inverted. She is much less crazy upon her return in the Season 2 finale.
  • Smug Snake: Believes she has a great deal of power over the Bluths due to the evidence she has.
  • Stalker with a Test Tube: In "Spring Breakout", she challenges Lucille to a drinking contest over an amount of George Sr's sperm after he denies her a child. She eventually gets what she's after too, when GOB uses a cooler from the banana stand that happened to contain the sperm sample to replace the one full of evidence which would have proved George Sr's innocence.
  • Yandere: In her initial appearance, to George Sr.

    Barry Zuckerkorn 

Barry Zuckerkorn

Played by: Henry Winkler, Max Winkler (Young Barry)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barry_zuckerkorn.jpg

Barry: I got Michael out of his marriage, didn't I?
Michael: Actually, she died.
Barry: You're kidding me... I've been taking credit for that for years!

The Bluth family's incompetent lawyer, whom Michael desperately tries to replace with rival Wayne Jarvis. He is homophobicnote  and homosexual himself. Like most of the Bluth family, he is lazy and selfish. He makes many appearances throughout the series. Spoiler Information 


  • Ambiguously Bi: He's very clearly into men as hard as he tries to hide it, but there are moments that imply he may be interested in women, such as when he keeps his hand on Lucille's thigh for way longer than necessary or when he gives Maggie Lizer a smack on the ass during their court case.
  • Amoral Attorney: He is ardently unethical, always willing to take the sleaziest route to a conclusion. He's also overtly demeaning to people (which got him sued by a paralegal) and is not above discussing his various indiscretions. He's even unethical to his clients, charging them for performing no meaningful work. He'd probably be even more corrupt if he wasn't such a disgustingly Lazy Bum as well (or had any idea how to do his job as an attorney in the first place, for that matter).
  • Armored Closet Gay: He tries to be this, but it quickly becomes clear to everyone that he's gay and he eventually stops trying to hide it.
  • Boomerang Bigot: He's very homophobic and treats his openly gay paralegal poorly, yet he himself is a homosexual.
  • The Bus Came Back: Lucille has rehired him in Season 4, following her being arrested for hijacking the Queen Mary.
  • Casanova Wannabe: He often makes uncomfortable passes at other men in the form of Freudian Slips, and has a reputation as a bit of creep as a result.
  • Casting Gag: In a couple of scenes he briefly slips into Fonzie’s trademark poses and mannerisms. The most overt reference has him literally jumping over a shark.
  • Comically Missing the Point: Many of his jokes involve him replying to the wrong question.
  • Freudian Slip: Commonly after he's revealed to be gay. In fact, the reveal itself also comes in the form of a Freudian Slip at the end of "In God We Trust":
    Barry: Are all of the guys in here, you know...
    George: Oh, no, no, no. Not all of them.
    Barry: Yeah. It's never the ones you hope.
    George: ... Hope?
    Barry: Think.
  • Jerkass: To his paralegal, James Alan Spangler. His homophobic behaviour caused James to file a lawsuit against him, ironically with Barry's rival, Wayne Jarvis.
    Barry: I am not a girl, you bow-tied...
    James: (holds up tape recorder, presses record) Go on, call me something. I'm redoing my kitchen.
  • Lazy Bum: At one point he’s so lazy that he won’t even read the settlement George Sr. has been given.
  • The Peeping Tom: Season 4 has him facing charges of sneaking into the grounds of the local high school to spy on the football team's dressing room, and it is heavily implied that he in fact did so.
  • Put on a Bus: Michael fires him in "The Cabin Show", the Season 3 premiere. Come Season 4, Lucille has hired him back.
  • Time-Shifted Actor: In Season 4, Young Barry is played by Max Winkler, Henry Winkler’s son, in flashbacks.
  • Trans Chaser: He is shown to exclusively solicit crossdressing prostitutes.
    Barry: Hey, you're not one of those silly men that's dressed like a woman, are you?
    Prostitute: No, baby, I'm the real thing.
    Barry: [drives away]
  • Ultimate Job Security:
    • His incompetence, unwillingness to do any sort of work for the family (while billing them for nothing), and completely unprofessional personality still isn't enough to get anyone in the family to agree to fire him (even though on a number of occasions George Sr. bemoans his horrible legal advice, which presumably is originating from Barry). Even after finally getting the boot, he ends up being rehired to handle the family's next crisis.
    • Averted in Season 5, when he gets disbarred.

    Ann Veal 

Ann Paul Veal

Played by: Alessandra Torresaninote ; Mae Whitman

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ann_veal.jpg

George Michael: She’s not my girlfriend. And she’s not bland.
Maeby: Really? Because, I mean, under her school picture it said “not pictured”.

