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{{Short description|Character referred to but not directly known to the audience}}
[[Television show]]s and [[stage play]]s sometimes include continuing characters — characters who are currently in frequent interaction with the other characters and who influence current story events — who are never seen or heard by the audience and only described by other characters. Often this starts as or evolves into a running gag or inside joke. Radio shows and plays also feature characters who never speak, and books feature characters who are merely referred to.
{{distinguish|text=[[Ghost character]] or a [[Control character]]}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{expert needed|theatre|ex2=literature|ex3=film|ex4=television|reason=Editors are persistently adding uninformed commentary and irrelevant examples, and reverting any attempts to correct their mistakes. An expert knowledgeable about the article subject is needed to weigh in on the conflict and guide the article into an encyclopedic state|date=May 2021}}
{{specific|date=August 2016}}
}}
An '''unseen character''' in theatre, comics, film or television, or a '''silent character''' in radio or literature, is a [[Character (arts)|character]] who is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and whose absence enhances their effect on the plot.<ref name="Mahfouz" />
 
==History==
{{spoiler-about|various works}}
Unseen characters have been used since the beginning of theatre with the [[classical Greece|ancient Greek]] [[tragedy|tragedians]], such as [[Laius]] in [[Sophocles]]' ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' and [[Jason]]'s bride in [[Euripides]]' [[Medea (play)|''Medea'']], and continued into [[Elizabethan theatre]] with examples such as [[Rosaline]] in [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''.<ref name="Gray" /> However, it was the early-20th-century European playwrights [[August Strindberg]], [[Henrik Ibsen]] and [[Anton Chekhov]] who fully developed the dramatic potential of the unseen character. [[Eugene O'Neill]] was influenced by his European contemporaries and established the absent character as an aspect of character, narrative and [[stagecraft]] in [[Theater of the United States|American theatre]].<ref name="Mahfouz">{{cite journal|last1=Mahfouz|first1=Safi Mahmoud|title=The Presence of Absence: Catalytic and Omnipresent Offstage Characters in Modern American Drama.(Critical essay)|journal=The Midwest Quarterly|date=22 June 2012|volume=53|issue=4|pages=392(18)|url=https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-297138820/the-presence-of-absence-catalytic-and-omnipresent|access-date=8 August 2016|publisher=Pittsburg State University - Midwest Quarterly|language=en|issn=0026-3451}}</ref>
 
==Purpose and characteristics==
==Unseen characters in television==
Unseen characters are causal figures included in dramatic works to motivate the onstage characters to a certain course of action and advance the plot, but their presence is unnecessary. Indeed, their absence makes them appear more powerful because they are only known by inference.<ref name="Mahfouz" /> The use of an unseen character "take[s] advantage of one of the simplest but most powerful theatrical devices: the manner in which verbal references can make an offstage character extraordinarily real [...] to an audience," exploiting the audience's tendency to create visual images of imaginary characters in their mind.<ref name="Lawson">{{cite news|last1=Lawson|first1=Mark|title=Missing in action: meet the invisible stars of contemporary drama|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/apr/08/missing-in-action-contemporary-drama-unseen-stars|access-date=4 February 2018|work=The Guardian|publisher=Trinity Mirror|date=8 April 2015|language=en}}</ref>
Hidden characters appear in all varieties of fiction, but their prevalence is in televised programs. These can run for much longer than a movie or play (which usually last only a couple of hours), and unseen characters can take on special qualities. There are several levels of "unseenness." The most complete is never seen, only mentioned (sometimes pointed to, off screen), like Niles' wife Maris on ''[[Frasier]]''. This means that any qualities of the character are only in the form of descriptions given by the other characters. The second most complete is heard but not seen. This allows the character to speak for him or herself, but allows the viewers to construct their own image of what the character looks like. After that are partially seen characters, such as Dr. Claw in ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'', the only part of whom ever shown was his mechanical arms. Other parts of characters can be shown, like many adult supporting characters in cartoons, who are only ever shown from the waist down to bring the perspective on the child-size stars, the typical example was Mammy Two-Shoes in ''[[Tom and Jerry (MGM)|Tom and Jerry]]''. The ''[[Cow and Chicken]]'' show parodies this particular convention of unseen characters with the characters of Mom and Dad, whose bodies actually have no upper half.
 
In a study of 18th-century French comedy, F. C. Green suggests that an "invisible character" can be defined as one who, though not seen, "influences the action of the play".<ref name="Green">{{cite book|author1=Frederick Charles Green|author-link1=Frederick Charles Green|editor1-last=Jones|editor1-first=Percy Mansell|editor1-link=Percy Mansell Jones|editor2-last=Austin|editor2-first=L. J.|editor3-last=Reed|editor3-first=Garnet|editor4-last=Vinaver|editor4-first=Eugène|title=Studies in Modern French Literature|chapter=Some Marginal Notes on Eighteenth-Century French Comedy|date=1961|publisher=Manchester University Press|___location=Manchester|pages=133–137|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VRa8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA133|access-date=4 February 2018|language=en|quote=The invisible character may best be defined as a character who, although never shown to the audience, nevertheless influences the action of the play.}}</ref> This definition, according to Green, would rule out a character like Laurent (Lawrence), ''[[Tartuffe]]''{{'}}s unseen valet, whose sole function is merely to give the playwright an opportunity to introduce Tartuffe.<ref name="Green" /><ref name="Tartuffe">{{cite wikisource |title=Tartuffe or the Hypocrite |last=Poquelin |first=Jean-Baptiste |author-link=Molière |translator=[[Curtis Hidden Page]] |year=1664 |chapter=Act II, Scene II}}</ref>
The best known unseen character in [[United Kingdom|British]] television was Elizabeth, the wife of Captain Mainwaring, the main character in ''[[Dad's Army|Dad’s Army]]''; not showing her added a touch of whimsical fantasy to the programme. In ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', Reggie's mother-in-law is never seen, but Reggie keeps thinking of her as a hippopotamus. In ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'' the action almost never left the department store, so the odd mention of the characters’ lives outside the store tended to include unseen characters. The scriptwriters [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]] included a large number of minor unseen characters in ''[[Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?]]'' and ''[[Porridge (TV)|Porridge]]'', in the form of people the leading characters had known earlier in their lives who were mentioned briefly.
 
Unseen characters can develop organically even when their creators initially did not expect to keep them as unseen, especially in episodic works like television series. For instance, the producers of ''[[Frasier]]'' initially did not want to make the character [[Niles Crane]]'s wife [[Minor characters on Frasier#Maris Crane|Maris]] an unseen character because they did not want to draw parallels to Vera, [[Norm Peterson]]'s wife on ''[[Cheers]]'', of which ''Frasier'' was a spin off. They originally intended that Maris would appear after several episodes, but were enjoying writing excuses for her absence so eventually it was decided she would remain unseen, and after the increasingly eccentric characteristics ascribed to her, no real actress could realistically portray her.<ref name="Couch">{{cite AV media |people=Barbour, Jon (Producer); Khammar, Gary (Producer) |date=24 November 2003 |title=Behind the Couch: The Making of 'Frasier' |medium=DVD |volume=Season 1 |language=en |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tKGHc-9Qyc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/1tKGHc-9Qyc| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
''[[Just Shoot Me!]]'' probably retains the record for most unseen characters on a traditional sitcom: seven. Characters regularly spoken about (or to, via telephone) included Jack's wife, Ally, and his daughter, Hannah; Maya's mother (and Jack's ex-wife), Eve; Nina's best friend, Binnie; Elliot's negligent father; ubiquitous office worker Baxter; and [[Donald Trump]], with whom Jack had several long-running feuds. (Most of these characters eventually appear briefly.)
 
==Examples==
==Television programs==
===Heard but never seenLiterature===
* [[Sauron]], the eponymous arch-villain of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', remains within his fortress of Barad-Dûr and does not speak or make any physical appearance during the trilogy. His presence in the story is thus effectively more like that of a force of nature than that of an individualised personality, giving him a gravitas that inspires awe and dread both in the reader and in the characters, even when they are physically far away from Barad-Dûr. For example, as Frodo approaches the gates of Mordor, Sauron's spiritual presence and power is described as follows: "Frodo knew just where the present habitation and heart of that will now was: as certainly as a man can tell the direction of the sun with his eyes shut. He was facing it, and its potency beat upon his brow".{{cn|date=June 2025}}
* On the ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' TV series, the voice of Bonnie, who's the unseen (and even uncredited) secretary of Gotham City Police Headquarters, is often heard through the intercom in Commissioner Gordon's office.
* Throughout the run of Australian police drama ''[[Matlock Police]]'', all the regular characters communicated with radio operator Shirl. Her voice was regularly heard by viewers over the radio, yet she was never seen. In the show's final episode the radio signal broke up and the camera cut to a shot of her for the first time. However the actor shown, [[Margaret Cruikshank]], had not actually provided Shirl's voice in earlier episodes.
* Peg's mother (voice of [[Kathleen Freeman]]) in ''[[Married... with Children]]''. According to [[Al Bundy|Al]]'s criticism of her, she is grotesquely obese. Twice viewers have heard her shake herself dry (creating an [[impromptu]] [[earthquake]]) and nearly crumbled the foundation of the house for trying to turn (pieces of the ceiling fell for clues) . Plus, at the end of one episode, the viewer sees a giant shadow coming at Al & his friends (with Al shaking his fist at her, irritated).
* All adults in ''[[Peanuts]]'' [[comic strip]]s and [[animated cartoon]]s (they speak unintelligibly, their voices emulated by a muted trombone). In some of the earliest drawn cartoons, however, they could be seen speaking intelligibly, and occasionally appeared in partial or full figure (see the strips from [[May 23]] and [[May 30|30]], [[1953]]).
* The P.A. operator who announced the arrival of helicopters carrying wounded soldiers and other camp-wide announcements in the episodes of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''.
* John Beresford Tipton (voice of [[Paul Frees]]) in ''[[The Millionaire]]''; only the back of his head, seated in a chair, was ever shown.
* White Fang and Black Tooth in ''The [[Soupy Sales]] Show'' (seen as hand gloves of a dog paw, worn by [[Clyde Adler]], who also supplied their voices).
* Magic Voice, in ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' (presumably a computer).
* The Thing Upstairs in ''[[The Trap Door]]''.
* Orson, Mork's boss who he reported to at the end of every episode, in ''[[Mork & Mindy]]''.
* Al, the cook at "Al's Wait & Eat", in ''[[ReBoot]]''.
* Margaret, Roy the shopkeeper's wife, in ''[[Little Britain]]''.
* Mr. Shotz, the boss of Shotz Brewery, in ''[[Laverne and Shirley]]''. His voice is heard over the loudspeaker.
* Dirty Joe in ''[[The Cramp Twins]]''.
* [[Ludwig Von Drake]]'s mother in Von Drake cartoons.
* Dr. Kahn, the director of Camp Anawana, in ''[[Salute Your Shorts]]'', is heard over the PA system nearly every episode but is never seen. The characters, who also seem to have never seen him either, sometimes muse about what he might look like.
* Roger Bender's overbearing wife Ruth in ''[[Now and Again]]'' (voiced by an uncredited [[Christine Baranski]]).
* Morganna from ''[[.hack//Sign]]'' and ''[[.hack]]'' in general is also known as "The Voice," which seems to come from nowhere. It is later hinted that she is actually The World's environment.
* The Mysterons in ''[[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons]]''.
* During the first two seasons of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'', a mysterious figure from a distant century (dubbed "[[Future Guy]]" by fans) is heard but never completely seen in several episodes dealing with the [[Temporal Cold War]], and his identity is never revealed.
* In the original TV series ''[[Mission: Impossible]]'', the unidentified government official who gives Mr. Briggs (later Mr. Phelps) his assignment via self-destructing audio tapes and other devices.
* Robin Masters ([[Orson Welles]]) the owner of Robin's Nest where Magnum lived on ''[[Magnum P.I.]]'' was never seen in the course of the show, although his voice was heard briefly on an answering machine. In the final episode, it is implied that Higgins is really Masters.
* Danny, a resident of Sunnyvale Trailer Park, in ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]'', who can be heard often yelling out the profane exclamation "What in the [[fuck]]!?" even during scenes where he can not possibly be present.
* In some episodes of ''[[Megas XLR]]'', we hear the voice of Coop's mom, and she's not seen.
*Chloe Montez in ''[[The Weekenders]]''.
* Ted, [[Josh Radnor]]'s character's older self in [[2030]], voiced by [[Bob Saget]] on the new [[CBS]] show ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]''.
* Alma Borland, Al's mother on ''[[Home Improvement]]''.
* In the Finnish TV Series ''[[Pulkkinen]]'' the show's head character Pulkkinen accuses his friend Koponen of doing mistakes or various things Pulkkinen himself had done. Koponen is never seen by the audience.
* Carlton the Doorman in ''[[Rhoda]]'' (voiced by [[Lorenzo Music]]). (However, Carlton was once seen in animated form in the 1980 cartoon special ''Carlton Your Doorman''.)
* In [[2005]], the [[NBC]] [[soap opera]] ''[[Passions]]'' (which has produced a number of unseen characters over the years) introduced a mysterious female character dressed in a white fur coat and most specifically, painted red fingernails. Her identity has yet to be revealed to viewers, but interacting characters do get to view her, much the same as [[Alistair Crane]] was portrayed before his face was revealed. Not much is known about the character, other than she knows all about the residents of Harmony and has a strong dislike for [[Alistair Crane]].
* [[Cobra Commander]] from ''[[GI JOE]]'' had most of his face eventually revealed in the Marvel comic book series, and in the animated ''[[GI JOE]]'' film. However, the face of [[Destro]] was only revealed in the comic book series.
* The village announcer heard over the public address system in ''[[The Prisoner]]'', voiced by [[Fenella Fielding]] but uncredited.
* Tabitha's Cat, Fluffy, on [[Passions]].
* In ''[[Deal or No Deal (UK)]]'', the Banker - who gives [[Noel Edmonds]] his bids for the contestant's box is ''never'' seen and often never heard. On occasions, Noel has held the telephone up to his microphone and we have heard the Banker laughing and many contestants have spoken directly to the banker.
* Mr. Lawrence, the school principal on ''[[Degrassi Junior High]]'', is always heard on the [[P.A.]] announcements, and occasionally when speaking to students as they're leaving his office.
* The radio announcer on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', performed by an uncredited [[Charles Maxwell]], provided many plot-specific newscasts, but was never seen.
* "The General" from ''[[Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines]]'' (his arm can sometimes be seen reaching through Dastardly's [[telephone]] receiver to inflict discipline)
* Carlton, the restaurant owner in ''[[Kerching!]]'' is heard in every episode speaking to his employees through speakers but is never shown on camera.
* Gonard's Mother on ''[[Kappa Mikey]]''. She lives in Gonard's apartment, but is never seen. Her voice is heard on two seperate occasions.
* The Super Dave Band on [[Super Dave Osborne|The Super Dave Osborne Show]]. They're always heard playing the opening music, but when it comes time for them to appear on camera, they're always somehow doing a [[bar mitzvah]], and send out a [[Jamaican]] [[steel drum]] band in their place, who only know how to play the [[Barry Manilow]] song "[[Copacabana]]".
 
