History Characters / TheTrumanShow

* InLoveWithTheMark: A friendship example, Marlon laments the fact that he deceives Truman on a daily basis since he likely grew up on the show with Truman. A few deleted scenes indicate that he's begining to side with the Free Truman movement by asking if they will go back into one-channel format after Truman dies.

* PunchClockVillain: He'll stop Truman's attempts to find the truth if he's ordered to, but likewise, he won't stop Truman from escaping ''unless he's ordered'' to.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:After years of being manipulated and gaslighted, and with multiple attempts to get to the bottom of whatever's controlling his life thoroughly circumvented, Truman's final escape attempt is over water, defying his aquaphobia, and despite Christof creating a storm that nearly ''kills'' him. By the time he opens the door to the studio and finally walks out, he deserved it, and fans around the world agreed.]]

* TheMasquerade: His entire life is a sham of which everyone except him is aware. Becomes a BrokenMasquerade as he figures out the truth.

* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: His determination to explore and leave his staged world ultimately ends up cancelling it.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: A heroic version. If the producers had just allowed her romance with Truman to continue and not tried to force him into a relationship with Meryl he may have stayed happily in Seahaven.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In the literal sense. Christof hated the real CrapsackWorld, and wanted to create Seahaven an idyllic place, where everywhere is immaculate. Where everyone is kind and polite to each other, and no one is homeless. Christof fixed everything. Problem is, Truman's having a mental breakdown and the fact that no one responds to his erratic behaviour, with either agitation or compassion, forces the star to confront how artificial this paradise truly is.

* ServileSnarker: In a deleted scene, he is visibly upset when he replies to Christof's announcement of the show going into two-channel format after Truman's child is born, by asking if they'll [[ArmorPiercingQuestion go back into one-channel format after Truman dies]]. This is the closest anyone gets to the "Free Truman" movement while still under Christof's employment; the question mirrors their slogan "[[FridgeHorror How is it]] [[FinalDeath going to end?]]"

* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: He created The Truman Show because he saw how miserable life can be for the homeless and he wanted to save Truman from the fate of being an orphan. However, it's very clear that he's now addicted to controlling Truman's life and has forgotten that Truman is still a human being, not a plaything.

* AffablyEvil: Despite his disrespect for Truman’s freedom and privacy, Christof was actually never willing to hurt Truman as [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans long as he stayed in the studio world]], and was otherwise nice.

* ArtsyBeret: Christof, the auteur creator/producer/director of the eponymous ShowWithinAShow wears a beret.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The entire reason why he bumped Walter/Kirk off the show in the first place [[ScareEmStraight was to traumatize Truman]] inducing Aquaphobia. When Truman becomes disillusioned and suspicious of his world after seeing his "father" again, when the latter sneaks back onto the set to be promptly escorted out, Christof realizes [[SmugSnake only what caused the unsolvable problem can solve it]], reuniting Truman [[BackFromTheDead with Walter/Kirk]]. But not only didn't he anticipate this wouldn't deter Truman from trying to leave, but he just ''cured'' the star of his crippling fear of the ocean.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He won't broadcast Truman's bathroom breaks, sex (despite paying Meryl extra for every encounter), or injure and kill him for real. At least out of his mind.

* MadArtist: On a truly grand scale. This trope is what makes Christof even more chilling than simply being in it for ratings and money. Seahaven and Truman aren't just a CashCowFranchise for him; he's more interested in them as an artistic statement, reflecting his cynical views of the world outside. As he says, "Seahaven is the way the world should be." It's how he ''keeps'' Seahaven, and Truman, within his framework, that reveals how grey (at best) his morals really are.

* ParentalAbandonment: His father "drowned" (but was really PutOnABus).

* CutLexLutherACheck: A heroic version. If the producers had just allowed her romance with Truman to continue and not tried to force him into a relationship with Meryl he may have stayed happily in Seahaven.

* AbusiveParents: The overprotective variety towards Truman, he believes he's protecting Truman from a cruel and unjust world but he's still willing to manipulate Truman and inflict lifelong psychological trauma to maintain control over his life.

* AbusiveParents: In a sense, towards Truman. For instance, even if you believe his claims that he's doing all this for Truman's sake, he's still willing to manipulate Truman and inflict lifelong psychological trauma to maintain control over his life.

* LargeHam: Unsurprisingly for a Jim Carrey role, but it's downplayed -- his hammishness usually comes with either StepfordSmiler moments or bits of SanitySlippage rather than being played for comedy. It's more a case of Carrey playing with the archetype that he was associated with as opposed to it being a straight example of the zany roles he's known for.

* DesignatedLoveInterest: A funny case of this happening in-universe. Meryl and Truman's relationship, despite clearly being intended as an idyllic romance swelling with Americana, is shown to be strained, clumsy, and absent in chemistry. Truman himself seems baffled at the fact that she claims to love him, when she doesn't share his interests, doesn't seem to like having him around, and isn't very friendly to him outside of doing her duties as a wife. From what we see of the real world, it seems that even the audiences don't find her a very convincing bride for Truman, and see her as a rebound relationship at best.