List of The Big Bang Theory franchise characters
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The following is a list of characters from the American situation comedy The Big Bang Theory created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. It concerns two prodigies in their 20s, one a theoretical physicist and the other an experimental physicist, who work at Caltech and live across the hall from a waitress with show-biz aspirations. Their geekiness and intellect are contrasted by her social skills and common sense.
Main characters
- Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) is an experimental physicist with an IQ of 173 who received his Ph.D. when he was 24 years old. He shares an apartment with colleague and friend Sheldon Cooper. Leonard is the straight man of the series. The writers have toyed with a romance between him and neighbour Penny, with their unresolved sexual tension being a major force for drama. Leonard finally started dating Penny at the start of Season 3. Previously, he had romantic relationships with co-worker Dr. Leslie Winkle, and physician Dr. Stephanie Barnett. Leonard's family is composed of many accomplished scientists including his mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, and his brother and sister. Leonard wears glasses and has lactose intolerance; he is often seen wearing one jacket with another underneath, followed by a tee.
- Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) is a theoretical physicist, possessing a master's degree, two Ph.D.s, and an IQ of 187. Originally from East Texas, he was a child prodigy, starting college at the age of 11, right after completing the 5th grade. He is calculating, and cynical, and is not interested in any romantic relationship. Sheldon displays characteristics common among those with Asperger syndrome:[1] he exhibits a strict adherence to routine, a lack of understanding of irony, sarcasm and humor, and a complete lack of humility; these characteristics are the main sources of his character's humor and the center of a number of episodes. Sheldon's family is very different from him. His mother, Mary, is a devoted Christian, and his twin sister, Missy, is not a scientist by any means. Sheldon is consistently the geekest character in the show; he is often seen wearing a comic book inspired tee shirt with a long sleeve underneath, and almost always has some form of plaid on him somewhere.
- Penny (Kaley Cuoco), (the only main character whose last name is not revealed) is Leonard and Sheldon's neighbour across the hallway. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she is a waitress at the local Cheesecake Factory and also an aspiring actress. Penny is very outgoing, kind, and assertive, her personality contrasting to that of the guys'. She has dated several men during the course of the series, including former boyfriend Kurt, and Stuart (from the comic book store). Penny has toyed with the possibility of dating Leonard more than once throughout the show. Outward attraction towards him did not show until the end of Season 2. In the latter episodes, she has shown to be influenced by her geek friends, including an obsession with on-line gaming and making references to Star Trek, to her own surprise. For the most part she cannot stand Sheldon's nerdy, crazy personality, but at times they have shown to be good friends.
- Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) is a Jewish engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics who often hangs out at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and other characters, Howard lacks a doctorate. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in Engineering from MIT. Being an engineer, Howard usually works on equipment to be used in NASA missions and the International Space Station. Howard fancies himself a ladies' man and provides outrageous pick-up lines whenever a female is present. He still lives with his mother, who is overly oblivious to his accomplishments as an engineer. Howard is allergic to peanuts, and they are a serious threat to his life; he is often seen wearing a V-neck or tee shirt over a turtleneck, and always has skinny jeans and an oversized belt buckle.
- Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) is Howard Wolowitz's best friend and yet another genius; his name is usually shortened to "Raj". He is originally from New Delhi, India and he works in the Physics department at Caltech, where his area of expertise is particle astrophysics. Raj is extremely shy when it comes to dealing with women; he is unable to speak to them unless he drinks alcohol. When Penny is around, Raj usually whispers what he wants to say to Howard, who then responds out loud. Despite his pathology, Raj has often ended up in bed with women, leaving the other guys perplexed. Raj communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali, in India through a webcam. Raj is often seen wearing a layered combination of two shirts and khakis, with a jacket over them.
- Dr. Leslie Winkle (Sara Gilbert) is another physicist who works in the same lab as Leonard. She is essentially Leonard's female counterpart equipped with the black framed glasses and sweat jackets. She does not get on well with Sheldon and frequently mocks him, calling him "dumbass". Leslie had casual sex relationships with Leonard first, and then Howard. With Leonard, after evaluating his genetic defects, Leslie went as far as planning the number of kids they would have, but eventually decided to break up because Leonard didn't support her loop quantum gravity theory against Sheldon's string theory.
Recurrent characters
These characters appear in several episodes.