... her? George Michael's bland girlfriend as of the end of Season 1. Although George Michael is infatuated with her, Michael cannot bring himself to like her, due to her lack of any personality beyond her Christianity. Spoiler Information 

She also makes a prominent re-appearance in Season 4. Spoiler Information 


  • Butt-Monkey: Seriously, nearly everybody regards her as bland, even in front of her.
  • Covert Pervert: Despite her fundamentalist Christian beliefs, she's visibly turned on by George Sr.'s rather graphic vows.
George: “...to love and honor your spirit and flesh. First, the flesh. I will caress and tweak. I will nibble and bite. I will blow alternatingly hot and cool...”
Ann: Oh, man, I can’t wait to get married.
  • The Dog Bites Back: In Season 4, she tricks GOB and Tony Wonder into sleeping with each other when both attempt to use her against each other as revenge for GOB leaving her at the altar and Tony getting her pregnant.
  • Forgettable Character: Pretty much every member of the Bluth family other than George Michael constantly keep forgetting that she exists, and even in the few cases they do remember her, they always forget her name.
    Michael: Yeah, who's Ann?
    George Michael: My-My girlfriend. She's... You've met her so many times— met her and met her!
  • The Fundamentalist: One of her defining (gasp) traits is that she's an exceptionally preachy Christian.
  • Hollywood Homely: Her actress is not by any means unattractive, but her frumpy clothing, noticeable lack of makeup and strange expressions all contribute to her image as a forgettable "dud".
  • Informed Deformity: While she wears homely and unflattering clothes and almost always has extremely awkward and stiff posture and mannerisms, other characters (when they even remember her) refer to her like she's a hulking abomination.
  • The Nondescript: According to Maeby, you couldn't pick her from a lineup of one. She was played by a different actress in her first appearance because they planned to cast a different actress as Ann every episode to reinforce this, but Hurwitz liked Whitman's performance.
  • Phrase Catcher: "Who?" and "Her?"
    • Egg?
  • The Stoic: Pretty much always has a strange-looking neutral frown on her face. Starts to get averted over time as she reveals a more manic and dangerous side.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: She likes hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise (or "mayon-eggs", as she calls them). Two exceptionally bland foods for an exceptionally bland girl.
  • What Does He See in Her?: Whenever she is identified as George Michael's girlfriend, someone will comment "What, is she funny or something?".

    Wayne Jarvis 

Wayne Jarvis

Played by: John Michael Higgins

A professional lawyer that Michael initially tried to hire to replace Barry as the Bluths' attorney. After the deal fell through, he became the prosecutor against the family's case.


  • Always Someone Better: Is this to Barry, which is precisely why Michael sought him out in the first place.
  • Amoral Attorney: He responds to any questioning of morally unethical legal actions with "The Patriot Act. Read it."
  • Failed Attempt at Drama: His attempts to intimidate Michael with coincidental newscasts are often ruined by the news story not playing at the exact moment he turns on the TV.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Tries to be this with Michael, Gob and Buster, but all three are too smart, dumb and naive respectively. He does manage to manipulate Tobias somewhat with a fake photo collage class.

Introduced in Season 1

     John Beard 

John Beard

Played by: John Beard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_beard.jpg

A newscaster that has frequently appeared throughout the show from as early as the very first episode, whenever a news broadcast is shown.


  • Ascended Extra: John Beard As Himself ties Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn for most frequently credited Special Guest, yet he probably has a cumulative minute of screentime. In season 4 he has an actual role in the Tobias plot.
  • As Himself: John Beard was a real newscaster for the Los Angeles area’s FOX O&O station, KTTV-11 and was active during Arrested Development’s run. He relocated to Buffalo's NBC station, WGRZ-2, in the seven-year break between the show's FOX cancellation and its Netflix resumption, but he still filmed all his parts.
  • Coincidental Broadcast: If what the Bluths do end up on the news, John Beard usually headlines it.
  • Manipulative Editing: Used by the news crew to make GOB sound like he's confessing to killing Earl Milford.
    GOB: I didn’t kill him, alright? And don’t edit this for your broadcast so it looks like I'm screaming-
    GOB (on broadcast): "I killed Earl Milford!"
    John Beard: Startling confession tonight at 11:00.
  • Pungeon Master: Justified, since most of the plot-relevant things that wind up on the news are featured in 'lighter side'-type segments.
  • Recurring Extra: Has appeared in all five seasons.