===Neither seen nor heardComics===
* [[Al Capp]] introduced [[Lena the Hyena]] in June 1946 as an invisible character in the ''[[Li'l Abner]]'' newspaper strip. She was described as "the world's ugliest woman". Characters always reacted in fright when they saw her or an image of her but readers couldn't see her because she was hidden behind objects or out of frame. Eventually Capp organized a contest in which readers could send in their own graphic interpretations of what she might look like. The winner was cartoonist [[Basil Wolverton]], whose design was first shown in the 21 October 1946 strip.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/wolverton.htm|title=Basil Wolverton|website=lambiek.net}}</ref>
(may be partially seen on rare occasions)
* In [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]]'s ''[[Garfield]]'', [[Jon Arbuckle|Jon]]'s neighbor, Mrs. Feeny, who often calls to complain about Garfield damaging her house and killing (and often eating) her pets, is regularly unseen. Her interactions with Jon are often limited to one-way phone calls that only feature Jon talking to her.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
* Alison (aka 'Muffy'), who is Benny Coffin III's wife in the musical and film adaptation of [[RENT]].
* In [[Merho]]'s comics series ''[[De Kiekeboes]]'' Mevrouw Stokvis, a friend of Moemoe Kiekeboe, is always mentioned or referred to, but has never actually been seen in the series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/merho.htm|title=Merho|website=lambiek.net}}</ref>
* Abigail, in Mike Leigh's play [[Abigail's Party]].
* Roger, who is Nancy Olsen's boyfriend she often talks about on [[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]].
* Chief Strategist Otsuka and the other six members of the Big Nine in the anime [[Giant Robo.]] It is made clear that Taiso and Chief Chujo are members of the Big Nine and so is Chief Strategist Otsuka however we never see Otsuka and are told nothing of the other members of the group. This is in stark contrast to the fact that we meet all ten of the Big Nine's rival group The Magnificient Ten.
*Gloria, Summer's stepmother (or "stepmonster") on [[The O.C.]]. Eventually Gloria divorces Summer's father in season three.
*Ira Rosenberg, Willow's father on [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]].
* Captain Nathan Bridger's son, Robert Bridger, who had originally been believed to be dead in the pilot episode of ''[[seaQuest DSV]]'', is later revealed to have faked his death and goes on to have a son named Michael; who later is taken into the custody of Nathan.
* Shirley's new husband, Walter Meanie, whom she married at the beginning of the 8th and final season of ''[[Laverne and Shirley]]''. He was only seen fully covered up like a mummy in the hospital where the wedding was held. Never spoke. Just blinked when it was his turn to say "I Do". And the actor who portrayed him was uncredited.
* [[Norm Peterson]]'s wife Vera on ''[[Cheers]]''. She was once heard when Sam tried to stay at Norm's on the couch and Norm nearly returned to his marital bed. She appeared in the Thanksgiving episode, but her face was covered in an errantly thrown pie from the food fight.
* Captain Mainwaring's wife Elizabeth in ''[[Dad's Army]]''. We did hear her footsteps on one occasion. Also a pronounced downward 'bulge' is seen in the mattress above Cpt. Mainwaring when they are sleeping in an [[air-raid shelter]], presumably her large rear end.
* The Ditmeyer family, neighbors to the Bradys, in ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'', were frequently mentioned but never seen. Only Mr. Ditmeyer's face was shown briefly in one episode. In ''The Brady Bunch Movie'' all of the Ditmeyers were shown (they were the stereotypical dysfunctional American family). Mr. Ditmeyer was the film's villain.
* [[Karen Walker (character)|Karen]]'s husband, Stan, on ''[[Will & Grace]]''. All we ever see of him is his feet when they are in the bath when Karen gets a call from Grace, and his hands when Karen and Will are working on legal issues in the islands. He is [[obese]] and has worn a [[toupee]] since his teens. Over the course of the series, Stan has been jailed, taken a mistress (Lorraine Finster), died, and then revealed that he faked his death.
* Crystal Leslie, wife of Beverley Leslie, the arch rival of [[Karen Walker (character)|Karen Walker]] on ''[[Will & Grace]]''. It is implied that Crystal is much older than Beverley and uses a [[wheelchair]]. Beverley, a closeted [[homosexuality|homosexual]] who has a relationship with a male "business associate," apparently married Crystal only for her money (she is extremely wealthy), and it is implied that he has tried to expedite her death (Crystal eventually dies during season 8).
* [[Lord Southwold]], Lady Marjorie's father, in ''[[Upstairs Downstairs]]''.
* Mabell Hefner, Barney's first wife on ''[[All in the Family]]''. She was rarely mentioned from 1974 until late in 1976 when she left Barney. They divorced and Barney married again in 1977.
* Ned Shimmelfinny, Doc's neighbor on ''[[Fraggle Rock]]''.
* Admiral Hunter, leader of the United Earth Expeditionary Force in ''[[Robotech]]''. Scott Bernard made frequent reference to him in the New Generation segment of Robotech and Admiral Hunter is, of course a much older version of Rick Hunter, the main character from the Macross segment. As the three original segments of the show were originally unrelated anime series, this was simply one of the ways the show was re-written to tie the three shows together. The upcoming [[Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles]] series is expected to show the older Rick Hunter.
* Al, of Al's Pancake World, in ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''.
* [[Maris Crane]], wife, and later ex-wife, of [[Niles Crane]], in ''[[Frasier]]''. While the producers once planned to reveal her, the list of Maris's unusual attributes and characteristics became so long that &mdash; despite plotlines as far-reaching as a murder &mdash; Maris was ultimately kept off screen. She is reported to have changed from excessively thin to excessively obese.
* Muriel Yates, wife of Derek Yates, in ''Me and My Girl''.
* Lewis Wyborn, husband of head nurse Margaret in ''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]''.
* [[Bob Sacamano]], [[Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]]'s friend, in ''[[Seinfeld]]''.
* Lomez, [[Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]]'s friend, in ''Seinfeld''.
* [[Beavis and Butt-head]] meet their fathers in ''[[Beavis and Butt-head Do America]]''; however, their mothers are never seen and are only referred to as [[slut]]s.
* Cousin Jeffrey, Jerry's never-seen cousin, whom Uncle Leo was always raving about, in ''Seinfeld.'' He worked for the NY Parks Department. He once got Jerry tickets to a Paul Simon concert, and a glasses-less George once claimed to see Jeffrey kissing Jerry's girlfriend. It turned out to be a horse.
* 'Er Indoors, [[Arthur Daley]]'s wife, in ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]''.
* Mrs Axelby, Mrs Slocombe's friend, in ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''
* Iola Boyland's mother and father (referred to as "Mother" and "Daddy," respectively) in ''[[Mama's Family]]''.
* Carl Harper, Thelma's husband in the [[Mama's Family]] sketches on [[The Carol Burnett Show]]. He was always in the bathroom. He was deceased by the time [[Mama's Family]] premiered, and was only mentioned.
* Diane, Agent Cooper's secretary, in ''[[Twin Peaks]]''. (Until ''[[Fire Walk With Me]]'' was released, some people theorised that Diane was the name of his dictophone!)
* Sheridan, Hyacinth Bucket's son, in ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]''.
* Truly's and Clegg's ex-wives in ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.
* [[Kimmy Gibbler]]'s family on ''[[Full House]]''. D. J. mentioned Kimmy having 3 sisters on the pilot episode. Also mentioned was a brother named Garth, as well as her parents.
* Mrs. Columbo, wife of Lieutenant Columbo, in ''[[Columbo]]''. (A spin-off series entitled ''[[Mrs. Columbo]]'' was not endorsed by the makers of the original; later plot divergences in the spinoff indicated that ''this'' Mrs. Columbo was not actually Lieutenant Columbo's spouse.)
* Marion and Geoff in ''[[Marion and Geoff]]''. (In the series, the only character who appears is Keith, the pathetically optimistic ex-husband of Marion, and still best friend of Geoff who is now Marion's husband. However, an extended prequel, ''A Small Summer Party'', was later made in which Marion and Geoff do both appear.)
* Naota Nandaba's older brother Tasuku in ''[[FLCL]]''.
* Phantom Dennis, a ghost, in ''[[Angel (TV series)|Angel]]'' (does appear on-screen, but is invisible and inaudible).
* Consuela, Suzanne Sugarbaker's housekeeper, in ''[[Designing Women]]''.
* Kitty Chumley, Sir Bernard Chumley's sister, in ''[[Little Britain]]''.
* Father Bigley, who had many physical abnormalities described in passing over the course of several episodes of ''[[Father Ted]]''. He was deliberately created as a composite for the viewer.
* Local [[fisherman]] "Bucket", on ''[[SeaChange]]''. He possibly has several [[artificial limb]]s, and definitely has a [[body odor]] problem. He is also constantly involved in [[practical joke]]s and scams.
* Beverley Macca, the ex-girlfriend of Dave, in '[[The Royle Family]]''.
* Duckers, a strange and dodgey character that lives in the neighbourhood in ''[[The Royle Family]]''
* Carol, Alan's wife, in ''[[I'm Alan Partridge]]''.
* Also in ''[[I'm Alan Partridge]]'', Fernando and Denise, Alan's children.
* Won Ton, the hospital chief, in ''[[Garth Marenghi's Darkplace]]''.
* The ship's chef in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' (only his legs and hands were ever shown). (Jonathan Frakes as Commander [[William Riker]] posed as Chef in a holodeck simulation during the final episode of the series.)
* Mrs Alf Ventress in ''[[Heartbeat (TV series)|Heartbeat]]''.
* Tibor, Homer's scapegoat at the powerplant, in ''[[The Simpsons]]''.
* Joan Mavis Trotter, [[Del Boy]]'s beloved mother, in ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''. Del often recalls his Mum giving 'advice' to his brother Rodney, although this is usually to bribe Rodney into doing something dodgy. We hear an overvoice of Del's mum in the episode "Time on our Hands".
* Also on ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', Monkey Harris and Paddy the Greek, both mentioned as contacts of Del.
* The Gooch, Arnold Jackson's long-time nemesis, in ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' (although his growl was heard over the phone in the second season episode "Return of the Gooch).
* Charlie, the proprietor of Charlie's Restaurant, in '' [[Sesame Street]]''. In a long-running series of sketches, Grover works at Charlie's Restaurant as a waiter who always gives poor service to a blue [[Muppet]] known as "[[Fat Blue]]".
* [[Bluster Kong]]'s mother in ''[[Donkey Kong Country (TV series)|Donkey Kong Country]]''.
* The Council in the first season of ''[[War of the Worlds (TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'', with whom their earthbound counterparts, the Advocacy, always made frequent contact (mainly to inform them of their positive progress).
* Danny from ''[[The X-Files]]''. A friend of [[Fox Mulder]] who provides information and runs various background checks.
* Phil Petrillo, son to [[Sophia Petrillo]] and brother to [[Dorothy Zbornak]] on ''[[the Golden Girls]]''. Phil is often referred to as a [[cross-dresser]] who lives with his wife and many kids in a [[trailer park]] in [[New Jersey]].
* Although he is desceased, [[Rose Nylund]]'s husband Charlie Nylund was never seen even in flashbacks, like Sophia's and Blanche's husbands were, on ''The Golden Girls''.
* [[Captain Boday#Boday|Captain Boday]] on ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' was talked about in many episodes, usually in conversations between [[Kira Nerys]] and [[Jadzia Dax]]. Dax went out on a date with him at least once, which Kira found repulsive due to Boday's transparent skull.
* Ensign Vilix'pran on ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' was talked about in many episodes, usually because he was budding (having babies) and needed larger quarters. Vilix'pran was nonhumanoid, and the writers continued adding exotic features to his unidentified species each time he or his offspring were described (for instance, a mention that his babies had "little wings").
* Felix was a holoprogrammer and good friend of [[Julian Bashir]] who programmed ''Julian Bashir, Secret Agent'' and ''Vic Fontaine's Las Vegas lounge'' in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''.
* The mother of Nick Swainey, neighbour to [[Victor Meldrew]] in ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' - a clear reference to [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''. Mrs Warboys' husband Chris was another unseen character from this show.
* Detective Quandt's superior on ''[[Ein Mord für Quandt]]'' (a German [[detective show]]).
* Maureen, the supposed wife of Leslie Norris, the absent-minded barman from [[Harry Enfield]]'s Television Programme. Leslie is forgetful to the point that he is frequently reminded that he isn't married, often after he has hailed his good lady wife to assist him in the running of the normally empty bar.
* The Prime Minister, the head of the British government in ''[[Yes, Minister]]'', eventually succeeded by [[James Hacker|Jim Hacker]] for ''[[Yes, Prime Minister]]''
* Mr. Butsavich, Doug's principal, in ''[[Doug]]''.
* Principal John Lazarus, in ''[[Welcome Back, Kotter]]''.
* Hugo Southwold on ''[[Upstairs Downstairs]]''.
* Vern, neighbour of [[Ernest P. Worrell]], in the various "Ernest" productions. (The original Ernest commercials were shot from Vern's first-person viewpoint, with Ernest speaking directly to the camera while addressing Vern.)
* Mrs. Raven's triplets in ''[[My Hero]]''. She is sometimes seen arguing with them over the phone.
* Larry Mondello's father and sister in ''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''. His mother often mentions his father as being out of town on business; his sister is less often mentioned, but is also never seen.
* Edna, the on-and-off girlfriend of Antonio, in the sitcom ''[[Wings (TV series)|Wings]]''. She supposedly has an unusually large face, which is always mentioned when she is referred to and earns her the moniker "the big-faced girl". The closest we ever come to seeing her is once when Antonio is talking to her and she remains silent, off-camera; other characters walk by and react to her strangely proportioned face.
* Numerous characters in ''[[Samson en Gert]]'': Bobientje, Marlèneke, Jean-Louis Michel, Fred Kroket, Alberto's mother, Marie, Boer Teun and Basil.
* Chloe Montez in ''[[The Weekenders]]'', often mentioned as getting herself into all sorts of trouble.
* Lennie Briscoe's ex-wives in ''[[Law & Order]]'', often mentioned by him.
* Lars Lindstrom, husband of Phyllis, in ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''. When the character of Phyllis got her own spin-off show, the pilot episode revolved around the death of Lars.
* Fred Sanford's deceased wife, Elizabeth, in ''[[Sanford and Son]]''.
* Heather Sinclair is frequently mentioned on ''[[Degrassi: The Next Generation]]'' but has never actually been seen or heard, a fact that is one of the show's running jokes.
* Tammy, Ricky's mother and Ray's ex-wife, in ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]''.
* Jonathan, inspector [[Lea Sommer]]'s boyfriend, in the [[Germany|German]] detective series ''[[Die Kommissarin]]''.
* Eddy's brother, in ''[[Ed, Edd n Eddy]]''. Best known for achieving everything Eddy miserably fails at on a constant basis. Feared by many kids of the cul-de-sac. Other unseen characters include Rolf's parents and Nana, Ed's mother, their teacher and principal, Double D's parents, and Gerta.
* [[Barney Fife]]'s occasional fling, Juanita, in ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''. She is spoken to by Barney (but never heard) in telephone conversations, usually overheard by Andy or Opie to Barney's chagrin.
* Sarah, the Mayberry telephone operator, also in ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''.
* Dan the Van, in ''[[Chucklevision]]''.
* Michael Ellis, the continually-mentioned titular character of a ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' episode. Throughout the episode, [[Eric Idle]] is continually mistaken for this person, but Ellis himself is never seen.
* Joe Kaplan's Wife, Gladys, on ''[[Our House]]''.
* Deirdre Birchwood, Bob's ex-girlfriend in ''[[Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?]]'', references to her became a running gag in the first series.
* Mick Belker's mother on ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''. He spoke to her on the phone in almost every episode in the first seasons, but she was never seen.
* Brad and Tuck Carbunkle's parents on ''[[My Life as a Teenage Robot]]''.
* Chris' mother on ''[[Kenan and Kel]]''.
* Tino, supplier of Chinese food to Rayanne & Rickie, on ''[[My So-Called Life]]''.
* In ''[[Zoids: Fuzors]]'', RD's father, Harris, is often mentioned. He never appears on screen and in flashbacks or photos of him, his face is allways obscured. Its not even clear if harris is his first or last name.
* Tracy, the late wife of Michael Bluth (as well as George Michael Bluth's mother) on ''[[Arrested Development]]''. She and Michael were married in [[1989]]. Tracy died of [[ovarian cancer]] before the events of the show. She is alluded to often, but despite the show's frequent use of flashbacks, she has never been shown onscreen.
* The American television series ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' (set in a German stalag during World War Two) retroactively acquired an unseen unheard character when the series was dubbed into German for transmission on German television. The dialogue was rewritten to make frequent references to Kelinka, the sexy chambermaid who attends to the quarters of Colonel Klink, the stalag's commandant. Kelinka was never mentioned in the dialogue of the original series. Kelinka is ''not'' the same character as Fraulein Hilda, Colonel Klink's sexy secretary, who appeared onscreen in many episodes.
* All parents in the children's series ''[[Charlie and Lola]]'' are never seen even though children say sentences like "Mom took us to the park."
* Ranjit in ''[[The Smoking Room]]''.
* Dr. [[Bob Kelso]]'s wife, Enid, in the series ''[[Scrubs (TV show)|Scrubs]]'' is never seen, although he constantly complains about her. She apparently is obese and unattractive.
* Gus, an oddball resident of the trailer park where Julie Cooper and her daughters live during part of season three of ''[[The O.C.]]''.
* Dominic "The Old Man" DiMeo on ''[[The Sopranos]]''. He is mentioned in several episodes as being the former boss of the [[DiMeo Crime family]] (now Soprano family) prior to his indictiment. He was arrested in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison in [[1997]].
* In the show ''[[Animaniacs]]'', a character named Colin occasionally speaks to the audience and tells improbable stories about his friend Randy Beaman, who may or may not really exist.
* Many named or unnamed teachers, principals, bosses, and other fellow classmates and co-workers people talk about on various shows.
* [[Steve Urkel]]'s parents on ''[[Family Matters]]''(Though his mother's voice is heard in one episode).
* Warren's therapist in ''[[This Life]]''.
* Little Pussy on ''[[The Sopranos]]''. It is mentioned in the first episode that there are two Pussies, and they are referred to as big and little to differentiate between the two of them. [[Junior Soprano|Uncle Junior]] intends to kill Little Pussy in the first episode. Little Pussy's last name was Malanga. In season 6, Junior suffers from [[dementia]] and thinks that Pussy Malanga is stealing his money and breaking into his home, causing him to shoot [[Tony Soprano|Tony]]
* The family of [[Dame Edna Everage]]: Husband Norm, daughter Valmai, and sons Bruce and Kenneth.
* Mrs. Roper's mother on ''[[Three's Company]]''. She becomes a regular character in the spinoff ''[[The Ropers]]''
*[[Foxxy Love]]'s son Timmy on ''[[Drawn Together]]''. Foxxy mentions Timmy many times, each time implying a different tragic fate he supposedly suffered. The child's true fate is unknown.
*In the 29th Series of [[CBBC]] school drama ''[[Grange Hill]]'', students Abel Benson and Patrick 'Togger' Johnson talked about their girlfriends, the ''Marsham Twins''. The twins never appeared throughout the series but were referenced to in almost every episode.
*On ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]]'', the hotel owner Mr. Tipton is often talked about by London and Mr. Moesby, and London is seen talking to him on the phone, but has yet to appear on the show.
*Also on ''The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'', London has referenced her friend, Portia Tenanbaum, as being just as rich, spoiled, and dumb as she is on numerous occasions.
* Sparky, on ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', the army operator through whom Radar connects calls.
*Carole's twins on ''[[The Brittas Empire]]''. While her older child Ben was seen on rare occasions, the twins never were.
* Many friends and relatives on ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'':
**Carol's Aunt Martha, who sent her the Totem Pole.
**Oliver's Parents, Jack and Pauline.
**Mrs. Denton, Marcia's teacher, whom she supposedly drew a picture of in the episode "The Slumber Caper."
**Alice's 2 sisters.
**Carol's cousin Gertrude, who was getting married in the episode "The Teeter Totter Caper."
* Ted Bullpit kept two greyhounds in ''[[Kingswood Country]]'', but although the dogs were referenced frequently, they were never seen.
* ''[[The Red Green Show]]'' has numerous unseen, but regularly mentioned characters, including Stinky Peterson, Junior Singleton, Moose Thompson, Buster Hadfield, Old Man Sedgwick, Flinty McLintock, Wally "Kickback" Kibbler (Red's rival in high school and the mayor of Possum Lake), and Red's wife Bernice.
*Louis, from the ''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]'' show. He is Margaret's husband and is mentioned frequently, but never seen.
*''[[Goodnight Sweetheart]]'' contained two such characters; PC Reg Dedman's wife Minnie in the early series, and Yvonne Sparrow's business partner Clive in the later series.
* Dr. Wilson's wife in [[House (TV series)|House]] is often mentioned, but has never been seen.
* Laverne's husband, who later divorces her, on ''[[Empty Nest]]''.
* Hooper triplets, with [[Fonzie]] said several times he has a date with (all of) them in ''[[Happy Days]]''.
* Dick Cunningham, Howard's brother, and father of K. C. on ''[[Happy Days]]''.
* Marion Cunningham's brother, who is the father of Roger and Flip on ''[[Happy Days]]''.
* 'Gyro Jim' a trickster and con-artist from the show ''[[Early Doors]]''. His exploits are often mentioned by characters (a classic example being when he works at a cinema, he places the letters on the sign for [[Clint Eastwood]], but sticks the 'l' and 'i' too close together, persumably speling cunt.
* Emma Gibson, the woman who was sent to the hospital after using Jabot's tainted moisturizing cream, then who later died, on ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', [[March]]-[[April]] [[2006]].
* Cousin Oscar, who entered the Bunker household in desperate need and stayed over for three weeks until he died on Archie's bed, prompting [[Archie Bunker|Archie]] to give a funeral, on ''[[All in the Family]]''.
* Michael Baldwin's Father on ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''. His step-father, and Kevin's Father, Tom Fisher, was introduced in 2005 after a year of references.
* "The Leader" that the visitors are always talking about on ''[[V (TV series)|V]]''
* Miss Mountshaft, leader of Margot's Music Society, often joked about by Tom and Barbara, in [[The Good Life]].
* Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's mother in ''[[Open All Hours]]''
* On [[Mama's Family]], Vint's first wife, Mitzi, and Ellen's Husband, Bruce, are never seen on screen.
* Boss Hogg's brother, who is the Father of nephews Hughey and Dewey on [[The Dukes Of Hazzard]]. It is not known if they could be sons of Boss's twin brother, Abraham Lincoln Hogg, or maybe another unnamed brother.
 
