Your Favorite Comedic Characters

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Who are some of your favorite comic creations from film of television over the years? Not necessarily the main character of the piece, but maybe a side character who you always cracked you up. Or a skecth comedy character who you thought deserved more than one skit. Just specific comedic characters who you continually go back to watch and who still make you laugh every single time. Off the top of my head I came up with:

Leo Bloom, played by Gene Wilder in “the Producers”
Withnail, played by Richard E. Grant in “Witnail & I”
Dr. Pearl, played by Eugene Levy in “Waiting for Guffman”
President Merkin Muffley, played by Peter Sellers B/W General “Buck” Turgidson, played by George C. Scott in “Dr. Strangelove”
Herman Blume, played by Bill Murray in “Rushmore”
Jeffrey ‘the Dude’ Lebowski, played by Jeff Bridges in “the Big Lebowski”
Rupert Pupkin (add to the painfully funny bin), played by Robert DeNiro in “the King of Comedy”
Bud, played by Harry Dean Stanton in “Repo Man”
Otto, played by Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda"
the naked old bearded man, played by Terry Jones in "the Life of Brian"
Every character played by John Goodman in a Coen Brothers film
Alan Partridge, played by Steve Coogan on “I’m Alan Partridge/Knowing Me, Knowing You”
Hank Kingsly played by Jeffrey Tambor on “the Larry Sanders Show”
G.O.B. Bluth, played by Will Arnett on “Arrested Development”
George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander on “Seinfeld”
David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais on “the Office”
Van Hammersly (billiards guy), a dozen others, played by Bob Odenkirk on “Mr. Show”
Jeff Greene, played by Jeff Garlin on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

add on

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Plastic Gas Booby Trap), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

Grover from Sesame Street
Homer Simpson
Norman Stanley Fletcher, played by Ronnie Barker, from Porridge

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Officer Kockenlocker, played by William Demarest, in The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

Fletcher is one of the great pieces of acting of all time. You totally believe in him and forget it's Ronnie Barker.

― I Oppose All Rock and Roll (noodle vague), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

cheech marin

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

in miami vice. doh!

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

anya, of buffy fame

― carly (carly), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

Franklin Bluth!
Peter Lorre as Dr. Einstein in Arsenic & Old Lace

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

man, how many fucking typos did i make in that original post? jeez. anyway, good call on the peter lorre, Huk. he's always on point.

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Plastic Gas Booby Trap), Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:26 (twenty years ago)

Alan Partridge
David Brent

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

PLOPS from PLOPS N SOGGSY

― Willy Bum bum, Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

Francie & Josie (not really TV characters as such, but still one of the funniest things ever to come out of Glasgow)
Niles Crane (Frasier)
Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
Rab C Nesbitt (Rab C Nesbitt)
Winston (Still Game)
Naveed (Still Game)
Al Bundy (Married with Children)
Tim Canterbury/Gareth Keenan (The Office)
Lord Melchett (Blackadder)
Basil Fawlty (Fawlty Towers)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:50 (twenty years ago)

lots of the ones starting the thread and throughout, plus
Harvey Birdman
Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstien
Most of Will Ferell's side characters (but I'm a sucker for Elf and Anchorman too, I will admit it.)

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)

leonard rossiter as rigsby in 'rising damp'.

like all the best english comedy of the 1970's, the series presents not only hilarity - both puerile and cerebral in more or less equal measure - but also a filthy and uncompromisingly realist snap-shot of the period. rossiter's abundant sweat, saliva and hair grease makes for a grotesquely sensual viewing experience, whilst the class, race and gender politic informs practically all of the non-physical comedic content.

on a more fawning note, i love all the key actors in this show: warrinton, beckinsale and de la touche. makes me feel kind of nostalgic for an era i can only barely claim to have experienced.

i seem to remember that one of the 'on the buses' films contained a similar grimy humour, although with a very real and very sad sense of the horrible, entrenched poverty of the decade.

tony hancock in 'the rebel' and 'the punch and judy man' is also great. the latter of these two films is really as close as the british ever got to their own 'les quatre cent coup'.

― miss de winter (miss de winter), Sunday, 11 September 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

Carly otm, and add Willow and post-chip, pre-crush Spike to that list as well.

Other random faves:

Dougal on "Father Ted" (tho perhaps not that great a *character*, it's more what Ardal O' Hanlon brings to it)
Towlie from "South Park" (best stoner character ever?)
Groucho Marx!
Tuco in "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly"
Scarface
The inteligent gremlin
Gonzo
Zorak!
Officer Andy ("Twin Peaks")

This surely doesn't count, but I saw the original "Cape Fear" the other day, and when Mitchum calls Peck's house in the night and cackles into the phone, it totally cracked me up. His murderous psychotic laughter is infectious!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 11 September 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

http://www.archer2000.net/wkrp/images/feverfont.jpg

― huell howser (chaki), Sunday, 11 September 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

I'll take Butters over Towlie any day. Off the top of my head, best stoner character ever is either Spicoli or Wooderson.

