List of King of the Hill characters
King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.[1][2] The main characters are Hank Hill, Peggy Hill, Bobby Hill, Luanne Platter, Dale Gribble, Bill Dauterive, Jeff Boomhauer, Cotton Hill, Kahn Souphanousinphone, and Ladybird.
Main characters
- Hank Rutherford Hill (voiced by Mike Judge) — Hank is the main protagonist who proudly sells "propane and propane accessories" as the assistant manager at Strickland Propane, and throughout the entire series always makes a big deal about the job when everybody around Hank finds his occupation boring. He resembles—in both voice and appearance—the Tom Anderson character from Beavis and Butthead, a character also voiced by Judge. Hank is generally a well-meaning father, but is often frustrated and confused by modern trends and the antics of his friends and family members. Hank suffers from a narrow urethra, which made Bobby's conception difficult. Hank is uncomfortable with public displays of intimacy with his wife and son. He has a very difficult time saying, "I love you" to any member of his family, as he thinks it is unmanly. The reason for this lies in the fact that Hank's cantankerous, self-centered father, Cotton, never told Hank he loved him as a boy. Any discussion about sex, especially when women are present, causes him to blush. Hank is a product of the 1940s or '50s in practicing good manners and it is very clear he considers a sense of his masculinity very important. He was a high school football hero. Hank thinks football is the greatest thing anyone can participate in or watch on television. Hank also has no use for liberals in New York or Los Angeles, he considers himself a Texan and is proud of Texas culture, and he enjoys Tex-Mex cuisine and especially knowing he is a native Texan—even when he experiences a bout of something like culture shock after learning he was really born in New York and brought to Texas soon after. It is revealed in the same episode that his real name is not Henry. Hank's interests are much like any high school student's from the 1920s through the 1960s: he enjoys car repair and tuning up his riding lawnmower (which he once entered in an organized race along with Bill, Dale and Boomhauer). He also likes woodworking and has a shop in his garage. Hank has a solid knowledge of electrical repair and plumbing and can name gauges of pipe, nails, wire and other hardware items at the drop of a caliper. He takes pride in doing good work and does all his own home repairs with expert craftsmanship. Hank has a strong relationship with his family and really does love them, despite not being able to say so. Both Hank and his wife, Peggy, have lived rather sheltered lives. Hank's middle name is "Rutherford" in honor of President Rutherford B. Hayes. In addition to propane, Hank immensely enjoys yard work, and is shown in some episodes mowing his neighbor's yard or surreptitiously creating more yard work for himself to do. Hank's trademark wail of distress in times of discomfort (sounding like "Bwaaaah!") and his phrase "I tell you what" ("what" in his dialect being pronounced /ˈhwʌt/) are running gags on the series.
- Margaret "Peggy" J. Hill (voiced by Kathy Najimy) — Hank's wife, Peggy, was born in Montana and raised on her family's cattle farm. Peggy is now a substitute teacher in Arlen, Texas. She specializes in teaching Spanish. She believes she speaks the language fluently, but in actuality has a poor grasp of the language. She thinks carniceria (meat market) means carnival. Her poor grammar, syntax and pronunciation often makes native Spanish speakers think she is insulting them if they understand what she's saying at all. Peggy's knowledge and pronunciation of the language is feeble at best, and she refers to it with her Texas drawl as /ˌɛs.ˌpæn.ˈoʊl/ and pronounces por favor as /ˌpɔrfeɪˈvɔr/. At one point her poor Spanish-language skills cause international terrorist incidents in Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru. Despite her self-delusion that she speaks Spanish well, Peggy jumps at any chance to be a temporary sub for any other class at Tom Landry Middle School. Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, notary public, an exemplary softball pitcher and a Boggle champion and has started a career in real estate. She has a habit of adding or changing ingredients to ordinary dishes then naming them after herself. "SpaPeggy & Meatballs" and "Apple Brown Peggy" are conspicuous examples. In a number of episodes, this gets her into trouble. Peggy is very self-conscious about her larger-than-normal feet (size 16 ½ on the left, 16 on the right). Peggy will often excitedly murmur "Ho, yeah!" when she completes a task well, and "Oh, Peggy!": a self-awarded compliment accompanied by a modest giggle after coming up with a phrase she finds especially clever. Peggy can be likeable and is a fairly good mother despite her foibles. She has been known to offer good advice to Luanne and Bobby—and even to Hank. Hank and she are very much in love with each other. They have eyes for no one else—although Peggy briefly contemplated adultery with the actor who stars as a secret-agent–priest in "Los Dias y Las Noches de Monsignor Martinez," a fictional Spanish-language TV series. Peggy occasionally has her classes watch this program as a homework assignment.
- Robert "Bobby" Jeffrey Hill (voiced by Pamela S. Adlon) — Hank and Peggy's husky thirteen-year-old son and best friend to Joseph and Connie. Although friendly and generally well-liked, he isn't very bright and often prone to making bad decisions even when basic comprehension would suggest otherwise. As Hank revealed in the episode "Lucky see, Monkey do", he made many mistakes with Bobby as a child due to the awkward things he says, does and is interested with. He wants to be a famous prop comic and move to New York when he is older. Bobby displays little interest in gender roles and dislikes sports, often taking such classes as Home Economics and Peer Counseling, instead of more traditionally "masculine classes". Despite Hank's discomfort with Bobby's sensibilities, Hank loves his son and often saves him when his bad decisions catch up with him, but when Bobby does make a bad decision, Hank usually punishes him firmly, but more or less fairly. In the final episode, Bobby and Hank finally bond when Hank discovers that Bobby has a talent for distinguishing cuts of meat and is put on the Heimlich County Junior College meat inspection team.
- Luanne Leanne Platter Kleinschmidt (voiced by Brittany Murphy) — Luanne is the Hill's college-age niece, daughter of Peggy's scheming brother Hoyt and his alcoholic, exhibitionist ex-wife Leanne. Luanne moves in with the Hills after her mother Leanne stabs Hoyt with a fork during a drunken fight which tips over their trailer. Hank initially makes frequent attempts to encourage Luanne to move out on her own, but later more-or-less accepts her as a member of the family. She was a student at the beauty academy and later at Arlen Community College. She was often portrayed as an airhead, but was shown to be an expert mechanic in the first two seasons and is good at logic puzzles. Luanne's basic problem is having been raised by poor parents who had no interest in educating her. Luanne was promiscuous, but she settles down after being visited by the spirit of her first boyfriend, the slacker Buckley, whom she calls "Buckley's angel"; and then attending a church-sponsored "born-again virgin" program and starts a Bible study class. Luanne often is portrayed as having the social skills of a talented ten-year-old, such as when she puts on her "Manger Babies" puppet show for a Public-access television cable TV station. In the 10th season finale, Luanne revealed that she was pregnant with the child of Lucky, whom she married in the 11th season finale. In the 13th Season, she has a baby girl named Gracie Margaret Kleinschmidt, after the family and friends persuaded her and Lucky not to name the baby girl "Lasagna." Prior to being married, her full name was "Luanne Leanne Platter," though the series makes it unclear as to whether she kept her middle name or adopted her former last name as her new middle name after marrying Lucky.
