List of Lost characters: Difference between revisions

This article contains character biographies of the American drama/adventure television series Lost. Template:Spoiler

Main Characters

• Jack Shephard — Matthew Fox
• Kate Austin — Evangeline Lilly
• Charlie Pace — Dominic Monaghan
• Shannon Rutherford — Maggie Grace
• Michael Dawson — Harold Perrineau Jr.
• Hugo "Hurley" Reyes — Jorge Garcia
• James "Sawyer" Ford — Josh Holloway
• Walt Lloyd — Malcolm David Kelley
• Jin-Soo Kwon — Daniel Dae Kim
• Boone Carlyle — Ian Somerhalder
• Sayid Jarrah — Naveen Andrews
• John Locke — Terry O'Quinn
• Sun-Soo Kwon — Yunjin Kim
• Claire Littleton — Emilie de Ravin

Secondary Characters

These people have important roles to play on the island, but are not members of the core group leading the survivors. All of the individuals below may or may not be survivors of Flight 815, but they are on the island.

Ethan Rom

• Played by: William Mapother
• Appears in: Solitary, Raised By Another, All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, Homecoming
• Possible Origin of Name: Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome; also anagram for other man; "Rom" is singular for a member of the Romany (commonly called "Gypsies") which also means "person or man" in the Romany language.

The dangerous Ethan Rom, claimed to be from Ontario which Hurley assumes means Ontario, Canada. He initially appeared to be a benign survivor of the crash, helping Locke with his task of hunting boar for the camps. However, in the aftermath of an attack on Claire at the caves, Hurley decides to take a census of the survivors, and upon comparing the names he had with those on the flight's manifest, discovered that Ethan was not officially on the flight with the rest of them. Ethan does not initially give his last name, until Hurley prompts him.

About the time Hurley mentions this to Jack, Kate, Locke, and Sayid at the caves, Ethan kidnaps Claire and Charlie, setting off a frantic manhunt searching for the trio. Jack, Kate, Locke, and Boone remain on his trail for sometime, but split up to make sure that one of the possible tracks is not a diversion. Jack and Kate catch up to Ethan, who in a one-on-one fight, easily dominates Jack, threatening to kill either Charlie or Claire if they do not stop following him. Making good on his promise, Charlie is nearly killed by hanging.

When Claire somehow escapes Ethan, he returns to the beach and after attacking Jin, demands Charlie bring Claire to him or he will kill the survivors one by one. When the group fails to do so the first night, Ethan again follows through by killing Scott. Finally, with Claire as bait, Ethan is ambushed by an armed group of Jack, Sayid, Locke, Sawyer, and Kate, hoping to take him prisoner and find out why he wants Claire so badly. This time, Jack successfully subdues Ethan. Despite being defeated, and surrounded by the gun-wielding group, Ethan nonetheless was willing to try to attack the others anyway, until he is unceremoniously shot and killed by Charlie, using the gun Jack had dropped.

Danielle Rousseau

• Played by: Mira Furlan
• Appears in: Solitary, Numbers, Exodus
• Meaning of the name: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 18th century philosopher

The Frenchwoman responsible for the distress call, Danielle Rousseau has been stranded on the island for 16 years. After Sayid discovers a cable extending from the ocean into the jungle, he stumbles into a snare trap, likely set up by Danielle, who subsequently cuts him down and captures him. While holding him prisoner, Danielle initially suspects that Sayid may know something about "Alex," asking him "Where is Alex?" in a variety of languages. When Sayid insists that he knows nothing about anyone named Alex, Danielle tortures Sayid with electric shock. She eventually softens, however, and begins asking Sayid about the picture he's been carrying around. After Sayid explains his story, Danielle shows him her broken music box. When Sayid offers to repair it, she sedates him and moves him to a chair, where he is bound but still able to work on the box.

While he repairs the box, Sayid asks her how she came to be on the island. Danielle and her science expedition, which included her husband Robert, were shipwrecked on the island, which by her estimate is at least three days out from Tahiti. She also discusses strange whispering voices in the jungle, which she attributes to a group she simply calls the Others. When she asks if Sayid thinks she is insane, he replies that she has simply been alone for far too long.

