document_title: List of The Facts of Life characters

question_text: who played alex garrett on facts of life

text: List of The Facts of Life characters

text: Characters table[edit]

text:
Actor

Character

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Charlotte Rae

Edna Garrett

Main

Guest

Absent

Lisa Whelchel

Blair Warner

Main

Kim Fields

Tootie Ramsey

Main

Mindy Cohn

Natalie Green

Main

Nancy McKeon

Jo Polniaczek

Absent

Main

John Lawlor

Steven Bradley

Main

Absent

Jenny O'Hara

Emily Mahoney[note 1]

Main

Absent

Felice Schachter

Nancy Olsen

Main

Recurring

Absent

Guest

Absent

Julie Piekarski

Sue Ann Weaver

Main

Recurring

Absent

Guest

Absent

Julie Anne Haddock

Cindy Webster

Main

Recurring

Absent

Guest

Absent

Molly Ringwald

Molly Parker

Main

Guest

Absent

Pamela Segall

Kelly Affinado

Absent

Main

Absent

Mackenzie Astin

Andy Moffett

Absent

Recurring

Main

George Clooney

George Burnett

Absent

Main

Recurring

Absent

Cloris Leachman

Beverly Ann Stickle

Absent

Main

Sherrie Krenn

Pippa McKenna[note 2]

Absent

Main

text: Edna Garrett[edit]

text:
Edna Garrett
Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life characterFirst appearance
"Movin' In" (Diff'rent Strokes)"Rough Housing" (The Facts of Life)Last appearance
The Facts of Life ReunionPortrayed by
Charlotte RaeInformationAliases
Mrs. Garrett, Mrs. GOccupation
Housekeeper, housemother, dietitian, businesswomanSpouse(s)
Robert Garrett (divorced)Dr. Bruce Gaines (1986–, widowed before 2001 reunion)Children
Alex Garrett (son)Raymond Garrett (son)Relatives
Beverly Ann Stickle (sister)Andy Moffett (adoptive nephew)

text: Edna Ann Garrett Gaines, known as Mrs. Garrett or Mrs. G, was played by actress Charlotte Rae from 1978 to 1986.

text: Garrett was the youngest child in a large family, born and raised on a farm near Appleton, Wisconsin. Her exact age was never disclosed during the series, but on several occasions, it was hinted or implied that she was somewhere in her fifties. On Diff'rent Strokes, she was the housekeeper to the Drummond family in New York City after Willis and Arnold's mom Lucy (the Drummonds' original housekeeper) died. In 1979, she took a job as house mother at the Eastland School for Girls in Peekskill, New York (Kimberly Drummond attended Eastland). Over the years, Mrs. Garrett's role on The Facts of Life changed. At first she was merely a live-in supervisor for the girls of Eastland; in the second season she became their in-house dietitian who managed the school's cafeteria.

text: Garrett was married twice, divorced (first marriage), and widowed (second marriage); one early episode showed Mr. Garrett coming to town to woo her and reconcile, but he was unsuccessful because Edna felt that his gambling problem would always be an obstacle. She had two sons, a singer/songwriter/carpenter named Alex (Tom Fitzsimmons) (born 1953) and an accountant named Raymond (Joel Brooks). Raymond helped her raise funds and secure commercial space so she could open her own gourmet food shop, "Edna's Edibles", in the fall of 1983. The girls, who had previously lived with Mrs. Garrett at Eastland, and worked with her in the kitchen to pay off various restitution-related expenses (see below), moved into the living space attached to "Edna's Edibles" and continued to work for Mrs. Garrett in the shop (this time on the payroll). In the fall of 1985, "Edna's Edibles" was extensively damaged by fire; it was rebuilt as a gift shop called "Over Our Heads." Since the insurance on "Edna's Edibles" had lapsed by the time of the fire, the girls contributed their insurance claim checks to help rebuild, effectively making Mrs. Garrett and the girls equal partners in the business.

text: Edna Garrett was a mentor to the girls at Eastland, functioning in loco parentis. At times the girls would take her for granted, and forget that Edna herself had problems. Many times Edna would lash out at the girls when they got careless with her. In one episode, she actually fires them from "Edna's Edibles" when their irresponsible behavior ends up costing her $500 in fines after a dismal health inspection. She hires them back the next day when the girls promise her that they will be more responsible at their jobs. She also fires George, when he falls behind on his work constructing "Over Our Heads," but they later make up. Mrs. Garrett is a Democrat. She is also against censorship, such as book banning.

