List of minor characters of Scrubs

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The following are a list of minor characters from the American situation comedy Scrubs.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Recurring characters
2 Other recurring characters
- 2.1 J.D.'s Interns
- 2.2 Hospital staff
3 Major guest cast
4 General cameo appearances
5 References

[edit] Recurring characters

These cast members have appeared in numerous episodes since the show's beginning but remain credited as guest stars.

[edit] Jordan Sullivan

Main article: Jordan Sullivan

[edit] Ted Buckland

Main article: Ted Buckland

[edit] Keith Dudemeister

Main article: Keith Dudemeister

[edit] The Todd

Main article: The Todd

[edit] Laverne Roberts

Main article: Laverne Roberts

[edit] Doug Murphy

Main article: Doug Murphy

[edit] Lonnie

Lonnie (Michael Hobert)

Lonnie, played by Michael Hobert, began working at Sacred Heart as one of J.D.'s interns in Season 3, first seen in His Story II. In Season 4, he became a 2nd year resident and was taught by Chief Residents Elliot and J.D. He continued his residency in Season 5, supervised by Dr Cox. He has even been a part of the Triple Giant Doctor (in Episode 4.13, "My Ocardial Infarction"). He has three children "that he knows of", can grow a moustache in one day, and played Big East Conference basketball for Villanova University, where he was All-Conference. Lonnie, along with Snoop-Dog Resident will become attendings, or fellows at the start of season 7, due to the progression of time. Although, since any given hospital can only afford a few attendings, some people are going to have to leave or accept lower positions as practitioners.

Interestingly, Michael Hobert also appeared as an extra in the pilot episode, as a patient getting an MRI scan near the end of the episode.

[edit] Dr. Kim Wen

Dr. Wen (Charles Chun)

Dr. Wen, played by Charles Chun, is an attending surgeon who was Turk and the Todd's mentor for their first three years at the hospital. He has a somewhat serious personality, but often lightens up and enjoys jokes. He appears less jockish than many of the other surgeons at the hospital, although still got involved in a surgical versus medical wheelchair race (My Way or the Highway) There is much that is not known about him, but it is confirmed that he is married. In Episode 1.03, "My Best Friend's Mistake", it is revealed he is inordinately fond of the Erasure song "A Little Respect".

[edit] Other recurring characters

[edit] J.D.'s Interns

Season 5 of Scrubs often focused on J.D.'s relationships with his group of interns, which included:

Jason "Cabbage" Cabbagio, played by Shaughn Buchholz, was J.D.'s favorite intern, but turned out to be incompetent when it came to the medical world. J.D. had to fire him, but, before leaving, Cabbage accidentally spread an infection to Mrs. Wilk, which would later cause her death. He is later seen in Season 6 working at a coffee shop in the hospital. He is an ape enthusiast and does a "dynamite ape impression".
Gloria, played by Christina Miles, is significantly older than all the other interns. She is dating Leonard the (black afroed, hook handed) Security Guard, and carrying his twin babies. She also has an odd propensity for waving.
Lisa, played by Jordan Zucker, is an overly competitive intern who is often aggravated at Elliot's blatant favoritism of Keith. She denied sleeping with the Todd, but it's later reveal she did, because she was sad as her dad died.
Rex, played by Aaron Ikeda, is an Asian intern who is often picked on and/or put in an awkward situation. He lost the tip of an index finger to a patient in one episode and has his chest opened up by J.D. with a buzz saw in another episode.
Mark "Wolfman" Cabbage is one of J.D.'s interns who is overly hairy, though J.D. tells him the nickname is because of his "keen sense of smell" and not his "ridiculously hairy torso". His last name and Jason Cabbagio's nickname, "Cabbage" cause some confusion.
Crazy Barry was seen in one episode where it is revealed that he can not work around children (most likely due to a court order).
Keith Dudemeister was JD's least favorite intern, but eventually found a liking for him.

In My House Dr Cox referred to Rex as a resident, indicating that the Season 5 interns have become 2nd year residents.