Eventually, Sayid and Danielle hear a roar outside of her camp. When Sayid asks if it is the monster, she replies that there is no such thing as monsters. After she leaves with a rifle, Sayid frees himself with the screwdriver he'd hidden after repairing the box. He steals her maps and other notes about the island, grabs her other rifle, and follows her. In the standoff that follows, Sayid threatens Danielle, and when she refuses to back down, he fires the gun. When it fails to go off, Danielle mentions that her husband Robert had not noticed it wouldn't fire either, when she shot him. She then explains that she had killed the other survivors of her shipwreck because they had become infected by something.

When Sayid says he's not infected, she agrees, but doesn't want to let him go because she's alone. Sayid then insists that she should return with him to the other survivors of the crash, but she demurs. However, she leaves Sayid with a warning: he must be certain to watch the other survivors closely. As she turns to walk away, Sayid asks who Alex is. In response, Danielle simply says, "My child," and walks away.

Several days later, Hurley discovers that her notes contain the same numbers that he had used to win the lottery, repeated several times. This prompts Hurley, claiming that he wants to get a battery for Michael, to head into the jungle, with Charlie, Jack, and Sayid in tow. His real motive, however, is to find Danielle in the hopes that she can explain the meaning of the numbers to him, giving him insight as to why they may be "cursed".

Eventually, Hurley and Charlie are separated from the others when Danielle shoots at them. Hurley and Charlie run in different directions, but Hurley falls down when running. At this point, Danielle catches him and holds him at gunpoint. He asks her about the numbers, but she admits that she does not know what they mean. Instead, she explains to Hurley that it was the numbers that brought her expedition to the island. Sixteen years earlier, the numbers were being broadcast by the radio tower on the island. At this point, Hurley breaks down, feeling he'll never understand these numbers, especially since everyone tells him they are not cursed. When Danielle concurs with his assessment that they may be cursed, however, he grabs her in a giant bear hug. When Hurley returns to the group, he gives the battery and notes to Sayid, remarking: "She says, 'Hey.'"

When Danielle became trapped on the island, she was seven months pregnant. She was forced to deliver the baby herself, whom she named Alex. A week after she was born, Alex was taken by "the others" while Danielle went to investigate a large plume of black smoke.

After a similar plume appears in the distance, Danielle warns the survivors that The Others will be coming. As they scramble to form a plan, Danielle notices Claire's baby and asks to hold him. Claire repeatedly refuses, obviously spooked by Danielle's demeanor. Danielle knocks Claire unconscious and abducts the child, disappearing into the jungle. Sayid and Charlie pursue her, ultimately finding the source of the black smoke: a large, crude brazier that bears no clue as to who lit it. Danielle reluctantly gives up the child, admitting that she had hoped to offer him to The Others in exchange for her own child, Alex.

Desmond

• Appears in: Man of Science, Man of Faith

Desmond first appears in a flashback with Jack, who is running in the same stadium as Desmond. He was planning on becoming a doctor but did not make it all the way. During the flashback, he stated that he plans to "travel the world". On the island, Desmond resides inside the hatch.

Rose

• Played by: L. Scott Caldwell
• Appears in: Pilot, Walkabout, Whatever The Case May Be

Rose was a resident of the Bronx and was on the plane, seated next to Jack, who spoke with her during the flight. Since surviving the crash, she has maintained the belief that her husband (Bernard), who was in the rear of the plane that broke off in flight, is still alive. She also befriended Charlie after returning from his abduction by Ethan and near-death experience, urging him to return to his faith.

Vincent

• Played by: Madison
• Appears in: Special, Exodus: Part 1
• Reason for trip: Brought with Michael and Walt on the plane.

Vincent is Walt's dog and appears in several episodes. Originally Vincent belonged to Brian, a man who was involved with Walt's mother. Brian gave Vincent to Walt and Michael after Walt's mother passed away. Vincent has proven to be a handful. During his most recent escape attempt, Locke and Boone were searching for him when they happened upon Claire, and he returned suddenly just before Ethan killed Scott.