     Marta Estrella 

Marta Estrella

Played by: Leonor Varelanote , Patricia Velásquez

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marta_estrella.jpg

Marta is a Spanish soap opera actress. While she is dating GOB, Michael quickly falls in love with her upon getting to know her in "Key Decisions". She has two sons.


  • The Cameo: Albeit played by a different actress, in a montage in "Forget-Me-Now".
  • Dude Magnet: Marta is considered beautiful by the narrative and at one point draws the attention of all three Bluth brothers at once.
  • Horrible Judge of Character:
    • Thinking GOB, of all people, was a great (and faithful) guy.
    • She eventually comes to view her judgement of Michael as a caring, family-driven person as this when she finds him fighting GOB and Buster outside their father's hearing in "Marta Complex".
  • Noodle Incident: Anything involving the plot of her Show Within a Show El Amor Prohibido.
  • Put on a Bus: She doesn't appear after "Beef Consomme". To be fair, she broke up with Michael and GOB, so there's not a lot of reason for her to stick around.

    Lupe 

Lupe

Played by: BW Gonzalez

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lupe.jpg

"Mister Gay, he's bleeding! Mister Gay!"

Lucille's Hispanic housekeeper, who often gets verbally abused by her employer. She was brought in to replace her sister, Luz.


    J. Walter Weatherman 

J. Walter Weatherman

Played by: Steve Ryan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/j_walter_weatherman.jpg

"And that's why... you always leave a note."

J. Walter Weatherman is an ex-Bluth company employee who lost his arm in a company accident. Throughout the Bluth children's childhoods, George has used him and his Artificial Limb as a lesson-teaching device, by convincing them that their actions have led to a man losing his arm. Spoiler Information 


  • Artificial Limbs: His prosthetic arm.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In-Universe. When Michael asks his father what happened to him, George replies:
    George: He's, uh, dead. You killed him when you left the door open with the air conditioner running.
  • Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: In Season 3, he appears to be working for George, but then reveals he was in on it with Michael and GOB the whole time. Even then, it's possible he was working with Buster the whole time.
  • Fake Arm Disarm: His prosthetic right arm detaches, and as such his lessons always ended with it being ripped off somehow.
  • Hypocritical Humor: At the end of "Pier Pressure", he teaches Michael and GOB why you should never teach lessons to your son.
  • Mad Libs Catchphrase: “And that’s why you _________.”
  • Scare 'Em Straight: His whole purpose in George's parenting.
  • Space Whale Aesop: Forgetting to leave a note, yelling, or leaving the front door open while the air conditioner is on will result in a man losing his hand, or in the latter case, kill him.
  • Uncatty Resemblance: In his introductory flashback, he is seen with a three-legged dog.

    Carl Weathers 

Carl Weathers

Played by: Carl Weathers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carl_weathers.jpg

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there’s still plenty of meat on that bone! Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato... Baby, you’ve got a stew going!"

Carl Weathers is Tobias' idol and acting coach, whose training his purchases with his last $1100 given to him by Michael to regain his medical license under Jessie's suggestion. After being fired by Tobias he starts spending time with Lucille 2.


  • Adam Westing: Playing as a more washed-up version of himself.
  • Con Man: With his acting career having long since fizzled out, he now makes money off of gullible aspiring actors by claiming to be an acting coach.
  • Cool Old Guy: Is a pretty cheerful guy overall, at least with Tobias.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: His love of stew is a Running Gag. Due to being a washed-up actor without a lot of money, he often makes cheap stew with random bits of food that he manages to pick up at various Hollywood parties. In his younger days, he did the same thing with food from craft services tables.
    "Whoa, whoa, whoa! There's still plenty of meat on that bone! Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato... Baby, you got a stew goin'!"

    Stefan Gentles 

Stefan Gentles

Played by: James Lipton

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stefan_gentles.jpg

"No... What I'm calling you... is a television actor."

The second prison warden at Orange County prison, Stefan Gentles is, on the side, an amateur script-writer, always trying to pitch the script for his new play, "New Warden". In Season 1, he places Tobias in prison as part of a training exercise, and also to pass his script on to Carl Weathers. In Season 3, he tries to seduce Lucille.


  • Hopeless with Tech: Has a lot of trouble working with his Tablet.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: He considers himself a brilliant scriptwriter and constantly tries to promote his work, mostly with little success.
  • True Art: In-Universe. He is an aspiring scriptwriter, and considers his scripts to be this.

    Maggie Lizer 

Maggie Lizer

Played by: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggie_lizer.jpg

"I'm Maggie Lizer. As in, Maggie Lies-her ass off! (laughs awkwardly) ...One person laughed at that once, I don't know why I keep trying it."