[edit] Hospital staff

Over the years, quite a few employees of Sacred Heart Hospital – who often started off simply as background characters – have made appearances as characters on the show. These include:

Leonard, played by producer Randall Winston, is the hospital's security guard who is recognized by his giant afro and hook-hand. It's a running joke that people tend to associate him more with his afro than his hand. He is dating second year resident Gloria. He doesn't allow bouncing basketballs in the hallways, and has confiscated (and popped) Turk's, because of J.D., on more than one occasion. Leonard lost his hand after it got caught in an ice machine, and received a $5,000,000 settlement from the hospital. Leonard might also be bisexual, for in the episode "My Chopped Liver" when Dr. Cox is pretending to mentor the interns, Gloria says that her boyfriend is bicurious and wants her to pick his lovers. This would only prove to be true though, if Gloria and Leonard were already dating at that point.
Dr. Walter Mickhead, played by Frank Encarnacao, who has been seen and mentioned several times throughout the show. One of the first mentions of his name was brought up in a joke ("You should hear what the interns are calling Dr. Mickhead"). In Season 3, Dr. Kevin Casey helped him to quit his addiction to huffing paint. A small story arc in Season 5 revolved around his involvement in the murder of his wife. He is one of a handful of characters who started out as background extras for the show. It has recently been revealed that he is Republican.
Randall Winston, played by Martin Klebba, a little person who works as a janitor and is also friends with the main Janitor and wrestles him from time to time. J.D. has frights about him punching crotches and remarks about the "powerful tiny fists" whenever he sees or thinks about Randall. Part of Hibbleton, the Janitor's band. He is the current president of the janitors' union. Character is named for one of the show's producers who also plays Leonard the Security Guard. (This was also the name of the Mayor on Lawrence's previous show Spin City).
Dr. Jeffrey Steadman, played by Matt Winston, is a brown-noser to Dr. Kelso. He was J.D.'s and Elliot's resident when they were interns. He was last seen trying to obtain the position of Residency Director (which eventually went to Dr. Cox) at the hospital during the third season. He regularly plays golf with Dr. Kelso, and in one occasion mentioned that he has a husband.
Troy, played by Joe Rose, a cafeteria worker and sometimes sidekick of the Janitor. Not very intelligent (to the point where the Janitor recommends he not have children, presumably to prevent them being similarly impaired), but hates J.D. as he, without thinking, said Troy was stupid. Part of Hibbleton, the Janitor's band. It has been insinuated that Troy is an ex-con and attended Yale.
"Crazy-Eyes" Margo is a friend of the Janitor and is, along with Troy and Randall, part of his brain trust. Janitor helped reunite Margo with her birth mother, a "tree person". Margo also enjoys rap like Ludacris and supposedly sold her children.
Dr. Paul Zeltzer, played by Bob Clendenin, a skilled oncologist who enjoys prostitutes (turning down an invitation to a party held by Dr. Cox on learning there would be none present) and seems to have rather unusual sexual tastes (he and his wife once drugged Dr. Cox and Jordan with roofies and remarked "Party time..."). According to the Series One DVD commentary, this trait was given as part of common practise with one-off staff members who are deemed funny enough to warrant returns - when they do, a particular character trait is assigned to them, in this case sexual deviancy. Also, in an episode where a patient has a lightbulb stuck in his rectum, he said "That's why my wife and I use candles."
Dr. John Hedrick, played by Dave Foley, is Sacred Heart's grief counselor. He helped J.D. and Dr. Cox cope with the death of Patricia Wilk, and has been seen intermittently since. In My Five Stages, Dr. Kelso destroyed Hedrick's bike with his car. He made a brief appearance in the "My House", the fourth episode of the sixth season.
Lloyd the Delivery Guy, played by writer Mike Schwartz, is a member of the Air Band Cool Cats with Turk, Ted, and the Janitor. He plays air drums. He has been in rehab and is now sober, admitting to JD that he once received a DUI for crack cocaine, but in an early episode was a patient at the hospital after getting his penis stuck in a flashlight. He was also seen in a musical number after getting poo thrown in his eye by a homeless person. It is discovered that he is the son of "Colonel Doctor" when J.D. is taped to the ceiling in the episode "My Perspective". Lloyd also enjoys speed metal. In episode 14 of season 6 ("My No Good Reason"), Dr. Cox uses Lloyd as part of a plan to get Laverne to admit that sometimes bad things happen for no reason. He has also been mentioned to the loneliest person in the hospital.
