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This is a list of characters from the American television series American Dad!.
[edit] Smith Family
- Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane): Has worked for the CIA since the 1980s as a "weapons expert" always on the alert for terrorist activity. As of the first episode of Season 2, his official job title is apparently "Deputy Deputy Director", although the official announcement of his promotion was not shown to viewers. Since then his work has included the interrogation of possible terrorists. He can be quite paranoid and protective: he has a terror-alert color code on his refrigerator, and is so high-strung as to shoot the toaster when the toast pops up. Stan is in mostly top physical shape, though he has a bit of a gut (which strangely enough is only portrayed on him when he has no shirt, when he has a shirt he appears quite in shape), and has no qualms about kidnapping, drugging, or tasering anybody, even family members, if he sees it as a means to an end. In one episode, he kidnaps American actress and singer Hilary Duff to date his nerdy son Steve. He worships Ronald Reagan, quoting his speeches and even going as far as choosing a dog because it was alive during Reagan's administration. He is startlingly out of touch with international events, has a very itchy trigger finger, and loves Mr. Pibb. He also drives a black Ford Explorer. It has been noted by Seth MacFarlane on the DVD commentary for the American Dad pilot, that he is based on the announcers of 1950s American anti-communist propaganda films. He also has a great obsession with cleaning and collecting guns, and constantly carries (and often uses at inappropriate times) two Glock 17s. He also owns an AR-15, MAC-10, a "pen gun", a MP5, and what he calls a "sword gun" (a mix of a Glock 17 and a kitchen knife), all of which are stored in his wife's spice pantry, who does not seem to notice them. Viewers who look closely can see a large amount of ammunition and even grenades stored there. He stores weapons in random places around the house. During a mock robbery, Stan screams, "Hayley! Get the gun from the China cabinet!" He once opined, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Guns defend people from people with smaller guns." He is also apparently an avid fan of R&B music, believing himself to be a member of Boyz To Men (episode: Camp Refoogee) and citing Patti LaBelle as an influence ("American Dream Factory") which seems odd, due to his dislike of minorities. Stan also has a fear of seagulls, especially of seagulls touching him with their feet, and has nightmares in which they can drive.
- Francine Smith (voiced by Wendy Schaal): The sweet, stereotypical trophy housewife of Stan Smith. She keeps her own opinions and party-hearty personality mostly to herself, for the sake of her husband's ultra-conservative views. She rarely has any friends because she has no career outside of the house, and Stan always scares the neighbors. But in the 1980s, she slept with Adam Ant, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. She is more sympathetic to Hayley's ideologies and Steve's geekiness than Stan. Her housework is her life, although she has occasionally longed for grander things. Francine is not a natural blonde but a brunette. She once owned a muffin-selling kiosk at the mall, but it was destroyed in an explosion caused by extremist hippies. She also has a deep resentment of actor George Clooney whom she believes cost her an acting career. Francine's brain has been repeatedly damaged or tampered with by her husband in acts of foolishness ("Francine's Flashback", "Roger 'n Me"). In American Dad Vs. Family Guy Kung Fu, she looks and acts like the Statue of Liberty.
- Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith (voiced by Rachael MacFarlane): The ultra-liberal daughter of Stan and Francine. Because of her views, Stan distrusts her more than her brother. She is 18 and goes to community college. She enjoys recreational marijuana (something that her parents are not aware of), usually with her on-again, off again boyfriend Jeff Fischer, and goes hiking with him. They are both vegetarians, although Hayley appears to be forcing her beliefs onto Jeff. In the episode "Bullocks To Stan", she broke up with Jeff and afterwards started going out with her father's boss, CIA Deputy Director Bullock, because she was looking for a guy who "can stand up to her." After Stan's intervention, she dumped Bullock and went back to Jeff. In Saudi Arabia she slept with a Shawarma King employee because she was impressed by his (false) claim about being a tormented, conflicted member of Al Qaeda. She later broke up with Jeff.
- Steve Smith (voiced by Scott Grimes): The highly-impressionable 14-year-old son of Stan and Francine. Roger seems to be his best friend. Steve goes to extreme measures to raise his social status and get dates, yet he actually knows very little about sex. Although he was stereotypically whiny in the pilot episode, in the regular series he is confident and smart, but still socially inept. He plays Dungeons & Dragons with his three best human friends. He reads Elvish, and had a brief fling with a senior citizen (when criticized for having a relationship with someone with wrinkles, he responds, "So do raisins! But they taste pretty sweet!") Steve has come into conflict with Stan, who wants Steve to follow in his footsteps, often criticizing his (nerdy) friends and habits. A most prominent example of this is in the Star Trek episode, in which Steve gets legally divorced from his family. His design changed dramatically from the character shown in a Family Guy DVD clip. Steve once had a vision of God while lost in the Arabian desert, but God took the form of Angelina Jolie.
