Unseen character

Unseen characters are never directly observed by the audience but are only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama^[1][2] and have been called "unseen characters" "triumphs of theatrical invention."^[3] They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in frequent interaction with the other characters and who influence current story events. Television shows and stage plays make use of characters who are not seen, and usually not heard, though some unseen characters are portrayed as an off-camera voice. Radio shows also feature "unseen" characters who never speak, while books can feature characters who are referenced by others, but whose actions and dialogue are never directly described. The work of Voltaire, for example, included the "unseen character."^[4] The characters as a device are more commonly featured in television, since the length of a series and visual medium makes it more unusual for someone who has common interaction with a main character never to be directly involved in a scene with that character.^[5]

Contents 1 Examples in Film 2 Examples in Television 3 Other Uses 4 References

Examples in Film

• The most well-known example is that of Ernst Stavro Bloefeld, from the James Bond film series. Bloefeld is partially seen from the neck down in "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball" and was finally revealed in "You Only Live Twice" portrayed by Donald Pleasence.
• Rebecca from the 1944 film "Rebecca" is unseen but her name carries the plot of the story.
• The hunter in Bambi.
• Bill from Kill Bill Vol. 1 is partially shown but is entirely revealed in Kill Bill Vol. 2.
• Darth Vader's face was unseen until the climax of Return of the Jedi when Luke Skywalker takes off his father's mask to see him for the first time.
• The truck driver from the Steven Spielberg television movie "Duel"
• Edward in the Spencer Tracy film "Edward, My Son".

Examples in Television

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• Wilson, next door neighbor to Tim Taylor gave fatherly advice to him on Home Improvement for eight seasons. He usually hid his face behind a fence. Wilson finally revealed his entire face in the final episode of the series. Portrayed by veteran actor Earl Hindman
• Barney's mother from How I Met Your Mother.
• Diane from the cult favorite Twin Peaks, is a woman that is talked to by Special Agent Dale Cooper on a tape recorder. Agent Cooper revealed personal information to this tape recorder. Diane never replied during the course of the series.
• Vern from the many Ernest P. Worrell commercials and movies such as Hey Vern, It's Ernest! serves as a sort of 'straight man' for many of Ernest's antics, as well as the principle audience in many of his commercial appearances. Ernest often talks directly into the camera when speaking to 'Vern', allowing the audience to play the role.
• Vera Peterson, wife of Norm on the television program Cheers, was nearly a completely unseen character. However she was shown once but her face was obscured by a pie that was thrown in her face.
• Stanley Walker, the unseen husband of Karen Walker, on the sitcom Will & Grace. Stan's son, Mason, is also unseen.
• George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld, as the owner of the Yankees and George's boss. He appeared usually from behind on his office, sitting on his desk chair.
• Fran Fine's father on The Nanny; his face was only revealed in the last season.
• Charlie from Charlie's Angels is never seen fully on screen, but only his voice is heard via a speaker phone (in a few later episodes of the TV series, however, Charlie (played by John Forsythe) does appear on camera, but is only partially seen).
• Mr. Tipton (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) Mr. Tipton makes appointments to see London Tipton but things always come up and he is forced to not appear at the end of the episode. When he does appear his full body is never shown, as he is blocked from all sides by a ring of bodyguards.
• The Parents of Cow and Chicken (Cow and Chicken) Their adopted parents are only seen from the waist down (although this is actually because they are ONLY waist and legs, with no tops).
• In the earlier, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, Mr. and Mrs. Turner of Fairly OddParents were unseen characters.
• Sarah Bellum (Powerpuff Girls)
• The Suliban, a fictional alien race in the Star Trek prequel Star Trek Enterprise, receive military instructions from a mysterious person who appears to them only as a silhouette surrounded by a temporal field. The identity of this character is never revealed on the show and his face is never seen. The Suliban believe he comes from the future and is attempting to change events in the Alpha Quadrant's history by starting a "temporal cold war". He is referred to on Star Trek fan sites as "Future Guy". Future Guy disappears from the show when a battle-ravaged Enterprise crew end the temporal cold war.
• Maris Crane, Niles Crane's wife in Frasier.
• Heather Sinclair from the TV Show Degrassi: The Next Generation is one of the major antagonists for 8 seasons, but is never seen.
• Elizabeth Mainwaring, the wife of Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army.
• Bob Kelso's wife Enid and sons Harrison and Trong Tri are unseen characters.
• The titular character in the television series adaptation of Gossip Girl never appears on screen, but is instead portrayed via narration by Kirsten Bell.
• Robin Masters, private eye Thomas Magnum's benefactor in Magnum P.I. is never shown fully on camera until the final episode when it is revealed that a long-time supporting cast member was Masters all along (even though a different actor, Orson Welles, portrayed a partially-seen Masters in one episode). Except on these two occasions, Masters is referenced but never appears (until the final-episode reveal), despite the fact that the one who confessed to be Masters, Jonathan Higgins, tells Magnum at the end that he had lied about being him.
• Walowitz's mother from The Big Bang Theory.
• Carlton, the Doorman from Rhoda
• December Bride, We never see Porter's wife, Gladys

Other Uses

See Pascale Bonnemere, ed., Women as Unseen Characters: Male Ritual in Papua New Guinea (Social Anthropology in Oceania) (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004).

References

[1] Heard But Not Seen

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