List of Ugly Betty characters

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This article pertains to the characters featured in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty.

Contents

[edit] Primary characters

Name Portrayed by Occupation Character History
Betty Suarez America Ferrera Assistant to Daniel Meade Aims to run her own magazine in the future. She initially did not know the true circumstances that led to her hiring (annoyed by Daniel's womanizing, Bradford Meade hired Betty to be his son's assistant knowing that Daniel would find her unattractive and get him to take his job seriously), but stayed on as Daniel's assistant as they forged an unlikely friendship.
Daniel Meade Eric Mabius Editor-in-Chief of Mode He was named Editor-in-Chief of Mode by his father after the death of former editor Fey Sommers; his appointment made him a target of Wilhelmina's schemes to take over the job that she felt she rightfully deserved. His womanizing and lackadaisical attitude towards his job led Bradford to hire Betty as Daniel's assistant; despite his initial reluctance and attempts to get Betty to quit, he and Betty forged a working partnership and friendship. His womanizing and later prescription drug addiction stems from his unhappy, dysfunctional family life.
Ignacio Suarez Tony Plana Retired cook; former boxer He spent 30 years in the United States as an illegal immigrant. Fled Mexico with his wife Rosa after presumably murdering Ramiro Vasquez, Rosa's first husband, in self-defense; he was sent back to Mexico after he was denied a Visa and became a target of Ramiro Vasquez's revenge. He made it back to the U.S. safely and became a citizen, thanks to Betty's secret deal with Wilhelmina.
Hilda Suarez Ana Ortiz Beautician Initially protective and somewhat jealous of Betty as she pursued her career, but later became supportive. She was a sales representative for Herbalux Cosmetics until the company went under; after this she pursued a career in cosmetology and opened her own beauty salon. Single mother to Justin ever since her ex-boyfriend Santos abandoned them, but Santos later returned when she enlisted his help to cover the expenses for Ignacio's immigration dilemma; later reconciled with Santos and became engaged, but their happy ending was cut short by Santos's death.
Justin Suarez Mark Indelicato Student His love of fashion and musical theater and flamboyant attitude has brought up questions over his sexual orientation, but his family is supportive of his interests. He had clashed with his father Santos over not being a "normal boy" in Santos's eyes, but later Santos had accepted his son for the way he is.
Alexis Meade Elizabeth Penn Payne (credited as "The Mysterious Woman");
Rebecca Romijn		 CEO & President of Meade Publications Formerly Alex Meade; upon Bradford's vehement objections over Alex's desire to have gender reassignment surgery, he faked his death and hid for two years prior to the series start, recuperating from the surgery and emerged as Alexis. She was in league with Wilhelmina in plotting revenge against Bradford (in exchange for her loyalty, she promised Wilhelmina the editor job at MODE), but their schemes fell through as Alexis reconciled with Daniel and even attempted to make peace with her father, until she found out Bradford was plotting to get Alexis out of the country. In revenge, she hired a hitman to kill Bradford, but this plan backfired as the hitman had cut the brakes of Bradford's car that Alexis drove and crashed in a rush to get Daniel help following an overdose. After the accident Alexis suffered from retrograde amnesia, but has since remembered everything. Upon Bradford's death, she and Daniel fought over control of Meade Publications - which they'd settled though a paintball game in the MODE offices.
Claire Meade Judith Light Editor and owner of Hot Flash; owner of Mode A recovering alcoholic, she was upset over Bradford's numerous infidelities, especially over his twenty-year long affair with former MODE editor Fey Sommers. She had admitted to Betty that she killed Fey and attempted to leave the country in order to evade murder charges, but then turned herself in. When it was revealed that she was the true owner of MODE, Wilhelmina plotted to gain control by starting an affair with Bradford which led to his divorcing Claire in order to marry Wilhelmina; this action prompted Claire to escape from prison to stop Wilhelmina. After Bradford's death, Claire was sent back to prison to await her murder trial; she cleared of the crime when it was revealed Claire had unknowingly been under the influence of a poisonous perfume concocted by Fey that was meant to kill Claire, but instead the perfume had caused Claire to go insane and cause the events that led to Fey's demise. Now free, she soon found herself bored and neglected by her children; after meeting with other women with similar feelings of restlessness, she was inspired to start up her own magazine, entitled Hot Flash.