After Walt left the island on the raft, he left Vincent in the care of Shannon.

Aaron Littleton

• Appears in: Do No Harm, The Greater Good, Born to Run, Exodus: Part 1
• Origin of Name: Aaron, brother of Moses, who played a prominent part in the Biblical story of Exodus.

Born to Claire Littleton in the jungle of the Island with the help of Kate. Aaron has already had a major role because the survivors believed he was the reason Claire was kidnapped by Ethan Rom.

Aaron was originally going to be adopted after he was born, but a psychic told Claire that she must raise the baby herself. He said that if the child were raised by any other, something bad would happen. Later, after Claire refused to listen to his demands, the psychic told her there was a couple in Los Angeles, California who would raise the baby, and even arranged the tickets for her. Whether there was actually such a couple is unclear, but following the crash, Claire appeared to believe the psychic had forseen what would happen to the airplane. What danger could surround the baby is still not known.

The baby's father, Thomas (played by Keir O'Donnell), is presumably still in Australia.

Charlie referred to him as "Turnip Head" until Claire chose a name. So far, the only thing that can calm him is Sawyer's voice.

Aaron was believed to be the child that the "others" wanted and was stolen by Rousseau but it is possible that they wanted Walt.

Other Survivors

These characters have been introduced on the island, in one way or another, and may have a larger role to play in the future. These characters have at least one speaking role, or are important to the plot in some way.

U.S. Marshal Edward Mars

• Played by: Fredric Lehne
• Appears in: Pilot, Tabula Rasa, Exodus, Part 1
• Reason for trip: Bringing the fugitive Kate Austin back to the United States
• Profession: A US Marshal

Heavily injured during the crash, only gaining momentary consciousness. Dies from wounds in Tabula Rasa. He was on the plane to escort Kate back to the USA for a trial. He was buried, though his remains were exhumed in Whatever the Case May Be by Jack and Kate to recover a key in his wallet.

In a flashback, he said that Kate was repeatedly calling him at home to explain the mitigating circumstances behind her crime, although he contended that she was doing it to rub his nose into the fact that she was still out of jail.

Joanna

• Mentioned in: White Rabbit, The Greater Good, Born to Run
• Reason for trip: Diving expedition in Australia; actually supposed to fly earlier, but grounded by an ear infection

Though never actually seen on the show, Joanna's role has been important to the plot in two ways. She was the first survivor to die of causes unrelated to the plane crash. Also, it is shown later that Kate kept her passport, and hopes to assume her identity upon their rescue to escape her fugitive status.

Steve Jenkins

• Played by: Christian Bowman
• Appears in: The Moth, Homecoming
• Reason for trip: Unknown

Frequently confused with Scott Jackson. Steve appears to be sleeping with a married woman named Tracy, although there is some possibility that it is actually Scott that survived. He and Tracy apparently have been quite distant from the main characters' interactions, since Kate mentions him in a late-season episode as having been unaware of the incident with the polar bear (a major event in the pilot).

Scott Jackson

• Played by: Dustin Watchman
• Appears in: The Moth, Homecoming
• Reason for trip: Won an all-expense paid trip to Australia
• Profession: Worked for an unidentified internet company in Santa Cruz, CA

Frequently confused with Steve Jenkins. Reportedly killed by Ethan Rom in Homecoming, although there are some indications that it may have actually been Steve.

Sullivan

• Played by: Scott Paulin
• Appears in: Solitary

He was treated by Jack for a rash, though Jack believes him to be a hypochondriac. Upon discovering Jack, Hurley, Michael, and Charlie playing golf, however, he asked to join the game.

"Tourniquet Man"

• Played by: Dale Radomski
• Appears in: Pilot

Shortly after the crash, Jack puts a tourniquet on this person. Nothing else is known of him.

Leslie Arzt

• Played by: Daniel Roebuck
• Appears in: Born To Run, Exodus: Part 1, Exodus: Parts 2 & 3
• Profession: Ninth grade Earth Science teacher
• Origin of Name: Arzt called himself a "Doctor". The word Arzt is German for physician.

