Characters / Vertigo

John "Scottie" Ferguson

Played By: James Stewart

• First-Name Basis: When Madeleine says that she'll call Scottie "Mr. Ferguson," he says that acquaintances call him "Scottie," but true friends just call him "John." It's notable that Elster calls him Scottie and ultimately is revealed to have manipulated him, so he was never a true friend.
• Flaw Exploitation: His fear of heights is taken advantage of by Elster and Judy when they switch Elster's wife for Judy on top of the bell tower while Scottie couldn't follow up.
• Heroic BSoD: He suffers a severe one about halfway through the film.
• Loving a Shadow: He never would have given Judy a second glance if she hadn't so strongly resembled Madeleine. And considering that the only Madeleine he ever knew was part of an elaborate con, this makes it all the more tragic. He never really loved a real person but a projection and a fantasy.
• Private Detective: He became one after he left the police, although he's not a professional and only does it as a favor to Elster.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Has a phobia of heights that give him vertigo.

Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton

Played By: Kim Novak

• '50s Hair: Madeline has cool, tightly pulled platinum blonde hair in a bun while Judy has her reddish hair in a style where some is pulled back and is wavy.
• Affably Evil: Her occasional trances may have been fake, but her feelings for Scottie were genuine. Plus she even tried to write a letter confessing the truth about "Madeleine"'s "death", before tearing it up and hoping Scottie would appreciate her for who she really is.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Judy helped orchestrate Madeleine's death by impersonating her and pretending to commit suicide, but she also regretted taking part in that murder and developed true feelings for Scottie who doesn't even acknowledge her as herself. As a result, it's hard not to feel bad for her when she dies the same way Madeleine does.
• Betty and Veronica: The Veronica (Madeline is mysterious, wears couture, is an icy blonde, and very helpless; Judy wears sweaters with flashy makeup and is hopelessly in love with Scotty and ends up sacrificing her own self to please him) to Midge's Betty (she is down to earth, independent, not submissive to him, humorous, smart, and social) and also Betty (Judy as she is a woman from Middle America who has a less sophisticated albeit sexy style and yearns to please Scotty) and Veronica (Madeline as she is mysterious and given to trances while in neutral toned couture) within herself.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Judy is so sweet and charming, it's easy to forget she spent the entire first half of the film cruelly manipulating Scottie as part of an elaborate murder plot.
• Femme Fatale: Played with: She still charms the hero and is very mysterious, but she also developed genuine love for Scottie and regrets taking part in the murder.
• Fiery Redhead: She has light auburn hair and when we are introduced to her she is quick-tempered and acid tongued with a touch of the Deadpan Snarker. Later on, even after she dyes her hair, she is revealed to very emotional and impulsive.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: More specifically, she wants to be loved as herself and not "Madeleine".
• The Lost Lenore: Judy's Madeleine identity becomes this for Scottie. It turns out to be a Deconstruction because the "Madeleine" Scottie grieves for and obsesses over never actually existed.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Judy gets cold feet at the last second and tries to stop Elster's murder conspiracy by screaming at the bell tower, but it is too late. She spends the rest of the film wracked with guilt and regretting her past actions.
• Parental Abandonment: She said after her father died, her mother married a man she was antagonistic with and her mother always took his side, this spurs Judy into leaving Kansas for San Francisco.
• Redemption Equals Death: She ends up falling for Scottie and regretting her actions, only to end up dying anyway.
• Sexy Sweater Girl: Judy Barton's standard bright-colored tight sweater ensemble contrast Judy's earthy sexuality with Madeleine the icy blond in the gray suit.
• Walking Spoiler: Well, not "Madeleine" but Judy. She turns out to have been Gavin's partner in crime to kill the real Madeleine.

Marjorie "Midge" Wood

Played By: Barbara Bel Geddes

• '50s Hair: Has a wavy pageboy style fashionable to the era.
• Audience Surrogate: Her down-to-earth and increasingly concerned about Scottie and his behavior, echoes our own reactions to him.
• Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Judy's and Madeline's Veronica. She was Scottie's former fiancee from college, down-to-earth, independent, has an understated albeit stylish wardrobe in 1950s sportswear, and wears glasses.
• Canon Foreigner: Her character is original to the film adaptation
• Foil: To "Madeleine". Both of them are women who are close to Scottie, but the main difference is "Madeleine" is mysterious, helpless, and constantly in trances. Midge on the other hand is independent, down-to-earth and smart.

Gavin Elster

Played By: Tom Helmore

• Big Bad Friend: He was an old friend of Scottie's during his college days.
• Bilingual Bonus: "Elster" is the German word for magpie. Besides the Thieving Magpie stereotype, it's a bird that also symbolizes trickery and deception.
• Faux Affably Evil: Pretending to be a good friend of Scottie's when in reality, he's a callous criminal plotting to murder his wife.
• Flat Character: He doesn't get a lot of screen time or a proper motive on why he wanted to kill his wife.

Spoiler character

The real Madeleine Elster

• Impersonation-Exclusive Character: She is never seen alive during the whole film; she is being impersonated by Judy.
• Posthumous Character: We never got to see her in action, but in a sense, she kick-started the entire plot.
• Walking Spoiler: The fact that we never actually saw her alive isn't revealed until halfway through the film.