Henry Grubstick Christopher Gorham Accountant at Meade Publications Originally from Tuscon, Arizona. At the series start he shared a flirtation with Betty, but didn't make any serious advances since she was still involved with Walter. However when Betty had finally broken up with Walter, Henry's ex-girlfriend Charlie had arrived from Tuscon to reconcile with Henry. Betty admitted to Henry she had feelings for him, but was uncomfortable staying friends with him and Charlie. He later broke up with Charlie in order to date Betty, but then Charlie dropped in on their first date to reveal she was pregnant with Henry's child. Despite the circumstances, he and Betty start up a relationship, ever present of the looming deadline and heartbreak in store for them.
Wilhelmina Slater Vanessa Williams Creative Director of Mode The series' chief antagonist. A respected figure in the fashion industry, she was passed over in favor of Daniel Meade for the Editor-in-Chief job at Mode after the death of Fey Sommers; she initially plotted to gain control on Mode by undermining Daniel's authority, often taking advantage of his inexperience. Wilhelmina was also in league with Alexis Meade, passing along information about the Meades while Alexis recovered from gender reassignment surgery and plotted to frame Bradford Meade for the murder of Fey Sommers. In exchange for Wilhelmina's loyalty, Alexis immediately appointed her as Mode's Editor-in-Chief, but Daniel's objections based on the company charter blocked the appointment. Alexis and Wilhelmina's partnership later crumbled as Alexis reconciled with her brother; Wilhelmina then set her sights on seducing Bradford, manipulated him into divorcing Claire (the true owner of Mode) with the hope of marrying into the Meade family as a way to gain control of Mode. However, Bradford refused to relinquish Mode; Wilhelmina then plotted to sabotage Mode and start up her own magazine, Slater, in its wake once she married Bradford, but his heart attack at the altar and subsequent death squashed her claims to the Meade empire. Following this, she was immediately fired from Mode - but before leaving she crashed the Mode computers, causing them to lose an important upcoming issue. Taking advantage of the crisis, she convinced most of the Mode staff to work for Slater. The plans for Slater eventually fell apart as Wilhelmina was unable to secure the necessary funds. She then resorted to using Bradford's sperm (which Wilhelmina obtained immediately after his death by bribing a debt-ridden doctor) to produce a child in hope of claiming a substantial stake in the Meade empire; she intended to carry the child herself, but complications of a "hostile womb" led her to enlist Christina as a surrogate.
Christina McKinney Ashley Jensen Seamstress at MODE She was the first person to befriend Betty when she arrived at Mode; with her knack for office gossip, she revealed to Betty about the true circumstances that led to Betty's hiring as Daniel's assistant. Despite her lack of trust in "the bitches at Mode" and especially Wilhelmina, she often became a willing pawn in Wilhelmina's schemes: as an aspiring fashion designer, Christina agreed to deliver evidence that would implicate Bradford Meade for the murder of Fey Sommers; in exchange Wilhelmina featured Christina's designs in the Mode fashion show. Christina admitted that she emigrated from Scotland five years prior to the first season, after abandoning her alcoholic husband Stuart. Stuart would later track Christina down at Mode, where he revealed he had severe liver damange and only had a few months to live, unless he secured the funds for an experimental treatment. Christina promised to get the money, but after her initial attempts failed, she reluctantly accepted Wilhelmina's offer in exchange to serve as the surrogate mother for Wilhelmina and Bradford Meade's child.
Amanda Tanen Becki Newton Receptionist at MODE Initially hostile to Betty because she'd taken the job that Amanda was gunning for; along with Marc, she'd find ways to make Betty's job difficult - misplacing memos, "forgetting" to pass along messages, and being nasty in general. Amanda and Betty would later become 'frenemies' - joining forces when needed (such as when they were both in danger of losing their jobs) and confided in Betty about her unhappiness at being one of Daniel's many girlfriends. Despite knowing his reputation, she'd fallen in love with Daniel and hoped she'd be the one to change his ways. When it was clear that Daniel wasn't interested in getting to know Amanda beyond the bedroom, she broke off their relationship. Amanda later admitted she had gotten her job at Mode because her father dealt with the finances of the editor, Fey Sommers; she would later find out that Fey was actually her birth mother, who'd given Amanda up because Fey felt she couldn't devote her efforts to Mode and to being a mother at the same time. With this discovery, Amanda began a quest to find her biological father, as well as capitalize on her connection to the fashion legend to attain fame and respect.
Marc St. James Michael Urie Assistant to Wilhelmina Slater Incredibly loyal to Wilhelmina, often deeply involved in her schemes to take over Mode and Meade Publications. Like Amanda, he was initially hostile to Betty but later became 'frenemies' when they were in danger of losing their jobs, as well as pretending to be a couple when Marc's overbearing mother visited. Betty had pushed a reluctant Marc to end the ruse and tell his mother that he was gay; he finally came out to his mother when she insulted Betty and her family, but she immediately rejected him.

