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He likes playing ''[[Halo]]'' every Wednesday<ref name="S01E07">{{cite episode|title=The Dumpling Paradox|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 5, 2007|season=1|number=7}}</ref><ref name="S02E06">{{cite episode|title=The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 3, 2008|season=2|number=6}}</ref> and [[paintball]] on the weekend with his friends.<ref name="S02E06"/>
He likes playing ''[[Halo]]'' every Wednesday<ref name="S01E07">{{cite episode|title=The Dumpling Paradox|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 5, 2007|season=1|number=7}}</ref><ref name="S02E06">{{cite episode|title=The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 3, 2008|season=2|number=6}}</ref> and [[paintball]] on the weekend with his friends.<ref name="S02E06"/>


Unlike Leonard, Sheldon embraces his genius fully and is not ashamed of sharing his interest in admitting he does not mind sharing details of his life that Leonard finds embarrassing, such as a common activity being Klingon Boggle.<ref name="S01E01">{{cite episode|title=Pilot|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=September 24, 2007|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref name="S02E07">{{cite episode|title=The Panty Piñata Polarization|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 10, 2008|season=2|number=7}}</ref>
Unlike Leonard, Sheldon embraces his genius fully and is not ashamed of admitting his [[nerd]]y interests (such as ''[[Klingon language|Klingon]]'' [[Boggle]]).<ref name="S01E01">{{cite episode|title=Pilot|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=September 24, 2007|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref name="S02E07">{{cite episode|title=The Panty Piñata Polarization|series=The Big Bang Theory|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory|airdate=November 10, 2008|season=2|number=7}}</ref>


Sheldon does not seem to be able to tolerate [[alcohol]], [[coffee]] or other drugs very well as shown in different instances.
Sheldon does not seem to be able to tolerate [[alcohol]], [[coffee]] or other drugs very well as shown in different instances.
A small amount of alcohol made him extremely happy;<ref name="S01E08">{{cite episode|title=The Grasshopper Experiment}}</ref> a small amount of caffeine sent him hurtling around the apartment;<ref name="S0218">{{cite episode|title=The Work Song Nanocluster}}</ref> taking [[valium]] also affected his behavior.<ref name="S02E01"/>
A small amount of alcohol made him extremely happy;<ref name="S01E08">{{cite episode|title=The Grasshopper Experiment}}</ref> a small amount of caffeine sent him hurtling around the apartment;<ref name="S0218">{{cite episode|title=The Work Song Nanocluster}}</ref> taking [[valium]] also affected his behavior.<ref name="S02E01"/>


Sheldon often wears vintage t-shirts adorned with superhero logos, specific to the DC universe, among them the [[Flash (comics)|Flash]], [[Superman]], [[Aquaman]], and the [[Green Lantern]]. He usually wears his shirts over some sort of sweater, and as part of his style, commonly wears plaid pants. Sheldon is tall and thin (setting him apart from his shorter colleagues), with Penny saying he looks like a [[praying mantis]], and Raj likening ''[[Star Wars]]' '[[C-3PO]] to "a shiny Sheldon".
Sheldon often wears vintage t-shirts adorned with superhero logos, specific to the DC universe, among them the [[Flash (comics)|Flash]], [[Superman]], [[Aquaman]], and the [[Green Lantern]]. He usually wears his shirts with a [[shirt|long sleeve]] underneath and commonly wears plaid pants. Sheldon is tall and thin (setting him apart from his shorter colleagues), with [[Penny (The Big Bang Theory)|Penny]] saying he looks like a [[praying mantis]], and [[Rajesh Koothrappali|Raj]] likening ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[C-3PO]] to "a shiny Sheldon".


