When you think of the most iconic characters in a certain TV show, they’ll usually have a recognizable face. In fact, with how shallow Hollywood has become, they’ll probably specifically be cast more for looks than for acting chops alone. So in that sense, it’s hard to imagine having a big character in a show never actually show their face on screen.
It doesn’t happen too often, but there’s a few shows out there that have risked having an invisible character on the roster. Let’s take a look at some of these characters, where you just won’t be able to put a face on them.
Charlie – Charlie’s Angels
Considering how many interactions there are between the main characters and Charlie, it’s pretty weird that he never shows his face. It does fit the spy theme, as no one is allowed to know what Charlie actually looks like – not even the viewers.
Ugly Naked Guy – Friends
All the things we know from Ugly Naked Guy, we know from the gang essentially spying on him from across the street. He comes up in quite a few episodes up to season 5, where I guess there were no more jokes to tell and the creators decided to have him move to a different, far away apartment.
Vera Peterson – Cheers
Every Cheers viewer will definitely remember Norm and what he looks like, but his wife Vera is another thing altogether. We only know things about her because Norm calls her on the phone frequently while sitting at the bar. Fun fact: the woman that voices Norm’s wife, is actually the real-life wife of George Wendt, the actor that plays Norm.
Mrs. Wolowitz – The Big Bang Theory
While she may just be nothing more than a woman yelling from off-screen, it’s hard to deny that she has an impact on the show and will always be a memorable character.
Bob Sacamano – Seinfeld
Yes, even Seinfeld had an off-screen character. We only know things about him because of what Kramer tells us, which honestly isn’t a pretty picture. The stories usually boil down to Bob being a bit of a wackjob, stuck in a mental institution. He does occasionally pull some crazy pranks on the other characters, like giving Kramer and George defective condoms.
Scranton Strangler – The Office
Yes, this show actually had a serial murderer as an unidentified character. Quite literally, because the guy that gets put in jail for the Scranton Strangler’s crimes probably wasn’t the actual killer. Naturally, this has sparked a wide array of theories about who really performed the murders. There’s a bunch of characters that look suspicious, but we’ll never know who it really was.
Maris – Frasier
Probably the most established character of all the ones mentioned here, Maris Crane is Niles’ first wife. Pretty much everyone on the show knew her intimately and shares a bunch of stories about her. In fact, most of the main characters absolutely hate her and she does come off as a sort of villain. Her storyline ends when she escapes to a private island because she’s a wanted woman.