[edit] Recurring characters

Name Portrayed by Occupation Character History
Gina Gambarro Ava Gaudet Used Walter; Archenemy of Betty and Hilda; Spent time in Juvenile Detention as teen; spreads gossip; Left Queens to marry a wealthy doctor, will use that to restart her feud with Hilda
Fabia Gina Gershon fashion/cosmetics mogul Has an ongoing rivalry with Wilhelmina; almost pulled her campaign from MODE until Betty saved the day.
Beckett 'Becks' Scott Bailey Chase Photographer Known to be a playboy and hangs out with Daniel when he is in town.
Nick Pepper Max Greenfield Assistant to Alexis Meade Not liked by the other assistants because of his "I'm better than anyone" attitude; Has an ongoing (and romantic) rivalry with Amanda, who wants to take his job.
Giovanni "Gio" Rossi Freddy Rodriguez Owner of Gio's Sandwiches His annoyance has gotten Betty's attention in more ways than one; Has dreams of owning a restaurant. As Hilda has noted, Gio appears to have a crush on Betty.
Sheila Illeana Douglas Creative Director at MODE Sarcastic version of a Wilhelmina-in-training; Treats Betty as if she never existed; admitted to having made out with Fey Sommers and made her true feelings known about daughter Amanda and her talents; Obsessed with Victoria's Secret and drinking under working stress. Recently took over as Creative Director of MODE when Wilhelmina left to start her own magazine.
Suzuki St. Pierre Alec Mapa Fashion TV host His reporting on the Meade family and MODE fuels the intensity/plotting of the main characters
Cliff St. Paul David Blue Photographer Marc's boyfriend; Marc was initially ashamed of having their relationship out in the open at Mode due to Cliff's less-than-fashionable appearance, but Marc later apologized after realizing he really didn't care what others thought of their relationship as long as they were happy.
Kenny John Cho Accountant at Meade Publications Henry's friend and fellow accountant at Meade Publications; despite his preppy, upper-class upbringing, he harbors dreams of becoming a rap superstar. His habit of "street-talking" annoys everyone, especially Betty and Alexis.
Hilary Juliette Goglia Student Justin's best friend and fellow Drama Club member; She told Justin about where Hilda was really working at after she was fired from her first job at a beauty salon; Is under peer pressure from her fellow female classmates to be more like them.
Charlie Jayma Mays Jewelry designer Henry's ex-girlfriend and Betty's rival; came to New York unannounced in order to rekindle her relationship with Henry, who was in love with Betty. She initially befriended Betty, but later realized Betty and Henry's attraction to each other and became jealous. Henry later broke up with her in order to date Betty, but then Charlie revealed that she was pregnant. Betty would find out that Charlie had a fling with Dr. Farkas, Betty's orthodontist, putting her child's paternity in question. After Henry found out about Charlie's infidelity, a paternity test was done and revealed that Henry was the father. She moved back to Tucson, but returned to New York late in her pregnancy; bitter about the turn of events, she was incredibly nasty to Betty and looked for ways to keep Henry and Betty from spending time together. Charlie later reconciled with Betty, admitting that she cheated because Henry was in love with Betty and she acted out against both of them because she was alone and afraid. After Charlie gave birth to their son Nate, both she and Henry returned to Tucson.