- Dale Alvin Gribble (voiced by Johnny Hardwick) — Dale is the Hills' chain-smoking neighbor who is also a part-time insect exterminator. His greatest expertise lies in his knowledge of conspiracy theories. He believes in most urban legends and the better known conspiracies, including the BEAST and the US government's cover-up of aliens landing on earth. Dale is paranoid about any government activity. He refuses to register to vote, pay taxes, or sign his real name on any form that has the faintest resemblance to a government document. He also claims to have the birth certificate of a child that died in 1953. It is shown in "Hank's Dirty Laundry" that it is Rusty Shackelford, an old classmate of Dale, whom he believes died in the third grade. It is also hinted that Dale has Shackelford's driver's license, which he uses for everything from ordering pizza to signing government documents. He is also a borderline maniac. Dale is the president of the Arlen gun club and a licensed bounty hunter. Though boastful, he is a coward who recoils in the face of violence. Dale remains completely oblivious to the fact that his wife, Nancy, has cheated on him with John Redcorn for fourteen years and his son Joseph is not actually his biological son. Everyone else knows but chooses not to tell him because of his total obliviousness, the loving, trusting relationship he has with Joseph and Nancy, and the fact that Dale is more of a father to Joseph than John Redcorn is. Hank considers Dale a close friend, but he often becomes very annoyed with his schemes and conspiracies. Dale closely resembles Hunter S. Thompson in appearance and mannerisms, such as spouting random phrasings, i.e. claiming he is actually a super-warrior from 2087 and believing that aliens impregnated his wife with his own semen, which explains how Nancy was impregnated while he was away but not why his son looks like John Redcorn.
- Sgt. William "Bill" Fontaine Delatour Dauterive (voiced by Stephen Root) — Bill is the Hills' overweight, divorced, clinically depressed, involuntarily celibate neighbor. Bill had a tough childhood with an abusive father who often locked Bill in a rabbit hutch, which Bill recalls in later years, saying, "I deserved it." His father was also known to make him wear dresses (although Bill looks back at this with nostalgia). He was formerly a rugged and attractive star lineman on Arlen High's football team, nicknamed the "Billdozer." When on the goal line, Bill would take Hank's place at running back and push his way forward for a touchdown. Bill once had a bright future in the Army, but ended up ruining his life after marrying the promiscuous Lenore, whom he found passed out in his lap after a Molly Hatchet concert. Bill is somewhat of a masochist and is often attracted to people who abuse him; after suffering under his father and Lenore, Bill has an almost complete lack of self-worth. He obsesses about his ex-wife, and his loneliness and suicidal tendencies are a running gag on the series. He is a sergeant barber in the United States Army. He frequently tries to flirt with and woo Peggy, and even steals, tapes together, and plays Boggle with Peggy's body cast after she gets it taken off following a skydiving accident. His last name is often mispronounced by characters who do not know him and is of Creole origin. He grew up in Louisiana with his cousin Gilbert and speaks French and English. Despite coming across as a loser, however, Bill has enjoyed several romantic successes (or near-successes), including Kahn's and Luanne's mothers, former Texas governor Ann Richards, and the young widows of two of his dead cousins. He is named after executive producer and writer Jim Dauterive.
- Jeffrey Dexter Boomhauer III (voiced by Mike Judge) — Boomhauer is a slim, young-looking womanizer whose mutterings are nearly incomprehensible to the audience but easily understood by his friends. A running joke is when his friends fail to understand him for some reason other than his incoherence. His speech is usually heavily littered with the phrases, "dang" and "dang ol'". Boomhauer is a classic-car aficionado, and, despite his incoherent ramblings and womanizing, often displays himself to be more intelligent and philosophical than his three friends. Although hinted at previously, in episode 18 of season 13, the Canadian woman who trades houses with him for the summer calls him Jeff, finally revealing his first name. He occasionally displays hints of chivalry, such as when he allowed Luanne to sleep on his couch when she had a falling out with Hank and made no attempt to take advantage of her, or when he broke up an old flame's engagement to his unfaithful brother. In one episode, Bobby asks the worldly-wise Boomhauer how to ask a woman out. Boomhauer takes him to a shoe store in the local mall and keeps hitting on one woman after another, using some pretty well-worn pickup lines. Bobby notes that Boomhauer is rejected a heck of a lot of times but finally gets a phone number which he shows Bobby. The boy is incredulous that Boomhauer's reputation as a smooth operator rests on such an obviously unoriginal, rejection-filled method. Boomhauer once fell in love with a woman who would jog by his house every morning. Bill first showed interest in her. In his not very adult ideas about how to meet women, Bill dug several holes in the street, expecting her to trip in one and need his assistance. As he stood by in a suit and tie ready to render assistance, Bill fell victim to his own immature plot as Boomhauer comes to the woman's rescue after she does trip and fall. Eventually Boomhauer actually proposes to this woman, even offering her his grandmother's wedding ring, which she rejects as her current lover comes in wondering if Boomhauer is the pizza delivery boy. In the end, after a pep talk from Bill, Boomhauer learns a lesson about how to treat women after suffering this profound rejection and the emotional aftermath. Throughout the series it is never known what he does for a living, but at the end of the final episode of the series, it is revealed that Boomhauer is a Texas Ranger.
Other Hill and Platter relatives
- Col. Cotton Hill (voiced by Toby Huss) — Hank's father, Cotton was a deranged, obnoxious, politically incorrect misogynist with a hair-trigger temper. His shins were blown off in World War II by a "Japanese man's machine gun" and his feet were reattached to his knees, resulting in a short height and stilted gait. Despite his disability, he eventually reached the rank of Colonel in the State Militia, and was addressed as such by his friends and Dale Gribble. After Cotton and his first wife Tilly, Hank's mother, divorced, he married a much younger, softspoken, busty blonde candy striper named Didi who gave birth to his youngest son "G.H." ("Good Hank"). He called Peggy "Hank's Wife," never once calling her by name. He was immensely proud of his military service. Though his claim of fighting "nazzies" was proven false and his claim of killing "fitty [fifty] men" was dubious, his participation in several of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater was confirmed and his uniform was shown to be decorated with the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. He was also awarded the Silver Star, which is on display at the VFW. Cotton suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, as he often saw images of dead Japanese soldiers threatening him. Cotton spent most of his free time playing checkers and hatching absurd schemes (such as rowing to Cuba to assassinate Fidel Castro) with his war buddies at the VFW. However, by the middle of the series, all of his war buddies had died. Cotton himself died in episode #218, "Death Picks Cotton," after suffering severe burns and an allergic reaction to shrimp during a flashback at a Japanese restaurant. In the episode "Chasing Bobby," Peggy stated that Hank's greatest fear was his father dying without telling him how much he loved him, which is exactly what happened. His dying wish of destroying Hank's new shed was carried out by Dale after Cotton's death. In "Serving me right for giving George S Patton the bathroom key", Hank received a box of Cottons personal possessions and a list of requests and tasks. Hank completed all the embarrassing tasks, which was in a way Cottons plan to humiliate his son one last time. Cotton's last request was to have his cremated remains to be flushed down a bar toilet that George S Patton once used, which Hank, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer respectively honored. Peggy claims at the end of the episode, that even though Cotton is dead, he will always find a way to disrupt their lives. Cotton's spirit and memory lives on throughout the rest of the series.
- Didi Hill (voiced by Ashley Gardner) — Didi is Cotton's second wife and a candy striper. She has breast implants and suffers from postpartum depression following the birth of Cotton's third son "G.H." She is generally depicted as docile and unintelligent, although she has a degree in optometry. Didi speaks in a voice reminiscent of Ginger from Gilligan's Island and was once a fellow student in Hank Hill's kindergarten class (in her first appearance during the eighth episode of the series, she asks Hank if he still likes finger painting). In this same episode Peggy states that Didi is 39 years old, which should mean that Hank is also 39 at this point, though this is not supported by later episodes. Didi was absent when Cotton died. In the episode "Daletech," Cotton indicates that she was going to spend many months with her parents and without him. She often incorrectly calls Peggy her stepdaughter. She makes an appearance one year later and reveals that she has gotten married to a wealthy professional wrestler. Didi, like Cotton's son G.H is not seen throughout the rest of the series.