text: Mrs. Garrett remarried in 1986. She and her new husband, Dr. Bruce Gaines (Robert Mandan), rejoined the Peace Corps to work in eastern Africa (Charlotte Rae did not want to continue with the series). Edna was replaced by her sister, Beverly Ann Stickle (Cloris Leachman). However, in the reunion movie that aired in 2001, Mrs. Garrett reunited with the three girls (Blair, Natalie, and Tootie) at a hotel owned by Blair and which was run by Mrs. Garrett's son Raymond. It was also revealed that Mrs. Garrett and Tootie were widows. It's revealed that she was in a romantic relationship with a ship captain.

text: Mrs. Garrett also appears on the Hello, Larry episode "The Trip", the first of three crossovers between Diff'rent Strokes and Hello, Larry.

text: In an episode of Halt and Catch Fire (TV series), a man fencing computers refers to married mother Donna Clark (played by Kerry Bishé) as Mrs. Garrett, in reference to her conservative appearance and critical opinion of him.

text: Natalie Green[edit]

text:
Natalie GreenFirst appearance
"Rough Housing" (The Facts of Life)Last appearance
The Facts of Life ReunionPortrayed by
Mindy CohnInformationOccupation
StudentRelatives
Dr. Sy Green (father; deceased)Evelyn "Evie" Green (mother)Ellen Manheim (biological mother)

text: Natasha Letisha Sage "Natalie" Green was played by Mindy Cohn. Natalie's best friend on the show was Tootie, as they were close in age. Natalie's age was 12 at the series' beginning.

text: Natalie's most defining physical attribute was that she was large-figured, but she had a healthy self-image, once quoted as saying, "Who wants to be a skinny pencil? I'd rather be a happy Magic Marker!"

text: Natalie is Jewish, as Mindy Cohn is in real life; and her faith was featured in several episodes. In one, she celebrated Hanukkah while the others celebrated Christmas. Her heritage was highlighted when her father, Dr. Green, died unexpectedly; Natalie's bottled-up grief was a continuing storyline.

text: Although she wasn't a mold-fitting "traditional beauty," Natalie was involved in many storylines regarding sex. In an early episode, she dated a boy who spread a rumor that Natalie was easy. In another episode, she was almost sexually assaulted on the way back from a costume party. In the controversial episode "The First Time," toward the series' end, she became the first of the girls to have sex when she slept with her boyfriend Snake on their first anniversary as a couple. A budding writer, she wrote for the Eastland School newspaper.

text: Natalie graduated from Eastland in 1985, in the Season 6, Episode 25, "Bus Stop," and took a year off before college to travel across the country in a bus, leaving family and friends dismayed because she was postponing Princeton. At the year's end, she decided to attend Langley College, and she became a reporter for the local newspaper in Peekskill. She went to New York City towards the end of the series and decided to stay and pursue her writing career. The episode in which she checks out the SoHo loft she will eventually call home features Richard Grieco and David Spade as her future roommates. (The episode, which aired in 1988, was originally set up for Mindy Cohn to transition into a spinoff series, but the plans never materialized.) In the TV-movie, The Facts of Life Reunion, she is revealed to be a television news producer at CNN and is also involved with two different men; none of whom knew of the other. Her boyfriends Robert and Harper were willing, for a short time, to compete for her heart. Though her friends deemed Robert the winner, Natalie eventually choose Harper. While her now ex, Robert accepted this and parted with Natalie on good terms.

text: Natalie was the only one of the girls who was adopted. In one episode, Blair successfully tracked down Natalie's birthmother, but Natalie—who realized that her adoptive parents were her true parents, even though they weren't biologically related to her—refused to answer the phone and hear the results of the search, instead inviting her friends to taste the cake "my mother made." However, thanks in part to an argument with her adoptive mother during a 1982 episode, the subject arose again, and it was her adoptive mother who finally told Natalie who her biological mother was. Natalie tracked her down and met her, but as before, she still considered the mother who had reared her to be her mother.

text: Natalie also appears in two episodes of Diff'rent Strokes: "The Slumber Party" and "The Older Men".

