# Movies With Nameless Lead Characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612 "2004-09-01T18:49:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/21 "2004-09-01T19:52:13Z")
Well, famously, the main character/narrator in REBECCA is never named or identified… except after she marries Maxim de Winter and becomes “Mrs de Winter”, which doesn’t quite count. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/22 "2004-09-01T19:52:42Z")
I can’t think of any movies off the top of my head, but if I can stretch the rules a bit to include TV, there’s always **The Prisoner**. The real name of Number 6 is never given, probably because it’s completely irrelevant. Symbolically he’s an everyman (wasn’t that even the name of McGoohan’s production company?), so his name doesn’t matter, despite some fans’ assumptions that the character was supposed to be John Drake from **Danger Man**. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/23 "2004-09-01T19:56:51Z")
_Purple Rain_ - Prince is only refered to as The Kid. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/24 "2004-09-01T19:58:51Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Also, Terminator 2, The Lone Ranger and E.T. Both Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character and that other guy have serial numbers in that movie. T-2000 & T-3000 or somesuch. And E.T.'s name **is** E.T. That’s what the kids call him, and that’s what he ends up calling himself. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/25 "2004-09-01T20:08:10Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > What about _My Dinner With Andre_? Does the other guy have a name? Yes. Wally. I think Andre used it. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/26 "2004-09-01T20:11:34Z")
There’s also “The Monster” (_Frankenstein_) and “The Doctor” (any of the various Drs Who. I think the other guy in _My Dinner with Andre_ is just supposed to be Wallace Shawn. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/27 "2004-09-01T20:16:08Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Both Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character and that other guy have serial numbers in that movie. T-2000 & T-3000 or somesuch. Yeah, but nobody calls them that. Just because I have a Social Security number or a Driver’s License number doesn’t mean it’s my name. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/28 "2004-09-01T20:16:17Z")
The Bride’s name is used many times by Bill himself in Vol 1, unbeeped. ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/29 "2004-09-01T20:16:18Z")
The main character in _Bad Lieutenant_ is unnamed. [IMdB](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103759/) lists the character as “The Lieutenant”, but I’m pretty sure that the closing credits list him as “LT”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/30 "2004-09-01T20:22:44Z")
The Thing. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/31 "2004-09-01T20:28:46Z")
The “I” of _Withnail and I_ was called Marwood, but wasn’t identified as such in the film. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/32 "2004-09-01T20:28:52Z")
In [Jesus’ Son](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186253/), Billy Crudup’s character is often referred to as Fuckhead, but obviously, that’s just an epithet. He’s listed in the credits as FH and is never given a formal name. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/33 "2004-09-01T20:42:22Z")
I’m not sure that it counts, if the character is called by a consistent nickname by the other characters. For instance, folks regularly address E.T. by that name, and he responds. If we’re going to count nicknames or pseudonyms as “no name”, then there’s a plethora of examples of this phenomenon (was the Sundance Kid ever named, for instance?). On the other hand, to use the OP’s example of _Waterworld_, nobody says “Hey, Mariner”. Nobody addresses him by any name at all, so “The Mariner” isn’t a name, or even a nickname, but merely a description. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/34 "2004-09-01T21:02:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not sure that it counts, if the character is called by a consistent nickname by the other characters. For instance, folks regularly address E.T. by that name, and he responds. If we’re going to count nicknames or pseudonyms as “no name”, then there’s a plethora of examples of this phenomenon (was the Sundance Kid ever named, for instance?). On the other hand, to use the OP’s example of _Waterworld_, nobody says “Hey, Mariner”. Nobody addresses him by any name at all, so “The Mariner” isn’t a name, or even a nickname, but merely a description. But see, that’s just the thing though… I don’t specifically remember many, if any, calling him that but it being more implied (??) by other characters as a description of his uselessness. I don’t know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it and thought maybe it would apply since the closest he comes to having a name listed is just the “FH.” So, once more, I’m clueless. Anyone else seen this who might be able to shed some light on it? ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/35 "2004-09-01T21:04:19Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Hulk. Uh, actually the Hulk’s name is Bruce Banner. He’s still the same person, so I don’t think he loses his name when he get’s big and green. ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/36 "2004-09-01T21:55:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > was the Sundance Kid ever named, for instance? There really was a Sundance Kid - he’s not fictional, merely fictionalized (aren’t we all?). His name was Harry A. Longabaugh, but “Sundance Kid” is of course way more memorable. /The Kalmar Kid ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/37 "2004-09-01T22:43:06Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > Technically he does have a name in _Hang 'Em High_ - he’s the ghost of the Sherriff who was tortured and killed by the men that ride into town. It’s revealed on the tombstone as he rides out of town. > > Clint was billed as “the man with no name” in both _A Fistful of Dollars_ and _For a Few Dollars More_, but he only had no name in the former. They refer to him by name in the latter - “Monco.” Blurring this line even further is the IMDb’s inexplicable crediting of “Joe” to his roles in AFOD and _The Good, The Bad and The Ugly_. Strange, since he’s called Blondie about a billion times in TGTB&TU. I believe he’s called “Joe” by the owner of the hotel, or by somebody else, in A Fistfull of Dollars. Whether Monco is his real name sorta depends on wether or not you want to beleive it is a trilogy. I’ve read in quite a few places that A Fistfull of Dollars was supposed to be a stand along movie, and not a prequal to For A Few Dollars more. However it fits in so well, and Eastwood is so much like his previous character in AFFoD that most people just automatticaly consider it a sequal. Leone meant for AFFoD to be a stand alone flick, but popular opinion turned all three movies into a trilogy. So, if it’s a trilogy, then we can all assume he has no name, but has a nickname in each movie so that the audience can label him with something, but no actual name or history so The Man With No Name grows in the imagination of everyone that watches the movies. He is called Monco by a sheriff in For a Few Dollars More, but it’s just easy to assume the guy created a nickname for himself, rather than giving out his real name (IMHO anyways) considering the enemies he made in the previous movie, or in his past. If you believe AFFoD is a stand alone flick, then it’s reasonable to beleive Monco is his real name. But in that case, why isn’t he called that more than once throught FaFDM and TGTH&TU? ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/38 "2004-09-01T23:25:27Z")
> [@aegypt](#): > > There really was a Sundance Kid - he’s not fictional, merely fictionalized (aren’t we all?). His name was Harry A. Longabaugh, but “Sundance Kid” is of course way more memorable. > > /The Kalmar Kid Not only that, but his name was mentioned a few times in the movie. Regardless, I’m sure **Chronos** is aware the Sundance Kid was a real person with a real name. It seems to me his point is that “Sundance Kid” _counts_ as a name because people call him that regularly and he responds to it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/39 "2004-09-01T23:28:27Z")
> [@](#): > > If you believe AFFoD is a stand alone flick, then it’s reasonable to beleive Monco is his real name. But in that case, why isn’t he called that more than once throught FaFDM and TGTH&TU? Uh…because I believe AFFoD is a stand alone flick. 🙂 Sergio Leone never meant for it to be a trilogy. FaFDM was intended to be a sequel to AFFoD and he was simply given a name, Monco, in the 2nd one. I don’t ever recall him being referred to as Joe in AFFoD. (I have an old book about this where Leone is interviewed about the whole “trilogy” thing, I can look it up later). It’s pretty clear that’s he’s Blondie in TGTB&TU. Everyone knows him by that name, and it appears that he has a history with both men. Plus, Lee Van Cleef isn’t playing the same character, so why should Clint? Van Cleef wasn’t even evil in the 2nd one. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612/40 "2004-09-01T23:29:43Z")
I think Clint’s character in _Pale Rider_ qualifies. They call him Preacher, but that isn’t really his name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-nameless-lead-characters/262612.md?page=3)