Franklyn, played by Masi Oka, a nerdy Japanese laboratory assistant. He dislikes pulling strings and sometimes outright rejects analysis. He also appears to resent the idea that he makes mistakes, as pointed out in series 1 by J.D. and Elliot, but under pressure admitted the allegation was true - although he refused to address it in any way. He had a problem with J.D. for awhile when the Janitor tricked the former into uttering a racist slur against Asians in Franklyn's presence.
Hooch, played by Phill Lewis, is a surgeon whom Turk and J.D like to mess with. When he was first introduced, he was an easy-going guy, but during an episode where Turk and J.D. repeatedly said his name, he gradually became angrier and eventually snapped. Hooch is now very aggressive; he once knocked a man out with his shoe for trying to exit an elevator he was guarding for J.D. Upon seeing Hooch's extreme behavior, J.D. and Turk habitually respond with "Hooch is crazy." J.D. and Turk manage to pair him with another doctor, Turner (played by Jim Hanks), in one episode to create what J.D. describes as "a super medical crime-fighting team," Turner and Hooch. Hooch briefly replaced Turk as J.D's best friend, and was given the nickname Chocolate Bear 2.
Dr. Kim, played by Lo Ming, who makes all his patients take off their pants, no matter what the issue. Dr. Kim is also Turk's Doctor.
Lisa the Gift Shop Girl, played by Sarah Lancaster, the attractive girl who runs the Sacred Heart Gift Shop. She briefly dates J.D. She is later revealed to still work at the hospital, but J.D. can't see her because she wears a wedding ring.
Nurse Tisdale, played by Monica Allgeier, the most attractive nurse at the hospital. She made her first appearance in My Own Personal Jesus, and has been seen a few times since then.
Colonel Doctor, a doctor who nobody seems to know the name of, yet gets his nickname from bearing a striking resemblance to Colonel Sanders. He is played by Bob Bencomo. The Janitor watches surveillance footage of him using the bathroom so he can "freak him out" by guessing how many times he went during a given day. Like Dr. Mickhead he has been around since the show began, but was originally only supposed to be an extra. He is also shown to be the father of Lloyd the Delivery Guy when J.D. is taped to the ceiling in the episode "My Perspective".
Dr. Beardfacé was formerly the fastest appendectomy at Sacred Heart until Turk took the title, a moment Turk considers one of his greatest. He is often annoyed that people pronounce his name "Beard Face" (insisting that it's correctly pronounced "beard-fah-SAY"). Like Dr. Mickhead and Colonel Doctor he was a long time extra before becoming an oft-mentioned character.
Snoop Dogg Resident (formerly Snoop Dogg Intern) was mentioned during one episode by J.D. (he asked "Where my ho's at?". J.D. replied "I haven't seen them") J.D. has stated that Doctor Kevin Casey said good bye to him when Elliot was saying "He didn't even say goodbye" ("My Porcelain God"). Was given the name Snoop Dogg Resident in the episode "My Fishbowl". He later got a snake when a patient who owns a pet store gave it to him, he replied " My ho's are gonna love this". Again he was mentioned in My No Good Reason
Dr. Jim Bianca usually referred to as the "albino doctor from radiology", has been mentioned in at least 3 episodes, but remains an unseen character. Has cheated on his wife with Nurse Tisdale and various other women in the hospital.
Dr. Ginny Gerson, played by Julie Hudson, is an attending gynecologist. Elliot's father spoke with her in an attempt to have Elliot join the department.
Dr. Matthews, played by Jay Kenneth Johnson, is Carla's gynecologist at the hospital. He is considered extremely attractive by the female staff, especially Jordan, who often makes unnecessary gynecological appointments in order to see him.
Chet is an extremely tall doctor, he is so tall that his face is never shown. He first appeared in My Overkill. J.D. usually uses his lab coat while playing giant doctor.
Dr. Johnson, played by Robert E. Beckwith, is an atteding dermatologist. He is often made fun of because of his speciality (what Dr. Cox refers to as the "most ridiculous of career choices"). He is mentioned to have a trust fund.