text: Jo Polniaczek[edit]

text:
Jo PolniaczekFirst appearance
The New Girl, pt. 1Last appearance
The Beginning of the BeginningPortrayed by
Nancy McKeonInformationOccupation
StudentRelatives
Charlie Polniaczek (father)Rose Polniaczek (mother)Josef Polniaczek (paternal grandfather)

text: Joanna Marie "Jo" Polniaczek was played by Nancy McKeon. Jo was first introduced in the second season in 1980, at 14 years old, arriving at the Eastland Academy on her motorcycle. She almost immediately formed a dislike for Blair Warner; Jo found Blair stuck-up, and Blair found Jo short-tempered, bossy, classless, and manly. In a memorable introduction, Blair introduced herself to Jo, to which Jo replied, "Charmed; I'm Gloria Vanderbilt." Jo was Polish American.

text: Jo convinced the gang to steal the school van and use fake IDs to buy drinks at a bar. The van was wrecked and the girls were forced to work in the Eastland cafeteria to make up the repair costs; this was from the second season two-part premiering in November 1980 "The New Girl Part 1". In the second episode "The New Girl Part 2", the girls were also placed on house probation and were forced to live across the hall from Mrs. Garrett's room above the cafeteria for a year. When the punishment expired, all four girls found other living arrangements, but were responsible for cleaning and painting their former room. While painting, their friendship began to rekindle culminating into an all-out paint fight, which severely damaged the hardwood floor requiring expensive repairs. The girls decided to move back in together and continued to work in the kitchen to pay off the bill for the damaged floor.

text: Blair's attitude toward Jo worsened when Blair's boyfriend asked Jo to a country club dance. However, Blair stood up for Jo when her would-be love interest tried to assault and humiliate her on the ninth green. When asked why Blair stood up for Jo, Blair stated, "At least when I insult you, I know what I'm talking about!" Another problem for Jo came when she shoplifted a blouse for Mrs. Garrett's birthday; Mrs. Garrett was subsequently arrested when she went to exchange the blouse for the smaller size, not knowing the garment was stolen.

text: Early on, Jo's sailor boyfriend, Eddie Brennan (actor Clark Brandon), came to Eastland and convinced her to marry him. They planned to elope to West Virginia, where the marriage age was lower, but Mrs. Garrett and Blair tracked her down at a nearby motel to stop her. Jo had by that point already begun to change her mind when she realized just how difficult teenage marriage would be. Jo returned to Peekskill without Eddie. Eddie visited again the following season but things had changed between them. They were moving in different directions and keeping the long distance relationship going was proving to be very difficult, so they decided to see other people for the time being. Eddie returned late in the fifth season, now an officer in the Navy but Tootie discovered he was married to a girl in Italy. Clark Brandon's last appearance was in the 5th season's 23rd episode "Seems Like Old Times".

text: In the 15th episode of the 4th season called "Teacher's Pet", Jo developed a friendship with her 26-year-old English teacher, Miss Gail Gallagher (played by Deborah Harmon), who was raised in a similar environment to that of Jo. Gail inspired Jo to think about becoming a teacher herself and Jo went as far as to calling her by her first name. When Jo learned from Blair that Gail was quitting Eastland, she became very disappointed believing that the reason was for a higher-paying job. She was crushed when she found out from Mrs. Garrett that it was because of something unthinkable – terminal illness. Jo was so shocked that she stopped going to Gail's class and shunned her completely. She tried to keep herself busy with things that would distract her from thoughts of Gail and went as far as breaking her evening curfew. When Mrs. Garrett and Tootie confronted her about her strange behavior, she managed to overcome the shock and fear and come to terms with Gail's terminal illness.

text: Many of Jo's stories revolved around her tomboyish ways. Jo got into verbal spars with girls who didn't think she was "feminine enough," and boys (including some of her boyfriends) were threatened by her mechanical aptitude, which she displayed by getting a job at a local garage.

text: In the later seasons, Jo's tomboyish image softened considerably, as she and the girls were growing up and was rarely raised as an issue again. Her relationship with Blair became more friendly as time went on (Jo would even refer to Blair as her best friend by the last season), although the two still argued, traded wisecracks and made fun of each other from time to time. Jo graduated from Eastland as valedictorian of her class, and attended Langley College with Blair, graduating with a degree in education. In one flashback-heavy episode; the ninth sixth-season episode "Dear Apple", Jo relayed her latest ongoing spat with Blair to a computer, which analyzed the data and concluded that Jo should stop being friends with Blair. At the end of the episode, Jo quietly threw the computer's printout away. During Season 6, Jo met and was romanced by a young rock singer named Flyman (played by Michael Damian) in the two-part episode, "Gone With the Wind". She was reunited with him in Season 7, where it was revealed he now had a lounge act in Las Vegas. In the last season, Jo married Rick Bonner, a concert musician, and she asked Blair to be her maid of honor.