Maggie Lizer is a blind prosecutor whom Michael starts going out with after an unsuccessful one-night-stand. She turns out to be the prosecutor in the case against his father, and asks him to look over the list of evidence they have against him in the case. Spoiler Information 

She returns in Season 2, pregnant with a child Michael believes could be his. Spoiler Information 


  • Amoral Attorney: Well, she has been using her blindness to gain sympathy from the judge, jury and even the defendants themselves, and sometimes even to falsify evidence.
  • Batter Up!: Against Tobias during their game of cat-and-mouse.
  • The Bus Came Back: For Season 2's "Out on a Limb"/"Hand to God".
  • Fake Pregnancy: Zig-Zagged and Deconstructed in Season 2. While she appears to be pregnant, due to her faking her blindness, Michael believes that she could be faking it. He sends Lindsay and Tobias to her house to investigate, and they find a fat suit. He confronts her about it, only for her to show her stomach, revealing that she really is pregnant. Then in the next episode, it turns out that it's not Michael's child, but the surrogate child of Officers Carter and Taylor. Then it turns out that it's not Maggie's child either - her client Loretta was the pregnant one all along, and Maggie had been wearing the fat suit (a latex model which led Michael to believe her).
  • Hoist by Her Own Petard: When Tobias infiltrates her house to steal evidence, it's her fake blindness that prevents her from letting on that she can tell he's there.
  • Obfuscating Disability: Her "ocular retinoblastoma", which she has been faking for years.
  • Put on a Bus: After her two-parter, "Altar Egos"/"Justice is Blind".
  • Throw the Book at Them: In "Justice is Blind", Michael throws a copy of the Bible at her in court to prove that she's not blind. Unfortunately, she actually was temporarily blind at that point, thanks to Tobias spraying her in the face.

    Justice 

Justice

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/justice_2.jpg

Maggie's seeing-eye dog, although. Not to be confused with Little Justice, one of George Sr.'s fellow inmates who appears in "Missing Kitty".


    The Business Partner 

Saddam Hussein/H. Maddas/Achmed

Played by: ("Achmed")

GOB: We've got the proof, Michael. Dad's signed contract with Saddam.
Buster: (whispering) ... Hussein.

An Iraqi dictator, and the long-time business partner of George Sr. His involvement in the plot was first hinted when George revealed that he may have committed some "light treason", but it was confirmed at the end of Season 1 that George had been making model homes in Iraq to aid Hussein. Evidence relating to the business ventures of the two was stored in the H. Maddas cooler, until it was destroyed by GOB at the end of "Spring Breakout". George claims that Hussein set him up, and used him as a pawn in his plans. Spoiler Information 


  • The Chessmaster: George Sr claims that Saddam set him up, and had been coordinating his actions from the very start. While this may or may not be strictly true, he did coordinate a lookalike to be sent to trial in his place while the real Saddam hid out in the model home, so he definitely fits the trope.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: The real Saddam Hussein hides in the model home, disguised as a mere lookalike.
  • Karma Houdini: He remains hidden in the model home in Iraq while a lookalike is trialled for his crimes in his place.
  • Sdrawkcab Name: "H. Maddas".
  • Walking Spoiler: His involvement in the plot is the major reveal of Season 1.

    "Literal" Doctor Fishman 

"Literal" Doctor Fishman

Played by: Ian Roberts

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doctor_fishman_6.jpg

"Excuse me, Mr. Bluth. We lost him. He just, uh... got away from us. I'm sorry."

A very literal doctor who often gets assigned to the Bluths whenever they visit the hospital. His strange way of speaking often results in miscommunication between him and his patients.