[edit] Major guest cast

Important roles have been played by:

Nicole Sullivan, as flighty and nervous recurring patient Jill Tracy. She and Elliot got along extremely well due to how alike they are. She was known to suffer from depression and relationship problems, which became more extreme up until the day she died (as seen in My Lunch). She was originally misdiagnosed as fatally overdosing on cocaine, but the cause was later revealed to be rabies. In My Long Goodbye, she appears as a spirit following Dr. Cox around. Her name is in homage to the actress/singer Jill Tracy, who played Elaine in My Philosophy.
Elizabeth Bogush as Alex Hanson, a social worker at the hospital and who dated J.D. during the first season. She was revealed to be a drug addict.
John Ritter, as J.D.'s father Sam Dorian. As on 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs featured an episode ("My Cake") dealing with the character's death, following the real-life death of Ritter.
Kelli Williams, as Kristen Murphy, Turk's medical student and Dr. Cox's love interest.
Scott Foley, as Elliot's two-time ex-boyfriend Sean Kelly.
Tom Cavanagh, as J.D.'s sneaky older brother Dan, who still lives with his mother in his home town and works at a bar. J.D. is slightly embarrassed of him, which Dan is aware of. Dan was aware that J.D. did look up to him at one time when they were younger, but realizes that it's Dr. Cox that J.D. looks up to now. Dan later asks Cox to promise him that he'll never have a reason to let J.D. down, and Cox promises to uphold that. He also had a fling with Elliot Reid, J.D.'s on-again-off-again girlfriend. Cavanagh was apparently chosen due to his physical similarity to Zach Braff.
Heather Locklear, as Julie Keaton, a representative of a pharmaceutical company, lusted after by the men of the hospital. Had a relationship with Dr. Cox which lasted less than a full episode, as Jordan came back, interested in renewing their relationship.
D.L. Hughley, as Kevin Turk, who is Turk's wealthy, successful and rambunctious older brother. He came to Turk's apartment for a visit unexpectedly (and also forced Turk to let him use his bed because Kevin funded his brother's tuition fees for university and medical school; which cost $80000) and revealed to Turk and his friends that he is now divorced because he had to "get the hell out of there", but later confessed that it was his wife took their kids and left him and he visited Turk because he wanted cheering up. Turk helped him get over it by having a massive alcohol bender with him at the local bar.
Dick Van Dyke, in the second season as Dr. Townshend, Kelso's opposite ("the anti-Kelso") in terms of relation to the staff, J.D.'s attending for one episode. Reluctantly fired by old friend Kelso (who began his career the same time) for a botched checkup on a patient and refusing to follow contemporary methods of treatment (My Brother, My Keeper).
Freddy Rodriguez, as Carla's brother and Turk's nemesis Marco. Initially Marco pretended that he was unable to speak English, (which was a lie) until Turk (who found out) intentionally angered Marco into losing his cool and blowing up at him in front of Carla. It was revealed in the episode My Self-Examination that he is fan of When Harry Met Sally....
Rick Schroder Is portreyed as a slightly controlling male nurse ("murse") Paul Flowers, whom Elliot dated during the 2nd season. This controlling issue could also be because he simply gets the crazy that is Elliot and is able to stay one step ahead. All he would really have to do is think of the oddest thing to say in any situation and there is Elliot's response.
Amy Smart, as J.D.'s drama-creating one-time love interest, and wife of a comatose car crash victim, Jamie Moyer or Tasty Coma Wife (TCW).
Ryan Reynolds, as J.D. and Turk's frat like, yet apparently rich (from the way he so casuaully told Turk what to do with $500) college buddy Spence. Spence was the one who advised J.D. to start using hair products, something J.D. is very grateful for, saying "My life changed that day".
Tara Reid, as Jordan's sister and J.D.'s two-time ex-girlfriend, Danni Sullivan.