===Theatre===
===Heard but never completely seen===
Unseen characters occur elsewhere in drama, including the plays of [[Eugene O'Neill]], [[Tennessee Williams]] and [[Edward Albee]].<ref name="Byrd">{{cite journal|last1=Byrd|first1=Robert E. Jr.|title=Unseen characters in selected plays of Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Edward Albee|journal=Dissertation Abstracts International|date=1998|volume=58|issue=12A|page=4497|url=http://catalog.xmu.edu.cn/opac/item.php?marc_no=0003391725|publisher=New York University|___location=New York}}</ref><ref name="Ade">{{cite news|last1=Ade|first1=George|title=Introducing "Nettie"; Who Is the Leading But Unseen Character in a New Princess Playlet|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E05E0D6133EE733A05755C0A9649D946596D6CF|work=The New York Times|date=6 December 1914}}</ref> The author Marie A. Wellington notes that in the 18th-century, [[Voltaire]] included unseen characters in a few of his plays, including ''Le Duc d’Alençon'' and ''L’Orphelin de la Chine''.<ref name="Wellington">{{cite book|last1=Wellington|first1=Marie|title=The Art of Voltaire's Theater: An Exploration of Possibility|date=1987|publisher=Lang|___location=New York|isbn=9780820404837|page=176|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRUbAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>
* Maddy's Parents on [[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]] they are known to fight a lot.
* Dr. Peter Brady, in the 1958 TV-Series ''[[The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)|The Invisible Man]]''. Although the main character, his face and body are never fully revealed during the whole series since he is, quite naturally, invisible.
* [[Lorenzo Music|Carlton]], the doorman on ''[[Rhoda]]'' (You sometimes saw parts of his body, but never his face. Once you could see his whole body, but his face was covered by a gorilla mask. Additionally, a cartoon version of Carlton was seen in a [[1980]] [[animated]] [[television special]]).
* Mindy's mother (face never shown, back of her head usually seen) in ''[[Animaniacs]]''; her brown hair can be seen very briefly in ''[[Wakko's Wish]]''.
* Charlie Townsend, the head of the detective agency on ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' (Charlie is frequently seen from behind, and in the series finale he appears in surgeon's mask and outfit. He is also seen from a distance in the [[Charlie's Angels (movie)|2000 film version]]).
* Mom and Dad in ''[[Cow and Chicken]]''. They are only ever seen from the waist down. In fact, ''Cow and Chicken'' makes a big joke of the idea of the unseen character, as it repeatedly implies that Mom and Dad genuinely have no upper body (in an episode after Cow woke up from nightmare that had Weasel & Baboon in ''[[I Am Weasel]]'' as well as the common generic character Red Guy). In the pilot episode, they are actually revealed as having no upper body.
* Wizard Kelly in ''[[The Proud Family]]''. He is only seen from the nose down or from behind. Maybe [[Walt Disney Television Animation|Disney]] wants to give the impression to the viewer that he is so tall that his eyes are always off from view. There is one episode in the series that shows him sleeping in his bed, but then the camera is blurry with him putting his hand over his eyes. In the Proud Family Movie, one can see his face as he falls over during a peanut butter explosion, but even then it is partly obscurred, and only lasts for a couple frames.
* Harvey Nash, the father of ''[[Captain Nice]]''. Always seated in his easy chair, his face is always completely buried in that day's newspaper.
* Bill Brasky from a series of sketches in the [[1996]]-[[1997]] season of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', whose only description is from the outlandish exaggerations given by a group of drunken businessmen and a closing shot in the sketches with the back of Brasky's head at a high angle, giving the impression that the man is a giant.
* Big Al in ''[[Police Squad!]]'' and ''[[The Naked Gun]]'' (he is so tall his face is always cut off by the top of the screen)
* "Nanny" in ''[[Muppet Babies]]'' (generally only her striped socks are seen, since the series is presented from a child's-eye view)
* "Doc" in the animated version of ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'' (seen only from the neck down)
* Miss Sara Bellum in ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' (her face is either above the screen like Big Al's or otherwise obscured, most commonly by her enormous hairdo)
* [[Dr. Claw]] in the ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' cartoon series, who is always seated in a high-backed chair, facing away from the camera; only his fore arms and hands are ever seen. He was eventually seen in the action figure line and the theatrical movie; however, he remained absent for the entire cartoon. This is a deliberate spoof of [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]], the villain in the early [[James Bond]] films, whose face was never seen until the fifth movie in the series; ''[[You Only Live Twice]]''.
* [[Victor Lewis-Smith]] in ''[[Inside Victor Lewis-Smith]]'' (possibly the only series whose star is never seen clearly; he or a body double appears wreathed in bandages after a car crash in the opening scene; he is also seen in highly distorted close-ups while making crank phone calls)
* "Troy", the extra-terrestrial father in ''[[Out of This World (television series)|Out of This World]]''. Voiced by [[Burt Reynolds]].
* David Tatsyrup on ''[[The League of Gentlemen (television series)|The League of Gentlemen]]'' (while he is seen as a normal human character at the end of the first series, he has become some kind of unseen beast in the attic of the local shop come series two)
* Amber Klein, Marsha's daughter in ''[[Spaced]]''
* All trainers in ''[[Pokémon Junior]]'' series of short films, who look just the same as in the [[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon anime]]; their heads are never shown.
* Mammy Two-Shoes in ''[[Tom and Jerry (MGM)|Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoons (Only seen from the waist down).
* [[Mr. and Mrs. Turner]], Timmy's parents in ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'' who were always shown with their faces obscured on the ''[[Oh Yeah! Cartoons]]'' series; in the later ''Fairly OddParents'' series, they were fully visible.
* [[Roy Mallard]], played by [[Chris Langham]]: presenter of the spoof documentary [[People Like Us]]. A slight send-up of the "unseen character" concept, as some part of him (often one hand) gets in shot in every episode. In one episode, his full-length reflection is seen in a mirrored window.
* Barbara the Transsexual from the ''[[League of Gentlemen]]''. Her face is never seen.
* Sam, the operator at the Hi-Fi Answering Service, on ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]''. Voiced by [[Mary Tyler Moore]] when introduced, she was usually shown only from the legs down as she exchanged innuendo on the phone with Diamond.
* Vera Peterson, wife of Norm Peterson, on ''[[Cheers]].'' She was only heard a few times, but was talked about a lot. (She twice appeared on screen. However, on the first occasion, was hit with a cream pie which covered her face entirely before her face could be seen. And on the second occasion, viewers could see only her legs, through the bar's front window, as she stood and sat on the steps that led down to the entrance to the bar.)
* Most of the time, the parents of the ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door|Kids Next Door]]'' fall under this category (one distinct exception was [[Numbuh One]]'s dad, who was shown in two eps). However, on Curious Pictures' official website, the faces are completely shown except Numbuh 5's parents.
* The General in ''[[Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines]]''; usually only his voice is heard, but occasionally his arm would be seen.
*[[George Steinbrenner]]'s face was never shown in ''[[Seinfeld]]''. He was always viewed from behind.
* Doctor Dick, Mary-Ann's ex-husband from ''[[Cybill]]''
* The "Imperious Leader" of the [[Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)|Cylons]] in the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' is rarely if ever seen in full light, but is seen merely as a shadow. (Voiced by [[Patrick Macnee]].)
* Christopher Robin's mother (face never shown, back of her head usually seen) in ''[[The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]''.
*The Humanoid Figure (often referred to as "FutureGuy") on [[Star Trek: Enterprise]]. The character was the time-travelling villain responsible for manipulating events throughout the series, but he was only seen as a darkened and murky hologram giving orders to his henchmen.
* Meena, Navid's wife in ''[[Still Game]]'' makes frequent appearances in the series, although her face is always obscured. She cannot speak English but is always subtitled.
* Wilson Wilson, the Taylors' wise neighbor in ''[[Home Improvement]]'', who is usually seen with the lower half of his face obscured by his picket fence or other prop. On rare occasions, this would be reversed, such as a [[Halloween]] episode where Wilson dressed as [[The Phantom of the Opera]], complete with half-mask obscuring the upper part of his face. His face is fully seen only in the very final moments of the last episode, as the actors of the series take a bow in sequence. Played by [[Earl Hindman]], who once appeared on a talk show with a miniature fence to hide his face.
* Mac and Terrance's mother from ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]''. Only seen from the waist down, although one can see her arms.
*[[Steve Urkel]]'s parents from ''[[Family Matters]]'' were spoken of in many instances, usually referring to how much they dislike him. Urkel referred to them many times, and [[Carl Winslow]] was heard talking to them on the phone a few times.
* Dalton Humpries' wife Anne-Marie Humphries, on ''[[The Red Green Show]]''. After being spoken of on countless occasions, her voice is briefly heard confronting Dalton when he tries to sneak into their house after a long night out with Red.
*"Wilson the Butler" (a supporting character during Children's BBC links from 1988-92) was never heard and only partially seen - usually white gloved hands and black sleeves, occasionally full body. But his face was never revealed.
*Mr. & Mrs. Buxaplenty, Remy's parents in ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]''. Only seen from the waist down, although their arms were shown.
*Eddy Levinson, Judee's husband in ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'', is constantly referred to by his wife, but never actually seen. This is for the simple reason that he is dead - a fact that Judee seems unable to cope with, causing her to discuss him as though he were still with us.
*[[Santa Claus]] in [[A Garfield Christmas]] has never had his face shown. But you could see his arms, legs, and suit.
*''[[Xana]]'', the main antagonist from ''[[Code: Lyoko]]''. Being a computer, XANA has no physical form. However, he does possess the ability to inhabit the bodies of others and create clones of other show characters, and on some occasions he speaks through them.
* The parents of characters from ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' are ocassionally shown, but only from the waist down.
* Mr. and Mrs. Pipe in ''[[Ren and Stimpy]]'' are occassionally shown, but only from the waist down.
* Mr. Weinberger, a wealthy but elusive bald gentleman who is the love of Nana's life in [[BB3B]]. Her feelings for him are never reciprocated, as he always quickly leaves the scene at the first sight or sound of her. He seldom speaks, and is seen either from behind or with his face obscured.
* Tipper, one of Lucy and Louis's four friends occasionally recruited to foil what they think are invasion plans by their baby brother Billy Bob in [[BB3B]]. He is so much bigger than the rest of the children that only the lower part of his face is seen, the top half being either out of shot or obscured by a conveniently placed foreground object (such as a lampshade, for example).
 