  • Blunt Metaphors Trauma: He doesn't seem to understand how certain phases can be allusions to death when taken non-literally.
  • Literal-Minded: He's a very literal doctor who appears several times throughout the series. He's even credited as "Literal Doctor":
    • 'Let 'Em Eat Cake', referring to George Sr, who had escaped out the window:
      Doctor Fishman: Excuse me, Mr. Bluth. We lost him. He just, uh... got away from us. I'm sorry.
    • 'The One Where Michael Leaves', referring to Tobias, who was covered in blue paint:
      Dr. Fishman: It looks like he's dead.
    • In the epilogue of the same episode. He remarks that Lindsay "look really hot". Lindsay takes it as a complement and is very charmed, but it turns out he was referring to her having an on-coming fever.
    • 'Hand to God', referring to Buster who has lost his left hand, making him all right:
      Doctor Fishman: He's going to be all right.
    • 'The Sword of Destiny', referring to Michael, who is suffering a rupture ulcer:
      Doctor Fishman: I'm sorry to say this, but it's too late for me to do anything for your son.
      [everyone gasps]
      Michael: ...Let him keep talking!
      Doctor Fishman: ...Because Dr. Stein here has already been assigned to his case.
    • 'A New Start', after moving to India, referring to Tobias, who broke his head twice:
      Doctor Fishman: This man here broke his skull in two places. Once outside the airport and once in the elevator when his sheet got caught and he was pulled off his gurney.
    • 'Off the Hook', where he has become an army doctor and is referring to Buster, who, after falling over while remotely piloting a plane, has been given a large artificial hand:
      Doctor Fishman: Mrs. Bluth, your son went down while piloting a plane over Afghanistan.
      Lucille: Oh my god.
      Doctor Fishman: He deserves a big hand for that, and we gave him one. I'm afraid besides that, there's nothing we can do.
  • No Longer with Us: He tends to deliver such lines, but he is actually being very literal whenever he uses them.

Introduced in Season 2

    Starla 

Starla

Played by: Mo Collins

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/starla_4.jpg

"Solid as a rock!"

Introduced early in Season 2, Starla is GOB's business model, and later the Bluths' secretary to replace Kitty. She claims to have had a relationship with music legend Quincy Jones. She ignores GOB's sexual advances, and later becomes a love interest for Buster. She also develops rabies from Quincy Jones' rabid guard dog later on in the season.


    Gene Parmesan 

Gene Parmesan

Played by: Martin Mull

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gene_parmesan.jpg

Lucille's Private Investigator.


  • Actor Allusion: A famously bizarre example. One episode features GOB and Buster eating mustard and parmesan cheese sandwiches, which is a really subtle nod to the fact that Gene Parmesan's actor Martin Mull also played Colonel Mustard in Clue.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His disguises are comically bad, but he did manage to track down George Sr. before GOB's bounty hunter did.
  • Master of Disguise: Parodied. He constantly turns up in various disguises and faked accents. They are all blatantly obvious, and the narration lampshades this, with the narrator saying, “Gene was far from the best.” Despite this, they invariably fool Lucille, eliciting a scream of delight from her each time. However, he gets anywhere instantly, which is surprisingly so given his standard—
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: As bad as his fake accents and his detective skills.

    Stan Sitwell 

Stan Sitwell

Played by: Ed Begley Jr.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stan_sitwell.jpg

George's long-time rival and the leader of Sitwell Enterprises. Spoiler Information 


  • Baldness Angst: He suffers from alopecia, lacking a single natural hair on his body. He makes up for it by going through a series of wigs and eyebrows.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: After the events of “Development Arrested,” Stan buys up the Bluth Co. stock Michael’s family had sold, and then sells it to Lucille Austero at a loss. To recover his money, he signs a contract with the U.S. government to build a wall along the Mexican border.
  • Casting Gag: Ed Begley Jr. has a very full blond head in real life.

    Sally Sitwell 

Sally Sitwell

Played by: Christine Taylor

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sally_sitwell.jpg

Stan Sitwell's daughter, and Michael's childhood crush. Michael never acted on his intentions due to their parents' feud. Their relationship eventually reaches a halt when Maggie returns and Michael believes she is pregnant with his baby.


  • Ascended Extra: Despite only appearing in two episodes throughout the first three seasons, she is given a much bigger part in Season 4, where she becomes Lucille 2's campaign advisor, and then is revealed to be behind Tony Wonder's grand plan.
  • Big Bad: At the end of Season 4, she may be shaping up to become one for the Bluths.
  • Hereditary Hairstyle: Inverted. It’s revealed in the fourth season she suffers from alopecia like her father, but does a better job at hiding it.

    Tony Wonder 

Tony Wonder

Played by: Ben Stiller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tony_wonder.jpg

"Did somebody say... 'wonder'?"

A professional magician, and GOB's idol. He shows up in "Sword of Destiny", allowing Buster (and by extension, GOB) to be on his DVD, "Use Your Illusion", although for copyright reasons he is considering changing the title to "Use Your Illusion II"note .

He returns in Season 4, after outing himself as gay.


