# That Movie Character has no name! Name them! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197 "2019-04-29T00:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/21 "2019-05-02T19:20:16Z")
Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’ seems like the obvious one, as **DrDeth** pointed out. But he needs a name, so I choose to call him… Tim. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/22 "2019-05-02T19:55:50Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’ seems like the obvious one, as **DrDeth** pointed out. But he needs a name, so I choose to call him… Tim. Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen: What kinda stupid name is _that?!_ ---
**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:** [May 2, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/23 "2019-05-02T20:09:26Z")
_The Dain Curse_, a novel by Dashiell Hammett featuring the unnamed Continental Op. When turned into a TV miniseries in 1978, the Op was given the name “Hamilton Nash.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/24 "2019-05-03T11:55:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _The Dain Curse_, a novel by Dashiell Hammett featuring the unnamed Continental Op. When turned into a TV miniseries in 1978, the Op was given the name “Hamilton Nash.” Interesting. I didn’t know about _that_ one. It always bothered me that Hammett never named The Continental Op. You could argue that the whole point was that he was anonymous, but in my case, the title “Continental Op” gave me a completely erroneous image of what the character was supposed to be, before I got hold of and read the stories. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/25 "2019-05-03T14:20:03Z")
I just thought of a non-literary one: The video game Doom (id Software, 1993) has an unnamed protagonist (known as “Doom Guy”). For the film adaptation in 2005, they named the main character, played by Karl Urban, John “The Reaper” Grimm. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/26 "2019-05-03T17:29:53Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’ seems like the obvious one, as **DrDeth** pointed out. But he needs a name, so I choose to call him… Tim. Clint Eastwood’s character in _High Plains Drifter_ does not have name either. He’s credited as" The Stranger". EDIT: I just remembered Eastwood"s character in _Pale Rider_ is credited as “The Preacher”. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/27 "2019-05-03T17:56:59Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s character in _High Plains Drifter_ does not have name either. He’s credited as" The Stranger" Warning: Lame Game of Thrones Joke ahead: Wasn’t “The Stranger” part of the Magnificent Seven? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/28 "2019-05-04T15:11:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And then there’s the Star Wars phenomenon where every walk-on character who has a line is given a name, even if there’s no way for the audience to ever learn it other than reading the credits. Like, Matt Doran didn’t play “death stick dealer” in Episode II; he played [Elan Sel’sabagno](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Elan_Sel%27Sabagno). Well yeah, every character is going to be an action figure and you can’t trademark ‘walk on #3’. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/29 "2019-05-08T06:28:08Z")
Let’s not forget the bass player from _That Thing You Do!_, who goes unnamed during the movie and is impishly identified in the credits only as … T.B. Player. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/30 "2019-05-08T14:46:05Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s character in _High Plains Drifter_ does not have name either. He’s credited as" The Stranger". > > EDIT: I just remembered Eastwood"s character in _Pale Rider_ is credited as “The Preacher”. They’re both the same character. 🙂 The character he plays in HPD is Jim Duncan, (deceased). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/31 "2019-05-08T16:09:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > H.G. Wells did this a couple of times. His protagonist for **War of the Worlds** wasn’t named. When people dramatized it, then needed a handle. Wells did give _The Invisible Man_ a last name, Griffin. But no first name, which had to be invented for subsequent adaptations. In the 1933 movie (with Claude Rains) the character was Jack Griffin. In _The Invisible Man Returns_ (1940) the original invisible man was named John Griffin. In _The Invisible Man’s Revenge_ (1944) the character’s name is Robert Griffin. A Russian 1984 adaptation used the name Jonathan Griffin. In the original _Hollow Man_ the protagonist was named Sebastian Caine. But in the sequel, _Hollow Man 2_, the protagonist was a new character named Michael Griffin. In Alan Moore’s comic book series, _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, the character is named Hawley Griffin. In Jeff Lemire’s comic book, _The Nobody_, the character is named John Griffen. And some adaptations changed the character’s last name. The 1958 British TV series, _The Invisible Man_, named the character Peter Brady, the 1975 American series used Daniel Westin, and the 2000 series used Darien Fawkes. The 2005 cartoon series named the character Alan Crystal. The 1992 movie, _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_ with Chevy Chase, used the name Nick Halloway. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/32 "2019-05-08T18:00:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Wells did give _The Invisible Man_ a last name, Griffin. But no first name, which had to be invented for subsequent adaptations. > > In the 1933 movie (with Claude Rains) the character was Jack Griffin. > > In _The Invisible Man Returns_ (1940) the original invisible man was named John Griffin. > > In _The Invisible Man’s Revenge_ (1944) the character’s name is Robert Griffin. > > A Russian 1984 adaptation used the name Jonathan Griffin. > > In the original _Hollow Man_ the protagonist was named Sebastian Caine. But in the sequel, _Hollow Man 2_, the protagonist was a new character named Michael Griffin. > > In Alan Moore’s comic book series, _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, the character is named Hawley Griffin. > > In Jeff Lemire’s comic book, _The Nobody_, the character is named John Griffen. > > And some adaptations changed the character’s last name. The 1958 British TV series, _The Invisible Man_, named the character Peter Brady, the 1975 American series used Daniel Westin, and the 2000 series used Darien Fawkes. The 2005 cartoon series named the character Alan Crystal. The 1992 movie, _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_ with Chevy Chase, used the name Nick Halloway. He similarly didn’t give Dr. Moreau a first name. In the second volume of _The League of Extraordinary Gentleman_, Alan Moore named him **Alphonse Moreau** The 1932 movie _Island of Lost Souls_ doesn’t give him a first name. Nor does the 1996 movie with Marlon Brando. In the 1977 movie Burt Lancaster was **Paul Moreau** He’s shown up in a number of sequels and pastiches, but I don’t know of any other that name him. When I was at the University of Rochester, future Nobel Laureate Gerard Mourou had an office down the hall. Every time I’d pass it, I involuntarily though “The Office of Dr. Mourou”. So I sorta think his first name should be _Gerard._ ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/33 "2019-05-17T00:28:12Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Well yeah, every character is going to be an action figure and you can’t trademark ‘walk on #3’. Also, Kenner tended to give many of the figures generic names like “Hammerhead” and “Walrusman” when the characters were later used in the extended universe era of Star Wars licenced material, they were usually given different, more “Star Warsish” names like Momaw Nadon and Ponda Baba. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/34 "2019-05-17T04:30:01Z")
Conan Doyle never gave a first name to Insp. Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes’s frenemy at Scotland Yard, just a first initial, G., mentioned in a single story. I always thought his first name was probably that quintessential 19th C. British name, George. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/35 "2019-05-17T04:39:38Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Conan Doyle never gave a first name to Insp. Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes’s frenemy at Scotland Yard, just a first initial, G., mentioned in a single story. I always thought his first name was probably that quintessential 19th C. British name, George. We’re not even sure what Watson’s middle name is. The initial is H. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/36 "2019-05-17T06:26:29Z")
In “Burnt Offerings”, I’d like to name the smiley hearse driver Wink Martindale. Or Sunshine. In “Animal Hose”, Belushi smashes a guitar played by a proto-hippy who probably should have been named Chad. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/37 "2019-05-17T06:38:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > We’re not even sure what Watson’s middle name is. The initial is H. It’s been fanwanked that his middle name must be Hamish. Because while Conan Doyle rarely mentioned his first name, he had said it was John. But then in one of his later books, he had Watson’s wife call him James. To explain this within the story, some people have said that Mary Watson must call her husband by his middle name, which must therefore be Hamish, the Scottish version of James. This is nonsense. Everyone knows that Watson’s middle name is Hiberius. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/38 "2019-05-17T07:22:35Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Conan Doyle never gave a first name to Insp. Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes’s frenemy at Scotland Yard, just a first initial, G., mentioned in a single story. I always thought his first name was probably that quintessential 19th C. British name, George. In the recent ‘Sherlock’ series, his name is Greg. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/39 "2019-05-17T12:08:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Conan Doyle never gave a first name to Insp. Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes’s frenemy at Scotland Yard, just a first initial, G., mentioned in a single story. I always thought his first name was probably that quintessential 19th C. British name, George. In a satirical play I wrote, I combined the two Scotland Yard detectives from the Holmes stories, Gregson and G. Lestrade, into “Gregson Lestrade”. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197/40 "2019-05-17T12:57:14Z")
There was a series of novels focusing on Lestrade that came out in the early Eighties IIRC, in which his first name was given as Sholto (the last name of the brothers in _The Sign of Four_). Don’t know why the author would’ve ignored the data point Conan Doyle supplied. > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > …In “Animal Hose”, Belushi smashes a guitar played by a proto-hippy who probably should have been named Chad. _Animal Hose_ was a bestiality porn movie that came out a few years later, wasn’t it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-movie-character-has-no-name-name-them/833197.md?page=3)