― oops (Oops), Sunday, 11 September 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

Carl - Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Captain Murphy - Sealab 2021
Papa Lazarou - League of Gentlemen
Mark - Peep Show
Dougal - Father Ted
The Moon - Mighty Boosh

― dog latin (dog latin), Sunday, 11 September 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

Martin, Grover is THE classic answer.

Also, Bill McNeal & Luther Heggs (Don Knotts)

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Sunday, 11 September 2005 23:21 (twenty years ago)

Wooderson, absolutely. Slater is also a good Dazed and Confused pick, but Wooderson beats him by a small margin.

"Play a little foosball? Alright..."

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Plastic Gas Booby Trap), Sunday, 11 September 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

paris gellar from gilmore girls

― mitch dub (ano ano), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:17 (twenty years ago)

Igor played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein.

Larry David on CYE >>>>>>> Jason Alexander on Seinfeld

― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

Top Secret! just popped into my head. About half the bit roles in that film should probably be mentioned here. That old man from the backwards scene deserves his own miniseries. Perhaps he and the little german, and Deja Vu could have some adventures together.

on a side note about the Zucker Brothers, am I the only one who thinks O.J. Simpson is out of control hilarious in the Naked Gun series? His scene in the first one on the boat is completely priceless.

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Plastic Gas Booby Trap), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:45 (twenty years ago)

James Lipton

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

I like a lot of the above so wont repeat those...

Bernard and Manny from Black Books (Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey)
Zapp Brannigan, Futurama (voiced by the marvellous Billy West who does a startlingly convincing Phil Hartmanish voice)
Rowley Birkin QC, the Fast Show (Paul Whitehouse)
Shaun Micallef as himself and any other character he did on "The Micallef Pogram" (I miss that show)

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

You know what they say about Brannigan's Law...

― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Monday, 12 September 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

I loved Alexis Arquette singing 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?' in the Wedding Singer. He was so tragic.

― estela (estela), Monday, 12 September 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

Jon Williams

― I Oppose All Rock and Roll (noodle vague), Monday, 12 September 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

jackie gleason's ralph kramden on "the honeymooners"
bugs bunny and daffy duck in any '50s chuck jones cartoon
margaret dumont in any marx brothers movie
ben stein's boring teacher in "ferris bueller"
ralph bellamy in "his girl friday"
jay sherman's dad on "the critic"

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 12 September 2005 07:53 (twenty years ago)

Haha classic one there JD :) "Bueller... bueller... anyone" must be part of the lexicon by now :)

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 12 September 2005 08:02 (twenty years ago)

Jon Williams

Wait, so "Noize: Teh Movie" has been released already and no one bothered to tell me??

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 12 September 2005 09:34 (twenty years ago)

How did this thread get this far with no mention of Ronald Villiers?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/tv/chewinthefat/images/downloads/postcards/chewin_post_ronald.jpg

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 12 September 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

Wait, so "Noize: Teh Movie" has been released already and no one bothered to tell me??

It was a bit hit and miss. But who'd've guessed Chris Rock would be so great in the Jon role?

― I Oppose All Rock and Roll (noodle vague), Monday, 12 September 2005 09:48 (twenty years ago)

Oscar and Felix - The Odd Couple
Hawkeye and BJ - MASH

I love those guys.

― Penelope_111 (Penelope_111), Monday, 12 September 2005 10:47 (twenty years ago)

I was just thinking the other day that Gob Bluth is very likely my favorite character from a comedic TV show, ever, and for once I might not be hyperbolizing. I think it was in the "Sword of Destiny" episode where he proclaims to brother Michael "I'll buy you a HUNDRED George Michaels you can teach to drive!" when I realized.

Zap Brannagen, Futurama ("this utterly REAKS of NEUTRALITY")
Uncle Rico, Napoleon Dynamite
the grandpa from The Lost Boys
Stewie Griffin, Family Guy
the old tour guide guy from Big Trouble in Little China

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

I'm loving "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" at the moment. Loads of funny recurring characters, but the top sketch is the one with the secret service - Control and Peter. (is it peter?) "Hello Control. I suppose you're tired running the secret service - would you like a cup of coffee?" That sequence of sketches is one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed.

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:46 (twenty years ago)

Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerman on Arrested Development: "Are those balls? Last time they were balls. [...] Oh, I wish they were balls."

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

er, Zuckerkorn

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

george costanza
kramer
larry david - playing himself
david brent
homer simpson
al czervik - rodney dangerfield
judge smails - ted knight

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:07 (twenty years ago)

Ted and Ralph from The Fast Show
Les from Vic Reeves Big Night Out

― Stone Monkey (Stone Monkey), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

Bobby Hill

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

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