Brendan Fraser, as Ben Sullivan; A carpenter/expert photographer who was Jordan and Danni's older brother and Cox's brother-in-law and best friend. He is an expert at identifying actresses who appear naked in movies (a trait that allowed him to become quick friends with JD, who had a similar skill). He was described by Jordan as "clumsy", which has caused him to have many accidents during his carpentry jobs. Ben was diagnosed with leukemia, which initially caused a strain on Ben and Cox's friendship (due to Cox unable to handle the fact Ben only had 30% chance of survival) but eventually JD convinced Cox to be there for Ben. Ben eventually succeeded in his treatments and went into remission. He then travelled on the "World Leukemia Tour" for the next year and returned only in time for his nephew Jack's birthday. Cox (though he chastised Ben for not seeing a single doctor during his extended trip) was delighted to see him again. He was then left in JD's care while Cox made some arrangements for Jack's birthday party. Ben suddenly went into cardiac arrest 20 minutes after Cox left and died of a heart attack. Everyone at the hospital was devastated by his sudden demise and the senior members of the hospital (including Cox, who cried heavily and was depressed for the next 2 weeks) attended his funeral.
Michael J. Fox, as Dr. Kevin Casey, a medical attending and also a surgeon with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Has a good rapport with Cox in bossing the younger staff around. He also is the only doctor shown in the series (except possibly Kelso) whose medical genius surpasses Cox's.
Lela Lee as Bonnie, a fellow surgeon who had a brief rivalry with Turk in Season 2 for Dr. Wen's attention.
Mandy Moore as Julie Quinn, J.D.'s one-time girlfriend.
Markie Post as Elliot's often critical and hypocritical mother Lily Reid in the episodes "My Old Man," "My Dirty Secret," and "His Story III." Lily would seem to be to blame for many of Elliot's hang-ups and insecurities.
Bellamy Young as Dr. Miller, in the middle of Season 3 was one of the new surgeons and is at times the female version of Dr. Cox in regards to her personality. Dr. Cox was at one point attracted to her.
Heather Graham as attending psychiatrist Dr. Molly Clock, whom J.D. had a crush on and was Elliot's friend and mentor. She was notable for being completely impervious to Dr. Cox's sarcastic barbs. She also is a hypocrite as she constantly touches peoples' faces to remember them without asking but she doesn't like her face to be touched. The name may be an inside joke, considering one of the medical consultants on the show is named Dr. Dolly Klock.
Molly Shannon as a talkative and hyperactive ambulance driver with whom Dr. Cox had to work. In the end of the episode was revealed that her behavior was due to her dead son.
Julianna Margulies, as cold-hearted malpractice attorney Neena Broderick who convinced a patient who was stalking Turk to sue him and the hospital. She slept with J.D. Neena can be considered the only antagonist in the series.
Matthew Perry as Murray Marks, the son of a patient who needed a transplant from his son. He finds out that he was in fact adopted but still agrees to do the surgery. A running gag during this episode was that he thought his name "Murray" was an old man name, and every time someone called him lots of old patients appeared.
Josh Randall, as Elliot's boyfriend Jake, who was introduced towards the end of the 4th season. He was the second actor to have a minor role in Scrubs who had a starring role in Ed (TV series), the first being Tom Cavanagh
Cheryl Hines as Paige, Dr. Cox's born-again Christian sister who reminds him of their troubled childhood and abusive father. She also turns out to be a Republican as mentioned in "My New God".
R. Lee Ermey as Janitor's Father. The role is in some ways a homage to and in others a parody of Ermey's most famous role, that of the Drill Instructor in the film Full Metal Jacket. He is instantly antagonistic to J.D. and displays the same attitude to his own son. It is suggested at the end of My Old Man, the only episode in which he appears, that he comes to see his son every time he is in town, including the day after My Old Man takes place (it is unclear however whether this is a frequent occurrence or perhaps only a few visits in a short period of time) but he is never seen or mentioned in the show after the episode.