- Klaus (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker): The result of the CIA swapping a libidinous East German Olympic ski-jumper's mind with that of a goldfish in order to prevent him from winning the gold medal, Klaus manifests some sadistic tendencies, usually offering the explanation, "I'm German!", and lusts after Francine. In the "Finances With Wolves" episode, Klaus switched his goldfish body for that of a black man's, and almost ran off with Francine, but the body was destroyed in the aftermath of an explosion at the mall, which also destroyed Francine's short lived muffin-selling kiosk, and his brain was placed in another goldfish's body. He is extremely tolerant of various environments other than his fish bowl: while the average goldfish will die even in tap water, Klaus has swum in a washing machine, a Thermos of coffee, and frequently perches himself out of the water. Klaus's brain swap was said to be during the "1986 Winter Olympics" (when in real-life, the Winter Olympics were held in 1984 and 1988). His voice is modeled after Peter Lorre's. In the German dubbed version of American Dad!, Klaus speaks in a Saxon dialect, which is offensive to many East Germans but considered funny among German native speakers outside of Saxony. His behavior in the German version is reminiscent of an ex-Stasi agent and he has dropped a few hints of once being attached to the Stasi agency. In the season 2 episode Of Ice and Men, Klaus is shown in the future as an old man with a grandson, evidently having regained a human body, and hints that he may have been a monkey at some point too.
- Roger (voiced by Seth MacFarlane): The sarcastic, alcoholic, surly, lonely, aloof, and flamboyantly effeminate space alien who saved Stan's life in Area 51. He spends his time smoking, drinking and eating (mainly unhealthy foods). Roger is an avid film, television and celebrity buff. He is not allowed to leave the house and the family conceals his existence, although he has left on a few occasions in various disguises including a frilly dress, gloves and hat which caused him to be mistaken for a senior citizen, and another occasion pretending to be Francine's husband with "established personalities" (with a disastrous result). His life as a "shut-in" has led him to develop a love of fantasy and dressing-up, and he has a particular love for wigs. He seems to know more about humans than he does about his own type and never talks about where he came from. His sexual and gender identity seems to be very fluid, as he thinks nothing of wearing dresses, acting like a stereotypical drama queen and romancing men. His voice is modeled after Paul Lynde's and if compared to MacFarlane's voices from Family Guy, sounds like a mixture of Peter Griffin and Jasper, Brian Griffin's gay cousin. Roger is in many ways a Family Guy-esque version of ALF. He has the power to defecate gold with jewels on it after eating burritos, which became a recurring theme in the series in which people who have found it become greedy and often meet a horrible end. His age is currently unknown, but he is at least 60 due to the episode where he mentions being the Roswell alien.
[edit] Smith relatives
[edit] Stan's side
- Jack Smith: Stan's father. For most of his life, Stan believed his father to be a top secret agent in "The Scarlet Alliance". In reality, he was a jewel thief. After the man Stan paid to pretend to be his father died, Grandpa Smith, the real Jack dropped in on the family. Roger developed a "boy crush" on Jack but the other family members were wary of him. Jack has gray hair and is missing an eye, based on the traditional look of Marvel Comics' super-spy Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., but resembles Stan Smith. Voiced by Daran Norris.
- Betty Smith: Stan's mother. After Jack left them, Stan took care of her. However, this evolved to the point where he abducted all of her new boyfriends and dumped them on an uncharted island. Voiced by Swoosie Kurtz.
- Hercules: Stan's new stepfather. A Greek deli owner and one of Francine's friends. His wife was killed while placing her bike on the front of a bus. He was introduced to Betty and immediately hit it off.
- Grandpa Smith (deceased): Was Stan's surrogate father. On Stan's wedding day, he said he needed someone to be his father for the next 30 years and chose him. His real name was never revealed. He passed away in his only appearance which was in Con Heir. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- Un-named Half-Brother: In the episode Meter Made It is revealed that Stan has a half-brother who lives in the mid-west. We find this out when Stan calls him for comfort as he heard Francine tell her sister that she wishes she was married to a somebody. Little is known about him other than he doesn't like being called "Bro" by Stan.