* [[Rosaline]] in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' is never seen, but is only described.<ref name="Gray">{{cite journal|last1=Gray|first1=Henry David|title=Romeo, Rosaline, and Juliet|journal=Modern Language Notes|date=November 1914|volume=29|issue=7|pages=209–212|doi=10.2307/2916173|jstor=2916173|url=https://archive.org/details/jstor-2916173|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="Miller">{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Michael|title='Romeo and Juliet' meets Jeff Buckley in 'The Last Goodbye'|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-romeo-julet-last-goodbye-globe-20130929-story.html|access-date=16 May 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 September 2013}}</ref>
===Unseen characters who were spoken of for a long time and then eventually seen===
* In [[Alain-René Lesage]]'s 1707 play ''[[Crispin rival de son maître|Crispin]]'' an unseen character called Damis with his forced secret marriage is essential to the plot.<ref name="Green" />
* Arnold from ''[[Happy Days]]'' was often mentioned in the first two seasons of that show, but he did not appear until the third season when he was played by [[Pat Morita]].
* [[Mrs Grundy]], an unseen character in [[Thomas Morton (playwright)|Thomas Morton]]'s 1798 play ''Speed the Plough'', has become a byword for disapproving propriety.<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Grundy, Mrs |volume= 12 |page=641}}</ref>
* Al from ''[[Happy Days]]'' often mentioned his love interest Rosa Coletti with his famous line, "Did I ever tell you about Rosa Coletti?" She finally appeared in the eighth season, played by Nancy Marvy.
* In [[Clare Boothe Luce]]'s 1936 play ''[[The Women (play)|The Women]]'' and the [[The Women (1939 film)|1939 film]] based on it, male characters are discussed but never shown, even in photographs.<ref name="IBDB2">{{cite web |title=The Women |url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=9750 |access-date=21 September 2013 |website=Internet Broadway Database}}</ref><ref name="Goldstein2">{{cite book |last1=Goldstein |first1=Malcolm |title=The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama |date=2007 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231144247 |editor1-last=Cody |editor1-first=Gabrielle H. |volume=2 |___location=New York, NY |page=1489 |language=en |chapter=The Women |editor2-last=Sprinchorn |editor2-first=Evert |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQqOKWmjdQUC&pg=PA1489}}</ref>
* Mother Kelp, Marion Cunningham's mother in [[Happy Days]]. Finally appeared once in the last season.
* Godot in [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' is never seen. The play's two main characters spend the entire play waiting for Godot to arrive.<ref name="Bennett">{{cite book|last1=Bennett|first1=Michael Y.|title=Reassessing the Theatre of the Absurd: Camus, Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, and Pinter|date=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230118829|page=27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wbTGAAAAQBAJ|doi=10.1057/9780230118829|language=en|chapter=The Parable of Estragon's Struggle with the Boot in Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot''|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref>
* Jackie's mother from That 70's Show was often referred to as beautiful and materialistic. She was never seen until the fifth season, played by Brooke Shields. She was actually seen in the first season in the episode where the kids steal a keg and have a party. However that seems to have been forgotten as she was played by a different actress, and did not fit the character descriptions later attributed to her
* In [[Anton Chekhov]]'s play ''[[Three Sisters (play)|Three Sisters]]'', Protopopov, who is cuckolding his employee Andrei and having a torrid and far from secret affair with Natasha, is unseen but plays a central role. Some sources suggest Protopopov, not Andrei, is the real father of Natasha's daughter.<ref name="Styan">{{cite book|last1=Styan|first1=John L.|title=The Elements of Drama|date=1960|publisher=Cambridge University Press|___location=Cambridge|isbn=9780521092012|page=209|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bOnd4QuAJHgC|language=en|chapter=The Meaning of the Play as a Whole}}</ref><ref name="threesisters">{{cite wikisource |title=The Three Sisters |wslink=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Plays_by_Anton_Tchekoff/The_Three_Sisters |last=Chekhov |first=Anton |authorlink=Anton Chekhov |translator=[[Julius West]] |year=1916 |chapter=Act IV |chapter-url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Plays_by_Anton_Tchekoff/The_Three_Sisters/Act_IV |quote=NATASHA: Mihail Ivanitch Protopopov will sit with little Sophie, and Andrey Sergeyevitch can take little Bobby out. […] [Stage direction] ANDREY wheels out the perambulator in which BOBBY is sitting.}}</ref>
*Mr. Tipton in [[Disney Channel]]'s [[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]] was spoken about in many episodes or someone was heard talking to him on a phone. It wasn't until the episode "Suite 16" that most of him was shown (his face was never shown.).
* The titular character in [[Mike Leigh]]'s play ''[[Abigail's Party]]'', the 15-year-old daughter of Susan Lawson, is attending a party next door to the events portrayed in the play, and is never seen.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/apr/08/missing-in-action-contemporary-drama-unseen-stars |first=Mark |last=Lawson |title=Missing in action: meet the invisible stars of contemporary drama |newspaper=The Guardian |date=8 April 2015 |access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref>
* Felix Unger's ex-wife, Gloria, from ''[[The Odd Couple]]'' was only talked about but was never seen during the entire first season. Then starting in the second season, Janis Hansen made occasional appearances as that recurring character throughout the remainder of the series.
* Jenny Piccalo on ''[[Happy Days]]'' was for a number of seasons only talked about as a neighbourhood friend of, and bad influence on, Joanie. Later she became a series regular, played by [[Cathy Silvers]].
*Amanda Vale, on [[Home and Away]], the ex-wife of town favourite Dan Baker. She and Dan divorced seeing as she had an affair with his brother. She was talked and recognised since Dan came to the Bay. She has since then became a series regular. Played by [[Holly Brisley]]
* During season nine of ''[[Happy Days]]'', Clarence, the new cook at Arnold's restaurant was frequently mentioned by Al Delvecchio with a series of bizarre characteristics and behaviours described, but he never appeared on screen. In season ten Clarence suddenly became a conventional regular character in the series and was fully seen, and it was revealed he was a dwarf. Clarence was portrayed by [[Gary Friedkin]].
* Mr. Whittendale the landlord from ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' appeared later in the series played by [[Jack Fletcher]].
* Alistair Crane on the NBC soap ''[[Passions]]''
* [[The Smoking Room#Ben .28Brian Dooley.29|Ben The Post Boy]] from ''[[The Smoking Room]]''.
* Robin Masters, the novelist who hires Thomas Magnum on ''[[Magnum P.I.]]''. (Masters' voice is provided by [[Orson Welles]] in a number of episodes; however, the final episode revealed that one of the main ongoing characters of the series was actually Robin all along. Viewers are left wondering if this is true.)
* The one-armed man is confronted by [[Dr. Richard Kimble]] in the final episode of ''[[The Fugitive (TV series)|The Fugitive]]''. This airing is among the highest-rated TV shows of all time.
* Number One on ''[[The Prisoner]]'' (whether Number One's appearance in "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]" should be interpreted as a literal occurrence remains debated.)
* Kevin Arnold as an adult on [[The Wonder Years]], voiced by [[Daniel Stern]], made a brief appearance during the voice-over at the end of one episode, showing him and Paul as adults playing a game of driveway basketball.
* Fran's father, Morty on ''[[The Nanny]]'' who was unseen or heard from until the final season, when he suddenly appeared during the final season of the show, played by [[Steve Lawrence]]. Previously, all you saw was the toupee on the back of his head.
* The Big Giant Head on ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' was unseen for several seasons but finally appeared, played by [[William Shatner]].
* "Daddy" from ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]''. He is almost perpetually asleep, however, thus maintaining a certain air of 'unseenness'.
* Management on ''[[Carnivàle]]''. It was revealed that he was a legless, one-armed Russian named Belyakov who fought in the first World War, who stayed behind a curtain until late in the second season, when he lured Ben & Scudder into his trailer & attempted to stab Scudder to lure Ben into killing him to pass on all his worldly knowledge as a "creature of light".
* Violet and Bruce from ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]''. Hyacinth frequently talked to Violet on the phone (with Hyancinth's side of the conversation being the only one which was seen) about Bruce. Both were finally seen in latter seasons of the show.
* Mr. Humphries' mother from ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''. Mr. Humphries could frequently be seen talking to his mother on the phone. Mrs. Humphries finally made three appearances: two in episodes of the show and a third on the [[PBS]] special, ''[[The Best of Are You Being Served?]]'', each time being played by [[John Inman]], the same actor who played Mr. Humphries.
* Clive from ''[[Men Behaving Badly]]''. An old (and only) friend of Gary's, he was mentioned several times, and finally appeared at Gary and Dorothy's wedding, albeit behind a camcorder. Played by the series' writer, [[Simon Nye]].
* Sir Royston Merchant from ''[[Drop the Dead Donkey]]''. As the tycoon owner of Globelink, he was mentioned in practically every episode, but never seen. Phone conversations with him sometimes took place, but could only be heard from the side of one of the characters. He was finally seen in the very last episode of the series, when Gus Hedges broke into his house to confront him. He was played by [[Roger Hammond (actor)|Roger Hammond]].
*[[Douglas Haig|Field Marshal Haig]], being a prominent figure of the [[World War I|First World War]], was mentioned several times in the series [[Blackadder Goes Forth]], and was actually seen in the final episode, played by [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]].
*The [[Ugly Naked Guy]], a fat and ugly [[nudist]] living opposite Monica and Rachel's apartment in ''[[Friends]]''. The gang always commented on what they saw him do through the apartment's window. He was finally seen when he moved out and Ross visited him to persuade him into giving him his apartment. Even then, we only saw his (naked) back and he did not speak.
*Mr. Bell on ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''. For the show's first season he existed only as a voice on Drew's speaker phone. He was fully revealed in the first episode of the second season, seen leaving his office after being fired from Winfred-Louder, thus marking it as his final "appearance." He was voiced and played by [[Kevin Pollak]].
*Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald, on the soap opera ''[[Passions]]''. She was seen after five years of references.
*Maria Lopez, Pilar's sister on [[Passions]], who raised Paloma, was also seen after five years of references.
*Mr. & Mrs. Grimes, who are Bill & Ben's next door neighbours on British sitcom ''[[2point4 Children]]''. Initially, apart from their foreheards over the garden fence, they were never seen in the show, only their voices were heard. They eventually appeared in later series of the show.
*Tochiro Oyama in the [[1977]] [[animated series]] ''Space Pirate Captain Harlock''. The architect of [[Captain Harlock]]'s pirate ship Arcadia and the father of Maya, the young girl Harlock pledged his life to protect, Tochiro's grave is visited in the first episode and Harlock often spoke briefly of his great friend in his more reflective moods. Some of these reflections took the form of a silent vigil in the ship's massive computer room. Tochiro is also sometimes referred to as the forty second soul on the Arcadia although the enemy has only ever counted forty one living beings aboard. Tochiro was finally seen and referred to by name in a flashback during the episode Mystery of the Arcadia. It is also revealed as to why the Arcadia seems to have a mind of its own. Tochiro, upon his death, found a way to transfer his soul into the ships computer. A totally different version of this event was seen in the 1979 movie version of [[Galaxy Express 999]] in which Harlock and crew made guest appearances. Tochiro appeared as a living, active character and crewmember in subsequent Harlock anime placing those somewhat roughly before the events in ''Space Pirate'' and ''Galaxy Express 999''.
*Ziggy from ''[[Quantum Leap]]''. As the computer that works out what Sam needs to do in order to 'leap', Ziggy is mentioned in every episode by Al, who communicates with Ziggy via a hand-link device. In the first three series the show is nearly always seen from Sam's perspective with Ziggy and the rest of the 'present day' remaining off-screen. At the start of Season four Sam briefly 'leaps' back home and Ziggy's interface console and voice are seen and heard directly.
* George Jefferson finally appeared on ''[[All in the Family]]'' two seasons after his wife Louise and son Lionel began as regulars on the series. George was mentioned numerous times before his first on-screen appearance. (Later, the characters received their own spin-off series, ''[[The Jeffersons]]''.)
* [[Carl Reiner]]'s character of Alan Brady was heard but not seen fully (once he appeared with his back towards the camera and a second time with shaving cream on his face) for the first 2 full seasons of ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]''. He eventually became a semi-regular. Reiner made a guest appearance as Alan Brady years later in ''[[Mad About You]]''.
* Cliff's mother, Ester Clavin, on ''[[Cheers]]''. She was mentioned many times before finally appearing in season 5, played by [[Frances Sternhagen]].
* [[Sparky]], the eternally on-duty I-Corps radio operator on the television series ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', is spoken of (and spoken to, in numerous one-way radio 'conversations') repeatedly throughout the series's entire 11-year run, but only makes a single brief cameo appearance in one first season episode. Many other characters in the series are similarly heard (but not seen), or spoken of/to but neither seen nor heard.
* [[B. J. Hunnicutt|Dr. B. J. Hunnicutt]]'s wife Peg, who he talked about many times in ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', was seen briefly in an episode where family members sent the enlisted home movies of themselves. She was played by Catherine Bergstrom.
* In an episode of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', [[Corporal Walter (Radar) O'Reilly|Radar]]'s mother is seen in a home movie sent to the folks in Korea. "She" was played by the same actor, [[Gary Burghoff]], dressed in drag.
* Jimmy Kelly, Grace's ex-husband on ''[[Grace Under Fire]]'' and the father of her children was not seen for a long time (except once his arm reached out from under the bedcovers on Grace's dream). Later he bacame a regular on the show.
* The Delaney Twins from ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', eventually shown briefly in one episode
* Jonathan, Charlotte Pickles' executive assistant from ''[[Rugrats]]'' was often on the other end of the phone when Charlotte was working, but eventually appeared in two episodes.
* Serge Monsoon, [[Edina Monsoon]]'s son on ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' was frequently referred to, and he finally made an appearance in the Christmas episode 'Gay'.
* Skunky Beaumont in the cartoon ''[[Doug]]'', who was mentioned often, but only heard once saying "hi" to Doug as Doug passes the guidance counselor's office in the episode with the Yodeling Trophy. When the show moved from [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] to Disney, Skunky joined the other guest-characters and was fully seen thereafter.
* The "Dark Kaiser" in the anime series ''[[Zoids: Guardian Force]]'', the supposed master villain of the show, appeared only as a shadowy figure for most of the series. In the penultimate episode, he was revealed to be Gunter Prozen, the villain from ''Chaotic Century'' - and then killed off.
* [[Giovanni]], the leader of [[Team Rocket]], was shown mostly shadowed up during most of the first season of ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' until the episode "Battle of the Badge", in which he was fully revealed. This same practice was used with [[Cloaked Nightmare]] in ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya]]'' (he was fully seen in the series finale).
* [[Dr. Slug]], the arch-nemesis of ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'', was often mentioned on the show, but was never seen until the episode "Inside Binkie's Brain", where he made a small appearance at the start of the episode.
* "Stretch" Cunningham, Archie Bunker's friend and co-worker on the loading dock in ''[[All in the Family]]'', was originally only spoken of, then was portrayed onscreen in several episodes (by [[James Cromwell]]) before reverting to offscreen status for an episode where the character dies and it is revealed, to Archie's consternation, that he was [[Jewish]].
*Armando Deschanel Jr. on [[Sunset Beach (soap opera)|Sunset Beach]] was only mentioned in the beginning of the soap in [[1997]]. He was finally introduced on the soap in [[1998]], and stayed on until the show ended on [[December 31]], [[1999]].
*Martin Fitzgerald and Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald on [[Passions]].
*Kathy Santone, one of D. J.'s friends on [[Full House]] was spoken of during the 2nd season, then was finally given a face in season 3.
*Gary, owner of Gary's Shoes on [[Married... with Children]], finally appeared in the long-running series ninth season, and to everyone's surprise, turned out to be a woman. [[Janet Carroll]] continued to play the role throughout Married's tenth and eleventh seasons.
*Suzee, Catalina's invisible friend on [[Space Cases]]. She was seen in the second season.
*Randy Klein on [[Unfabulous]]. He was first seen in the first season finale.
*Joe Greene, Russell's brother, and Nathaniel's Father on [[Promised Land]]. He was introduced on screen on an episode of [[Touched By An Angel]] that then concluded on the 2nd season premiere of [[Promised Land]], played by [[Richard Thomas]].
*Eleanor, Janet and Chrissy's first roommate on [[Three's Company]], was married off-screen before the setting of the Pilot episode. She was eventually seen on-screen later in the show during the first season.
*Mrs. Westlake, Theo's Math Teacher during the second season of [[The Cosby Show]]. She was eventually seen a couple of times later towards the end of that season.
*Shiquan, Kim's friend, who is only seen on the last episode of [[The Parkers]].
* Arnold's parents from ''[[Hey Arnold!]]''. Arnold was raised by his grandparents. They were mentioned briefly. They are seen only in flashbacks. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
* In ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', Gerald has an associate called Fuzzy Slippers that gives him insight on any situation, it was because of "Fuzzy Slippers" that Gerald knows the streets well
* Ralph Furley's brother Bart on [[Three's Company]].
* Sylvia the fortune teller and Max the magician on the Finnish children's TV show [[Pelle Hermanni]].
*Damien & Teonie, the children of Robert & Liz Beare from [[Mother and Son]] were referenced frequently but not seen in the early episodes. They made one appearance in the show, but were not seen thereafter.
*Roy's mother on ''[[Wings]]''. She finally appeared in one of the very last episodes, played by [[Rose Marie]].
*Casey's estranged husband Stuart on ''[[Wings]]''. He finally showed up at the end of the seventh season, played by [[John Ritter]], the real life husband of [[Amy Yasbeck]], the actress playing Casey.
*Horatio Brittas, the twin brother of Gordon Brittas on ''[[The Brittas Empire]]'' was referenced, but not actually seen until Series 3.
*Nell Croyden, the wife of Tom Croyden from ''[[Blue Heelers]]'' was neither seen nor heard from the commencement of the show, and died in a car accident late in Series 1. Years later, however, Nell was shown during a [[dream sequence]] of Tom's.
*Len Mangel, played by John Lee, was the oft-talked about husband of Nell in Australian Soap Opera [[Neighbours]], who was mentioned frequently and his name was often heard called by his wife. Len divorced Nell in 1987 (off-screen), but finally put in an an Appearance in 1994 when he tried to con [[Helen Daniels]] out of her money.
*Marlene, the wife of Boycie from ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' was referenced, but not actually seen until Series 4 in [[1985]]. The reverse was the case for Denzil's wife Corrine; she was featured in Denzil's first appearance in Series 3, but from then on was only referenced, and not seen or heard.
*Maddie Russo, Blossom's Mother on [[Blossom (TV series)|Blossom]] was introduced 2 years after the show premiered, played by [[Melissa Manchester]]. She had, however, previously been seen in some flashbacks, played by different actresses.
*Peter Poole, husband of Patty Poole(played by [[Edie McClurg]]) on [[Valerie]]. He was introduced during the second season, after the show was renamed ''Valerie's Family'', played by [[Willard Scott]] of [[The Today Show]].
*Alexis Carrington on [[Dynasty]]. She was seen on the last episode of the first season, played only by a model whose face wasn't seen(since the role wasn't yet cast). She was seen in person at the beginning of the second season, played by [[Joan Collins]].
*Skunky Beaumont on [[Doug]] . He was mentioned but never seen on the Nickelodeon version, but he appeared on the Disney's verison of Doug
 