Mr. Arzt has also been asked to be addressed as "Doctor", although his credentials are not explained. He was previously a high school ninth grade science teacher (most likely Earth Science). He helps Michael and Jin to plan the sailing of their raft, by calculating the approach of the coming monsoon season based on an estimation of their location and the direction of the winds. In the episode "Exodus" we find out he goes by Mr. Arzt because his first name is Leslie. In the same episode he accompanies Rosseau, Jack, Locke, Hurley, and Kate into the jungle so that he can handle the unstable dynamite.

Arzt, after wrapping a stick of dynamite in Kate's shirt, reveals to the group that when dynamite is in 90 degree weather or hotter, it sweats nitroglycerin, a highly volatile explosive. Arzt is then killed in an explosion that knocks the others to the ground.

Arzt was widely seen as a mouthpiece for certain forms of fan criticism of the show, commenting on the various characters' quirks from an outsider's perspective and expressing a dissatisfaction shared by many of the show's viewers that only 14 out of the 40-plus survivors have played any decisive role in life on the island, comparing the show's main characters to a clique of popular high schoolers. Dr. Arzt will return in the second season, most likely in other characters' flashbacks.

Non-televised characters

These characters have not appeared in the televised series, although the names have been referenced on various Web sites produced by the broadcasters of the series.

Diary Characters

A series of entries in a LOST "Diary" appears on the official ABC TV Web site. Though some fans treat these as canonical, co-executive producer David Fury has explained on The Fuselage that the diaries "bare no relation to the actual show, except that they sometimes tease upcoming things." The diaries are currently written by Matt Ragghianti and Dawn Kelly, two writers assistants.

• Janelle Granger AKA "Mustang Sally"
  The keeper of the diary. She is a surfer who dived with Joanna, the woman who drowned, in Australia and knows enough about tides to be alarmed by their unusual behaviour on the island. In the diary entry following "Exodus (1)" her diary was updated with her name (Janelle Granger) and hometown (Hermosa Beach, CA). She began working out after Claire's kidnapping, of which she said, "it's like the nightmare is starting all over again," a reference to her own experience of being hospitalized after an incident in Louisiana that nearly took her life. She recovered from the incident before the trial, after which she took the trip to Australia. On the island, she began to get close to Sawyer, but then rejected him, a decision she regrets, especially now that another survivor named Larry is continually hitting on her. Also of note, she is hiding something in her dive bag (possibly a weapon or charm). Her diaries reveal that she found out about the hatch in the woods before Sayid or Jack, and saw Locke kneeling over it when the light came on.

• Larry
  A survivor who has been hitting on Janelle Granger in her diary entries.

Hidden Messages on Oceanic Air Web Site

The following characters are revealed in messages on a promotional Web site for the fictional Oceanic Airlines apparently set up by ABC Television and Touchstone Television. Notes are hidden throughout the site, supposedly from flight 815 survivors. They have also not been revealed as being actual crash survivors on the series (yet).

• Sally
  Has a message hidden in the text of the site's main screen: "If anyone should find this message, please get word to Sandra Rafflethorpe of Palm Avenue in Lewiston, Idaho that her sister, Sally is alive and stranded on an island somewhere in the South Pacific. Please send help soon. Things are bad. And they're getting worse..."
• Jake Smith
  Has a message on the seating chart page, "If you are reading this note PLEASE get word to my wife, Christina Smith that her husband, Jake survived the crash of Oceanic Flight #815 along with 47 others. Darling, I miss you so much and dream of the day I can see your face again. The very thought of that day is all that keeps me going here. Please don't forget me!"
• Robert D. West
  Has a message on the main page and in the source of the Track Flight page which reads: "Robert D. West, of Santa Barbara, California - USA survived a horrific plane crash and is stranded on an island somewhere Northeast of Australia and Southwest of Hawaii. In the event that I am never found, please forward word of my fate to parents, Mr. and Mrs. John West, of Tucson Arizona. Thank you."
• Bob Jones
  Has a message on the results of the Track Flight page, when entering flight 815, which reads:"This is Bob Jones, of Tulsa Oklahoma and I would like to inform the First National Bank of Enid that I will be late making my September mortgage payment as I am STRANDED ON A FRIGGIN' ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! Please have the government send a search team immediately or don't all the taxes I pay cover an expense like that?"