- Thundercat Smith: Is Stan's 2nd wife whom he married while in Saudi Arabia. Stan married her while married to Francine and the two vied for Stan's affection. They even engaged in combat in the Smith Arabian household's kitchen. She appeared over the span of two episodes, Stan of Arabia Parts 1 & 2. It is assumed that after the Smith's return to America that the marriage is void and ended. Voiced by Paget Brewster.
- Joanna Smith: Is Stan's 3rd wife whom he married in When a Stan Loves a Woman. When Francine showed Stan her rose sex garden and saw how many men she had slept with Stan got jealous as she was the only person he had ever slept with. She granted him a divorce so he could go and sleep with someone else and met Joanna. The two constantly got competitive with each other and got married and their marriage was consummated (5 times). However, Stan realized he loved Francine and divorced Joanna. Also for a brief period of time Joanna was Hayley and Steve's stepmother.
[edit] Francine's side
- Bàba and Māma Ling: Francine's Chinese adoptive parents. Stan once found their ways of living and Mandarin linguistics unbearably annoying, especially since whenever they visited, they would practically take over and redecorate his house, somewhat confusingly in Japanese fashion with lower table and no shoes inside the house. However, after they saved his life when his house was on fire, Stan has since warmed up and come to respect them. Much of their behaviour are parody of oriental stereotype and subsequently, are mix of Japanese and Chinese culture. For example, bowing is more pronounced characteristics of Japanese culture than Chinese. They are voiced by Tzi Ma and Amy Hill respectively.
- Nicholas and Casandra Dawson: Francine's biological parents. They abandoned Francine as an infant just so they could board a first class plane trip, since they could not do so with her. They are incredibly wealthy and appear good-natured, but deep down they are very self-centered. Stan once befriended them and tried to introduce them to Francine (who has no memory of them), but stopped trying after being put off by their selfish nature, feeling she's better off not knowing about them. Voiced by Jeff Perry and Holland Taylor respectively.
- Gwen Ling: Francine's sister, the Lings' biological daughter, who is reportedly attractive but dumb. The Lings' will gives most of their money to her, because they believed that she would need it more, being dumber and less stable than Francine. She has yet to make an appearance on the show.
[edit] C. I. A.
- Avery Bullock: Deputy Director of the CIA, and Stan's 58-year-old-boss. He is as highly-strung as Stan, but considerably less paranoid and usually more competent. He once had an intimate relationship with Hayley. He is married, but his wife is handcuffed to a radiator in Fallujah, as he "does not negotiate with terrorists." He prefers the company of younger women (as he sings about girl fantasies). Avery is voiced by (and resembles) Patrick Stewart, and many jokes are built around giving this respected Shakespearean actor the most unlikely scenes and lines, including an energetic two-hour banjo session. One recurring joke is that Bullock runs the CIA like kindergarten, with time-outs and show-and-tell.
- Sanjen "Avery Jr." Bullock: Is Avery Bullock's adopted son. Director Bullock adopted him in Four Little Words. He was originally adopted by Francine who fled to another country because she murdered her best friend, Melinda. However, the murder was staged by Stan and Bullock (who actually killed her while on a date). The only reason Stan staged the murder was so he wouldn't hear Francine say "I told you so!"
- Jackson: One of Stan's co-workers at the CIA. He was once a real estate agent, and is a "former homosexual". Apparently, when he stopped selling houses, his "sodomy cleared right up." His conversion has been suggested to be unsuccessful. He also expresses a wish to have a vagina, indicating he is transgender as well. Moreover, when asked if he ever "did it with a dead mermaid", he replied "Mermaid, no." Previously had a body double who was accidentally killed by Stan. He is almost always seen with something in his hands such as a coffee cup. Voiced by Mike Henry.
- Dick: Dick is another of Stan's co-workers at the CIA. His wife eventually got a job in which she earned more money than him. He did not initially mind, but she kept earning more, and eventually his genitals disappeared. He also has a son, who has a freakishly large hand with which he beats his father. Voiced by Stephen Root.
- Sonders: Another agent at the CIA. He often takes part in meetings with Bullock and Stan.
- Duper: CIA Agent and rival of Stan Smith who apparently beat Stan's time on a "Regime Change" testing simulation (he had a better snappy line than Stan's as well). When Stan placed a bomb in Bullock's office to make himself look good by saving the day, Duper disabled it when Stan could not see the manual (after dropping and breaking his reading glasses). In a later episode, his essay on President Bush beat Stan's, but he was disqualified after learning most of his essay was plagiarized from Willy Wonka. Voiced by Phill Lewis.