===British television and radio===
==Stage plays==
* ''[[Dad's Army]]'': Mrs Elizabeth Mainwaring, the wife of [[Captain Mainwaring]], is never seen with the exception of the episode "[[A Soldier's Farewell]]" when her great weight in the bunk above Captain Mainwaring's causes her mattress to sag into camera shot.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/twin-peaks-diane-mrs-columbo-tvs-best-unseen-characters/|title=From Twin Peaks' Diane to Mrs Columbo: TV's 10 greatest unseen characters|first=Michael|last=Hogan|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=March 2, 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref><ref name=Independent/> She appears in the [[Dad's Army (2016 film)|2016 movie]].
* Harvey, the title character of the [[1945]] play ''[[Harvey (play)|Harvey]]''. Elwood P. Dowd, who is the only character in the play who can see him, describes him as a six-foot tall rabbit, arguably a type of [[pooka]]. Some directors show shadows of Harvey, but it is part of artistic licence. This play has been made into a [[Harvey (movie)|film]] several times, most famously with [[Jimmy Stewart]] playing the role of Dowd.
* ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'': [[Arthur Daley]]'s wife, referred to only as "'Er Indoors", is never seen or heard, but often quoted.<ref name="erindoors">{{cite news|title='Er indoors enters the lexicon|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/er-indoors-enters-the-lexicon-1580557.html|access-date=15 May 2014|work=The Independent|date=30 August 1992}}</ref>
* [[Falstaff]] in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''
* ''[[Hi-de-Hi!]]'': Joe Maplin, the tyrannical and philandering owner of holiday camps, remains unseen (other than a statue of Maplin near the camp entrance). He communicated with his staff via hectoring, semi-literate letters that are read aloud by the character Jeffrey Fairbrother.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-top-ten-unseen-tv-characters/|title = The Top Ten Unseen TV Characters|date = 20 June 2008}}</ref> The acting role was intended for Bob Monkhouse but he was unavailable for filming.
* Godot in [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', although it is debatable as to whether this character actually exists except in the minds of [[Vladimir (character)|Vladimir]] and [[Estragon]].
* ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'': Hyacinth Bucket has a phone conversation in each episode with her son Sheridan, who has moved out and is attending university.<ref name="Independent">{{Cite web |last=Rentoul |first=John |date=16 February 2015 |title=Top 30 Characters You Never See: out of sight, but in your mind |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/top-30-characters-you-never-see-out-of-sight-but-in-your-mind-10047794.html |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>
* Reg in [[Kevin Elyot]]'s ''[[My Night with Reg]]''
*''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'': Monkey Harris, Ugandan Morris, Sunglasses Ron and Paddy the Greek, [[Del Boy]]’s business associates. Paddy the Greek and Monkey Harris are mentioned in many episodes, often sourcing Del’s shoddy merchandise, yet are never seen. They are often described in discussions about wild nights down The Nag's Head, or being banged up at the [[Wormwood Scrubs|Scrubs]] (inferring that one or all are serving a [[gaol]] sentence). On one occasion Del Boy is beaten up on [[Rodney Trotter|Rodney’s]] behalf. Rather than admit the truth of his injuries he claims to have fallen down the stairs at Monkey Harris’ house. It transpires Harris lives in a bungalow.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/only-fools-horses-conspiracy-theory-20630704|title = The Only Fools and Horses conspiracy theory about four characters you never see|date = 19 May 2021}}</ref>
* Rosaline in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''
*''[[The Archers]]'': In this long-running British radio soap opera, a number of permanent inhabitants of the village in which the story is set are frequently referred to but are never heard in their own voices. Fans of the programme often refer to these characters as "[[List of The Archers characters#Silent characters|the silents]]".<ref name="silents">{{cite news|last1=Cunningham|first1=Jennifer|title=In praise of … silent Archers characters|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/guest-commentary/in-praise-of-silent-archers-characters-1.1092492|access-date=9 November 2014|work=The Herald|publisher=Herald & Times Group|date=25 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228075808/http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/guest-commentary/in-praise-of-silent-archers-characters-1.1092492|archive-date=28 December 2014|___location=Glasgow|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Claribel in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[The Tempest]]''
* ''[[Heartbeat (UK TV series)|Heartbeat]]'': Throughout its entire 18-year run, PC Alf Ventress refers to his wife Mrs. Ventress, but she is neither seen nor is her first name ever revealed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/tvs-best-invisible-characters-outed-20150113-12i6kk.html|title=TV's best invisible characters outed|first=Bridget|last=McManus|date=January 17, 2015|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>
* Abigail in ''[[Abigail's Party]]'' (also a television play)
* Charley Brock in [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Rumors]]''
* Allison in ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]''. Although she does appear in the 1994 [[New York Theatre Workshop]] draft of the play, singing the song "Real Estate" along with Mark and her husband, Benny, she was cut by the time the final version of the show was produced.
* [[Jára Cimrman]], the main character of numerous plays by [[Ladislav Smoljak]] and [[Zdeněk Svěrák]], is always only referred to or his fictitious writings are read.
* [[Saint Wenceslas]] in Blaník by [[Ladislav Smoljak]] and [[Zdeněk Svěrák]] only sends messages.
*[[Matthew Shepard]] of [[The Laramie Project]], who, as the gay student murdered in the town of Laramie, is the subject of the 200 town resident interviews that went into the play. However, as the play takes place after the fact, Matthew Shepard is never actually seen.
*[[Antigone]] in ''Antigone'' by [[Slovenia|Slovene]] playwright [[Dominik Smole]]
* Comedian [[Bob Newhart]] would often hold lengthy conversations, usually over a mock telephone, with unseen people.
* The title characters of ''George and Margaret'' by Gerald Savory. They are expected at the play's setting, a country house, throughout and the other characters are making preparations for their arrival. But when it is announced in the dialogue that George and Margaret have arrived, the play ends and the audience never gets to see them.
 