- Good Hank "G.H." Hill — G.H. is Cotton's and Didi's infant son, and Hank's younger of his two half-brothers. G.H. is an abbreviation for "Good Hank," implying that the original Hank was unsatisfactory to his father, and the name also makes Hank sound like "Bad Hank". Hank feels envious of the new Hank being his father's favorite, and he does not consider him his brother (Hank reveals this in the episode Returning Japanese when he finds out he has an older half brother, Junichiro, and later on says "I have a brother", instead of saying, " I have another brother"). Throughout every episode G.H. appears in, he and Hank really do nothing together or have anything in common as brothers (Despite the fact that Hank is almost 40 years older than him, and G.H is an infant). Hank is the only family member that has never been seen throughout the series even holding G.H, most likely due to Hank's jealousy or dislike of him or to Cotton's refusal to let Hank touch his favorite son. The reason why Cotton treats G.H much better than Hank is most likely because Cotton sees him as being his second chance of being a good, and better father than he was for Hank. He bears an interesting resemblance to Bobby, and has no resemblance to his much older half brothers, Hank or Junichiro. G.H. was absent at the time of his father's death, and is not seen throughout the rest of the series.
- Ladybird — The Hills' fourteen-year-old purebred Bloodhound. Her companionship temporarily relieved Hank's stress (and narrow urethra), allowing him to impregnate Peggy. Her mother was alleged to be one of the Bloodhounds who tracked down James Earl Ray. Hank is skeptical about breeding her until her thirteenth year, when he finally breaks down and attempts to stud her with one of Mr. Strickland's hounds. However, he then discovers that Ladybird has a narrow uterus—a gag to coincide with Hank's narrow urethra. In some episodes, it seems that Hank cares about Ladybird more than he does for Bobby, like in the episode "Hank's Choice", Hank kicks Bobby out of the house into a doghouse that was supposed to be for Ladybird, but it is doubtful that Ladybird would ever take Bobby's place. It is also revealed in "Doggone Crazy" that Ladybird had become deaf.
- Junichiro (voiced by David Carradine) — Junichiro is Hank's elder half-Japanese half-brother who has lived in Japan all his life. Hank and Junichiro have the same father, due to Cotton's affair with a Japanese nurse during his war days, and share many similarities in appearance and mannerisms (this in spite of the fact that Hank actually shares more of his mother's features); one of these is that when he is shocked, like Hank, he yells "BWAH!" Like Hank, Junichiro also has a narrow urethra and is an assistant manager at the company for which he works, making robots and robot accessories. He is initially uncomfortable with the idea of meeting either Cotton or Hank, but over time he sees the common bond with Hank, particularly over high value on a hard day's work, and in turn gets Hank through aspects of Japanese society he is unfamiliar with. Both brothers must stop Cotton's inane idea to spit on the Emperor of Japan, especially as that would ruin Junichiro's business reputation but with Hank's help the family reconciles before Hank returns to the U.S. Although Junichrio is largely Hank's Japanese counterpart in dedication to the job, he is more at ease talking about personal issues such as his urethra. In "Lucky's Wedding Suit," he made a cameo at Luanne and Lucky's wedding. It was also revealed in "Returning Japanese" that Cotton slept with many women during his life, indicating that Hank and Junichiro may have more half siblings that they are completely unaware of.
- Matilda Mae "Tilly" Hill (voiced by Tammy Wynette in 1997–1998, Beth Grant in 1999, and K Callan in 2000–2009) — Tilly is Cotton's first wife and Hank's mother. She divorced Cotton after suffering years of verbal abuse. A kind woman who collects miniatures, Tilly lives in Arizona with her husband Chuck, formerly Jewish boyfriend Gary (voiced by Carl Reiner); Hank was initially unhappy with her dating Gary (and later Chuck) and went blind when he walked in on her and Gary making love, (but regains his vision later after a talk with Gary) but later expressed his approval of her new man when Gary threatened to kick Cotton's ass if he insulted Tilly in his presence, however, it is revealed that Tilly later started dating Chuck behind Gary's back and Tilly and Gary broke up. Hank has trouble emotionally connecting with Tilly, but is a loving son who defends his mother in spite of Cotton's insults. Tilly has facial features virtually identical to Hank, indicating his mother is the source of his looks and general physical appearance. K Callan assumed the role after Wynette's death.
- Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt (voiced by Tom Petty) — Lucky is Luanne's dimwitted, itinerant, but generally benign redneck husband, and is the father of Luanne's child. He lives on the remainder of the $53,000 "settlement monies" he received after "slipping on pee-pee at the Costco" (which he almost always refers to as "mah pee-pee money"). At one point Lucky's fortune dwindled down to nine thousand dollars but regained another $53,000 when an ambulance chasing lawyer paid off Lucky to avoid a lawsuit. Peggy tried very hard to break him and Luanne apart, but after Luanne's pregnancy was revealed, she and Hank reconciled the two, giving them a shotgun wedding on Lucky's request. He is also one of the guitarists for John Redcorn's band, Big Mountain Fudgecake, and occasionally plays gigs in biker bars. His favorite band is Brownsville Station. Surprisingly, he has moments of insight that prove he isn't quite as stupid as he appears, which may stem from his being consistently drunk. Despite how he may come off, he loves Luanne very much, and is very involved with her family. He enjoys the "gentlemanly pursuits" of mudding, stickin', cat-fisting, stumping, and truck racing.
- Gracie Margaret Kleinschmidt — Daughter of Lucky and Luanne. She was born in the season 13 episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do." Luanne originally wanted to name her Lasagna Kleinschmidt (stating that lasagna was their favorite food), but Peggy intervened and came up with a more appropriate name.
- Leanne Platter (voiced by Pamela Adlon) — Leanne is Luanne's violent alcoholic mother, who was imprisoned for stabbing her husband in the back with a fork. Though she is often mentioned during the course of the series, she appears only in the episode "Leanne's Saga," visiting Luanne in Arlen after her release from prison. According to Hank, Peggy's brother Hoyt had planned to marry a pharmacist, but wound up marrying Leanne instead after she entertained at his bachelor party. She and Bill are soon engaged, though their relationship rapidly degenerates once she starts drinking again, apparently showing her evil side when she secretly sees this as an opportunity to kill Bill. Everyone, except initially Bill and Luanne, sees her as an un-ladylike, psychotic menace to society; once these two recognize the truth as well, Leanne makes more trouble at her and Bill's barbecue by deliberately going drunk, throwing a beer bottle at Bill but missing him, and eventually showing off her breasts in front of everyone. While Luanne is crying, Leanne strip dances for Buckly, who panickedly yells for help since he sees her as a skank, infuriating Leanne into nearly stabbing Buckly with Peggy's fork. However, Peggy stops Leanne from doing so and scolds her for not being a better mother to Luanne. Leanne apologizes for her behaviour, only to show that her apology is false when she deliberately attacks Peggy, resulting in a catfight between the two. Leanne attempts to kill Peggy the way she nearly killed Hoyt, only this time Peggy comes up on top, using her feet to toss Leanne, and literally kicks her. Leanne steals Bill's truck and drives out of Arlen, presumably for good. In a later episode where Luanne joins a cult she thinks is a sorority, she mentions her mother being in prison, which implies Leanne got thrown back behind bars for reverting to her previous ways. Although for an unknown reason, she can be seen at Luanne and Lucky's wedding.
- Hoyt Platter (voiced by Johnny Knoxville) — Hoyt is Luanne's father, Peggy's older brother, and Leanne's ex-husband who ran from Arlen after Leanne stabbed him with a fork. It was later found out that he never worked on an oil rig, but was in jail for most of Luanne's life and the oil rig story was a cover so Luanne wouldn't know her father was a convict. He appears in only one episode "Life: A Loser's Manual." After being released from jail, Hoyt continues his larcenous ways to the point of bullying Lucky into confessing to a robbery Hoyt committed. Thanks to some crafty work by Hank and Peggy, Hoyt was nabbed for another crime and convinced to take the rap for the robbery. He was put back in jail presumably for life with Luanne believing the false story that he "signed a lifetime contract to return to the oil rig."