- Bill: Stan's CIA double. He often takes Stan's place whenever there are things he doesn't want to do, like Steve's baptism or cooking classes with Francine. His most recent calling is when he took Francine out to dinner while Stan took Betty Sue, the homecoming queen. But she then wanted to go to her high school reunion, in which Stan realized what is more important. With the two of them in the same place, Francine tries to shoot their legs. Bill got shot because Francine believed that the apologetic Stan was him. He was then hauled off to the hospital with zero chance of saving his leg. Like Stan, he is voiced by Seth MacFarlane.
[edit] News Readers; The Corbin-Bates Household
- Greg Corbin: Local News Anchor at W-ANG-TV, Terry's co-anchor and domestic partner. Also Stan's neighbor. He and Terry have a penchant for minor bickering, however, they are a complete antithesis of Tom Tucker and Diane Simmons of Family Guy. Greg is a member of the Log Cabin Republicans, and has brown hair. He and Terry have a baby daughter (Francine was the surrogate) whom Stan tried to kidnap and take to Nebraska, though she is now protected from him through injunction. Voiced by Seth MacFarlane.
- Terry Bates: Local News Anchor, Greg's co-anchor and domestic partner. Also Stan's neighbor. Stan was completely unaware of the fact that his neighbors are a gay couple up until recently, and, while initially being prejudiced against them for their practice of liberal journalism, eventually merely considered them nice young men that just happen to live together. Terry is a Democrat with blond hair. Terry's father is apparently either unaware or unhappy about his son's sexuality, much to Greg's annoyance ("I've told you, as soon as my father dies I will wear the ring!"). He owns a French bulldog named Heath Ledger. It's hinted that Terry is a number of years younger than Greg. He has a daughter with Greg named Liberty Belle. Voiced by Mike Barker.
- Liberty Belle: Is Greg and Terry's newborn daughter. She was born by a surrogate, Francine in the episode Surro-Gate, but was later kidnapped by Stan after her birth. Stan planned to take her to Nebraska where gay couples have no rights and put her in an orphanage. She was later returned to Greg and Terry and is now protected from Stan through injunction.
[edit] Pearl Bailey High School
- Snot (voiced by Curtis Armstrong): Steve's acne covered friend. He speaks Klingon, and seems to read Elvish. Like Steve, he has a fetish for octogenarian women. Believed to be Jewish, as he said his parents couldn't afford a Bar Mitzvah. Snot seems to be an homage to Curtis Armstrong's character Booger from the Revenge of the Nerds movies.
- Barry: Steve's obese friend. Stan hates him, but doesn't know why. He also speaks Klingon, and seems to read Elvish. He apparently has a fetish for Miss Piggy. It is later revealed that his normally quiet and innocent personality is the result of powerful anti-psychotic "vitamins." After temporarily stopping his medication regimen, Barry turns into a dangerously deranged mastermind, brilliantly framing Steve for the destruction of Stan's beloved commemorative plates, in an attempt to replace Steve. His madness gets worse over time, culminating with Barry trying to eliminate everyone that might get between himself and Stan. Finally Steve saves the day by tricking Barry into taking his medication, reverting him back to his usual self. He also dresses and speaks in a similar way to Chris Griffin from Family Guy. Voiced by Eddie Kaye Thomas.
- Toshi: Steve's Japanese friend. Though he can understand English perfectly, he always speaks Japanese with subtitles (it has never been revealed whether he can actually speak English), which his friends don't seem able to understand. He can also speak Russian ("Of Ice and Men") and Spanish ("Irregarding Steve"). He may be able to read Elvish (which incidentally appeared as nonsensical Japanese text in that particular episode). He has the characteristics of a Japanese stereotype from a W.W.II-era cartoon: he is mischievous, cruel and anti-American. Toshi has expressed the desire to kill Steve as his greatest wish ("Finances with Wolves"). Voiced by Daisuke Suzuki.
- Principal Lewis: Principal of Pearl Bailey High School, which Steve attends. When Steve was Student Body President, he commandeered Principal Lewis' office, as the SB president was entitled to secure any school grounds he needed. Lewis did not mind, though, since in doing this Steve proved that he could read, and that the system worked. He later allowed Stan to teach a "morally upright" sexual education class, but only Steve was signed up for it. He is also a member of the Illuminutty. He also seems to have had some involvement in the armed forces/law enforcement. When presented with a tip that Steve was in possession of narcotics, he displayed detailed knowledge of the source and method of cutting said drugs, and concluded that a specific drug-lord was back in business and told Steve to tell him that 'El Lobo Negro' sends his regards. Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who strikingly also looks like Lewis.
