List of Arrested Development characters
This is a list of the main and recurring fictional characters from the Fox television comedy series, Arrested Development.
George Bluth Sr.
George Oscar Bluth, Sr. is the Patriarch of the Bluth family, imprisoned on a number of charges. As of the beginning of the third season, he is currently under house arrest due to a plea bargain made by Michael, effectively making his wife Lucille Bluth his warden. He uses a surrogate equipped with a camera in his hat to spend time with his family outside of the house, He is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
George Sr. was the Chief Executive of the Bluth company, started by his father. However, after years of creative accounting practices, he became the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He was eventually arrested and convicted of defrauding his investors, petty theft, grand theft, etc. He is represented by the Bluth family attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, who often appears distracted by his own mounting personal problems.
The charges against George Sr. are quite serious and he has decided his only recourse is to flee them. He managed to escape to Mexico with a briefcase filled with hard evidence of his dealings with Saddam Hussein; signatures and receipts that offered clear, unmistakable proof that he willingly dealt model homes to the enemy. In season two, George Sr. fakes his death in Mexico and returns to America to hide in the attic of the Bluth model home. By the end of the second season, he secretly joined the Blue Man Group so his identity can remain hidden.
George Sr. has also converted to religion at different times on the show, once becoming Jewish after a period of isolation and selling a video series "Caged Wisdom," and once becoming devoutly Christian after reading a pamphlet in a garbage bag while hiding in the attic.
Recently on the show, George Sr. claims to have been set up by a group of British contracters operating out of "Wee Britain" to build homes in Iraq, claiming he thought Saddam Hussein was the guy who played the Soup Nazi.
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Lucille Bluth
Lucille Bluth is the mother of the 5 Bluth children and wife to George Sr. She is portrayed by Jessica Walter.
Lucille is acting Chief Officer of the Bluth Company. She is also the mother of George Oscar, twins Michael and Lindsay, Byron, and the adopted Annyong. Despite her difficulties adjusting to the maternal role, Lucille has managed to command a certain level of allegiance amongst her brood. Buster and G.O.B. are terrified of her and Michael and Lindsay accept that she habitually tries to manipulate them into fighting with each other in order to consolidate her power in the family hierarchy. Nevertheless, Lucille is a beloved figure after a fashion. She is merely one piece in a decidedly mixed up puzzle.
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Michael Bluth
Michael Bluth is the fraternal twin of Lindsay. They were born after George Oscar and before Byron. He is portrayed by Jason Bateman.
Michael was President of the Bluth Company for most of the first season but was replaced by G.O.B. as it came to a close. However, that move was thought by many to be only temporary until the scrutiny from the SEC was lifted from Michael.
Michael was married, but his wife died, leaving him with the responsibility of raising their son, George Michael on his own. He is always threatening to leave the family, but has been unable to act on his numerous threats. He is, quite probably, the most normally-functional member of his family, and is a source of stability for them (much to his chagrin).
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George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II
G.O.B. is the eldest Bluth Son. He is portrayed by Will Arnett.
His name, derived from his initials, is pronounced like the biblical character, Job. He is a professional magician by trade and began the second season as President of the Bluth Company. However, it has been suggested that he wields no real power and that his brother Michael is still in charge. Gob is also known to be the biggest womanizer in the Bluth family and is frequently sought by George Michael when he needs something his father will not give him such as marijuana for Lucille Austero. He also enjoys making love to women while having music sung by himself in the background.
Eventually, he discovers that he is the father of the teenager Steve Holt. Though he first was afraid of this discovery and not willing to confront his son, G.O.B soon comes to terms with his son and becomes prepared to take on the role of a father.
He once made the family's US$700,000 yacht disappear (by sinking it) during Spring Break. It was part of the making of a Girls with Low Self-Esteem video shoot, where drunken co-eds expose their breasts. He is also the original creator of the Bananagrabber character, although he gave the copyright away to Michael who had it made into an animated tv series.
Plays Europe's "The Final Countdown" in almost all of his major magic shows, like making the family yacht disappear or escaping from a coffin. It is also his ring tone. Gets around in a Segway.
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Byron "Buster" Bluth
Byron "Buster" Bluth is the youngest of the biologically born Bluth children, known mostly as "Buster", occasionally as "Busty". It has been hinted that Buster's father might be Oscar, George Bluth Sr.'s twin brother. He is portrayed by Tony Hale.
Buster is a career student but cannot return to school because the money is no longer available to him. Thus far, he has taken $80,000 worth of lessons from the Stanford Institute of Cartography, but in the pilot episode mistakes the blue part of the map for land. He has studied Native American Tribal ceremonies, participated in a sleep deprivation study, worked on an archaeological dig as part of a Smithsonian fellowship, and endured a study that investigated the relationship between medical marijuana and nausea because it took place at a carnival. He is a graduate of Milford Academy.