  • Always Someone Better: To Gob.
  • Bait-and-Switch: The viewer is initially led to believe that he was assassinated by the gay mafia via getting encased in concrete. The finale, however, reveals that he survived and that he switched himself out with a mannequin. Unfotunately, that "mannequin" was actually the dead body of Lucille Austero.
  • Casting Gag: He's an in-universe celebrity, and GOB resents him for his fame and success. Appropriately enough, he's played by the most famous actor in the cast.
  • Friendless Background: According to the narrator, he has never experienced friendship.
  • Impossibly Awesome Magic Trick: He somehow managed to have himself baked into a loaf of bread and turned into a giant sandwich for the troops.
  • Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Exploited. He loves to hide in hidden compartments just so he can make a grandiose entrance when someone says the word “Wonder.”
    "Did somebody say...Wonder?"
  • Strange Minds Think Alike: The entirety of his relationship with Gob in Season 4.
  • Unknown Rival: Even before their shenanigans in Season 4, Gob keeps track of Tony’s career exploits and is highly jealous of him. But while the Narrator refers to their relationship as a “longtime rivalry”, when Gob auditions to be part of his magic DVD in Season 2 he mainly acts like an awestruck fanboy. Tony, by contrast, seems to barely know who Gob is but is intrigued by his act and not averse to his success.
  • What Is This Feeling?: His reciprocated feelings for Gob in Season 4 take them both by surprise.

Introduced in Season 3

    Bob Loblaw 

Bob Loblaw

Played by: Scott Baio

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bob_loblaw.jpg

"Why should you go to jail, for a crime someone else... noticed?"

The Bluths' first decent lawyer (with the possible and temporary exception of Wayne Jarvis), brought in by Michael in Season 3.


  • Amoral Attorney: See the quote above.
  • Demoted to Extra: Being the Bluths' new lawyer in Season 3, his appearances are very regular until he has to drop their case in "S.O.B.s" due to Lindsay using up their retainer on her divorce. Due to this, he only makes one appearance in Season 4.
  • Oblivious to Love: Lindsay initially prefaces her flirtations with him by saying she’s looking into getting a divorce from her husband. He carries on with the rest of their interactions as if she’s consulting him as her divorce lawyer. It's later subverted when he responds to her flirting (he most likely figured it out at some point down the path and continued to act as her lawyer for the business she provided him with), but even when he asks her out, it's just to get evidence for his new client, Tobias.
  • Punny Name: "Bob Loblaw", said aloud, sounds like Blah, Blah, Blah. It's taken even further when we find out he has a law blog - the Bob Loblaw Law Blog, and later in the newspaper title, "Bob Loblaw Lobs Law Bomb".
  • Strictly Professional Relationship: He doesn't pursue a relationship with Lindsay because he cannot date a client of his. Eventually double subverted: he passes Lindsay's case off to Treat, his paralegal (soon to be a lawyer), in order to ask her out on a date, only for it to be revealed later that he was only doing it to get evidence against Lindsay for his new client: Tobias.
  • Turn Coat: He dumps Lindsay as a client to represent Tobias in the same case.

    Rita Leeds 

Rita Leeds

Played by: Charlize Theron

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rita_leeds.jpg

A British girl whom Michael meets in Wee Britain during "For British Eyes Only", and falls in love with. Spoiler Information 


  • Big Bad Ensemble: When it comes to light that she's working with Trevor, the two are set up as this for Season 3. Ultimately subverted, as it turns out he really is her uncle, and she isn't evil in the slightest.
  • Cloud Cuckoolander: Not noticeable at first, but a lot of her dialogue is this after she is revealed as an MRF.
  • Girlish Pigtails: She wears them occasionally.
  • Kissing Cousins: Trevor explains that her parents were cousins, and he believes that this is the reason for her disability.
  • Manic Pixie Dream Girl: That's what she appears to be to Michael. Deconstructed, in that her quirky behavior is merely due to her mental disability.
  • One of the Kids: Due to teaching at a school in Wee Britain. Or attending the school as a student, as it turns out.
  • Put on a Bus: When the marriage with Michael doesn't go through, she is forced to move back to Britain, and disappears from the show.
  • Red Herring Mole: Rita is carefully set up to be The Mole only to be revealed as nothing like it. First we are treated to some cryptic conversations between her and her uncle making her look like a spy. And then we learn about a dubious "Mr. F", the same name Michael sees engraved on her wristband. However, "Mr F." was a CIA mole who turns out to be Mr. Fünke.
  • Rummage Sale Reject: How she dresses is pretty questionable, but Michael finds it charming.
  • Secretly Wealthy: To the extent that her family owns all of Wee Britain. When Lucille and George find out, they encourage Michael to go ahead with the wedding.
  • Smart People Speak the Queen's English: Subverted. This is how the Bluths can’t recognize her as mentally retarded: her British accent.
  • Villainous Friendship: The final moments of "For British Eyes Only" shows her getting into a car with Trevor, implying this. Subverted, since he's her uncle and he's not actually a villain.