- Debbie: An overweight goth girl that Steve asks out in "The American Dad After School Special." When she and Steve began dating, it caused Stan to become anorexic. Steve broke up with her after he realized she was causing it, but they got back together when he realized it did not help. Stan overcome his problem at the end of the episode. She later appears in "Iced, Iced Babies", though she reportedly breaks up with Steve by the end (her reasons for doing so are as of yet unknown). Voiced by Lizzy Caplan.
- Donny Patterson: A bully who picks on Steve. It was revealed that Donny is a bully because he is constantly abused by his father.
[edit] Around the Neighborhood
- Jeff Fischer: Hayley's stoner boyfriend. He has a poor relationship with his father, who is a marijuana grower and dealer, and his mother abandoned him before his birth (how is unknown). He has an uncle whom Jeff considered a father figure. Hayley repeatedly dumps him for being needy, clingy and overly agreeable, which often leaves Jeff crushed until their inevitable reconciliation. Hayley also seems to cheat on him fairly often (she has been shown having several other sexual partners over the series' run), though Jeff seems to either not know or not care about this. Haley has also mentioned that one day she and Jeff might get married which makes Jeff extremely happy. Jeff enjoys events like Burning Man.. In Dungeons and Wagons, he writes in a notebook with his left hand and, seconds later, plays a guitar with his right, suggesting that Jeff is ambidextrous. Jeff is based on Seth MacFarlane's friend, also named Jeff Fischer, who voices the character
- Linda Memari: Is the wife of Bob Memari and close friend to Francine. Linda saves Francine from the Lady Bugs, a social group for women who cheat on their husbands, by kissing her. It has been suggested that Linda may not be attracted to her husband. In an attempt to hit on Francine, she rearranged her clothes to make her bust more prominent and knocked on the Smith Family door (prompting a drunk Stan to comment "When did you get those?"). After thinking that Stan was beating Francine, she makes an awkward excuse to leave. Francine who then says, "She's a weird chick." Linda's husband is apparently resigned to her preferences, and asks, in a defeated tone, if he can "at least watch this time", when he sees Linda eying Francine. Voiced by Megyn Price.
- Chuck White: Stan's gloating arch-enemy, who often outdoes Stan. Chuck is over-protective of his daughter, Besty, forcing her to do gymnastics and keeping her away from boys because he believes they will get her pregnant. He ends each sentence with a mocking laugh, e.g. "Looks like you're parking in the sun again, ha-ha!"; however, he does not seem to have any control over it, for he always seems to laugh when angry or depressed. Voiced by Mike Barker.
- Betsy White: Is the daughter of Chuck and Kristy White. She is forced to do gymnastics by her parents and stay away from boys. Steve attended her CPR Class in order to get closer to her. When Steve is pregnant with Roger's alien baby, Betsy kisses Steve, causing her to become pregnant. Her parents send her to a farm in Iowa to have her baby and she is glad to be told she no longer has to do gymnastics. She has an older brother, but his name has not been mentioned. Voiced by Marley Shelton.
- Lt. Nathan Goldberg: Police officer whose father was killed during the Holocaust. His last wish was to have his son go to the United States, become a prominent police officer, and avenge wrongs done to the Jewish people. Voiced by Beau Bridges.
- Dill Shephard: He is a rich, gay, senator's son who marries Hayley in the episode Haylias. Stan is oblivious to the fact that Dill is gay because all he wants is for his daughter to settle down. Francine can't see that Dill is gay because she is overjoyed with the fact that her daughter is getting married. Hayley isn't aware of anything as she is in a trance like state caused by Stan. By the end of the episode when Hayley has snapped out of it the marriage is annulled. Voiced by André Sogliuzzo.
- Sergei Kruglov: A former KGB agent. In 1988, Stan and Sergei were captured by their respective opponent sides, but during the prisoner exchange Stan was recaptured by the Soviets. After the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed, Sergei's wife left him for a West German tennis equipment salesman and his son became an entrepreneur who sells Halloween costumes for dogs. Vowing to steal Stan's son for communism, he eventually moved to Langley Falls after Mr. Hallworthy died. Sergei then helped Steve construct a model rocket, while also teaching him in the ways of communism. Stan then wins Steve back, and Sergei helps Barry construct a rocket which wins the school's contest.
- Father Donovan: The pastor of the Episcopalian Church that the Smiths attend. He is extremely bored with his job, preferring to go fishing on Sunday. Donovan gets all information for eulogies from driver's licenses and is not above having sex with married women of his congregation. Voiced by Martin Mull.