Buster is very much a man-boy, similar to Pee-wee Herman. He has an unusually-shaped penis (once described to a US Army doctor as a "lobster tail but without its shell"). He is very attached to his mother Lucille, has frequent panic attacks, hates both closed and open spaces, is terrified of sheep, and is very wrathful towards his Korean-born adopted brother, Annyong. He has been romantically linked on-and-off to his mother's best friend, also named Lucille (played by Liza Minelli). She changed his diapers when Buster was an infant and therefore is familiar with his odd-looking genitals.
In the second season premiere, Lucille signs Buster up for the Army, although his training is less than successful. In the episode Out on a Limb, Buster's left hand was bitten off by a loose seal. In the same episode, it was revealed that his real father is George Sr.'s brother, Oscar.
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George Michael Bluth
George Michael Bluth is the young teenage son of Michael Bluth. He is portrayed by Michael Cera, and in flashback sequences, by Christian Lavery.
George Michael has demonstrated a willingness to work and to help his father in whatever capacity is necessary. In the past, this has included pretending to be a girl so Michael could take him to "Bring your daughter to work day." He is manager (but not "Mr. Manager") of the Bluth Family's Original Frozen Banana Stand [1] and has answered phones down at company headquarters.
When he was reunited with his cousin Maeby, he instantly developed a hard crush on her. He was able to work through it, and it did not mutate into an obsession. He has maintained a platonic, healthy relationship with Maeby despite the claustrophobic atmosphere of his home life. George Michael was deeply traumatized when, as child, he began to watch what he assumed was the popular family musical, The Wizard of Oz. Instead, it was the HBO violent prison drama, Oz. Consequently, George Michael is terrified of prisons. George Michael is continually exposed to awkward social situations throughout both seasons and seems to take each incident in stride. He witnesses a live birth close up, being in the center of a hospital morgue, sitting near two gay men kissing and having an inmate use the Bluth company stair car as an escape out of prison while he sat waiting for his father.
In the second season, George Michael started dating a girl named Anne whom his father barely knows and doesn't like. His father continues to call Anne "Egg" by mistake as she was introduced to him while she was eating an egg. George Michael eventually breaks up with Anne after re-discovering his long held crush for his cousin, Maeby. Season two ends with George Michael kissing Maeby much to his delight, although the two have been avoiding each other since the incident during the start of the third season.
Anne re-appears in episode four of Season three competing in a beauty pageant in the California State Fair in which she comes in third place. During this time it's discovered Michael has now called Anne "Annabelle" because of the way her body is shaped.
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Lindsay Bluth Fünke
Lindsay Bluth Fünke is the only daughter of George Sr. and Lucille, and is Michael's twin sister. She is portrayed by Australian actress Portia de Rossi.
Lindsay is married to Tobias Fünke. They have a teenage daughter, Maeby, obtained through artificial means. Lindsay is a dedicated activist, but mostly for the social status of holding extravagant charity drives from the Bluth company money. She has helped bring attention to such worthy causes as Hands Off Our Penises, (HOOP), an anti-circumcision organization; Stop the Hunger; Neuterfest, and Save the Wetlands. She has worked to remove the Ten Commandments from City Hall and has also spoken out on advocacy of more meat and fish in the schools.
She opened up a Dip-A-Pet, because she felt animals needed hair-coloring options, with disasterous results; she started Mommy, What Will I Look Like photo shop to provide parents with some idea of their child's forecasted appearance, but she had to quit because too many parents were sickened and distraught over what the computer's predictions made their children look like.
Despite her best efforts, Lindsay has not obtained perfect self-esteem (owing perhaps to her mother's constant insinuations of obesity). She has tried yoga, activism, and hair-care products, but nothing has worked. Her marriage is hardly helping, considering that her husband seems acutely uninterested, and may in fact be gay.
Lindsay's daughter, Maeby, is a rebellious teenager who desperately wants her mother's attention. Maeby is unfortunately ignored by Lindsay very often despite her efforts.
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Tobias Fünke
Tobias Fünke is married to Lindsay Bluth and they have a daughter, Maeby. He is portrayed by David Cross.