=== Background ===
=== Background ===

Revision as of 20:25, 7 January 2010

Sheldon Lee Cooper, PhD
File:Sheldon Cooper.jpg
Jim Parsons as Dr. Sheldon Cooper
First appearance"Pilot"
Portrayed byJim Parsons
IQ187
In-universe information
NicknameShelly (by Missy and his mother), Sheldor The Conqueror (online), Moon Pie (by his Grandmother)
GenderMale
TitleDr. Sheldon Lee Cooper MSc, PhD
OccupationTheoretical physicist
FamilyMary Cooper (mother), George Cooper (deceased father), Missy Cooper (fraternal twin sister), Grandmother "Memaw", unnamed older brother
NationalityAmerican

Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons.

A Caltech theoretical physicist, Sheldon is Leonard Hofstadter's roommate, and colleague. They live across the hallway from Penny.

Sheldon is noted for his overtly nerdy personality: he is calculating and cynical, 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.

Jim Parson's character is named in honor of actor/producer Sheldon Leonard.[citation needed]

Personality

Sheldon is a published theoretical physicist and earned a master's degree and 2 PhDs.[1]

Despite his intelligence quotient of 187[2] and overly extensive general knowledge of the sciences, Sheldon is usually inept in most social interactions.

Like his friends, he is scientifically inclined, and is fond of comic books, video games, and general science fiction, with numerous references made to Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Stargate, Star Trek, and Star Wars.

Sheldon is particularly fond of the Star Trek franchise and is a fan of science officer Mr. Spock. Penny once gave Sheldon a napkin used by Leonard Nimoy (the actor that originally reprised Spock), and this greatly overwhelmed Sheldon, as he now possessed the DNA of his famed idol.[3]

He likes playing Halo every Wednesday[4][5] and paintball on the weekend with his friends.[5]

Unlike Leonard, Sheldon embraces his genius fully and is not ashamed of admitting his nerdy interests (such as Klingon Boggle).[6][7]

Sheldon does not seem to be able to tolerate alcohol, coffee or other drugs very well as shown in different instances. A small amount of alcohol made him extremely happy;[8] a small amount of caffeine sent him hurtling around the apartment;[9] taking valium also affected his behavior.[10]

Sheldon often wears vintage t-shirts adorned with superhero logos, specific to the DC universe, among them the Flash, Superman, Aquaman, and the Green Lantern. He usually wears his shirts with a long sleeve underneath and commonly wears plaid pants. Sheldon is tall and thin (setting him apart from his shorter colleagues), with Penny saying he looks like a praying mantis, and Raj likening Star Wars C-3PO to "a shiny Sheldon".

Background

Throughout the series airing, a number of facts are mentioned about Sheldon's past that paint his early life as a prodigy and geek.

Born in Galveston, Texas,[11] Sheldon was a child prodigy with an eidetic memory.[12]

As a kid, he built a CAT scanner,[11] a so-called "Death Ray",[13] and an armed robot made using his sister's Easy Bake Oven, which he modified.[14]

Sheldon entered college at the age of eleven, right after completing the fifth grade.[15] When Sheldon was twelve years old, he wanted a titanium centrifuge to separate radioactive isotopes.[16] According to his mother, he also built a nuclear reactor at thirteen years old in order to provide free electricity for his town; however this failed after a government agent informed him that it was illegal to store yellowcake uranium in a shed.[13] At age fourteen, he dabbled in lasers,[1] began doctoral work, and was the youngest person to receive the Stevenson Award.[17]

Sheldon worked as a visiting professor at the Heidelberg Institute in Germany at age fifteen,[2] and received his first Ph.D. at sixteen years old,[18] working on twistor theory.[19] He then spent four years on his second dissertation, and at the beginning of the series had held his current job for three-and-a-half years.[13]

Eccentric characteristics

Sheldon possesses several qualities commonly associated with someone who has autism spectrum disorder, such as social ineptitude, a lack of empathy, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and many more traits which make him the most eccentric and bizarre of the male characters in the show.

Sheldon's eccentricities and general nerdy personality put him at odds with his own geeky friends and specially Penny.

