Charles Van Doren

Played by Ralph Fiennes

Acquired Situational Narcissism: Charles starts out as a pleasant, unassuming English instructor, but as soon as he gets famous he starts timing his arrivals at the university so as to coincide with the students coming out. Eventually it wears off, as he starts to regret his involvement in the fix.
Historical Domain Character: He is involved in the center of the game show scandals.
Hollywood New England: Of the immensely cultured, Ivy League variety. The Van Dorens lived in Connecticut.
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: So very, very much.

Herbie Stempel

Played by John Turturro

Eternally Pearly-White Teeth: Inverted. One of Herb's teeth is actually brown, and at one point he asks his wife if she thinks he should get them capped. Definitely a factor in why the sponsors decide they've had enough of him.
Historical Domain Character: Is suing the game 21 for his poor treatment.
Jewish and Nerdy: So very, very much - a quiz-show champion with Yiddish patois-peppered parlance.
Yiddish as a Second Language: When he is not wolfing down rugulach, he is schvitzing off his tuchis.

Played by Rob Morrow

Played by Paul Scofield