Tobias is a former Chief Of Psychiatry from Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital who lost his license for giving CPR to a Rhode Island man who wasn't actually having a heart attack. He has experienced sexual difficulties with his wife. This led to their joint decision to attempt an "open" marriage. Tobias has a rare condition called "Never-nude" syndrome (gymnophobia) [2] and must always wear denim cut-off shorts under his pants. This condition threatened his acceptance of a coveted role as "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama that called for a nude shower scene. He had studied for the role by researching the "nature of fear" at the Orange County prison. Lindsay helped him deal with his condition and with the help of his acting coach, Carl Weathers, he got the part. Carl would eventually help Tobias land a part on the TV series Scandalmakers, where Weathers played Ice The Bounty Hunter, Tobias played George Sr., and Dave Attell played Tobias.
Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her mother, is convinced that her husband is gay. Much of the humor that is based around Tobias exploits this fact. A book he wrote while still a therapist, The Man Inside Me belatedly has become a runaway bestseller, but only in the gay community. At a reading, attended exclusively by gay men, he changed all the pronouns to "he" for the ease of reading, though his audience assumed it was for different reasons. Similarly, Tobias also has the intriguing habit of unintentionally making sexual double-entendres, usually implying his own homosexuality; examples include him (pretending to be a British nanny, a la Mrs. Doubtfire) offering Michael a "banger in the mouth" while holding out a plate of sausage or screaming "I just blue myself!" after donning the trademark blue paint of the Blue Man Group. These are just a few of several instances of Tobias's trademark oblivious nature, a personality trait that is frequently exploited in plot lines regarding his relationship with his wife and daughter.
In season 2, Tobias was desperate to be an understudy for the silent entertainers Blue Man Group, and would paint himself completely blue for hours, thus getting blue body paint on things in the Bluth model home (blue handprints can be seen in the background in many season 2 episodes). In the mid 1990's, Tobias and his family as the folk group, Dr. Fünke’s 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution. Every song was about new medicines and their potential harmful effects on consumers. Each performance was underwritten by the Natural Life Food Company.
In season 3, Tobias got hair implants.
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Maeby Fünke
Mae "Maeby" Fünke is the teenage daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. She does not demonstrate much of a scholarly acumen and has a penchant for acting out. She is played by Alia Shawkat.
Maeby was purchased by her parents for US$150,000. The Fünkes were unable to conceive due to Tobias' prolonged difficulties regarding heterosexual congress with Lindsay; whether this implies that she is adopted or a test-tube baby has not been fully revealed, although her grandmother Lucille informed George Michael that Maeby was "made in a cup, like soup." Maeby was sent to a progressive school called the Sunshine Academy by her parents. She wasn't graded, but rather received crocodiles and Elvii instead. Once she entered the public school system, she was not able to compete. So, she lost interest in grades and started creating new opportunities to get into trouble, where she "always gets caught".
Maeby has created a pseudo-twin, Surely, who is suffering from the rare, debilitating illness, B.S. She conspires to draw attention to her condition and has fabricated a fake charity that preys on the sympathy of others. She is discovered on stage by George Michael, at a charity fund raiser held in Surely's honor.
As Surely, Maeby draws attention to the fact that there are no ramps going up to the bleachers at school. She fabricates a tremendous amount of support and respect by pretending to be terminally ill. She has made quite a lot of money from her false charities without punishment for her deception.
By accident, Maeby acquired a job as a movie executive, although she is having increasing difficulties deflecting questions about her youthful appearance. She has frequently used the studio's readers to do her homework, assigning them classic novels to read and write up. More recently, she was involved in the American remake of the French movie "Les Cousins Dangereux," which she was forced to cut down to 52 minutes. Thanks in part to George Michael, who was half-heartedly protesting the movie with Ann Veal, it became a hit -- the protest drew people's attention.
Maeby also has a crush on the boy Steve Holt, who is discovered near the end of Season Two of the show to be the son of GOB. Maeby is told by George Michael at the beginning of Season Three that Steve Holt is also her cousin.
Oscar Bluth
Oscar Bluth is George Sr.'s identical twin. He is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
Oscar can be distinguished from George by his flowing hair, due to lack of stress in his life. He is a frequent user of marijuana and other recreational drugs. His only notable achievement in life was writing a song that made Joan Baez call him "the shallowest man in show business". It was often hinted that he is probably the biological father of Buster in season 2. Eventually, it is revealed that he is Buster's father.
In the second season finale, George Sr. shaves Oscar's head and turns him in. The stress of being imprisoned and mistaken for George Sr. has caused Oscar's hair to not grow back. This, paired with the fact that his fingerprints were burned off, prevents him from establishing his true identity.
To try to convince the world of his true identity, Oscar set up www.imoscar.com, a blog of sorts that details his life in prison while continually asserting that he is, in fact, Oscar. A real-life version of the site is maintained by Fox Broadcasting. [3]
Annyong Bluth
Annyong Bluth is the accidentally adopted Korean son of Lucille and George Sr. He is portrayed by Justin Lee.