A number of traits that are seen are:

  • Obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Sheldon has a strict adherence to routine, such as doing specific recreational activities on specific days of the week, eating specific food items on specific days, doing laundry in a specific day and time, etc.
  • Mysophobia. He is constantly worried about others touching his food, and washes his hands as often as he can and showers twice a day.[4]
  • Hypochondriasis. He is extremely worried about becoming sick. He became worried about Penny infecting him with influenza, and subsequently contracted it.[2] Another time, he wanted a full medical examination by Leonard's girlfriend, Dr. Stephanie Barnett, in order to discover the cause of a high-pitched noise in his head.[20]
  • Inability to lie. When Sheldon is complicit in a lie, he exhausts all of his efforts in his always unsuccessful attempt to make it believable.[21] Similarly, he cannot be entrusted with a secret because develops nervous tics.[10]
  • Inability to sit in strange places. He refuses to sit anywhere other than his designated spot on the couch in his apartment, which he considers his "single point of consistency in an ever changing world".[22] He regularly reproaches Penny and other people for sitting in his spot.
  • Sheldon cannot tolerate people in his bedroom. One time, he was distraught when Penny entered his room at the middle of the night.[23] In another occasion, Sheldon hesitantly let Penny in his bedroom to help him search for a specific USB flash drive.[24]

For many the reasons aforementioned, Sheldon's friends categorize him as "crazy", even though he stated that his mother had him tested for insanity in the past.[25][22]

The good side of Sheldon

Despite his strange behavior, Sheldon has shown to be a kind person at times.

For example, when Penny was low on money, Sheldon let her borrow a large amount of his savings without caring about being paid back immediately.[26]

Also, when Sheldon accidentally forgot his keys and locked himself out of his apartment, Penny let him stay at her place and Sheldon sincerely thanked her for it.[27]

Asperger syndrome

The writers have stated that they did not use Asperger syndrome (AS) as a basis for the character, but instead thought of his actions as "Sheldony".[28]

In an interview, Jim Parsons noted the writers' response, but added that in his opinion, Sheldon "couldn't display more traits" of AS.[29]

Family

Sheldon's family contrasts heavily with him, as they are not scientists and are far from being nerds.

Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian whose spiritual beliefs are sometimes at odds with Sheldon's beliefs in science. Nevertheless, Mary 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".[7]

Sheldon has a fraternal twin sister, Missy. Tall and attractive, she immediately captured the attention of Leonard, Howard and Raj, who all tried to date her. Sheldon recognized that within Missy's eggs lied the potential for another "superior mutation" like himself, and on this grounds considered his friends unsuitable to be with his sister.[14]

An unnamed older brother of Sheldon is also mentioned.[30]

Sheldon's father, George, died before the start of the series and is often mentioned as being an almost-redneck Texan.[13][31] Though it is not mentioned when or how Mr. Cooper's death occurred, it is assumed to be close to the show's start, as Missy visits Sheldon to bring paperwork regarding their father's estate.[14] Sheldon recalls his father would force him to watch football despite his lack of interest for the sport.[32]

Sheldon is very fond of his grandmother "Memaw", who in turn calls him "Moon Pie".[24]

Work

Sheldon conducts string theory research at Caltech. Throughout the course of the show, Sheldon has switched disciplines from bosonic string theory to heterotic string theory and reconciled the black hole information paradox using a string network condensate approach.[5]

Being a theoretical physicist, Sheldon has shown disdain for Engineering, referring to it as a "noble semi-skilled labor" and "the Oompa Loompas of science".[17], and "the slow younger brother of physics".[33]

With Rajesh, he has worked on the string theory implications of gamma rays from dark matter annihilations and considered a method for optimizing a 500 GeV particle detector to this end.[34]

Relationships

Among all of his friends, Sheldon shows the least interest in forming social relationships of any sort, and he appears to be satisfied with his current circle of friends.