text: Jo did not appear at the reunion TV special because it was stated that she was now a police officer and was working; however, Rick and their daughter Jamie did attend. This also coincided with Nancy McKeon's role as a policewoman in the drama series The Division since the reason she couldn't participate in the reunion was a conflict in her working schedule.

text: Tootie Ramsey[edit]

text:
Tootie RamseyFirst appearance
The Girls School (Diff'rent Strokes)"Rough Housing" (The Facts of Life)Last appearance
The Facts of Life ReunionPortrayed by
Kim FieldsInformationOccupation
StudentRelatives
Harrison "Rifle" Ramsey (father)Paula/Diane Ramsey (mother)Marshall Ramsey (brother)Ethel (maternal grandmother)

text: Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey was played by Kim Fields. She was the youngest of the main characters at the age of 11, and the only African-American girl. She and her family hailed from Washington, D.C.. She attended Eastland Academy for most of the show's run. Tootie's most-remembered attributes were her penchant for rollerskates (at first used by Facts of Life producers to mask Fields' short stature), her gossipy nature, and her braces. In real life, Kim Fields had to wear braces for three years, finally having them removed in 1984, after the show begins the sixth season. A lot of Tootie's gossip got her and her friends in trouble, and she was noted for her catch phrase, "We are in trou-ble!"

text: Tootie was involved in many issue-based storylines. For example, Tootie befriended a boy named Fred who insisted that she only associate with black people, in an attempt to realize "her true roots." In another episode, Tootie was chosen by a photographer to model for newspaper advertisements but was instead lured into a borderline kiddie porn operation and was saved by Mrs. Garrett at the last minute. During a trip to New York City, Tootie was almost strong-armed into prostitution before Mrs. Garrett found her and took her home. In another episode, she struggled with the race issue again when her best friend Natalie dated a relative of hers and Tootie intervened, causing conflict between Natalie and herself. Tootie's favorite singer is Michael Jackson's older brother Jermaine Jackson.

text: Tootie helped Mrs. Garrett with her bakery, "Edna's Edibles", after school and then worked full-time at the gift shop "Over Our Heads" after she graduated from high school in 1986.

text: In the 2001 The Facts of Life Reunion TV movie, Tootie had attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London to pursue an acting career, was a Hollywood-based talk show host, and was the single mother of Tisha, a 10-year-old (fathered by her longtime boyfriend and later deceased husband, Jeff Williams). After her visit, Tootie (who now preferred to be called "Dorothy") decided to quit her talk show, Waking Up with Dorothy, and move to New York to take up the theater, but not before becoming the co-owner of the Peekskill Playhouse. Tisha Williams remained behind to attend Eastland Academy and continue the family tradition.

text: In addition to the Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Girls School" that serves as the pilot for The Facts of Life, Tootie also appears in "The Slumber Party", "The Bank Job", "First Day Blues" and "The Team".

text: Blair Warner[edit]

text:
Blair WarnerFirst appearance
The Girls School (Diff'rent Strokes)"Rough Housing" (The Facts of Life)Last appearance
The Facts of Life ReunionPortrayed by
Lisa WhelchelInformationOccupation
StudentRelatives
David Warner, Jr. (father)Monica Warner Eloise Hoffdale, née Blair (mother)Meg Warner (half-sister)Bailey Hoffdale-Warner (sister)Geri Warner (cousin)Hon. Carlton Blair (maternal grandfather; deceased)David Warner, Sr. (paternal grandfather)

text: Blair Warner was played by Lisa Whelchel. She was 14 in the series' pilot episode; an episode in the 1985–1986 season centered on her 21st birthday.

text: At the series' beginning in 1979, Blair was portrayed as a very rich and very rebellious girl from a blue blood background. She was seen smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and enjoying great popularity with boys; unlike many of her classmates, she was looking to lose her virginity. When the show was retooled in 1980, all instances of her rebellion were either dropped or given to the new character of Jo Polniaczek, and Blair was rewritten as an unashamedly spoiled "daddy's girl."