[edit] Former characters

A list of characters who were regular or recurring but has since been written out due the continuing storylines.

Name Portrayed by Occupation Character History
Bradford Meade Alan Dale Publishing mogul Placed his son Daniel in charge of Mode following the death of Fey Sommers, the previous Mode editor and Bradford's mistress; this appointment angered Wilhelmina, who immediately began plotting to take over Mode. Annoyed by Daniel's lackadaisical attitude towards work and tendency to sleep with his assistants, Bradford hired Betty knowing that Daniel would her unattractive and get him to focus on his job. He was suspected in Fey's murder, but was cleared when his wife Claire confessed. Bradford favored his son Alex over Daniel, until Alex told Bradford that he'd wanted a sex change; Bradford vehemently objected and threatened to disown Alex if he went through with the operation. After faking his death, Alex re-emerged as Alexis and with a vendetta against Bradford. When her partnership with Alexis fell apart, Wilhelmina set her sights on seducing Bradford, hoping to marry him and seize control of Meade Publications; however, Bradford suffered a heart attack and later died before he could say "I do".
Sofia Reyes Salma Hayek Editor-In-Chief at MYW; Author Used Daniel and Betty by luring Betty away from MODE and manipulating Daniel into falling in love with and proposing to her so she could make him the subject of her premiere issue, and in the process endures Amanda's wrath.
Santos Kevin Alejandro Hilda's late fiance and Justin's father; Known for gambling and running into trouble with loan sharks; Was hated by Ignacio because of his background and abandoning Hilda and Justin; Homophobic towards Justin, but defended him regardless; Asked Hilda to marry him, but would lose his life when he tried to protect a shopkeeper against a robber.
Walter Kevin Sussman electronics store employee Betty's boyfriend at series start; in the pilot episode, he abruptly dumped Betty for Gina Gambarro, but then pleaded Betty to take him back after finding out that Gina only wanted him for his employee discount. He and Betty reconciled briefly, although Walter's derision of Betty's job at Mode and her ambitions in general further strained their fragile relationship. They eventually broke up when Walter decided to accept a new job in Maryland; the split was amicable as they both admitted they had been drifting apart for a long time.
Steve Stelio Savante Private investigator Hired by Bradford Meade to dig up information about Fey Sommers' death, especially anything that would implicate Bradford's involvement in Fey's death. He was later discovered to be a double agent - presumed by Bradford that Steve was working for Fey, but actually worked for Alexis and Wilhelmina - and buried alive by Bradford's henchman.
Grace Chin Lucy Liu Lawyer An accomplished defense attorney hired to represent Bradford, who was accused of Fey Sommers' murder. She agreed to take the case only after Daniel fully apologized for standing her up during their college days. She and Daniel briefly had a relationship, which ended (along with her involvement in Bradford' case) when Alexis threatened to expose their affair.
Constance Grady Octavia Spencer Immigration caseworker Caseworker who made Ignacio's life a living hell...until she starts falling for him; Has a habit of falling for male immigrants and uses that scheme to hold their green cards applications over their heads; When Ignacio told her he wasn't her girlfriend she slapped an ankle bracelet on him as payback; Discovered by Hilda that she was actually fired after she attempted to marry Ignacio.
Yoga Lorraine Toussaint Escaped convict Real name is Ameila Bluman. She was a convict who befriended Claire and aided with her escape from prison; she was incredibly protective of Claire, keeping her from doing something rash that would lead to their capture. They planned to flee to Italy until Claire heard of Bradford's heart attack: they briefly hid at the Suarez home when Claire decided to see Bradford one last time while Yoga stayed behind. Upon her re-arrest, Claire told the police that Yoga was killed during their escape; after hearing this, Yoga fled the Suarez home (presumably for Italy as originally planned) and has not been seen since.
Renee Slater Gabrielle Union Wilhelmina's younger sister; dated Daniel despite Wilhelmina's objections. She has a history of serious mental illness that led to the accidental death of her ex-boyfriend, and underwent years of therapy and was on medication. When Renee found out the truth about Wilhelmina's child with Bradford Meade, Wilhelmina switched her medication, prompting Renee's disorder to re-emerge: Renee became irrationally jealous and moody, and was so convinced that Betty was in love with Daniel that she accidentally set Daniel's apartment on fire and attempted to kill Betty. Following this incident, she was committed to a mental hospital.