- Maddy Platter (voiced by Joanna Gleason) – Mother Platter is Peggy's and Hoyt's mother and Bobby's and Luanne's grandmother. Mother Platter is a widow who lives in Montana with her son Hoyt. She is an old-fashioned, tough-as-nails rancher type and loathes Peggy for deserting the family ranch and not marrying a local neighbor boy. Even after Peggy helps Maddy to save the ranch, she still loathes Peggy, claiming it was all her fault in the first place. Following this, she decides it is best to give up on trying mend things with her mother, and focus more on her relationship with Hank and Bobby. Strangely, earlier episode flashbacks feature a totally different "Peggy's mother" character, who is essentially an older version of Peggy - it is not made clear if one is her real mother and one is her stepmother, or if the "Maddy" mother character retconned the older version completely. However, Maddy could have became an older version of Peggy after Peggy saves the family ranch.
- Doc Platter – Doc is Peggy's father. He makes only a single major appearance, which is when Peggy, Bobby and Hank visit the family ranch. He seems to be going somewhat senile and preachy, which Hank misinterprets as old-fashion Western-style wisdom.
- Dusty Hill (Himself) — The bassist/vocalist for the band ZZ Top and Hank's cousin. In the episode "Hank Gets Dusted," Cotton gives his prized Cadillac to Dusty without allowing Hank a chance to buy it. Dusty and his bandmates come to Arlen to film a reality show but the camera crew soon turns the focus toward driving Hank crazy. The last straw comes when Dusty enters the car in a demolition derby in which it is badly damaged; he barely escapes with his life, and the band soon chases the camera crew off. Hank and Dusty make their peace after Dusty has the car repaired and installed at the Cadillac Ranch.
Other Gribbles
- Nancy Hicks Gribble (voiced by Ashley Gardner) — Nancy is Dale's wife and the weather girl turned reporter for a local television station. She had a fourteen-year affair with John Redcorn, which produced her son, Joseph, although she eventually broke off the affair and became a more faithful wife to Dale. She frequently addresses other characters as "shug," short for "sugar." Her mother Bunny (voiced by Rue McClanahan) was also unfaithful to Nancy's father, but did not reveal her own long-term affair until Nancy began suffering from stress-induced hair loss.
- Joseph Gribble|Joseph John Gribble (voiced by Brittany Murphy in 1997-2000, Breckin Meyer in 2000-2009) — Joseph is Dale and Nancy's 13-year-old son and one of Bobby's best friends. Despite Joseph's obvious Native American features, being strikingly similar in appearance to John Redcorn, and the fact that his middle name is "John," neither he nor Dale are aware that Redcorn is his biological father, the result of a fourteen-year affair. Dale refers to his Jamaican grandmother to explain Joseph's dark complexion. Redcorn's occasional awkward attempts to get closer to Joseph (against Nancy's wishes) lead Joseph to regard him as strange and creepy. Joseph is something of a pervert, objectifying almost all girls with the exception of Connie. In some episodes, he's had a small infatuation for Connie, particularly when she and Bobby are at odds. He has a half-sister named Kate, who is very similar to Joseph in personality and interests but also does not realize that Redcorn is his father. Puberty gave him an enormous growth spurt, making him head and shoulders above his friends as well as give his voice a deeper tone. He is the only child, or character for that matter, of the show to physically mature.
- Bug Gribble (voiced by David Herman) — Dale's father, who was estranged from his son for many years for making a move on Nancy on the day of Dale and Nancy's wedding. Bug was actually gay and making a move on the Filipino catering boy, and kissed Nancy to cover for it, but was unable to tell Dale the truth afterward. When Dale and Nancy renew their wedding vows years later, she arranges to invite Bug, and Dale initially suspects his odd behavior and his "partner" as meaning that Bug is a government agent, but finally accepts the truth when shown that his dad works for a gay rodeo. Dale mentions that the name of his exterminating service "Dale's Dead-Bug" has a double meaning relating to his father. In an early season episode, Bug is shown to be the source of Dale's fear of ventriloquist dummies, due to a prank played at a birthday party. He made a cameo in "Lucky's Wedding Suit" as one of the attendees of Luanne and Lucky's wedding. In earlier episodes' flashback scenes, Dale's father just looks very similar to how Dale looks now, but the "gay rodeo performer" personality seems to have retconned this.
Other Dauterives
- Gilbert Dauterive (voiced by David Herman) — Gilbert (pronounced "zhil-BEAR") is Bill's cousin who shows some signs of literary insight and a knowledge of philosophy. His character shows similarty to Tennessee Williams. He is Bill's only living blood relative after his cousin and aunt die very suddenly in the night, though he seems to care very little for Bill and has a rather sadistic sense of humor. He publishes a poetry magazine to perpetuate the Dauterive family name, selling his family's estate to pay for the costs of running it. It is strongly implied that he is gay, as he laments the ending of the Dauterive bloodline despite being single and has hit on Buck Strickland when Strickland was attempting to capitalize on the Dauterive family's barbecue sauce recipe. The venture fizzled out when Gilbert refused to allow Bill to sell the recipe, but Bill eventually gave it to Bobby Hill free of charge so he could pass it on. Gilbert lives in a mansion on a bayou in Louisiana.
- Violetta Dauterive (voiced by Natalie Maines) — Violetta is Bill and Gilbert's cousin. She lives on the family estate in Louisiana with her aunt Esmee (also Bill's aunt), her cousin Gilbert, and Rose and Lily, the widows of two other Dauterive cousins. The four women appear in only one episode, "A Beer Can Named Desire," and all but Esmee separately attempt to seduce Bill into falling in love with them. Bill is forced to leave the mansion when Esmee finds out that he is only interested in having sex with these women and does not care about restoring the fading Dauterive bloodline. It is later revealed by Gilbert that Violetta had died in her sleep soon after Esmee's death, and that Bill and Gilbert are the only living male family members.
- Lenore Dauterive (voiced by Ellen Barkin) — Lenore is Bill's mean spirited ex-wife (also, in one episode, the name of his iguana). They met at a Molly Hatchet concert, at the end of which she passed out in his lap. She is mentioned frequently throughout the course of the series, but only appears twice—one of which was just Bill and Bobby watching Bill's wedding video. She enjoyed cheating on and mistreating Bill, starting her affairs a mere two weeks after their wedding, but with help from Former Texas Governor Ann Richards, Bill was finally able to tell her off and move past her toxic influence.
- Eric Dauterive (voiced by Stephen Root) — Bill's father who was said to be an abusive man, and was largely responsible for Bill's emotional instability. Bill claims that his father spanked him every day from age of nine to 16, and that he often humiliated Bill by making him wear "pretty pretty dresses." At one point, Bill called his father a bastard when the subject came up. Bill's father was revealed to have died at some point, seen when Bill wanted to have a party to celebrate the school's homecoming victory (he says that he can have the party at his house because his parents are dead). This is confirmed by revealing that Bill and Gilbert are the only surviving Dauterive males. Also, in another episode, when Bill discovers that he can make people happy by waving to them from the side of the road, he shakes his fist at the sky and declares, "I matter! Take that, Dad!" He was seen only once (in a flashback) in the episode "Order of the Straight Arrow." He resembled an older, more rugged Bill. His only line of dialogue consisted of some snickering.
Other Boomhauers
- Patch Boomhauer (voiced by Brad Pitt) — Patch is the sleezy, womanizing younger brother of Jeff Boomhauer. His only speaking episode was the 150th episode (eighth season premiere) titled "Patch Boomhauer." In the episode, Patch is going to marry Boomhauer's old flame, Katherine (voiced by Laura Dern). Boomhauer sulks as he is still in love with Katherine. The wedding is later called off after Patch hires strippers for his bachelor party and frames Boomhauer for trying to break up the engagement. Patch appears only one other time, at Luanne and Lucky's wedding, but he has no dialogue.
