# Real names of televison characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064 "2005-07-04T22:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/61 "2005-07-05T19:38:56Z")
[This chap](http://clampettstudio.com/images/opc/june2004/wb/27)-RC2741-Gossamer.jpg) had no given name in his first cartoon appearance. In his second appearance, which was so innnnnnnteresting, he was called “Rudolph.” Many years later, he was called “Gossamer” in different cartoon. That’s the name that stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/62 "2005-07-05T19:47:39Z")
Star Trek: Scotty’s full name is Montgomery Scott. (I won a trivia contest with this once) ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/63 "2005-07-06T00:10:48Z")
“Hoss” Cartwright’s real first name is Eric. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/64 "2005-07-06T05:07:00Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In a related vein, the teacheer on **The Greatest American Hero** was originally named Ralph Hinkley. After President Reagan was shot, however, his name was temporarily changed to “Ralph Handley” for about a half-dozen episodes, IIRC. That’s when they began calling him “Mr H”. > [@acsenray](#): > > What’s the joke? That he named himself after a resort in Switzerland. And he pronounced it incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/65 "2005-07-06T05:21:51Z")
The real name of Batman’s enemy, the Mad Hatter, was Jervis Tetch. In one episode of “Get Smart,” 99 gives her real name as Susan Hilton… but by the end of the episode, she’s revealed that isn’t her real name, after all. On “All in the Family,” Archie Bunker’s best friend is Stretch Cunningham. Archie doesn’t find out until the day of Stretch’s funeral that Stretch was Jewish, and that his real name was Jerome Kuhner-Chaim. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/66 "2005-07-06T05:38:59Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > In **Sex In The City** , Mr. Big’s real name is revealed to be “John” in the last scene of the last episode. I plead ignorance here, having never seen the show: was there a character actually addressed by other characters as “Mr. Big”? ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/67 "2005-07-06T06:08:31Z")
> [@Miss Mapp](#): > > After many years of dodging the question, Inspector Morse finally revealed that his first name was Endeavor (he was named after Captain Cook’s ship). Good call, but with a slight nitpick: [nitpick] Actually, it’s **Endeavour**. Although usually I wouldn’t make a big deal of the “o/ou” US/UK difference, in this case it’s relevant because[list=a] [li]It’s the name of a historical ship.[/li][li]In the episode in which it is revealed, Morse gives the clue that it is an anagram of _“Around Eve”_, which only works with the UK spelling.[/list][/nitpick][/li] [I \*love\* Sgt. Lewis’ response when he learns Morse’s first name. \*\*“You poor sod.”\*\*] ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/68 "2005-07-06T06:29:18Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > I plead ignorance here, having never seen the show: was there a character actually addressed by other characters as “Mr. Big”? I wasn’t a regular viewer, but I think that was just the name Carrie made up for him when discussing their relationship with the others. He was a prominent businessman and I guess she wanted to keep his identity a secret. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/69 "2005-07-06T12:15:00Z")
> [@Linus Van Pelt](#): > > [The Master Speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971031a.html) Uh-huh. The source is not Sherwood Schwartz, nor either of the by-then-deceased Howells, but Russell Johnson. He only _played_ a guy who knew everything. He wasn’t that way in real life. Unless there’s further corrobboration, I wouldn’t give that much credence. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/70 "2005-07-06T12:53:32Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > I plead ignorance here, having never seen the show: was there a character actually addressed by other characters as “Mr. Big”? Not to his face, but that was the name the characters used when talking about him, and his actual name was unrevealed until the last episode. Sex in the City was based on the book and New York Observer column of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who wrote about her own life pseudononymously in the column. For a while she dated publishing bigwig Ron Galotti and gave him the nom de guerre Mr. Big in her column. When Bushnell assembled a book from her columns, Mr. Big was a major character, and so when the book was adapted for television, he was included. I liked how they handled the alias in the book better – “Mr. Big” was just the guy’s name, and he introduced himself that way. In the show, the writers sometimes had to do backflips to avoid having any character use Big’s name when he was in the room. I guess it makes sense, though – you can imagine when reading that all the names are just substitutes, but on screen it’s awkward to do the same thing. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/71 "2005-07-06T13:33:46Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In a related vein, the teacheer on **The Greatest American Hero** was originally named Ralph Hinkley. After President Reagan was shot, however, his name was temporarily changed to “Ralph Handley” for about a half-dozen episodes, IIRC. “Hanley,” I think. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/72 "2005-07-06T13:40:43Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > I plead ignorance here, having never seen the show: was there a character actually addressed by other characters as “Mr. Big”? He was referred to as “Mister Big,” but the show took pains to avoid having any of the characters address him by name. The character was based on publisher Ron Galotti, I understand. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/73 "2005-07-06T14:06:38Z")
Chef’s (from South Park) real name is Jerome MacElroy. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/74 "2005-07-10T23:28:40Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Bob Denver is on record as saying Gilligan’s first name was “Willy,” though it was never used in the show, and some dispute that. The name “Willy” was never used in the TV show, but it was mentioned in the original treatment that was used to sell the story to the networks. The Howells didn’t have a name at that point, but Willy Gilligan was named. Also, Cecil’s [article](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971031a.html) gives the name as “Dr. Roy Hinkley”, but he was a Professor and never a Doctor. Source: The extras in the DVD sets. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/75 "2005-07-11T00:59:39Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > In one episode of “Get Smart,” 99 gives her real name as Susan Hilton… but by the end of the episode, she’s revealed that isn’t her real name, after all. And in another episode, Max calls her “Ernestine” which obviously touched her. Until she pointed out that wasn’t her name, either. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/76 "2005-07-11T04:41:02Z")
On the sitcom _One Day at a Time_, Pat Harrington played apartment building superintendent Dwayne F. Schneider. After several seasons, Schneider revealed that his middle name was Flo, after showman Florenz “Flo” Ziegfeld. By the way, Chris Noth played Mr. Big on _Sex **and** the City_. ---
**Author:** ![Earthing\_Continuity\_Resistance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9f8e36/32.png) [@Earthing\_Continuity\_Resistance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthing_Continuity_Resistance)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/77 "2005-07-11T04:45:18Z")
Ned Flanders’ full first name is Nedward. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/78 "2005-07-11T05:09:32Z")
**RealityChuck** : Where do you get that “Thaddeus” was the Chief’s middle name? I remember that the name comes from a couple of episodes when the previous (old and kinda senile) Chief of CONTROL visits and constantly calls the Chief “Thaddeus,” harkening back to the days when the Chief was a mere agent and his name wasn’t classified. I always thought it was his first name. > [@Swede Hollow](#): > > Also, Cecil’s article gives the name as “Dr. Roy Hinkley”, but he was a Professor and never a Doctor. But he was a PhD, and PhDs may properly be called “doctor.” I distinctly remember an episode where there was a bit in which the Professor says something like, “I got a BA from USC, a BS from UCLA, an MA from SMU, and a PhD from TCU.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/79 "2005-07-11T06:26:53Z")
Since I came in to mention the two that are in the OP, I guess I’ll have to go with another… At risk of solving a mystery some may not want solved, Fred G. Sanford’s middle-name was Glenn My reason for saying this: as most S&S enthusiasts know, Redd Foxx (born John Elroy Sanford) named the character for his older brother, Fred G. Sanford, Jr., who died in an accident in 1963 (thus ironically immortalizing a middle aged factory worker as an old junk man). That was his brother’s middle name. (Lamont was named for Lamont Ousley, one of Redd’s oldest friends and former show biz partners- according to one source he considered the name Malcolm after his former friend and co-worker Malcolm Little [aka “Detroit Red”, aka Malcolm X] but decided it was too militant [Foxx disagreed with Malcolm’s politics/religion and the two never spoke after working together in the 40s). ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064/80 "2005-07-11T12:50:43Z")
nobody mentioned Hawkeye’s name? He was Benjamin Franklin Pierce [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-names-of-televison-characters/311064.md?page=5)