Annyong is the Korean word for "Hello." Apparently knowing no English, the youth always greeted his adoptive family by saying "annyong." When they repeated the word, so did he. This caused Lucille to assume that her new son's name was "Annyong." As the show progressed, Annyong became an articulate member of the household who often found himself in disagreement with his new brother, Buster. He was apparently sent to the Milford Academy by Lucille. Annyong later was found out to be hiding in the walls of Lucille's penthouse apartment.
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Steve Holt
Steve Holt is a senior and football star at the high school George Michael and Maeby attend, who often shouts his name while pumping his fists in the air. He is portrayed by Justin Grant Wade.
Described as a "moron jock" by George Michael and "basically a young G.O.B." by Michael, Steve Holt has portrayed Beatrice in the school's play production of "Much Ado About Nothing", gone on dates with Lindsay (because he believed she was a transsexual), and was student body president for four years (he declined a fifth term in order to concentrate on finding his real father). He has also repeated the twelfth grade at least three times.
In the Season 2 episode "The Immaculate Election", it was revealed that Steve Holt is the illegitimate son of G.O.B., which has become a big story arc in Season 3.
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Wife of G.O.B.
The Wife of G.O.B. is a certified seal salesperson who married George Oscar as part of an evening of escalating dares. She traffics in trained seals, and convinces G.O.B. to wear bright, colorful sweaters. Possibly the only fan of Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution, she saw their show in the late 90's and was comforted by the fact that they sang about every side effect she was going through. When she realizes she is in love with Tobias, she ends her marriage to G.O.B. and leaves to join the United States Army. She frequently takes photos while smoking and pointing at crotches, a clear parody of Lynndie England. She is portrayed by Will Arnett's wife, Amy Poehler.
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Lucille Austero
Lucille Austero is the friend, neighbor, and social rival of Lucille Bluth. She is portrayed by Liza Minelli.
Lucille Austero lives across the hall from Lucille and Buster Bluth in their apartment complex. In Season 1, she and Buster ended up dating after an incident at a country club auction when Buster bid on the wrong Lucille. Their relationship was looked down upon by the other Bluths. In Season 2, she became the majority share holder of the Bluth company after the family members sold their shares. To ensure the company's safety, Michael hooked GOB and Lucille up. Buster at the time was dating Starla, the Bluth Company spokesmodel. After learning his older brother was dating his ex-girlfriend, Buster left Starla to pursue Lucille. Eventually, Lucille was disgusted with them and left both of them for Stan Stitwell, who runs the rival company of the Bluth Company.
Barry Zuckerkorn
Barry Zuckerkorn is the phlegmatic attorney for the Bluth family. He is played by Henry Winkler.
Zuckerkorn represents the family Patriarch, George Sr., who has been arrested and charged with defrauding investors. Zuckerkorn often appears languid and distracted in his handling of the case. He does not seem particularly apt in the courtroom and multiple references have been made to him being a bad lawyer.
He is inevitably ill-prepared, which he usually blames on long meetings the night before. In fact, most of his nights are spent hanging out at rest stops, a behavior that is frequently mentioned and accompanied by a fast cut to an establishing shot of a dark, shady rest-stop facility.
His sexual leanings are ambiguous although it appears that he may prefer the company of male transvestite hookers and may be homosexual or transsensual. Like Tobias Fünke, Barry makes many colorful references that seem to allude to his exclusive attraction to men. They aren't explicit enough, however, to be conclusive. He has been with the Bluths for a long time and was kept only because Lucille considers him to be "part of the family". He is also, according to many, supposed to be "very good" (a descriptor he uses himself). His reputation is stronger with the elder Bluths than with the children.
Despite his parents' dependence on Barry, Michael Bluth fired him on the first episode of the 2005-6 season, which ended his law career, as the Bluths were his only clients. Since then, he has been acting as a transvestite prostitute, and Lindsay seeing her husband Tobias retaining Barry's "services" has prompted her to seek a divorce. Zuckerkorn was replaced as the Bluth's attorney by Bob Loblaw.
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Bob Loblaw
Bob Loblaw is the new family attorney, replacing Barry Zuckerkorn. He is portrayed by Scott Baio.
Bob Loblaw first appeared in the third episode of Season 3, claiming this wasn't the first time he's been brought in to replace Barry. He is a no-nonsense attorney who is always in the company of his stenographer secretary who records all of his meetings. When pronounced, his name basically sounds like "Bah blah blah".
Rita Leeves
Rita Leeves is a British woman whom Michael Bluth is attracted to. She is played by Charlize Theron.