Message in bottles

In Exodus Sawyer opens the bottle of message sent on the raft by the survivors and reads some of them aloud:

• Tracy
  A woman stranded on the Island who misses her husband and two kids in Fresno, although she has been sleeping with Steve (or possibly Scott.)

Referenced by televised character

• Lance
  Hurley initially calls Ethan Rom "Lance" but then describes him as a "skinny guy with red hair and glasses."

Flashback Characters

These are major characters who have appeared only though flashbacks, and are not actually on the island. Click here for a complete listing of all flashback characters.

Character Name	Actor Name	Main Connection	Episodes
Dr. Christian Shephard	John Terry	Jack (father)	Outlaws, White Rabbit, All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, Do No Harm, Man of Science, Man of Faith
Sarah Shephard	Julie Bowen	Jack (wife)	Do No Harm, Man of Science, Man of Faith
Emily Locke	Swoosie Kurtz	Locke (mother)	Deus Ex Machina
Anthony Cooper	Kevin Tighe	Locke (father)	Deus Ex Machina, Orientation
Tom Brennan	Mackenzie Astin	Kate (friend)	Born to Run
Ray Mullen	Nick Tate	Kate (informant)	Tabula Rasa
Diane Jansen	Beth Broderick	Kate (mother)	Born to Run
Liam Pace	Neil Hopkins	Charlie (brother)	The Moth
Leonard Simms	Ron Bottitta	Hurley (friend)	Numbers
Martha Toomey	Jayne Taini	Hurley (friend)	Numbers
Noor Abed Jazeem (Nadia)	Andrea Gabriel	Sayid (friend)	Solitary
Essam Tasir	Donnie Keshawarz	Sayid (friend)	The Greater Good
Hibbs	Robert Patrick	Sawyer (partner)	Outlaws, Orientation
Frank Duckett	Jeff Perry	Sawyer (target)	Outlaws
Mr. Paik	Bryon Chung	Sun (father)	...In Translation
Mr. Kwon	John Shin	Jin (father)	...In Translation
Thomas	Keir O'Donnell	Aaron (father), Claire (boyfriend)	Raised by Another
Richard Malkin	Nick Jameson	Claire (psychic)	Raised by Another
Susan Lloyd	Tamara Taylor	Walt (mother), Michael (girlfriend)	Special
Brian Porter	David Starzyk	Walt (stepfather)	Special

Deceased

Current number of survivors: 44 (end of Season 1)

There were initially 48 survivors of the crash. According to Writers Assistant Matt Ragghianti the initial 48 do not include the following people who died on the island:

• Turbine Man - Sucked into the still running jet engine in Pilot.
• Co-Pilot - Killed by "monster" in the jungle in Pilot.
• Ethan Rom - Shot to death by Charlie in Homecoming; he was apparently already on the island, since his name did not appear in the passenger manifest.

Those survivors who have died since the original count did so in this order:

1. Edward Mars (the Marshal) - Killed in a "mercy killing" by Sawyer because of his wounds from the plane crash.
2. Joanna - Drowned at the beginning of White Rabbit.
3. Scott Jackson - Killed by Ethan Rom in Homecoming; Scott is specifically noted by Hurley as the one who was murdered, however, it is also mentioned that Scott is often confused with Steve Jenkins. Scott Jackson also appeared in The Moth.
4. Boone Carlyle - Died in Do No Harm from injuries incurred in Deus Ex Machina.
5. Leslie Arzt - Was killed in an accidental explosion in Exodus Part 2.

This brings the official number of survivors remaining to 44 when Claire's baby is added to the list.

See also

• Lost (2004 television series)
• Episodes of Lost (Season 1)
• Episodes of Lost (Season 2)
• Airdates of Lost

External links

• Lost on IMDB
• Lost Guest Appearances on IMDB
• "Mustang Sally"'s diary
• "LOST HUNGARY