- Kurt (Brian Wade): Kurt is Penny's ex-boyfriend. He is a muscular intimidating bully. In the pilot episode Leonard and Sheldon went to his apartment and tried to retrieve Penny's TV set from him; they didn't succeed and returned home without pants.[2] Penny left him because he cheated on her, but he was still invited to her Halloween party.[3] When Penny experienced financial difficulties, Leonard and the guys tried to convince Kurt to pay Penny back money he owed her; at first Kurt refused, but eventually he payed Penny back to date her again.[4]
- Dr. Eric Gablehauser (Mark Harelik): Dr. Gablehauser is the guys' boss at Caltech. He appears involved in many of the university's affairs. In his first appearance, he fired Sheldon after Sheldon insulted his intelligence. Eventually, Sheldon was rehired because Gablehauser has a soft spot for Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother.[5] Dr. Gablehauser was also responsible for introducing Dennis Kim to the university[6] and for hosting the Physics Bowl.[7]
- Mary Cooper (Laurie Metcalf): Mary is Sheldon's mother, a devout Christian from Texas. She has given birth to two other children besides Sheldon, including Sheldon's fraternal twin sister, Missy. Mary herself is not intellectual but is very wise; she appears to be an extremely good mother and is the only one who has ever been able to control Sheldon. Leonard described Mary as Sheldon's "Kryptonite". When Penny and Sheldon engaged in a fierce dispute, Penny called for Mary's help, who subsequently called and scolded Sheldon about his actions.[8]
- Dr. V. M. Koothrappali (Brian George): Raj's father, a gynecologist in India. He and Raj's mother communicate with their son via video chat and constantly try to arrange dates for Raj. He believes academics have a limited earning potential. Raj's parents were under the impression that Leonard and Sheldon were a "couple" because they lived together.[9]
- Mrs. Koothrappali (Alice Amter): Raj's mother. She communicates with Raj via video chat along with her husband. She wants Raj to get married and give her grandchildren. She is unimpressed with Penny as a possible mate for her son.[9] She thinks the closer they have to a daughter-in-law is the "Jewish friend", Howard.[10] She enjoys Doogie Howser reruns, which are apparently new to India.[9][11]
- Mrs. Wolowitz (Carol Ann Susi): Howard's mother. She is not seen on-screen but her voice is heard when he is at their house or when he talks to her on the phone. She talks to Howard always by yelling at him, which results in awkward long-distance conversations with Howard yelling back at her. Mrs. Wolowitz seems to be totally oblivious about Howard's work as an engineer, and talks to him like he was still a child. She makes Howard's life miserable at home which prompts him to call her a "crazy old lady".
- Dr. Stephanie Barnett (Sara Rue): Stephanie is a doctor and highly distinguished surgical resident at Fremont Memorial who is first seen with Howard at the Mars Rover's secret operating facility. When Howard's plan to let her drive the rover failed, she left with Leonard and the two immediately became attracted to each other.[12] Sheldon began meddling in Stephanie and Leonard's new relationship in an effort consolidate it, since in his eyes, Stephanie was the only "tolerable" mate Leonard had had. After several weeks of dating, Stephanie officially began living with Leonard in his and Sheldon's apartment. However, after much hesitance, Leonard told her to move out because he was uncomfortable with the pace of the relationship. Although they weren't seen breaking up on camera, evidence suggests their relationship ended.[13] Stephanie did her medical internship at Lawrence Memorial in Galveston, Texas, which is where Sheldon was born.
- Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie): Kripke is an unlikable co-worker of Leonard and Sheldon's. He has a case of rhotacism where he pronounces "r" and "l" as "w" in much the same way as Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes. In his first appearance,[14] he pitted his "killer robot" against the guys' robot in an unofficial robot fight. In another occasion,[15] Sheldon attempted to befriend Kripke in order to gain access to an open science grid computer to carry out research. However, Sheldon's efforts were abandoned when he realized that Kripke had no say in who used the computer. Barry is ostensibly named after philosopher and logician Saul Kripke.[citation needed]
- Dr. Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski): Leonard's mother. Beverly is a neuroscientist as well as a psychiatrist, thus, she is overly analytical. Between her neurotically strict speech patterns, lack of social conventions, and attention to detail, she is Sheldon's female equivalent. The two of them share an odd non-romantic attraction to each other. She diagnosed Raj with selective mutism and considered Raj and Howard's relationship to be an "ersatz homosexual marriage". Beverly mentioned that Leonard's brother and sister are more successful in their respective fields than he is.[16] Christine Baranski was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for this role in 2009.
- Stuart (Kevin Sussman): Stuart runs the comic book store which the guys frequently go to. He is also a nerd, but he has a talent for drawing, is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and possesses a few more social skills than them. During Stuart's first appearance,[17] the guys brought Penny along to the store and he managed to ask her on a date. Feeling threatened, Leonard advised Stuart on his date with Penny, setting him up to fail. When Penny was with Stuart she mistakenly called him "Leonard", leaving him devastated. Stuart was the partner of Wil Wheaton in the card game tournament,[18] where they defeated the pair formed by Raj and Sheldon. As Stuart runs a comic book store, he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of comic books.
- Bernadette (Melissa Rauch): Bernadette is a waitress paying her way through graduate school microbiology studies and was introduced to Howard via Penny. At first she and Howard did not get along, as they appeared to have nothing in common. However, when they found out they both had overbearing mothers they immediately felt a connection.[18]
Other characters
These characters appear in fewer episodes, some in just one.
- Joyce Kim: An unseen character, Joyce Kim is mentioned as being a former girlfriend of Leonard. Their relationship only lasted a month, after which she defected to North Korea.