text: Blair was vain, arrogant, egotistical, and shallow, but also funny, kind-hearted, and loving to Mrs. Garrett and her friends, especially Jo Polniaczek. She also got good grades, won school awards, was crowned Harvest Queen for three straight years, and even convinced a guy to move from Switzerland to attend school near her (when asked about it, Blair dryly remarked, "I've done it before.") Blair's delusions of grandeur were usually played for laughs when Natalie, Tootie or Jo would make sarcastic remarks about her "beauty," "perfect" personality, or "naturally blonde hair." Blair felt she was more important than "regular" people because she was the heiress to her father's multimillion-dollar business, Warner Textile Mills. Any crisis at Eastland would usually prompt a suggested solution from Blair, preceded by her catch phrase: "I just had another one of my brilliant ideas!" More often than not, though, her "brilliant ideas" were actually quite the opposite, although on at least two occasions they turned out to actually be brilliant. In the episode Growing Pains, it was her idea to have Mrs Garrett punish them after Tootie gets drunk on wine that Blair, Jo, and Natalie were responsible for, and in The Four Musketeers it was her idea to move back into the room and work in the kitchen to pay off the debt incurred when she and the other girls get into a paint fight while painting the room. She eventually developed a more down-to-earth attitude, especially after she suffered a car accident (after falling asleep at the wheel) that left her slightly scarred, spoiling her "perfect" beauty.

text: Blair's parents (played by Nicolas Coster and Marj Dusay) were divorced on June 14, 1973, and although she didn't usually show it, Blair wished that she had a nuclear family like all of her friends. Later in the series, her mother remarried (for the fourth time) and gave birth to a baby girl (Bailey). Blair had misgivings about her mother's pregnancy but fell in love with baby Bailey as soon as she saw her.

text: Another secret Blair kept from her friends was that her cousin Geri (played by comedian Geri Jewell) had cerebral palsy. She was not embarrassed by her cousin, but rather jealous of her, since Blair was used to being the center of attention. Mrs. Garrett told Blair not to lash out against Geri because of her jealousy, and Blair joined Geri, a successful comedian, onstage at an impromptu comedy show Geri threw at the Eastland Academy. Blair's former step sister Meg visited Eastland to tell her that she's going to become a nun in "Best Sister Part 1" and in "Best Sister Part 2" it's revealed that Blair is an atheist because she asked God to not allow her parents' divorce to become final in 1973, but her parents split up nevertheless.

text: Blair attended Eastland, and upon graduating in 1983, attended nearby Langley College. She worked with Mrs. Garrett at "Edna's Edibles" and, later, "Over Our Heads." After graduating from Langley, she enrolled in law school. In the series finale, she purchases the financially troubled Eastland Academy and turns it into a co-educational school.

text: Blair's chief foil was Jo. The two made no secret of their mutual dislike: Jo found Blair spoiled and snobbish; Blair thought Jo was rude and crude. However, more than once Blair stuck up for and stood by Jo in her time of need (and vice versa), and eventually the two developed a much friendlier relationship. In one episode, Jo even declared Blair as her official best friend.

text: In the episode "Legacy," Blair, initially enthusiastic about a library being built with her family's funds and named after her late maternal grandfather, Judge Carlton Blair, thus immortalizing the name "Blair," was horrified to learn her grandfather had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The revelation devastated Blair and made her question all her assumptions about her supposed "superiority," even though Jo assured her "You're not prejudiced; you're a snob." She almost withdrew the library funding to avoid commemorating her grandfather but finally agreed to let it be built so long as it was not given the "Blair" name.

text: In addition to the Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Girls School" that serves as the pilot for The Facts of Life, Blair appears in "The Older Man".

text: In the 2001 TV movie The Facts of Life Reunion, Blair, who became a lawyer, is wealthier than ever and owns a hotel empire (Warner Enterprises) with her husband Tad Warner (no relation), managed by Mrs. Garrett's son Raymond; she and Tad have no children. At end of the movie, she and Tad decided to adopt a child.