[edit] Minor characters

Characters who appeared in at least one episode as part of various storylines.

Name Portrayed by Occupation Character History
Vincent Bianchi Rhys Coiro Photographer In Queens for a Day: Initially refused to work for Mode due to a dispute, but after bonding with Betty over their neighborhood connections, she convinced him to change his mind.
Leah Stillman Debi Mazar Scam artist Befriended Hilda by claiming to be a lawyer's assistant; scammed Hilda out of thousands of dollars when Leah promised to help out with Ignacio's immigration troubles.
Nico Slater Jowharah Jones Wilhelmina's wild child daughter. Her relationship with Wilhelmina is uneasy, as Wilhelmina treats Nico more as a nuisance; they later reconcile, but Nico decides to go to Dubai to spend more time with her father.
Ted LeBeau Brett Cullen Owner of Beau-Mart Texan businessman who romanced Wilhelmina, but ended their relationship when he decided to reconcile with his ex-wife.
Hunter Teddy Sears Stripper In Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral, he posed as Sofia Reyes's perfect fiancée to make Daniel feel insecure. His real job and involvement in Sofia's plot was later discovered by Betty and Christina in "Sofia's Choice".
Petra AnnaLynne McCord Fashion model In Punch Out and Petra-Gate: pretended to be 16 years old after she slept with Daniel in an attempt to further her career; revealed to be actually 20 years old.
Lena Ivana Milicevic Manager In Punch Out and Petra-Gate: Petra's mother and manager, who initially posed as her sister to charm Daniel; after Daniel slept with Petra, she admitted that she was actually her mother and would turn Daniel in to the police unless he put Petra on the cover of Mode. Their plan is foiled when Petra's true age is revealed.
Tavares Mykel Shannon-Jenkins Fashion designer In Petra-Gate and A Tree Grows in Guadalajara: Pretended to be gay in order to be taken seriously as a designer; he charmed Amanda into getting him an appointment with Wilhelmina. He admitted that he was actually straight to Amanda; they then started dating in secret. He treated Amanda horribly in public to keep up the ruse prompting her to break it off, but not before exposing and humiliating him.
Rodrigo Veloso Cristian de la Fuente Creative Director at Mode Brasil At Wilhelmina's suggestion, he was recruited by Bradford to seduce Alexis and convince her to move to Brazil with him, in exchange for the editor-in-chief job at Mode Brasil. His relationship with Alexis ended when she discovered the truth.
Dwayne Rick Fox Bodyguard Wilhelmina's bodyguard and lover, despite her engagement to Bradford Meade. Betty found out about their affair, but agreed to keep it a secret when Wilhelmina offered to use her connections to speed up Ignacio's return from Mexico.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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