- Toby Loobenfeld aka "Leopold Houston" (DJ Qualls): Toby is a research assistant with a double major in Physics and Theater. He is used by Sheldon to play his fictional first cousin "Leopold", a character Sheldon invents as part of an elaborate lie told to avoid going to see Penny sing. "Leo" is a recovering drug addict who ends up cuddling with Penny on the couch, much to the chagrin of Leonard.[19]
- Dennis Kim (Austin Lee): Dennis is a 15 year old genius from North Korea whom Dr. Gablehauser hopes to recruit into their Ph.D. program. Dennis and Sheldon have an antagonistic relationship when the former excels Sheldon in every way. The guys make arrangements so Dennis can meet girls of his age and get distracted of his own research. The plan succeeds and Dennis is seen kissing with a girl, no longer an intellectual threat to Sheldon.[6]
- Missy Cooper (Courtney Henggeler): Missy is Sheldon's fraternal twin sister who is intellectually much unlike him. Tall and attractive, she immediately catches the attention of Leonard, Howard, and Raj. Sheldon realizes that within Missy's eggs lies the potential for another "superior mutation" like him. He temporarily erects himself as a guardian to Missy in order to choose the best mate for her. Missy refers to Sheldon as "Shelly", and despite their differences she loves him and is proud of his accomplishments.[20]
- Lalita Gupta (Sarayu Rao): A childhood acquaintance of Raj, she is now a dental student at USC. Raj's parents set up a date for their son with her. During the date, Raj can only speak to her after drinking an alcoholic beverage (a "grasshopper"). Sheldon insists she bears a remarkable resemblance to an Indian princess in a children's story. Eventually, Lalita leaves the obnoxious and drunk Raj to have dinner with Sheldon.[9]
- Ramona Nowitzki (Riki Lindhome): Ramona is a graduate student and a huge fan of Sheldon's. After a lecture, she arranges to have dinner with him in his apartment. The next few days she becomes a permanent presence in his life, pressuring him to concentrate on his research and avoid distractions. Sheldon gets tired of her but is unable to dissolve their "relationship". Eventually, Sheldon reaches a breakthrough in his work, and kicks Ramona out when he refuses to share credit with her for the discovery.[21]
- Dr. David Underhill (Michael Trucco): David is a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and a more successful physicist than Leonard, who is excited to be working with him. With his leather jacket and handsome looks, Penny is shocked to know that David is a scientist and starts dating him. They break up as she is dismayed to find out he is married.[22]
- Alicia (Valerie Azlynn): Alicia is a young blonde who moves into the apartment right above Leonard and Sheldon's. Penny displays a fit of jealousy at this turn of events, thinking that Alicia is supplanting her in the boys' attention. Alicia is an actress, although more successful than Penny, having landed a role on CSI as a dead hooker. Eventually, to Howard's delight, she and Penny get into a catfight.[23]
- "Captain Sweatpants" and "Lonely Larry": Nerds that are seen at the comic book store. Captain Sweatpants is a middle-aged bald man who wears grey sweatpants and a T-shirt with a star on it. Lonely Larry wears a brown suit.
Notable guest stars
Guest stars portraying themselves include Charlie Sheen (The Griffin Equivalency), Summer Glau and George Smoot (The Terminator Decoupling), Wil Wheaton (The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary), and Katee Sackhoff (The Vengeance Formulation).
- Charlie Sheen: When Raj discovers a celestial body he is very excited about it. At Penny's restaurant, Raj says to the patron at the next table over, "Hey, buddy. I'm going to be in People magazine!"; Charlie Sheen turns around and says "Yeah? Call me when you're on the cover."
- Summer Glau: When the guys travel by train to a conference in San Francisco, they realize a "terminator" is sitting in the same wagon. Raj, Howard, and Leonard take turns talking with her. Raj can't talk without drinking beer, Howard is his usual creepy self, and Leonard can't start a conversation before she has to get off the train.
- George Smoot: After the train ride to San Francisco, Sheldon presents his paper to 2006 Nobel Prize laureate George Smoot, and proposes joint research; Smoot abruptly rejects his idea by asking "With all due respect, Dr. Cooper, are you on crack?"
- Wil Wheaton: When Sheldon realizes Wil Wheaton will enter a card game tournament (Mystic Warriors of Ka'ah), he decides to participate to confront Wheaton over an incident of the past: a young Sheldon was devastated when Wheaton (Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation) failed to show up at a fan convention years ago. In the final match, Sheldon is about to defeat his hated rival, but Wheaton tricks him once more and prevails.
See also
References
- ^ Lyford, Kathy (November 13, 2008). "'Big Bang Theory': Jim Parsons — 'Everybody has a little Sheldon in them'". Season Pass. Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2009. Specific video is Jim Parsons interview, part 5. Question is from 03:18-3:31. Answer is from 4:36-6:00. Specific quote is from 5:15-5:20.
- ^ "Pilot". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 1. September 24, 2007.
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