text: Note: Actress Geri Reischl ("fake Jan" of The Brady Bunch Hour) was given the role of Blair Warner in the television pilot Garrett's Girls (later renamed The Facts of Life), but was forced to give it up due to her contract with General Mills.[1]

text: Cindy Webster[edit]

text:
Cindy WebsterFirst appearance
"Rough Housing"Last appearance
The Little ChillPortrayed by
Julie Anne HaddockInformationOccupation
Student

text: Cindy Webster was played by Julie Anne Haddock. She was around 12 years old at the beginning of The Facts of Life. Cindy was an athletic tomboy, who, at the start of the series, was worried she wasn't "normal". The first episode of The Facts of Life, which aired in summer 1979, focused on Cindy, who was concerned that she might like girls, after hearing disparaging remarks from snobby Blair. The episode tackled a sensitive issue during an era when lesbianism was rarely talked about on television, although reaction from modern-day critics has been mixed. Stephen Tropiano, writing in 2002, wrote: "While the episode is not really about homosexuality per se, it seems to deliver a contradictory message. On the one hand, wise Mrs. Garrett dispenses Cindy some good advice when she explains the value of being yourself [...] yet there is a sense of relief that Cindy is heading down the road to heterosexuality because she's fallen for a guy she met at the dance."[2]

text: On the series, Cindy's best friend and roommate was Sue Ann Weaver, and the pair appeared together frequently in many early episodes, including in an episode where the two girls fight over a racing competition ("Running", 1980). Cindy also does gymnastics and tries out for Harvest Queen at Eastland. She attends journalism class with Blair, Jo and Sue Ann. The character of Cindy Webster was gradually written out of the show between summer 1980 and winter 1982, with the character making only a few appearances during seasons two and three. However, she reappeared in the 1986 reunion episode "The Little Chill"; it was revealed in that episode that Cindy had become a model, and was now known professionally as Cindy Baker.

text: Beverly Ann Stickle[edit]

text:
Beverly Ann StickleFirst appearance
"Out of Peekskill"Last appearance
"The Beginning of the End: Part 1"Portrayed by
Cloris LeachmanInformationGender
FemaleOccupation
BusinesswomanSpouse(s)
Frank Stickle (divorced)Children
Andy Moffet (adopted son)Relatives
Edna Garrett (sister)

text: Beverly Ann Stickle was played by Cloris Leachman.

text: Beverly Ann was first seen in the fall of 1986, after Mrs. Garrett married and moved to Africa to serve in the Peace Corps. In reality, actress Charlotte Rae's contract had expired, and she did not want to continue with the series. At the time, The Facts of Life was still lucrative for NBC, and NBC president Brandon Tartikoff chose to renew, but only with a new mother figure at the helm.

text: Beverly Ann, Mrs. Garrett's divorced sister, moved in with the girls as Mrs. Garrett wanted someone to keep an eye on them as she had. She became the property owner for Mrs. Garrett's house and the boutique store, Over Our Heads. Beverly Ann's role expanded from confidante to mother when she legally adopted Over Our Heads worker Andy Moffet (Mackenzie Astin), who was being shuffled from foster home to foster home.

text: She mentioned that she was named after her grandfather, Boris Ann.

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ O'Hara's character was dropped after the fourth episode, "I.Q."

Jump up ^ Krenn was introduced in "Up from Down Under", the sixth episode of season 9, as a recurring character. She was promoted to the main cast beginning with the episode "Something in Common".


document_title: List of The Lion King characters

question_text: who does the voice of sarabi in lion king

question_tokens: who does the voice of sarabi in lion king

root

text: List of The Lion King characters

text: Development[edit]

text: A total of thirteen supervising animators from Walt Disney Feature Animation and Disney-MGM Studios were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the first film's main characters. The animation team studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for the earlier film Bambi.[1] The animation of the characters counted with supervision by wildlife experts such as Jim Fowler, who visited the studio on several occasions with lions and other animals to help the animators reproduce authentic behavior.[2] Screenwriter Irene Mecchi joined the directing team to help in the character development process and define each character's personality. Story head Brenda Chapman spoke of the challenges of character development.

tag: p

text: The Lion King[edit]

text: Simba[edit]

text: Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick in the films, Cam Clarke in Timon & Pumbaa, and Rob Lowe in The Lion Guard) is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi. His name meaning "lion" in Swahili and "strength" in Shona. Simba grows up to take Mufasa's place as King of Pride Rock and becomes the father of Kiara and Kion.

text: Nala[edit]

text: Nala (voiced by Moira Kelly) is a childhood friend of Simba and the daughter of Sarafina. Although she is a prominent character in The Lion King, she makes minor appearances in The Lion King ll: Simba's Pride, The Lion King 1½, and The Lion Guard.