- Other Boomhauers seen include an elderly grandmother, and his two parents - Hank addresses his father as "Dr. Boomhauer." Boomhauer himself stated in his typical manner of speech that his parents were doing great and had won the lottery, to which their high school football coach (no doubt misunderstanding his speech pattern) said he was sorry to hear it. All members of Boomhauer's family who have speaking roles speak the same fast-paced Southern gibberish he does.
Souphanousinphones
- Kahn Souphanousinphone, Sr. (voiced by Toby Huss) — Kahn is Hank's sardonic, acerbic, materialistic, Laotian next-door neighbor. "Kahn" is an anagram of "Hank". He believes he is better than his neighbors, often referring to them as "hillbillies" or "rednecks." He frequently boasts his superiority to the others, but Hank bails him out in several episodes, and Kahn has made it clear that he strongly respects Hank (though he also has made it clear this respect does not extend to Bill, Boomhauer, and especially Dale). Upon recollection of the story of how Minh and Kahn met, it is revealed that he was a former rebel and playboy whom Minh chose over the straight-laced intellectual her father set her up with. In one episode Kahn shows that he is a trained martial artist while getting into a fight with a few rednecks. Kahn also occasionally wrestles with the fact that he has a daughter, and once, when very angry with her when she said she wanted to quit the school wrestling team, stated, "You lose [the competition], you no longer my son!"[3] His license plate has the words "King Kahn" on it, which parodies King Kong. In the episode "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day", it is revealed that Kahn has bipolar disorder (likely bipolar I disorder). It is revealed in the episode "Three Days of the Kahndo" that Khan has a brother also living in the US with a family of his own. The same episode establishes that Khan's home was previously occupied for 13 years by a man named Dave Henson, a 500-lb. shut-in who had to be removed by cutting a hole through the outer wall when he moved out.
- Minh Souphanousinphone (voiced by Lauren Tom) — Kahn's wife. Minh is a housewife who enjoys making extremely rude comments about the neighbors, particularly Peggy. She sometimes has disapproving, offensive, snobbish attitude toward the neighbors, but in reality, she is a more understanding parent and a better neighbor than Kahn, which often allows her to connect with Connie in a way her dad never could (as seen in "Father of the Bribe"). She also has a fondness for adding nutmeg to everything she cooks to make it taste better. She's a crack shot, with championship-level skills, and at one point joined Dale's gun club, exerting a positive effect on its members. She is highly competitive, going so far as to cheat on The New York Times crossword puzzle. Like her husband, Minh grew up in Laos, where her father was a powerful general in the army who was not happy with her decision to marry Kahn. She also unsuccessfully tried to teach Booby Lao.
- Kahn "Connie" Souphanousinphone, Jr. (voiced by Lauren Tom) — Connie is the daughter of Kahn and Minh, and one of Bobby's best friends. She is a violin player, "A" student, and general overachiever pressured by her mother and father, who hold her to very high standards leading to early periods. Though it is implied that she works hard because of her overbearing parents, in reality, she does it for herself, which, according to her, is the product of a deep psychological compulsion she cannot explain. She reveals to Bobby that she has a secret desire to physically assault and/or harm her father. Connie is named after her father because he wanted a son.
- Doggie Kahn — Doggie Kahn (often referred to simply as "Doggie") is their West Highland White Terrier, who has the uncanny ability to turn backflips, and is a competitive dancer. He once ran away with Ladybird. His name is a play on "Donkey Kong."
- Tid Pao Souphanousinphone (voiced by Lucy Liu) — Tid Pao is Connie's criminally-inclined cousin from Laos Angeles, who was sent to stay at Kahn's for a semester because she stole a thousand kilograms of drugs from a lesbian street gang. She attended Tom Landry Middle School in the meantime. She seduced Bobby and tricked him into creating a meth lab, complete with marijuana, cocaine and opium by pretending to help him with building a candy machine for his group science project, and persuaded him to steal kerosene tanks from Strickland Propane to complete it. Upon seeing a policeman grading projects during the science fair, she told Bobby he could take all the credit and ran off. Connie saved him by shooting the lab to pieces with a spud gun and a grenade. Tid Pao was sent away by Kahn to Wisconsin to work on her last uncle's dairy farm at the end of the episode because of her criminally-inclined nature. She was also warned by her last uncle that she would be sent back to her grandmother in Pakxe,Laos if she misbehaved again.
- Laoma Souphanousinphone (voiced by Amy Hill) — Laoma is Kahn's mother and the only person on the show who addresses him by his full name (Kohng Koy Kahn Souphanousinphone). She is kind and hardworking and thoroughly enjoys housekeeping. She is disliked by Minh because of her criticism of Minh's housework skills. The status conscious Kahn is horrified when Laoma, bored and unwanted by her daughter-in-law, becomes the Hills' housemaid, and even more horrified when she begins a love affair with Bill Dauterive. Laoma is briefly mentioned in the following episode "The Witches of East Arlen," but is not seen. After this there was no mention of their relationship, nor has Laoma herself been seen since her first episode, mainly because the creators nixed the original plan for her and Bill to become a regular couple, preferring for Bill to remain his usual single and miserable self. Although she doesn't appear in later episodes, it is implied in a later episode that she gave household tips to Minh via phone, to give to Peggy in exchange for New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers. She was born in a poor village in Laos.
- Gen. Gum (voiced by James Sie) — Usually referred to as "The General," (his full name is Gum Nga Hexumalayasabrath) he appeared only in the episodes "Pour Some Sugar on Kahn" (in which he visits the family) and "Father of the Bribe" (in which Minh recalls her courtship by Kahn). He is Minh's father and greatly dislikes Kahn. He served under several Laotian dictators and was put on trial for war crimes at The Hague. While he constantly ordered Kahn to do his errands, he grew angry as Kahn gained confidence from karaoke and started to stand up to him. After singing Kahn's favorite song, he quickly regained dominance over his son-in-law. Kahn became very depressed, forcing Minh to confront her father about his treatment of her husband. As a result, The General struck a deal with Kahn, in which he would leave if Kahn admitted The General was his superior in every way. Before leaving, the general offered Kahn a small amount of praise, but still refused to shake his hand.
Strickland Propane
- Buck Strickland (voiced by Stephen Root) — Buck is the overweight, balding, over-the-hill owner of Strickland Propane, and Hank's boss. Originally hailing from Arkansas, Buck is a compulsive gambler, chauvinist, alcoholic, cheat, adulterer, and womanizer. Buck has a habit of calling Hank "old top". Hank is blindly loyal to Buck, preferring to view his boss as the idealized American entrepreneur while turning a blind eye to his failings, except when Buck's behavior threatens the immediate welfare of Hank's family. Despite such flaws, Buck trusts Hank and his judgment completely.
- Joe Jack (voiced by Toby Huss) — Joe Jack is a fuel-truck driver and co-worker with Hank at Strickland Propane. He has a drinking problem, as seen when he is a member of the Propaniacs, and it has also been stated that he has a gambling problem as well. He has a habit of calling people "honey," regardless of gender. In one episode, it's revealed that Joe Jack did something so bad at Taco Bueno that he's not allowed to play on the company softball team.
- Enrique (voiced by Eloy Casados from 1997–1998, Danny Trejo from 2002–2009) — Enrique is a good-natured Hispanic truck driver at Strickland Propane. When he first appears, he is a much more soft-spoken character, and it is implied that he came to work in the United States to support his family back home - although later episodes clearly depict his family as living in Arlen (perhaps he sent for them once he had made enough money, though.) In later appearances, his manner of speaking changes entirely and he becomes a loud-mouth, annoying member of the Strickland Propane family - though he's still a good man with well-meaning intentions. In the episode "Enrique-cilable Differences," Hank and Enrique had hardly ever talked to each other before, much to Hank's satisfaction, but suddenly Enrique forcibly befriends Hank after a nasty fight with his wife. Enrique ends up moving in with the Hills for a short time, but quickly patches things up with his wife after a fed-up Hank kicks him out. He thinks the world of Hank, even asking him to speak at his daughter's quinceanera instead of Buck Strickland. Enrique has made several appearances over the entirety of the show's run.
