# TV or movie characters not known by their character names. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944 "2005-08-07T02:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/21 "2005-08-07T03:18:28Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Armin Tanzarian. Principal Skinner from _ **The Simpsons** _, of course. ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/22 "2005-08-07T03:20:31Z")
> [@waits](#): > > Principal Skinner from _ **The Simpsons** _, of course. Didn’t that episode command us to never, ever mention the matter of Principal Skinner’s real identity again? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/23 "2005-08-07T03:20:52Z")
Who is John Reid? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/24 "2005-08-07T03:21:27Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Who is John Reid? The Lone Ranger ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/25 "2005-08-07T03:21:38Z")
> [@lhovis73](#): > > Didn’t that episode command us to never, ever mention the matter of Principal Skinner’s real identity again? OK, then how about this one… Vic Vega. There’s more of these than I would have thought. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/26 "2005-08-07T03:23:18Z")
> [@waits](#): > > OK, then how about this one… Vic Vega. > > There’s more of these than I would have thought. Whatever color Michael Madsen was ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/27 "2005-08-07T03:24:26Z")
Okay. How about Lamont Cranston? ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/28 "2005-08-07T03:27:46Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Whatever color Michael Madsen was OK, we’ll allow it. He was Mr. Orange in _ **Reservoir Dogs** _. ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/29 "2005-08-07T03:29:24Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Whatever color Michael Madsen was Duh!!! :smack: He was Mr. Blonde in _ **Reservoir Dogs** _. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/30 "2005-08-07T03:31:48Z")
Not TV and extremely obscure. Think songs. Beauregard Rippy from Tupelo Mississippi ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/31 "2005-08-07T03:32:23Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Okay. How about Lamont Cranston? The Shadow knows! Along the same lines, how about Simon Templar? And along completely different lines, a twofer (that I admittedly had to look up to refresh my memory): Nostradamus, and Reinhold ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/32 "2005-08-07T03:34:25Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > The Shadow knows! > > Along the same lines, how about Simon Templar? > > And along completely different lines, a twofer (that I admittedly had to look up to refresh my memory): Nostradamus, and Reinhold Templar is The Saint The others sound like mice or rats. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ava\_Gina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Ava\_Gina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ava_Gina)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/33 "2005-08-07T03:34:34Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > The Shadow knows! > > Along the same lines, how about Simon Templar? > > **The Saint** > > And along completely different lines, a twofer (that I admittedly had to look up to refresh my memory): Nostradamus, and Reinhold **The Saint** ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/34 "2005-08-07T03:42:44Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > And along completely different lines, a twofer (that I admittedly had to look up to refresh my memory): Nostradamus, and Reinhold Bull Shannon and Dan Fielding. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I didn’t have to look that up? How about Walter Bradley? ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/35 "2005-08-07T03:45:46Z")
Although they used this name occasionally, most remember him by his nickname. Bill Briscoe A.K.A.? ---
**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:** [August 7, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/36 "2005-08-07T03:46:17Z")
I don’t have an answer here, but how cool is it that the second and third answerers simulposted with characters from the same tv show??? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/37 "2005-08-07T03:52:50Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Not TV and extremely obscure. Think songs. > > Beauregard Rippy from Tupelo Mississippi Before you get lost trying to find this, let me confess that I had fused two Jerry Reed songs in my own mind: Tupelo Mississippi Flash and Guitar Man. Call off the dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/38 "2005-08-07T03:55:13Z")
TV: Lucas McCain was better known as \_\_\_\_\_? ---
**Author:** ![Ava\_Gina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Ava\_Gina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ava_Gina)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/39 "2005-08-07T03:56:43Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > TV: Lucas McCain was better known as \_\_\_\_\_? The Rifleman. But that was just the name of the show. He was called Lucas on the show. ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944/40 "2005-08-07T03:58:10Z")
> [@Bomzaway](#): > > Although they used this name occasionally, most remember him by his nickname. > > Bill Briscoe > A.K.A.? Don’t know about Bill Briscoe, but it reminded me of Bill Bittinger (from a pretty obscure TV show that I loved). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-movie-characters-not-known-by-their-character-names/315944.md?page=3)