Penny once asked about Sheldon's sexual orientation. In a joking manner, Howard hypothesized that he thought Sheldon would reproduce through mitosis, while Leonard postulated he thought Sheldon would undergo metamorphosis, emerging from a cocoon and sprouting wings.[5]

Sheldon does inadvertently become involved in one "relationship" with Ramona Nowitzki, a graduate student. After a lecture, Ramona arranged dinner at Sheldon's apartment and subsequently kept seeing him for days, pressuring him to avoid distractions and concentrate on his research. Sheldon eventually became tired of her, and sought Penny's help to end the "relationship". Sheldon finally kicked Ramona out when he reached a breakthrough and refused to share credit with her for the discovery.[5]

Friends

Sheldon is best friends with Leonard, as they live together and are accustomed to tolerating each other. Despite Sheldon sometimes making remarks to the contrary, he appreciates Leonard.

Sheldon once tried to cutoff Raj from his circle of friends to make room for Barry Kripke.[35]

Although Sheldon normally makes fun of Howard for not having a doctor's degree, he still helped him in his work and missed him when Howard became distracted by a woman.[4]

Despite Penny not being a scientist nor sharing many of the group's interests, and having constant fights with Sheldon in the early episodes, they became close friends, due to some time alone with each other, such as when she cares for him during illness[2] or when Penny takes him in as he is locked out of his apartment while his pals are in Las Vegas.[27] Sheldon returns the favor as he cares for Penny when she dislocated her shoulder. He inadvertently touches Penny's naked breast, and later admits to looking at her buttocks.[36]

In all of these instances, the story line ends with one of them singing "Soft Kitty". As well, there have been instances of awkward "closeness". In one instance, Sheldon is especially grateful to Penny for the signed napkin from Leonard Nimoy she got him and attempts to hug her, though not entirely successful, as it appears he isn't entirely sure how to hug someone.[3]

Reception

On July 16, 2009, Jim Parsons was nominated for an Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Comedy for the role of Sheldon.[37]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Big Bran Hypothesis". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 2. October 1, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "The Pancake Batter Anomaly". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 11. March 31, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 28. December 15, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c "The Dumpling Paradox". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 7. November 5, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 6. November 3, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "S02E06" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Pilot". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 1. September 24, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b "The Panty Piñata Polarization". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 7. November 10, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "The Grasshopper Experiment". {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  9. ^ "The Work Song Nanocluster". {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  10. ^ a b "The Bad Fish Paradigm". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 1. September 22, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b "The White Asparagus Triangulation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 9. November 24, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 5. October 19, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b c d "The Luminous Fish Effect". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 4. October 15, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b c "The Porkchop Indeterminacy". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 15. May 5, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "The Hamburger Postulate". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 5. October 22, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "The Peanut Reaction". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 16. May 12, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b "The Jerusalem Duality". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 12. April 14, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "The Bat Jar Conjecture". {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  19. ^ "The Euclid Alternative". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 5. October 20, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "The Vartabedian Conundrum". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 10. December 8, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "The Loobenfeld Decay". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 10. March 24, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b "The Cushion Saturation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 16. March 2, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "The Barbarian Sublimation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 3. October 6, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ a b "The Terminator Decoupling". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 17. March 9, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "The Griffin Equivalency". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 7. October 13, 2008. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "The Financial Permeability". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 14. February 2, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ a b "The Vegas Renormalization". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 21. April 27, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Collins, Paul (February 6, 2009). "Must-Geek TV: Is the world ready for an Asperger's sitcom?". Slate. www.slate.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  29. ^ Lyford, Kathy (November 13, 2008). "'Big Bang Theory': Jim Parsons — 'Everybody has a little Sheldon in them'". Season Pass. Variety. Retrieved 2009-04-14. 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.
  30. ^ "The Jiminy Conjecture". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 2. April 27, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "The Guitarist Amplification". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 7. November 9, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "The Cornhusker Vortex". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 6. November 2, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ "The Killer Robot Instability". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 12. January 12, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "The Pirate Solution". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 4. October 12, 2009. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ "The Friendship Algorithm". {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  36. ^ "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency". {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  37. ^ http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/2009ptemmys/61stemmys_noms.php
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