- Debbie Grund (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) — Debbie was an employee of Strickland Propane and was Buck Strickland's mistress. When Strickland ended their relationship, she waited in Hank's pickup truck in her underpants in order to seduce Hank on account of his promotion, but Hank immediately rebuffed her and drove off. As revenge for Buck ending the relationship and Hank's declination of her advances, Debbie plotted to murder the Stricklands and the Hills, but accidentally killed herself when she inadvertently discharged Buck's shotgun onto herself while attempting to climb into the dumpster she was using as a hiding place.
- Donna (voiced by Pamela Adlon) — There are actually two separate Donnas who have both worked as Strickland accountants, and are often referred to as "Donna from Accounting". The first Donna appears, albeit infrequently, as an overweight, dark-skinned woman, most notably in "Meet the Propaniacs". Hank notes on one occasion that she has kids. In "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret Hill", Buck mentions having discovered stolen office supplies in her bedroom (presumably during an extramarital encounter), and orders Hank to "find us a new Donna". The "new Donna" is a tall, curvy white woman who first appears in "The Miseducation of Bobby Hill". In "24 Hour Propane People" she mentions a husband; in "You Gotta Believe (In Moderation)", Dale notes her "recent divorce". In "Lost in MySpace", her most significant episode, she is briefly promoted to assistant manager alongside Hank, but later fired, and later still re-hired as accountant. It is also shown that she is bisexual and has slept with several co-workers, including Buck.
- Roger "Boota" Sack (voiced by Chris Rock in the first appearance, Phil LaMarr in later appearances) — He first appeared in "Traffic Jam" as a comedian and traffic school instructor. His abrasive and insulting style of humor infuriates Hank, as well as the dean of the traffic school, who is able to act upon Hank's complaint that no traffic lessons are being taught in order to finally fire Sack. However, Bobby idolizes him. When Roger saves Bobby from an angry crowd at Bobby's unintentionally racist stand-up act, Hank helps him become an employee of Strickland Propane. He does make appearances in later episodes as a Strickland employee, including introducing Hank to the world of video games when he must study one the potentially infringes on Strickland copyrights, and giving him a test to determine if he is a racist (when Hank has been accused by much of the community.) It is also implied that when Buck Strickland was going through his divorce, the item Roger was being given to hold on to temporarily was a scimitar.
- Elizabeth "Miz Liz" Strickland (voiced by Kathleen Turner) — Elizabeth is the deep-voiced, long suffering wife of Buck Strickland, first seen in "Hanky Panky". Her hair is always pulled up tightly in a bun. Buck Strickland has an Italian scattergun with her name engraved on it. In "Hanky Panky", the first half of a two-part episode, Miz Liz attempts to seduce Hank in a propane-powered hot tub during her and Buck's separation, but the interest was not reciprocated. She and Buck reconcile in the second half "High Anxiety", but later on, in "The Good Buck", Buck claims that Miz Liz has left for good, stating that "she could handle my drinkin' binges, and my gamblin', and even turn a blind eye to my extramarital escapades, but not when they happen all once! ...and on her birthday!"
Tom Landry Middle School
- Carl Moss (voiced by Dennis Burkley) — Carl is the principal of Tom Landry Middle School and one of Hank's high school classmates. Like most school administrators, his twin concerns are tight budgets and maintaining discipline, and he tends to follow procedure to avoid trouble, even when it conflicts with his friendship with Hank. He suspends Hank from temporarily teaching shop class while on vacation after Hank gives the students tools, due to a school policy to prevent students from carrying "weapons" around campus. He also once fired Peggy after she spanked Dooley in class when he pulled her pants down, despite Dooley's parents forgiving and even thanking her. He sometimes goes to extremes in order to stay out of conflict of any kind, even going as far as faking a heart attack to get out of being the tie-breaking vote in a PTA meeting, as in the episode "No Bobby Left Behind." Unsurprisingly, the antics of his students (and their meddling parents) often frustrate him. Carl attended Heimlich Community College as well as Brown University and displays the diplomas on the wall behind his desk in the principal's office. Burkley used the Carl Moss voice for 2 almost-identical food server characters at the Arlen Mall, one of whom worked in a "Showbiz Deli" and one of whom worked in a sushi place - and one of these characters was even called "Carl."
- Coach Kleehammer (voiced by Toby Huss) — Coach Kleehammer is the football coach at Tom Landry Middle School. He has a difficult time relating to things outside of football and often uses football-related expressions in everyday speech. Kleehammer is portrayed as something of a sexist, having displayed a very negative attitude towards women's sports. He is also fairly dim-witted - during one of his arguments with Peggy in the episode "Bobby Slam", he tells her "Roe v. Wade doesn't apply in my gym," the aforementioned law having absolutely nothing to do with women's sports in public schools. He was briefly appointed acting principal of Tom Landry Middle School.
- Stuart Dooley (voiced by Mike Judge) — Stuart is Bobby's deep-voiced, laconic classmate. He has shaggy red hair. He always sardonically intones something obvious after witnessing an event (for example, to Bobby after witnessing Mega Lo Mart exploding, "Your Dad got blown up.") He seems to be something of a sadist and a putdown artist, taking quiet pleasure in saying things to people to sadden or anger them (e.g., when Bill is having fun at Bobby's birthday party, Dooley mentions that Bill's wife divorced him). He also is somewhat of a rebel, and was seen pulling Peggy's pants down, and even smoking at one point. His character also seems to be loosely based on the character Butt-head of Beavis and Butt-head.
- Clark Peters (voiced by Pamela Adlon) — Bobby's overweight bully at Tom Landry Middle School. He has a blond ponytail and speaks as though he has a perpetual head cold (Minh once referred to him as "that creepy booger-nosed kid"). He sometimes forces Bobby to do homework for him, except when Bobby writes down that his favorite hobby is to knit. (As his teacher remarked, "The Clark Peters I know likes to burn things.")
- Randy Miller (voiced by Cheryl Holliday in 1997–1999, David Herman in 2000–2009) — Randy is the quintessential "nerd" who loves to tattle on people and then see them being punished. Bobby, Connie, and Joseph don't like him very much. He is very proud of his father being a successful patent lawyer. Although once a rather prominent character, he largely vanished after the fifth season. He later returned in "Talking Shop" being bullied by Dooley, but Bobby persuades him to leave him alone because he wants attention. In this appearance Randy is noticeably taller and has a deeper, scratchy voice, having seemingly entered the early stages of puberty.
- Chane Wassonasong (voiced by Pamela Adlon) — Chane is a smart but obnoxious and rude classmate of Bobby and Connie. Connie's parents are constantly trying to fix her up with Chane, also Laotian-American, as they see him as a very preferable alternative to Bobby (and because Chane is the son of prominent Laotian-American Ted Wassonasong, with whom they are constantly trying to curry favour) despite the fact that she finds Chane to be annoying. He is a member of his school's track and field team, and used to bully Bobby, but after a fight between the two—which resulted in Chane receiving a rather painful groin injury—he settled for verbally abusing Bobby rather than physically.
- Emily (voiced by Ashley Johnson) — She is a sixth grade blonde pony-tailed hall monitor who takes her position quite seriously. She often serves as the gatekeeper of Principal Moss' office.
- Ramon Alejandro (voiced by Pamela Adlon) — A classmate of Bobby's of Hispanic descent he is among the more popular students and is very popular with the girls.
- Lori (voiced by Jillian Bowen) - A classmate of Bobby and Joseph. Joseph once dated her, having made out in closets throughout the school on several occasions. Very late into the series, Lori insisted that she and Joseph go "all the way" in their relationship, but Joseph broke up with her before it could happen.