    Trevor 

Uncle Trevor

Played by: Dave Thomas

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uncle_trevor.jpg

A British man who threatens Michael and his family in Season 3. Spoiler Information 


  • Big Bad: Implied at first to be one for Season 3; he is part of the group who set up George, Sr. Except not really, because he doesn't actually have anything to do with that group at all.
  • Must Have Nicotine: He is a chain smoker to the point where he even smokes while brushing his teeth.
  • Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: It turns out that he actually has nothing to with the British group George Sr. claims to have been tricked by, but was just a concerned uncle trying to keep his mentally disabled niece out of trouble.

    Larry Middleman 

Larry Middleman

Played by: Bob Einstein

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/larry_middleman.jpg

George Sr's surrogate while he remains under house arrest in Season 3.


  • Demoted to Extra: He only makes a brief appearance after "The Ocean Walker".
  • Meaningful Name: He really is a middle man.
  • Not So Stoic: Despite being a consummate professional who is willing to put up with a lot of stuff, even he has his limits. Notably, he punches Gob out cold for calling him an "idiot parrot-man".
  • Put on a Bus: George fires him after he gives away the family's plan to get Michael married to Rita so that they can inherit her money. He does make a brief appearance in "S.O.B.s", working for someone else.
  • Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud: A variation on the trope. George Sr attempts at several points to instruct him to emote such as winking at people in a secretive manner, but he usually just says said instruction out loud.
  • Spanner in the Works: He gives away George and Lucille's plan in "The Ocean Walker" when George starts thinking aloud, not realising that Larry is still repeating what he's saying. This gets him fired.
  • The Stoic: He's definitely a professional. He acts only a George's eyes and ears. In fact, he hardly even shows emotion when George tells him to.

    The Richter Quintuplets 

The Richter Quintuplets

Played by: Andy Richter

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_richter_quintuplets.jpg

Andy Richter and his four identical brothers. Besides Andy, there's Rocky Richter, Andy's stunt double and a police officer; Donny Richter, a teacher at the alternative, new-age high school Openings, which George Michael and Maeby attend in Season 3; Emmett Richter, whose face is blurred at all times due to refusing to make an appearance on the show; and Chareth Richter, who doesn't appear outside of the family photo in Season 3.


  • Acting for Two: All four are played by Andy Richter.
  • Adam Westing/As Himself: Andy Richter appears as himself, with just a slightly sadder life.
  • Ascended Extra: Their only appearance in the first three seasons was in the Season 3 episode “S.O.B.s”, but they return multiple times in Season 4. It's most notable with Emmett, who didn't even appear in "S.O.B.s" (besides being blurred out in a family picture), but turns up in-person in Season 4 to play the Human Torch in Tobias' Fantastic Four play.
  • The Big Guy: Rocky Richter, "The risk taker".
  • Call-Back: Chareth's name and personality (the Narrator refers to him as "the flirt") are a reference to the persona Michael adopted when flirting with Maggie Lizer in "Altar Egos", Chareth Cutestory.
  • Casting Gag: Not the first time that Andy’s had something to do with Quintuplets.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Appeared in an episode for a throwaway gag before he was given a proper role.
  • The Ghost: Chareth, who doesn't appear at all throughout Season 3 or 4 of the show, and Emmett, but only due to his Pixellation.
  • Granola Girl: Donny works at a very liberal school and abides to its teachings.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight:
    • Rocky goes undercover at the high school in Season 4 as his brother Donny.
    • Rocky also impersonates Andy on Conan, leading to Andy's most popular lines on Conan's show. Andy also pretends to be Emmett at one point, but as his face is not pixellated, it's clear Andy's just looking to duck an unpleasant conversation.
  • Idiot Ball: They all show shades of this. Perhaps most notably is Emmett not letting the documentary crew use his face in the show, not realising that they can easily overlay the face of one of his four identical brothers.
  • The Lancer: Rocky is the only one of the quintuplets who is loyal to Andy, and attends events in place of him on occasion.
  • Out of Focus: Chareth, who only appears in the family photo in Season 3.
  • Pixellation: Emmett's face is blurred out whenever he is shown. In the Season 4 remix, his face becomes blurred only after he identifies himself.
  • Self-Deprecation: Rocky complains about Andy looking like a "pig" even though they're identical brothers.
  • Sibling Rivalry: Between some of them, Rocky seems particularly bitter about Andy’s success.
  • The Smart Guy: Donny is apparently the smartest of the quintuplets, but that's not saying much.
  • Special Guest: Introduced in "S.O.B.s" to parody this.

