# Well-known characters without actual names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286 "2008-11-24T18:02:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/1 "2008-11-24T18:02:46Z")
I’m thinking along the lines of **Comic Book Guy** on “the Simpsons.” Yes, I know that the writers eventually gave this character a real name. But if you asked the random person on the street who “Jeff Albertson” is, they’d stare blankly; whereas if you asked who “Comic Book Guy” is, a large percentage of folks would know he’s a Simpsons character. ANY-way, what characters are popularly known by a title or nickname, and either don’t have, or are not particularly well-known by a proper given name? To start the list off, there’s… Comic Book Guy Sailor Guy Bumblebee Guy Crazy Cat Lady the Doctor the Master the Rani Who else? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/2 "2008-11-24T18:04:00Z")
We were just talking about The Bass Player over in the thread about “That Thing You Do!” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/3 "2008-11-24T18:05:38Z")
The Man With No Name El Mariachi ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/4 "2008-11-24T18:06:05Z")
[The Continental Op.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Continental_Op) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/5 "2008-11-24T18:08:09Z")
Did The Cigarette Smoking Man ever get a name? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/6 "2008-11-24T18:08:48Z")
Did the Cigarette Smoking Man from X-Files ever have an actual name given? Wikipedia doesn’t list one, but says he once answered to the name C.G.B. Spender, but says that was never verified as his actual name. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/7 "2008-11-24T18:11:02Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Did The Cigarette Smoking Man ever get a name? Less than a minute woman, I’ll catch you one of these times! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/8 "2008-11-24T18:11:35Z")
The narrator of Ralph Ellison’s _The Invisible Man_ never reveals his name. There’s “The Man with No Eyes” from _Cool Hand Luke_, but most of the characters in that move are know by nicknames of some sort, so maybe that’s not exactly what you had in mind. ETA: And “Preacher” from High Plains Drifter. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/9 "2008-11-24T18:11:36Z")
The Doom Guy from the Doom games The Witch King from LOTR Oddjob and Jaws from James Bond ---
**Author:** ![A.I.Wintermute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@A.I.Wintermute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.I.Wintermute)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/10 "2008-11-24T18:15:54Z")
Kyon ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/11 "2008-11-24T18:18:56Z")
I don’t think the protagonist in “Fight Club” was ever given a name. Unless his name actually WAS Tyler Durden. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/12 "2008-11-24T18:24:30Z")
The Operative (_Serenity_). Number Six (_The Prisoner_). ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/13 "2008-11-24T18:27:51Z")
V from V for Vendetta. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/14 "2008-11-24T18:29:22Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Witch King from LOTR Did the Tolkiens ever name the “9 Kings of Men” anywhere in the Silmarillion or the auxilary works or somewhere? ---
**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:** [November 24, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/15 "2008-11-24T18:30:53Z")
The Bride, from Kill Bill. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/16 "2008-11-24T18:36:34Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The Bride, from Kill Bill. That would be Beatrix Kiddo. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/17 "2008-11-24T18:40:10Z")
The Babushka Lady from the Zapruder film, (also the Umbrella Man, and Badge Man who apparently isn’t in the film but is in a few still photos). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/18 "2008-11-24T18:41:36Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Less than a minute woman, I’ll catch you one of these times! 😃 What’s funny is that everyone else seems so sure of their lists, and both of us had to phrase it in the form of a question! ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/19 "2008-11-24T18:43:27Z")
The Time Traveller from H.G. Wells’ _The Time Machine._ ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286/20 "2008-11-24T18:45:13Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > 😃 What’s funny is that everyone else seems so sure of their lists, and both of us had to phrase it in the form of a question! I never actually watched the show, I just knew of him from other people. (Is that a good enough excuse?) 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-characters-without-actual-names/474286.md?page=2)