===American television===
==Movies==
* On ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', Juanita Beasley, for whom [[Barney Fife]] occasionally expresses affection, is unseen but often referenced and telephoned by the lovestruck Fife.<ref name="mentalfloss11" />
*''[[The Wicked Witch of the East]]'' from ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)]]'', who was the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West, was crushed to death when Dorothy's house landed on Munchkinland from the cyclone. The only part of the witch who was seen is her feet sticking out from beneath Dorothy's house where she got those ruby slippers from.
* In ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'', the titular Charlie Townsend, the owner of the detective agency that employed the series leads, was never seen, and was portrayed solely as a voice (provided by actor [[John Forsythe]]) heard on a speakerphone.<ref name="nme">{{Cite web |date=2016-06-14 |title=The 25 Best TV Characters You Never See On Screen |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-25-best-tv-characters-you-never-see-on-screen-1408066 |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>
*Sean Regan in ''[[The Big Sleep (1946 film)|The Big Sleep]]'' (1946), whose life and disappearance is central to the plot.
* On the sitcom ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'', "The Gooch" is a recurring bully who terrorizes Arnold. He returns a few seasons later to bully Sam and is finally defeated by a foreign exchange student, Carmella, but is never seen.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metv.com/lists/9-important-characters-we-never-actually-saw-on-1980s-tv | title=9 important characters we never actually saw on 1980s TV }}</ref>
*Addie Ross in ''[[A Letter to Three Wives]]'' (1949). This character is crucial to the film's overall story, is constantly referred to by characters throughout the film, and her portrait is viewed by characters but never shown to the audience, however only her voice is heard (provided by an uncredited [[Celeste Holm]]).
* On the mystery drama ''[[Columbo]]'', Lieutenant Columbo often describes his wife in detail but she is never seen, heard, or otherwise portrayed in the series.<ref name="museum">{{cite web|title=Profile of ''Columbo''|url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/columbo.htm|website=Encyclopedia of Television|publisher=The Museum of Broadcast Communications|access-date=16 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215151/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/columbo.htm|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NME25best">{{cite web|author1=NME Picture Desk|title=The 25 Best TV Characters You Never See On Screen - NME|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-25-best-tv-characters-you-never-see-on-screen-1408066|website=NME|access-date=4 February 2018|date=14 June 2016}}</ref> A short-lived, unsuccessful spin-off series ''[[Mrs. Columbo (TV series)|Mrs. Columbo]]'', featuring [[Kate Mulgrew]], was created in 1979 after ''Columbo'' had ended its run. Lieutenant Columbo himself never appeared in the spinoff show, which was quickly retconned (and the title character renamed) to remove all associations with the original program.<ref name="totally">{{cite web|url=http://www.totallykate.com/mrscolum/katemyst.htm|title=Kate Loves a Mystery|access-date=May 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name="freeuk">{{cite web|url=http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/mrsc.htm|title=Mrs. Columbo Revealed!|access-date=July 29, 2016}}</ref>
*The hunter in ''[[Bambi (1942 movie)|Bambi]]'' (1942). It is later implied in Disney's ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' that Gaston is the hunter.
* On ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', [[Phyllis Lindstrom]]'s husband, Dr. Lars Lindstrom, is often referenced but never seen.<ref name="mentalfloss11">{{cite news|last1=Lascala|first1=Marisa|title=11 Famous TV Characters We Never Actually Saw|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/54533/11-famous-television-characters-we-never-actually-saw|access-date=15 May 2014|work=Mental Floss|date=25 November 2015|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Jesus Christ]] in ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1959) is shown from behind, and although he is shown apparently speaking, is never heard by the audience. In ''[[The Life of Brian]]'' (1979) Jesus is seen from a great distance preaching [[The Sermon on the Mount]].
* On ''[[Rhoda]]'', Carlton, the doorman in [[Rhoda Morgenstern]]'s apartment building, is often heard on the intercom (voiced by [[Lorenzo Music]]) but almost never seen – only his arm would occasionally appear from doors, and he was once shown dancing and conversing while wearing a gorilla mask. After ''Rhoda'' ended its run, Carlton was featured as an animated character in the 1980 spin-off special ''[[Carlton Your Doorman]]''. Once again voiced by Music, Carlton is shown as a young man with shoulder-length blond hair and mustache.<ref name="toptenz10">{{cite news|last1=Macauley|first1=Marnie|title=10 Legendary TV Characters We've Never Seen|url=https://www.toptenz.net/10-legendary-tv-characters-weve-never-seen.php|access-date=4 October 2014|work=Top TENZ|date=29 October 2018|language=en}}</ref>
* The prophet [[Muhammad]] in the film ''The Message''. (Strict Islamic law prohibits depictions of the human form, so any attempt to visually portray the Prophet would be considered a very severe transgression.)
* On teen drama series ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', the character Tino is mentioned in a majority of episodes by one or more of the main characters, and is descriptively developed into an edgy, cool persona. Despite apparently being a role-model to Jordan Catalano, singing in Catalano's band, and helping to drive the plot by actions such as throwing parties, Tino is never actually seen onscreen.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54533/11-famous-television-characters-we-never-actually-saw | title=11 Famous TV Characters We Never Actually Saw | date=25 November 2015 }}</ref>
*Charlie Townsend in ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' (the back of his head is seen closely and his full body is seen from a distance in the first film, and not at all in the second.)
* [[Norm Peterson|Vera Peterson]] from ''[[Cheers]]'' and [[Minor characters on Frasier#Maris Crane|Maris Crane]] from its spin-off ''[[Frasier]]'' are two of the most widely recognized unseen characters of American television,<ref name="Deseret">{{cite news|last1=Pierce|first1=Scott D.|title=Maris is missing in another great episode of 'Frasier'|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/453375/MARIS-IS-MISSING-IN-ANOTHER-GREAT-EPISODE-OF-FRASIER.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209103541/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/453375/MARIS-IS-MISSING-IN-ANOTHER-GREAT-EPISODE-OF-FRASIER.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2017|work=Deseret News|date=28 November 1995|language=en|quote=Maris Crane is missing! Actually, Maris Crane has always been missing. The thin and Caucasian wife of Dr. Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce) has never actually been seen on "Frasier" - although she's been a frequent presence on the show. And the unseen Maris plays a major part in a don't-miss episode of this excellent, Emmy-winning comedy.}}</ref><ref name="mentalfloss11" /><ref name="Hines">{{cite news|last1=Hines|first1=Ree|title=Favorite TV characters that no one ever played|url=http://www.today.com/id/28508535/ns/today-entertainment/t/favorite-tv-characters-no-one-ever-played/|access-date=4 February 2018|work=NBC TODAY|publisher=NBCUniversal|date=5 January 2009|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Endrst">{{cite news|last1=Endrst|first1=James|title=These TV Series Stars Are Out of Sight|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-12-ca-13171-story.html|access-date=4 February 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date=12 December 1995|quote=Like so many of TV's unseen stars, Maris is one of our most beloved characters, someone we're free to color in the way we choose, a figure who adds mystery, imagination, an X-factor to the show.}}</ref><ref name="Matheson">{{cite news|last1=Matheson|first1=Whitney|title=Some things onscreen are best left unseen|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/columnist/popcandy/2005-03-22-pop-candy_x.htm|access-date=4 February 2018|work=USA Today|date=22 March 2005}}</ref><ref name="Dawidziak">{{cite news|last1=Dawidziak|first1=Mark|title='Big Bang Theory's' Mrs. Wolowitz is the latest in a long line of enigmatic invisible TV characters|url=http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2012/12/big_bang_theorys_mrs_wolowitz_is_the_latest_in_a_long_line_of_enigmatic_invisible_tv_characters.html|access-date=4 February 2018|work=cleveland.com|publisher=Advance Ohio|date=7 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="NME25best" /> though Vera's body (with her face obscured by a pie)<ref name="collegehumor">{{Cite web |title=12 Television Characters We Never See (Even Though They Were On TV) |url=http://www.collegehumor.com/post/5096683/12-television-characters-we-never-see-even-though-they-were-on-tv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109025522/http://www.collegehumor.com/post/5096683/12-television-characters-we-never-see-even-though-they-were-on-tv |archive-date=2020-01-09 |website=[[CollegeHumor]]}}</ref> is seen in one episode, and her voice is heard in other episodes. Her voice was provided by Bernadette Birkett, the real-life wife of [[George Wendt]] who portrayed Norm Peterson, leading Wendt to comment that he never personally wondered what Vera looked like.<ref name=nme/> Maris is also seen as a silhouette,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garber |first1=Megan |title=I Can't Stop Watching Frasier. I Can't Stop Thinking About Maris. |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/maris-crane-frasier-netflix/603295/ |access-date=27 December 2019 |work=The Atlantic |date=20 December 2019}}</ref> and as a figure covered in a full body cast.
*Guffman in ''[[Waiting for Guffman]]''
* On ''[[Seinfeld]]'', Bob Sacamano, Lomez, and "Cousin Jeffrey" are often mentioned but never seen.<ref name="NME25best" /> The first two are friends of [[Cosmo Kramer]], and the last is the cousin of [[Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry Seinfeld]]. Jeffrey works for the New York City Parks Department, as Jerry is told ''[[ad nauseam]]'' by his [[Uncle Leo]].<ref name="ugo">{{cite news|last1=Fitzpatrick|first1=Kevin|title=TV's Best Characters (That You're Not Allowed To See)|url=http://www.ugo.com/tv/unseen-tv-characters?page=2|access-date=15 May 2014|work=UGO|publisher=IGN Entertainment|date=8 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120128/http://www.ugo.com/tv/unseen-tv-characters?page=2|archive-date=17 May 2014|page=2}}</ref>
*The truck driver in ''[[Duel (movie)|Duel]]''
* Stan Walker, the wealthy husband of Karen Walker on ''[[Will & Grace]]'', has been depicted on screen only as hands and feet.<ref name=nme/> Karen and Stan have divorced twice over the show's run, once after Stan faked his own death, leading the website ''[[CollegeHumor]]'' to label him as the one unseen character who "arguably drives the plot more than any other unseen character on a TV show."<ref name=collegehumor/>
*Rusty Nail, the truck driver, in ''[[Joy Ride]]''
* On the [[Netflix]] animated television series ''[[BoJack Horseman]]'', [[Mr. Peanutbutter]] often shouts to an off-screen, implicitly outlandish character known as "Erica".<ref name="dot and line">{{cite web|url=https://dotandline.net/who-is-erica-on-bojack-horseman/|title=Who Is Erica From BoJack Horseman, Anyway?|access-date=June 11, 2020|work=The Dot and Line|date=19 September 2018}}</ref>
*Harvey, a human-sized invisible rabbit, in the [[1950]] [[Harvey (movie)|film adaption]] of the [[Harvey (play)|stage play]] of the same name. Although the rabbit is invisible, some scenes were shot widely to give the impression that the invisible rabbit is included in the scene, and at the end of the film a gate is apparently opened by the rabbit.
* On [[The Golden Girls|''The Golden Girls'']], [[Dorothy Zbornak]]'s brother, Phil Petrillo is frequently mentioned but never seen<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCaffrey |first=Megan |date=2023-09-10 |title='The Golden Girls' Biggest Plot Hole Is a Head-Scratcher |url=https://collider.com/the-golden-girls-biggest-plot-hole/ |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref>. Phil is known to be a straight, married, [[Cross-dressing|cross-dresser]]<ref>{{cite episode
*Henne in ''[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kein_Pardon Kein Pardon]'' -- Throughout the movie, the main character's relatives speak fondly of him. In the last scene, Henne is greeted by the door just when the screen begins to blacken, so he is not seen even once.
| title = Ebbtide's Revenge
*''[[Oscar (movie)|Oscar]]'' -- The entire movie revolves around the title character, a chauffeur. But he makes his appearance only in the last scene.
| series = The Golden Girls
*Bill in ''[[Kill Bill|Kill Bill vol. 1]]'' -- only his arms or legs are shown. He is later seen full-bodied in ''Kill Bill vol. 2''.
| season = 6
*[[Palpatine|Emperor Palpatine]] in the original ''[[Star Wars]]'' trilogy. He is mentioned in ''[[A New Hope]]'', seen as a [[hologram]] in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' and finally shown, in person, in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''. The character has appeared in person in all the prequel movies, but the true identity of his [[alter ego]] [[Palpatine|Darth Sidious]] was not revealed until ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]''; as Darth Sidious, he kept a [[hood]] over his head to conceal all his face except his mouth and [[double-chin]].
| number = 12
*[[Jabba the Hutt]] in the original version of ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|A New Hope]]''; he later appeared in ''[[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|Return of the Jedi]]''. A new scene was introduced in the special edition of ''A New Hope'' which featured Han confronting Jabba on giving him more time to pay him back.
| network = NBC
*[[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]], the most famous [[James Bond]] villain, is seen only in silhouette or from the back in his first appearances in ''[[From Russia with Love]]'' and ''[[Thunderball]]''. He is finally seen in ''[[You Only Live Twice]]''.
| airdate = 1990-12-15
* The Blue Voice (voiced by [[Fenella Fielding]]) in the 1972 feature film of ''[[The Magic Roundabout]]'', ''Dougal and the Blue Cat'', was the disembodied voice situated in the treacle factory who gave orders to Buxton (the blue cat of the title) to take over the colours of the world, and replace them all with the colour blue. It is rumored that she was based on [[Margaret Thatcher]], and the character is a political comment about the beginnings of [[Thatcherism]] - the colour blue being the colour of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].
| credits = Directed by Matthew Diamond; Written by Marc Sotkin
*Korben Dallas' mother and friend, Finger, from ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' are both heard but not seen.
| series-link= The Golden Girls
*Father in ''[[Equilibrium (2002 movie)|Equilibrium]]''. The character never appears in public except as a hologram or on a video screen, and in the end it is revealed that the real Father died years before the events of the film, although the rulers of Libria, the fictional country the movie is set in, continue to use Father's image for their propaganda.
| ___location = Miami, Florida
*Morris Frye, Cameron Frye's father in ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]''.
}}</ref>.
*[[Russia|Russian]] Premier Dimitri Kissoff in ''[[Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb]]''.
* Alex, the suicidal common friend of ''[[The Big Chill (film)|The Big Chill]]'' (played by [[Kevin Costner]], but left on the cutting room floor)
*The Man In Black, from ''[[Halloween 5]]'' - we don't get to see his face until the next movie.
*Horseflesh in ''[[Time Bandits]]''.
* In the [[Alfred Hitchcock]] film ''[[Rebecca (film)|Rebecca]]'', based on the [[Daphne du Maurier]] [[Rebecca (novel)|novel of the same name]], the title character is constantly referred to but never seen, having died before the beginning of the film.
* [[Deep Throat (Watergate)|Deep Throat]] appears in the film ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]'' but his face is never visible.
*In [[Finding Nemo]], Sandy Plankton is the source of neighborhood wisdom, but is never seen on screen. Although the young fish all believe him, most of the information he dispenses is apparently incorrect.
*Leia's Father, [[Bail Organa]], in the [[Star Wars Trilogy]]. He is given a part in the radio version. He is not seen until the Prequels, where he is played by [[Jimmy Smits]].
* Biff's Grandma Tannen on [[Back To The Future Part II]] in [[1955]]. She is only heard talking to Biff from inside the house while Biff is leaving.
*Julie Dwyer often mention in the movies of [[Kevin Smith]]/[[View Askewniverse]].
 