Introduced in Season 4

    Dr. Norman 

Dr. Norman

Played by: John Slattery

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dr_norman.jpg

Dr. Norman is a disgraced anaesthesiologist one of Oscar's friends staying with him in the Southern Californian desert. He later gives medical advice to George Sr.


  • Ambiguous Syntax: Although this is mainly Doctor Fishman's character trait, Dr. Norman isn't exempt from this either.
    Dr. Norman: Your testosterone numbers are off the charts. ...Below the charts, under the charts, I don't know how to say that. You have almost no testosterone at all.
  • Back-Alley Doctor: Dr. Norman is about as good at his job as Barry Zuckerkorn is at his.
  • Black Comedy Rape: He doesn't think women should be awake for sex.
  • Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: He's a disgraced former anesthesiologist.
  • Noodle Incident: An incident with a patient that cost him his practice. It's implied that this patient either nearly died and/or was unnecessarily sedated.
  • The Stoner: He is a frequent abuser of all kinds of prescription medicine.

    Marky Bark 

Marky Bark/Divine Spirit

Played by: Chris Diamantopoulos

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marky_bark.jpg

Marky Bark is an ostrich farmer and a political activist whom Lindsay meets in Season 4 at a methadone clinic. The government have been suspicious of him ever since he accidentally signed up for the wrong political group (which turned out to be al-Qaeda). He has a condition called Face Blindness that prevents him from recognising faces. Spoiler Information 

Marky is the son of the protestor Johnny Bark, who appeared in Season 1's "Key Decisions".


  • Fake Shemp: In Season 5. He is driving the car from which DeBrie emerges, but a glitter bomb explodes inside the car shortly after, so his face is never seen. He also has no lines.

    Rebel Alley 

Rebel Alley

Played by: Isla Fisher

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rebel_alley.jpg

Ron Howard's illegitimate daughter. Had a very wild rebel streak before her son was born and is now aspiring to be an actress.


  • Commitment Issues: It actually turns her on when Michael pretends to not be interested in her.
  • Hypocrite: Destructive and spoiled, yet self-righteous enough to try to take the high ground against the Republicans that she hates. Of course, the dinner between her and Herbert Love exemplifies that they really aren't so different in terms of morals.
  • Love Triangle: Between herself, Michael and George Maharis (a.k.a. George Michael Bluth).
  • Meaningful Name: She was a heck of a rebel back in the day. She might still be one today.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: In looks, personality, profession, and background, she's clearly based on Bryce Dallas Howard. Bryce and a lot of other Howard family members eventually all appear in the same place with Rebel in Season 5.
  • Separated-at-Birth Casting: Look up a picture of Isla Fisher, then a picture of Bryce Dallas Howard, then a picture of Paige Carlyle Howard. They look similar enough that they could be mistaken for sisters, as they're said to be in-universe.
  • Theme Naming: According to the narrator, all of Ron Howard's daughters, legitimate and otherwise, have where they were conceived as their middle names. Paige Carlyle, Bryce Dallas... Rebel Alley. Her son is also named Lem. Early in season 4, Ron Howard meets with Michael in a Lunar Expedition Module.]]
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Inadvertently causes a rift in Michael's relationship with his son; whenever they try to make up and reconnect, she shows up and the meet-up never happens. Not to mention that her son unwittingly destroys the brief financial success that Sudden Valley was enjoying.

    DeBrie Bardeaux 

DeBrie Bardeaux

Played by: Maria Bamford

Most famous (or is it infamous) for her portrayal of Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman in Ron Howard's contractually obligated film version of Fantastic Four. Later becomes a drug addict and a potential beard love interest for Tobias.


  • Birds of a Feather: With Tobias. Both of them are struggling actors with a host of mental and emotional issues. Despite having a rather turbulent relationship, the two of them have much more in common than Tobias and Lindsay ever did.
  • Fictional Counterpart: She's one for Rebecca Staab, the actress who played Sue Storm in Roger Corman's infamously low-budget Fantastic Four film adaptation. While the two of them aren't completely identical, Staab is also a rather obscure actress who never quite broke onto the A-list after playing Sue Storm (most of her credits are one-off TV roles and parts in Hallmark movies).
  • Meaningful Name: She's a struggling washed-up actress with a drug problem and a string of credits in adult films. Appropriately enough, her first name is pronounced like "debris"—meaning "trash".

Introduced in Season 5

     Murphybrown 

Murphybrown Fünke

Played by: Kyle Mooney

Tobias's illegitimate son who enters back into his life to reconnect. Tobias has other ideas.



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