Rita first appeared in the second episode of Season 3, "For British Eyes Only".
There are a number of somewhat subtle indications that she may be a "stupid person" throughout episodes 2 and 3 of season 3; however, Michael does not seem to have noticed. Some of these indications might be the fact she goes to pre-school and also carries around a duck backpack.
In Episode 5 of season 3, Rita was confirmed to be mentally retarded, she also was given a proposal of marriage by Michael Bluth.
Maggie Lizer
Maggie Lizer is a blind prosecuting attorney who is considered to be the most feared in all of Orange County. She is portrayed by Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Maggie first meets Michael Bluth in a bar where most of the lawyers hang out after work. Michael, who is mistaken for an attorney by Maggie claims that he practices Maritime Law and goes by the name Chareth Cutestory.
Michael soon discovers while sitting in court that Maggie is actually the prosecuting attorney for his father George, Sr.
He then finds out that Maggie is not blind at all it's actually her dog that is blind.
Kitty Sanchez
Kitty Sanchez is George Bluth Sr.'s fiercely loyal and independent assistant. Kitty is portrayed by Judy Greer.
Kitty maintained a long term affair with George Sr. and a fevered yet brief liaison with G.O.B., despite the fact that she disgusted him. After George Sr. was imprisoned, Kitty stayed on to work for Michael.
Kitty gained possession of incriminating files during her "disappearance". In actuality, she did not disappear, but was working with the police in an effort to gain control of the Bluth company. After arranging a meeting with Michael, she inadvertently admitted that she had proof that George Sr. had built homes overseas without paying taxes.
Despite her intense loyalty to the company, she did not demonstrate the same toward Michael. He tried to fire her, but was overridden by his father. Michael attempted to rehire Kitty, but her obstinacy forced him to immediately refire her. Kitty subsequently disappeared with potentially damaging information, considering her sexual history with her boss. She returned later, claiming she had reformed, gotten into AA, and even has a famous sponsor. She won't say who it is, but she drops some pretty obvious hints of it being an ex-Night Court star ("It's not Bull. It's not Harry Anderson. And he's white.") When last seen, she and Tobias, the state of his marriage still up in the air, had jetted off to Las Vegas to pursue a plum spot in the Blue Man Group.
The one constant in every meeting between Michael and Kitty is that she reveals her breasts to him, usually with the comment, "Take a good look, 'cuz it's the last time."
Interestingly, and perhaps on purpose, Kitty appears to be more attractive in every subsequent episode in which she is featured.
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White Power Bill
White Power Bill was a massive, bald racist inmate with George Bluth Sr. at the Orange County Prison. White Power Bill was portrayed by David Reynolds.
White Power Bill was incensed when confronted with George's jailhouse conversion to Judaism. He was particularly upset at George's gesture of giving Little Justice, an inmate of the prison, a yarmulke for protection and christening him David Ben-Avram. He responds by hitting Little Justice with a pipe, knocking off his yarmulke. George, diplomatically, stated that "...both of our religions have a lot to offer. There’s the Jewish notion of heaven, and that it can be obtained here on earth, and there is your belief in the cleansing power of the pipe."
Upon meeting Tobias, Bill referred to him as a "little kike". Tobias, oblivious, was at the prison researching the role of "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama. He led Bill in a counselling session that culminated in Bill's suicide after Tobias suggested that Bill's inner rage stemmed from a hatred of himself; taking the advice literally, Bill jumped from the cell-block landing and died. His last words were "I hate White Power Bill..."
Ann Veal
Ann Veal is the on-again, off-again girlfriend of George Michael Bluth played by Mae Whitman. She comes from an extremely religious family, and her father is a pastor. The Bluth family confuses Ann's mother with her sister. Ann's mother kisses Michael Bluth, which she confuses with making love. The kiss leads to a brawl between Michael and her husband at the end of the episode.
None of the Bluths besides George Michael can remember Ann’s name. Michael refers to her as “Egg” in one episode, and strands her in Mexico in another. Maeby Fünke takes pleasure out of referring to Ann as “Bland” when talking to George Michael. George Michael tells his family that Ann is really funny when he is forced to defend his love interest.
Ann is attracted to George Michael’s Star Wars kid impression, which led to reconciliation after a breakup midway through the second season. George Michael wanted to get pre-engaged to Ann at the end of the second season, lost his resolve at the last moment, and was then asked by Ann to teach her his secular ways.
Ann's strict conservatism is a foil for Maeby's commitment to rebellion. Ann leads the protest at Maeby's premiere of the English remake of "Dangerous Cousins," originally a French movie about a sexual relationship between two cousins.