Arlen VFW
- Sgt. "Topsy" Toppington (voiced by Stephen Root) — Toppington (nearly always referred to as "Topsy") is an old wartime buddy of Cotton Hill. He often acts as an accomplice to Cotton's inane hate- and revenge-driven schemes. He could inflate his cheeks in a manner similar to Dizzy Gillespie, and according to Cotton, he had to have all his teeth pulled out because they were badly decayed. He also has not slept in twenty years, according to "Unfortunate Son." It is unknown whether this refers to a full night of sleep or sleep in general. In a later episode, he is left for dead after a failed scheme by Cotton who declares "He's playing checkers with the worms." In "Death Buys a Timeshare," his death is confirmed as Cotton is left his estate. Topsy was apparently flushed down General Patton's toilet, as his name can be seen along with all of Cotton's war buddies above the toilet.
- Stinkey (voiced by Edward Asner) — Stinkey is one of Cotton Hill's wartime friends who was overweight and had suffered from diabetes, he died at some point later in the series as it is mentioned by Cotton and his name is among the Veteran's ashes flushed down the toilet that General Patton used.
- Irwin Linker (voiced by Jack Carter) — Irwin is one of Cotton Hill's wartime friends who is often seen with an oxygen tank. He was one of the few to not be named Stinky, Fatty, or Brooklyn. Peggy says he is a potty mouth Irwin linker was, like all of Cotton's war buddies, flushed down George S Patton's toilet.
- Ted "Pops" Popazito (voiced by Jim Cummings) — One of Cotton's war buddies who lived next to Bill for eighteen years. He often criticized Hank and his friends for using modern tools for housework. In "Movin' On Up," he died of a heart attack on his lawn mower and his house was rented by Luanne and some college friends. During the credits of the episode, Cotton and Topsy come to visit him only to be greeted by Griffin (one of Luanne's rude roommates) whom they attack for suspicion of murdering Pops and calling them Nazis.
Other recurring characters
- John Redcorn (voiced by Victor Aaron in 1997, Jonathan Joss in 1998–2009) — John is Nancy's former American Indian "healer" and adulterous lover, and the real father of Joseph. A former roadie for Winger and lead singer of Big Mountain Fudgecake, Redcorn enjoys classic rock music and "hair" bands. He works out of his trailer as a masseur, though his clients are generally only women. It is implied that he has a history of having sex with them, as Hank is horrified when Peggy goes to see him, and John Redcorn even states to him, "Hank, I consider you a friend. I would never heal your wife the way I heal the wives of others." He is also active in American Indian rights campaigns, and Dale once helped him with a lawsuit that netted him several acres of land from the Federal government. In Season 9, he began writing and performing his own children's music. Because Dale had been so helpful, Redcorn felt extremely guilty over what he did to Nancy, and ending his affair by encouraging Nancy and Dale to strengthen their marriage. He is almost always referred to by his full name (no character typically calls him simply "John"). In the episode "My Own Private Rodeo," it's revealed that Dale believes John Redcorn to be gay (this may be a reason he never suspected Nancy and John Redcorn having an affair).
- Ted Wassonasong and Cindy Wassonasong (voiced by Mike Judge and Lauren Tom respectively) — Ted and Cindy are affluent Laotian-American acquaintances of the Souphanousinphones. Kahn and Minh envy and resent them, but go to great lengths to gain their favor, such as inviting them over for dinner. They live in the upscale, gated community of Arlen Heights, and are prominent members of Nine Rivers Country Club. Ted and Cindy tolerate the Souphanousinphones but, in reality, look down upon them. The Wassonasongs are friendly toward the Hills only when they need something from them, such as when Ted persuaded Hank to become the first non-Asian member of Nine Rivers so that a PGA tournament could take place there. Hank ultimately refused when Ted could not prove his "friendship" to Hank by answering his question, ("What, and what accessories do I sell for a living?"). In another instance, Cindy offered Peggy a contract to sell their house if she would take over Cindy's Cozy Kitchen sales job, which sucked Peggy into a pyramid scheme. They also joined the Episcopal Church despite being Buddhist because it was "good for business." This does call into question Ted's Laotian pride and scorning of Kahn as a 'banana.' Ted is also a member of The Arlen Booster club. It should also be noted that in the episode "A Man Without a Country Club", Ted is shown to be fluent in Chinese.
- Octavio (voiced by Mike Judge) — Octavio is a Hispanic quasi-mercenary who does various bizarre favors for Dale when paid enough money. On his chest is a large Rob Zombie tattoo. His appearance was modeled after actor, Danny Trejo who voices Enrique on the show. His last appearance was a brief cameo in Nancy Does Dallas. In a case of art imitating life, Trejo worked with Rob Zombie on the director's horror film The Devil's Rejects.
- M.F. Thatherton (voiced by Burt Reynolds in the first appearance, Toby Huss in later appearances) — M.F. is a former employee of Strickland Propane who strikes out on his own and opens up the crooked Thatherton Fuels company across the street from Strickland. He dresses like an old school rich cowboy with a ten-gallon hat and cowboy boots. An untrustworthy type, Thatherton is a sometime foil to Hank Hill and/or Buck. Whenever Thatherton does something devious, Hank or one of his family members is usually heard exclaiming "Thatherton!" (similar to "Newman!" in Seinfeld). At one point Hank tried to tell what "M.F." stood for to have Thatherton interrupt him saying "My friend!"
- Reverend Thomason (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) — A reverend at Arlen First Methodist Church. He was replaced by Reverend Karen Stroup upon retiring to start an online ministry.
- Reverend Karen Stroup (voiced by Mary Tyler Moore in 1999, Ashley Gardner in 2000–present) — The first female minister of Arlen First Methodist Church. She is originally from Minnesota, but is assigned to Arlen after Reverend Thomason left to start an online ministry. She is also an avid Minnesota Vikings fan. She has shown hints that she had a crush on Bill where they finally became a couple in a later episode, yet he broke up with her when she moved in and felt like everything was moving too fast. She didn't take it well but there has been no talk about their relationship since that episode. Stroup is very preachy, and almost always tries to work her personal problems/concerns/negative issues going on in the church into her sermons.
- Jimmy Whichard (voiced by David Herman) — Jimmy is a violent moron who is the town imbecile. He has had several jobs, including concession manager at the racetrack and outsider artist. Bobby worked for him at the racetrack, and Hank wasn't sympathetic to Bobby's horror stories until he visited the track and saw Jimmy's mistreatment of Bobby that endangered his life; Hank then chased down Jimmy and literally kicked his ass as he was literally on the warpath against Jimmy. Dale notes that he may have given himself brain damage from staring into the sun for too long, although "he can't have been too bright to do it in the first place." When Peggy was scammed by an internet test that "proved" she was a genius, she only believed it to be a scam upon learning that Jimmy was also proclaimed a genius. When Peggy's propane tank sculptures were on display at an art gallery, Jimmy had an exhibit of googly-eyed figures made from aluminum cans; he was upset that they were being sold for money instead of more cans to keep making them with. A running gag during his appearances is his use of the phrase "smashed 'em good."
- Chuck Mangione (voiced by Himself) — Chuck is a famous jazz trumpeter, and his hit song "Feels So Good" is played frequently on the show. He shamelessly promotes Mega-Lo Mart until he grows tired of going to every Mega-Lo Mart opening (there are 400 per year) and becomes a hermit, living within the Arlen Mega-Lo Mart in a "Toilet Paper Castle" (a giant tower made out of stacked packages of Mega Wipe toilet paper) and stealing stocked items. He also apparently defecates on the floors in order to "stick it to the man." Chuck Mangione is apparently a big karaoke fan, as he is impressed by Kahn's rendition of "The Morning After" in "Pour Some Sugar on Kahn." A running gag in the show is his use of the phrase "feels so good" to describe various aspects of the Mega-Lo Mart ("Unplugging your iron feels so good!"), and how every song he plays eventually segues into "Feels So Good" after a few bars.