Jason Bateman as Mr. Sutton, an unappreciative patient who raises ostriches in Season 5. Bateman was originally slated to play a larger role, but was unable to because shooting of the episode followed surgery to remove throat polyps. There is speculation that he will reprise his role in a later episode. Braff made an appearance in Bateman's FOX sitcom Arrested Development in 2004.
Michael Learned as Mrs. Patricia Wilk, a kind and genial patient who suffered from a very serious and deadly disease which caused her lengthy stay at the hospital. While there, she befriended many of the staff, especially her physicians (JD and Cox) and eventually, despite insurmountable odds, she recovered to the point of being released from the hospital. However, due to the last act of medical ineptness of Jason "Cabbage" Cabbagio (who forgot to wash his hands after handling an infected piece of medical equipment and then shook her hand just as she left for home), she contracted an infection which forced her to return to the hospital 1 week after leaving. But due to her already seriously weakened immune system, the infection quickly became deadly. Despite the efforts of JD and Cox, her health began to fail again to the point she was declared terminal. She became depressed and scared of death and JD and Cox went through the 5 stages of grief, but they were all comforted by Doctor Hendrick (a counselor for the terminally ill). Succumbing to the infection, she later lapsed into unconsciousness and died peacefully.
Elizabeth Banks as Dr. Kim Briggs, a divorced surgeon and love interest of J.D.'s near the conclusion of Season 5. In the last episode of the season, it was revealed that she was pregnant. At the beginning of Season 6, J.D. recalls that he and Dr. Briggs never had sex but their baby was conceived through a premature ejaculation. At the end of the second episode of Season 6, J.D. and Briggs decide to keep the child after witnessing the birth of Turk's child, Isabella. In "My House", she accepts a position in a hospital located in Tacoma, Washington, and will return in approximately 4 months. In the episode My Road to Nowhere J.D. travels to Tacoma to see Kim's first ultrasound, but when he arrives she tells him that she had a miscarriage which deeply saddens J.D. and leads to a mutual end to their relationship. But at the end of the episode it is revealed by an ultrasound that Kim's baby is still alive and that she had lied to J.D. She is expected to once again play a role in My Point of No Return
Jay Mohr as Dr. Pete Fisher, a former protege of Doctor Cox as well as short time buddy to J.D. and a private practice doctor. He was behind the divorce of Perry and Jordan, seeing as he slept with her. He made an appearance in My Own Private Practice Guy
Michael Weston as Private Brian Dancer, a patient that Dr. Kelso befriends in His Story IV. Elliot later kisses him at the end of " My Fishbowl"
Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Patti Miller, a patient who complained of hearing music in My Musical.

[edit] General cameo appearances

Many cast members of the sitcom Spin City, which was co-created by Scrubs' creator Bill Lawrence, have guest starred on Scrubs. In addition to Michael J. Fox and Heather Locklear, mentioned above, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Barry Bostwick, Alexander Chaplin, and Richard Kind have appeared.

Other guests: The Polyphonic Spree, Clay Aiken, Fred "Rerun" Berry, Gary Busey, Carrot Top, David Copperfield, Erik Estrada, Colin Farrell, Colin Hay, Sean Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Phill Lewis, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Meloni, Frank Maharajh, John Bennett Perry, Kenny G, Mary-Kate Schellhardt, George Takei, Larry Thomas, Common, Jimmie Walker, Billy Dee Williams, Hattie Winston, Chuck Woolery, Ben Heff, DJ Qualls, William Daniels, Blue Man Group and Paul Adelstein.