== References ==
==Comic strips, comic books, webcomics, and graphic novels==
{{reflist|30em}}
* In the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] comics, some relatives are absent and rarely talked about, for example, [[Huey, Dewey and Louie]]'s father.
* [[Mary Jane Watson]] in the ''[[Spider-Man]]'' [[comic book]] series was spoken of for several issues, and in her first "appearance", was glimpsed by other characters only, and not finally revealed until the next issue.
*The Adversary in [[Vertigo (comics)|Vertigo comics's]] ''[[Fables (comics)|Fables]]'', who's recently revealed as [[Pinocchio]]'s father, [[Gepetto]].
*Carlyle, the suave cabbie/adventurer from the webcomic [[Sam and Fuzzy]].
*The comic strip ''[[Peanuts]]'' featured several unseen characters:
**The "[[Little Red-Haired Girl]]", [[Charlie Brown]]'s crush -- seen in many [[animation|animated]] [[television specials]] by the name of "Heather" (which [[Charles M. Schulz]] has stated is unofficial), but never shown in the comic strip itself (except once in [[silhouette]]).
**[[The Great Pumpkin]], whom [[Linus van Pelt|Linus]] believes appears in the most sincere pumpkin patch to deliver presents to good children. The Great Pumpkin may or may not exist.
**The Head Beagle, whom [[Frieda]] reported Snoopy to in [[October]] [[1969]] when he refused to chase a rabbit.
**Various adults, notably all of the characters' parents, [[Linus van Pelt]]'s teacher [[Miss Othmar]], [[Joe Shlabotnik]] (Charlie Brown's baseball hero), and Linus' blanket-hating grandmother. Adults in most of the ''Peanuts'' animated cartoons are heard only as the unintelligible (to the audience) sounds of a [[trombone]] ("woh-woh-woh").
*Charlie, [[Rosalyn]]'s boyfriend in ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]''. He is talked to by a few characters (notably Rosalyn and Calvin), over the phone.
*[[Andy Capp]]'s mother-in-law. Sometimes heard but never seen. Sometimes the strip has had other one-time joke pub customer characters, who are off-panel but they talk.
*J.P. Pembrooke, Roger Fox's boss in ''[[FoxTrot]]''. His arms and cigar are seen, but never his whole body.
*Charlie Noodles (mentioned but never seen) and Stella (face never seen) from ''[[The Goon]]''.
*Mrs. Feeny, the next door neighbour, and her little dog, who [[Garfield]] likes tormenting. Mrs. Feeny keeps phoning Garfield's owner Jon telling him what his pet has done to hers.
*Ellen, a girl Jon Arbuckle keeps phoning to try to get her to go out with him in ''[[Garfield]]''.
*[[Lord Deadcross]] in the ''[[Astro Boy]]'' manga, where his face was always out of view or masked.
*In ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'', the face of Soichiro-san, the late husband of the boarding house's manager is obscured in flashbacks and photographs.
*The Commissioner in the ''[[Sam & Max]]'' comics.
*R.L., Kell's boss in ''[[Kevin and Kell]]''. Only his drooling muzzle is usually ever seen. His whole body was recently shown, but his face was still hidden by a wrestler's mask.
*[[Curtis (comic strip)|Curtis]]'s cousins in the comic strip ''[[Curtis (comic strip)|Curtis]]''. (We hear of his vague details of them, though, during Thanksgiving week.)
*[[Dilbert]]'s father in the comic strip ''[[Dilbert]]'' (However, in the TV series, we do see a part of him in one episode).
*Roger, in ''[[Safe Havens]]''. Roger is terminally shy, and his appearance has been hidden since the start of the strip, first inside a box, and more recently inside various mascot costumes.
*The nameless, troublesome family upstairs in [[George Herriman]]'s ''Dingbat Family'' (later retitled, appropriately, ''The Family Upstairs'').
*The title characters in Pop Momand's ''[[Keeping up with the Joneses]]''.
* Haydon in the comic and novelizations of the aborted ''[[Robotech]]'' series Robotech II the Sentinels. He was finally revealed in the [[Jack McKinney]] novel End of The Circle as a godlike being trying to reach the next level of existence.
*The full head and eyes of [[Judge Dredd]] is never seen, almost always covered by his vizored helmet and if not, covered with a towel, bandages or something else. Once, he is knocked out and his enemies take his helmet off, but this is not seen by the reader, and all of the people who saw his whole face are later killed by Dredd. (This is a trait not kept in the [[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd film]], starring the well-known actor [[Sylvester Stallone]] as Judge Dredd.)
*[[Clow Reed]] from [[Cardcaptor Sakura]] is mentioned in [[xxxHolic]] by [[Ichihara Yuuko]] but is never heard, mostly due to the fact that he is dead when the series begins. He does, however, have one splash page.
* Marty from the webcomic [[Count Your Sheep]]
* Jean-Charles, the "bumbling, Clouseau-esque" Frenchman from "[[Jerkcity]]".
* Professor Science, a diplodocus wearing a mortarboard, from [[Dinosaur Comics]].
* "It", the final and most frightening monster in a [[Clever and Smart]] issue where robbers were disguised as scary monsters.
* The face of "V," the titular character in [[Alan Moore]]'s [[graphic novel]] "[[V for Vendetta]]" is never shown. Through flashbacks and character recollections, it's evident that "V" is a well-built white male, but his true identity is never revealed.
* The farmer from ''[[U.S. Acres]]'' is often mentioned by the characters, but was only seen once, and from the legs down, as was his daughter.
* In the manga ''[[Ranma ½]]'', the parents of [[Ryoga Hibiki|Ryōga Hibiki]] are never seen, since like their son they are frequently lost. Ryōga's father calls him on the phone once, and Ryōga's mother leaves notes for him in the house.
* The Belgian comic strip ''[[Gaston Lagaffe]]'' features the company's real-life president, Jean [[Dupuis]]. He's heard sometimes, but when seen only one foot ever shows up.
* The Finnish comic strip creator, [[Jope]] (Jorma Pitkänen) is famous of his nonseen characters. [[Invisible Viänänen]] is invisible all the time. The main characher in [[Puolipohja]] is always drunk and under the table, only his foot are visible. The bureaucrats in [[Cabaree työnvälitys]] have no heads.
 