- Monsignor Martinez (voiced by Mike Judge) — The Monsignor is the gun-toting priest hero of the fictional TV series Los Dias y Las Noches de Monsignor Martinez, a favorite of many of the principal characters. Clips of his program are often inserted into episodes as part of a running gag. In one of the episodes, Hank mentions that Martinez is an undercover cop. The clips of his episodes which appear on the series usually feature him just about to kill one of his nemeses while solemnly uttering his catchphrase, Vaya con dios. In the 8th season episode "Flirting with the Master," the actor who plays Martinez invites Peggy to Mexico City to tutor his children, and she mistakes his interest for romantic passion. He may have been inspired by the Gerry Anderson series The Secret Service, which featured a priest moonlighting as a secret agent. A live-action pilot was filmed featuring the character, but never aired because FOX didn't think it would be a good idea to have a show about a Catholic priest that goes around shooting people.
- Lane Pratley (voiced by Dwight Yoakam in the first appearance, Dave Thomas in later appearances) — Lane is a sleazy car dealer who owns "Pratley Ford" and "Pratley Hyundai," and as he says, "I got my eye on Pratley Cadillac—my daddy ain't doing so good." Lane once owned a women's roller derby team that Peggy and Luanne skated for, before Peggy organized the skaters into a buyout and quit.
- Mark Buckley (voiced by David Herman) — Buckley was the slacker boyfriend of Luanne. He was a monosyllabic, unintelligent, incompetent, indifferent motorcyclist, whose universal catchphrase is an unenthusiastic "Hey." As such, Hank dislikes him greatly, but he will simply say "I don't like him, but he's Luanne's ticket out of my house, and that's good enough for me." He was supposedly killed in a "propane explosion" while working at Mega-Lo Mart in the second season finale, but this was never confirmed. The character did return once (as an angel) on the episode "Wings of the Dope," where Kahn buys Buckley's trampoline for his backyard and Luanne (who has been stressed over beauty school finals) begins seeing Buckley's angel, who appears to her and (in his own way) tries to guide Luanne to a better calling (which eventually leads to Luanne dropping out of beauty school and enrolling in community college). During the 2 seasons in which he appears as a regular, recurring character, an ongoing joke is that he and Luanne break up many times, but are always back together in the next episode in which they both appear.
- Officer Brown (voiced by Fred Willard) — Officer Brown is a local police officer in Arlen who is commonly called upon by the main characters. In the episode "Cops and Robert," he became a security guard at Bobby's school due to massive corruption. His appearance is modeled after his voice actor.
- Jack (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray) — Jack is Hank's mentally unstable barber. Eventually, his distress affects his ability to style hair, once causing Hank great embarrassment. Jack was almost forced out of business when a trendy salon named Hottyz opened across the street, but he was able to secure Luanne and Bill's services after Hottyz fired them when they learned Bill was not the homosexual hairstylist he'd been posing as.
- Eustace Miller (voiced by David Herman) — Eustace is a wimpy, mustachioed patent lawyer and father of Bobby's classmate Randy. Hank and the gang often poke fun at him when they are forced to interact with him for not passing the "Straight Arrow" initiation, often calling him "Useless," Despite apparently leading a successful life afterwards. He serves on the PTA at Tom Landry Middle School.
- Bob Jenkins (voiced by Henry Gibson) — Bob is a one-eyed veteran reporter for The Arlen Bystander and is Peggy's main rival there. His left eye was scraped out of his skull because he had a brain tumor. When Peggy thinks the "Waffle House" beat is beneath her, Bob takes it over and breaks the story of Dale as "The Smoking Bandit." In "Bysand Me" (his debut episode), he tells Peggy that whenever he gets writer's block, he hires a prostitute. He played for the Zephyrs in "You Gotta Believe (In Moderation)", and attended Luanne and Lucky's wedding. In "Strangeness On a Train" it is suggested that his friend he brought to Peggy's murder mystery-themed party might have vague homosexual feelings for him. He also shares the same name with Bobby Hill.
- Miss Kremzer (voiced by Jennifer Coolidge) — The teacher at the beauty school Luanne went to. She is very condescending towards Luanne in her first appearance (perhaps best summed up by Hank's comment of "what a bitch" during Luanne's nearly-failed evaluation). After Hank's speech that gets Kremzer to change her grade for Luanne, she acts sympathetic along with the other students, but is right back to her previously-displayed bad attitude in subsequent episodes.
- Sharona Johnson (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) — A girl that goes to the same beauty school that Luanne went to. Sharona is hardworking and intelligent but is also very arrogant and puts down Luanne constantly (along with the other girls).
- Chris Sizemore (voiced by Chris Elliott) — A real estate agent that Peggy once worked for after she wrote a scathing article about him in the Bystander for which she was consequently fired.
- Gary Kasner (voiced by Carl Reiner) — An elderly Jewish man who serves as Tilly Hill's new love interest following her separation from Cotton. He served on a submarine during Korea, but tells Bobby he didn't see any action during the conflict. Hank (who was temporarily blinded by the horrible sight of seeing Gary and Tilly making love on the kitchen table) was initially not happy with his mother's decision to pursue a relationship again, but Hank changed his mind when Gary threatened to kick Cotton's ass if he kept talking bad about Tilly. Later, Gary appearances include a rather comical scene in which he walks in front of Tilly naked as a Valentine's present, and Bobby visiting him and being allowed the use of his bachelor pad and golf cart. In the "Honeymooners" episode, it is revealed that Tilly had left Gary and married her new boyfriend, Chuck.
- Tom Chick (voiced by Phil Hendrie) — The manager of the Channel 84 news division.
- Nguc Phong (voiced by James Sie) – A Laotian who is one of Ted Wassonasong's friends.
- David "The Flyin' Hawaiian" Kalaiki-Ali'i (voiced by Brendan Fraser) — David is a football player in Arlen High in the episode "Peggy Makes The Big Leagues." He was proclaimed to have a learning disability in order to circumvent a rule that required footballs players to pass their classes in order to play as Peggy had given him an F. While initially not interested in Peggy wanting to help him (since he had the sweet life, being a football star and being loved by all the girls at school), he finally buckled down and decided to try and learn something, after being embarrassed by his mother's failed scheme to make it look like he had the aforementioned learning disability.
- Mrs. Kalaiki-Ali'i (voiced by Amy Hill) — An Hawaiian insurance agent Hank visits when Kahn backs into Hank's truck with his van. A later episode revolved around her son David who was a star football player at Arlen High and was doing poorly in his classes.
- Fred Ebberd (voiced by Chelcie Ross) — A member of the city council who also works at a movie theater. He appeared in only two episodes, but is mentioned by Hank in several others.
Other characters
- Jody "Ray Roy" Strickland (voiced by Diedrich Bader) — Jody is the illegitimate son of Buck Strickland who lives in Tennessee. Buck meets him at the National Propane Gas Convention. Affectionately dubbed "Ray Roy" by Buck when he cannot remember his real name, he gladly accepts the nickname. Like his father, Jody also runs a propane company named Strickland Propane that's based in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Also like Buck, Jody is a compulsive gambler, chauvinist, alcoholic, cheat, and womanizer.
- Wesley Cherish (voiced by Andy Richter) — Wesley is a new neighbor that moved to Arlen from Fort Worth in the episode Straight as an Arrow. Wesley's wife is Annette. They have six children (only two of which have been named, boys Robin and Carey, one of which has ADHD, and the other hyperglycemia). The children are home schooled by Annette. Wesley does not allow his children to play video games or watch TV (although they do have a TV, which is mainly used as an end table) and are not allowed to participate in "predatory sports" such as football, basketball and tag.
References
External links
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