{{Stock characters}}
==Radio programs==
Naturally, no characters are ever seen in any radio programming. However, several programs have featured recurring characters who were never heard and characterized through one-sided phone calls, letters, or references to them in conversations. Notable examples of this type, often called "silent characters," include the following:
 
[[Category:Unseen characters| ]]
*Duffy, the owner of ''[[Duffy's Tavern]]''. Every episode, Duffy telephoned Archie, the bar's manager. Listeners heard only Archie's side of the conversation.
[[Category:Fictional characters by role in the narrative structure]]
*Samantha the score-keeper on ''[[I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue]]'', a long-running [[Radio Four]] comedy series.
*Frank Remley, the guitar player on ''The [[Jack Benny]] Program'' (though he was later heard on ''The [[Phil Harris]] and [[Alice Faye]] Show'')
*Pierre, husband of Mrs. Nussbaum on ''The [[Fred Allen]] Show''
*Mrs. Bloom, neighbor on ''[[The Goldbergs]]''.
*Mr. Pullen, an elderly (and frequently suggested to be [[Urinary incontinence|incontinent]]) character on ''[[The Archers]]''.
*Other ''Archers'' characters, including Titcombe the gardener, Bert Fry's wife Freda, Matt Crawford's wife Yvette, and until recently, Owen the cook (given a voice in the summer of 2004, by Jonathan Keeble).
*Several characters on ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]'': Myrt the telephone operator, Molly's drunken Uncle Dennis (later heard briefly, voiced by Ransom Sherman), Wallace Wimple's overbearing wife "Sweetie Face", and Fibber's pals Fred Nitney and Willie Toops.
*Nearly all of the supporting characters on ''[[Vic and Sade]]'' (until late in the run, when several were given voices), notably Aunt Bessie and Uncle Walter, the Hink family (who called long distance), Fred and Ruthie Stembottom, and Uncle Fletcher's landlady Miz Keller.
 
==Books==
* Joan Walden, Sally and Conrad's mother in [[Dr. Seuss]]' ''[[The Cat in the Hat]]'', who was always shown with her face obscured. In the [[live-action]] [[film adaptation]], she was fully visible.
*[[Big Brother (1984)|Big Brother]] and [[Emmanuel Goldstein]]. In the novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', it is not clear if either actually exist (or existed) as a person, or are images crafted by the state, or the personification of the Party and its enemy, respectively.
* [[Dulcinea|Dulcinea del Toboso]] (and her [[alter ego]] Aldonza Lorenzo) in [[Cervantes]]' novel ''[[Don Quixote]]''. Don Quixote falls in love with peasant Aldonza and imagines she is a princess, Dulcinea. Although in stage and film adaptations there is usually someone acting as Dulcinea, neither Dulcinea nor Aldonza really appear in the original novel.
* The main villain ([[Sauron]]) of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Although the book is named after him, he is never seen in the novel, and his movements and tactical thoughts of the war are assumed by his enemies. His nature is not explained. Finally, in 1977 with the publishing of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', by [[Tolkien]], his major roles in the history of [[Middle-earth]] became known, as well as his nature (a [[Maiar|Maia]], an 'angelic' spirit - in this case corrupted).
* [[Mudd]] aka The Dead Man in Yossarian's Tent. In the novel ''[[Catch-22]],'' Mudd drops his things off in Yossarian's tent, gets assigned to a mission before he checks in, and is killed in combat. No one who saw him survived, and since he never 'officially' arrived, his possessions cannot be disposed of.
* The [[Soldier in White]]. Another ''Catch-22'' character, he's seen in the hospital, completely encased in plaster. The viewer knows nothing about him, and it is speculated that there is actually no one under all the bandages.
* [[Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#Eccentrica Gallumbits|Eccentrica Gallumbits]], the Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon Six in ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' series of books. She is referenced in every book in the series but never actually appears in any of them. The [[BBC]] TV version of ''Hitchhiker's'' does include a detailed diagram of her [[erogenous zones]].
* In ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' by [[C. S. Lewis]], the [[Emperor-Over-Sea]] is mentioned as [[Aslan]]'s "father." While Aslan is seen with some frequency, the Emperor never is, presumably because he is an allegorical representation of [[God]].
* Also by [[C. S. Lewis]], the implied human in [[The Screwtape Letters]] is referred to constantly by the demon Wormwood's uncle Screwtape but never given an active voice.
* In [[Harry Potter]], Eloise Midgen is often made reference to by name about her poor [[acne]] and off center nose. [[Ron Weasley]] does not find her attractive. She is seen in the movie adaptations.
* Also in [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley|Ron Weasley's]] two eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, were often mentioned but never seen. Both eventually appeared in [[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|Goblet of Fire]] (the book), but have yet to make an appearance in the film adaptations.
* The [[Once-ler]] and his relatives in ''[[The Lorax]]''. Only their arms are seen in the book.
* Jane Gallagher, in ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'', is often mentioned by the novel's main character, Holden Caulfield, but never seen by the reader. Described as one of the few girls he'd ever really felt close to, Holden almost calls her on multiple occasions, but always backs down.
* Chloe King's Father is constantly referenced in the book series [[The Nine Lives of Chloe King]], but never appears in the books, leaving a large plot hole.
 
==Video games==
===Heard but never seen===
* [[Ness]]' dad in ''[[EarthBound]]''. Ness can save the game by calling his dad on the [[telephone]]. In fact, during the end credits where all the characters are shown, Ness' dad is shown as a ringing telephone.
* In the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' series, Ozwell E. Spencer, the founder of [[Umbrella Corporation|Umbrella]] is mentioned in various documents and by a few characters as the mastermind behind many of the tragedies that occurred through the series (such as the murder of [[James Marcus]] and the transformation of [[Lisa Trevor]]), but has not been featured in any of the actual games (with the last game, ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', taking place years after Umbrella's demise).
* In ''[[Disgaea: Hour of Darkness]]'', a voice is heard talking to and advising one of the main characters, but the speaker is never identified.
* In ''Backyard Basketball 2004'', Sally and Ronny Dobbs's mother calls "Kids! Time for dinner!", but never seen. The kids do not hear her since they are playing basketball.
*The Devil in the [[Doom 3]].
* Euzeth Gozzo in ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' ''Alpha'', like many [[Balmarian]] nobles, is masked throughout the entire game, but during battle his voice is heard. However, his face was shown in another game, [[Super Hero Sakusen]].
* Genevieve Aristiede in [[F.E.A.R.]] has an important role in the plot and her voice can be heard on phone messages yet she never appears in person.
 
===Unseen characters that are later seen (usually final bosses) ===
* [[Xehanort|Ansem]] and [[Mickey Mouse|King Mickey]] in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' (Ansem appears earlier in the game wearing an all-concealing brown cloak)
* [[Yevon|Yu Yevon]] in ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''
* Sorceress Ultimecia in ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]''
* Mary Sheperd-Sunderland in ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'' (although Maria looks exactly like her)
* Dr. Sidney Ruffleberg in ''[[The Secret of Evermore]]''. Ruffleburg is briefly seen in the opening sequences of the game, and does not appear again until the end of the game.
* Shodan in [[System Shock 2]].
* Smithy in ''[[Super Mario RPG]]''. Although his minions are constantly causing trouble, Smithy himself is never seen until the end of the game.
* Ganon in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Ganon appears in the game as the sorcerer Aganihm, who appears twice. Ganon is also referenced by the imprisoned maidens, and statues of him appear in some dungeons. Ganon is his true form is not seen until the final battle.
* [[Princess Peach]] in the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' Afterwards, she is no longer considered such.
* [[Mundus]] in ''[[Devil May Cry]]''
* [[Sigma (character)|Sigma]] in ''[[Mega Man X (video game)|Mega Man X]]'' (appears multiple times in all subsequent games)
* [[Janos Audron]] in the ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series (appears late in ''Soul Reaver 2'' and does not reappear again until late in ''Defiance'')
* [[Solidus Snake]] (aka George Sears), the third [[Les Enfants Terribles (Metal Gear)|Son of Big Boss]] and [[President of the US]] in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', speaks with [[Revolver Ocelot]] in the end of the game, but is not seen until the sequel (''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]''). Likewise, the character [[Sergei Gurlukovich]] is also mentioned in the first game before actually appearing in the second.
* A character known only as "[[That Man (Guilty Gear)|That Man]]" in the ''[[Guilty Gear]]'' series.
* The character [[Ada Wong]] was first mentioned in the original ''[[Resident Evil (video game)|Resident Evil]]'' before appearing in ''[[Resident Evil 2]]''.
* [[The Sorrow]] in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3]]'' although, he is seen wearing a coat near the start.
* [[Samus Aran]] in ''[[Metroid]]'', only seen in a suit of full-body armor until the end of the game, where Samus is revealed to be a woman.
* Regent Cid on [[Final Fantasy IX]]. He is first seen as an Oglop, then gets turned into a frog on disc 2. He is finally back to his true human form on disc 3.
* Lady Hilda, Regent Cid's wife on [[Final Fantasy IX]]. She is finally introduced on Disc 3 of the game after the characters rescue her from Esto Gaza.
*[[Meta-Knight]] in the [[Kirby]] series. Wears a mask that only allows the eyes to be seen. When defeated, his mask falls before he flees.
*[[Gordon Freeman]], protagonist in the [[Half-Life]] series, is not seen in the first game; it is seen entirely through Freeman's eyes, as is [[Half-Life 2]]. However he is fleetingly glimpsed in both [[Half-Life: Opposing Force]] and [[Half-Life: Blue Shift]]. The character was, however, prominently featured on the box of the game-of-the-year edition of the original game.
* [[Giygas]], final boss of [[EarthBound]] is never seen until the end of the game.
* Lionel Starkweather, the director in the video game ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]''. His voice is heard numerous times throughout the first half of the game, but he is never actually seen until the very end.
* Decoy Octopus in the video game [[Metal Gear Solid]], who is only seen briefly disguised as the [[DARPA]] chief Donald Anderson, then has his identity revealed after his death by Vulcan Raven.
* In [[Strife]], Blackbird contacts the player via a commnicator, transmitting advice and orders, but is not seen until the ending screens.
* Helen Morgendorffer, the mother from the cartoon [[Daria]] is constantly talking on the phone with her boss, Eric. Eric appears in episode 408 titled 'Psycho Therapy'.
* [[Eith Gozzo]] of ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' ''Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy'', like many [[Balmarian]] nobles, remains masked throughout most of the game until he reveals his identity.
* [[Shivah Gozzo]] of ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' ''Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy'' is masked until he is defeated in the latter stages of the game.
* [[Keisar Ephes]] telepathically speaks multiple times to the protagonist in ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' ''Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy'', but his face is never shown until the final confrontation.
* In the first ''[[Eye of the Beholder (computer game)|Eye of the Beholder]]'', the main villain Xanathar is frequently mentioned in the game, and the player can deduce from various hints that he is a [[beholder]], but he is confronted only at the very end.
 
==See also==
* [[Silent protagonist]]
* [[List of characters who rarely speak]]
 
[[Category:Lists of fictional characters|Unseen characters, List of]]
[[Category:Unseen characters|*]]
 
[[fr:Personnage invisible]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unseen_character"