text: In the first film, she is portrayed as Simba's childhood friend. After helping Simba enter the elephant graveyard, she has to be rescued by Mufasa when the hyenas attack them. Several years later, Nala encounters Simba as a young adult and develops a romance with Simba after encountering him in the jungle. After returning to Pride Rock, she helps Simba defeat Scar and take Mufasa's place as King of Pride Rock. In Simba's Pride, Nala is depicted as slightly older, calmer and less overprotective than her mate.

text: Timon and Pumbaa[edit]

text: Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella in the films and TV series, respectively) are a meerkat and warthog duo. Although they are supporting characters in the first two films, they are featured as the main characters in The Lion King 1½ as well as in the Timon & Pumbaa TV series. In the first film they become friends with Simba and teach him the basics of life in the jungle. After helping Simba stop Scar's tyrannical reign, the two become Simba's royal advisors and adoptive uncles of the honey badger, Bunga. In the live-adaptation remake, Pumbaa is going to be voiced by Seth Rogen

text: Scar[edit]

text: Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons in The Lion King and Jim Cummings in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride) is the main antagonist of The Lion King franchise, Simba's nemesis and paternal uncle, Mufasa's younger brother and arch-rival, and Shenzi, Banzai and Ed's former leader and boss. In The Lion King, after he commits a coup d'état by murdering Mufasa and exiling Simba, he becomes "King of the Pride Lands". However, years later, Simba returns to Pride Rock and overthrows Scar to become King of the Pride Lands. The Lion Guard reveals that Scar was once the leader of the titular group and, like his great-nephew Kion, once possessed the Roar of the Elders. Scar lost the Roar of the Elders after using it to destroy the other members of the guard. In Season 2 of the The Lion Guard, Scar appears as flames supporting the hyenas and other animals of the outlands.

text: Mufasa[edit]

text: Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones in the films and Gary Anthony Williams in The Lion Guard) is Scar's older brother, Sarabi's husband and Simba's father who is introduced as the King of the Pride Lands. The name "Mufasa" means "King" in the Manazoto language. In The Lion King, he teaches Simba on what a king is supposed to be. However, Mufasa is killed during a wildebeest stampede initiated by Scar. He returns as a ghostly apparition in the clouds to help Simba return to the Pride Lands and remember who he is as King.

text: According to Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, they knew that Jones's voice was powerful similar to the lion roar. Jones is scheduled to reprise his role in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the film directed by Jon Favreau.[3]

text: Sarabi[edit]

text: Sarabi (voiced by Madge Sinclair) is Mufasa's wife and Simba's mother. Her name means "mirage" in Swahili. In The Lion King, she serves as the Queen of Pride Rock. Years after Scar usurps the throne, Sarabi helps Simba fight against Scar and his hyenas. When Simba defeats Scar, Nala becomes queen in Sarabi's place.

text: Zazu[edit]

text: Zazu (voiced by Rowan Atkinson in The Lion King, Edward Hibbert in Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and The Lion King 1½, and Jeff Bennett in The Lion Guard) is a red-billed hornbill[4] and majordomo to Mufasa and later Simba. After Mufasa's death, Zazu becomes a prisoner of Scar before Pumbaa releases him when Simba returns to the Pride Lands. He eventually acts as a scout and advises Simba on royal protocol. In the musical, Zazu is a puppet controlled by an actor dressed in blue striped clothes and a bowler hat, much like a stereotypical butler. Zazu's blue feathers have been replaced with white and the puppet is partially constructed from parachute silk with a slinky contained in the neck for ease in movement.[5]

text: Rafiki[edit]

text: Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume in the films and Timon & Pumbaa and Khary Payton in The Lion Guard), whose name means "friend" in Swahili, is a mandrill with an unnaturally long tail. He lives in a baobab tree in the Pride Lands and performs shamanistic services for the lions of Pride Rock.

text: In The Lion King, Rafiki is introduced in the opening scene when he travels to Pride Rock to perform newborn Simba's presentation ceremony. During the film, Rafiki sings a nonsense chant: "Asante sana, squash banana, wewe nugu, mimi hapana." This is a Swahili playground rhyme which translates to "Thank you very much (squash banana), you're a baboon and I'm not!" Like "hakuna matata" (no worries), the chant was heard by the filmmakers on their research trip to Kenya. Rafiki travels to the jungle where Simba lives with Timon and Pumbaa, and teaches him lessons about learning from the past. During the battle for Pride Rock, Rafiki saves Simba from a hyena. At the end of the film, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

text: In the sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Rafiki is more closely involved with the affairs and politics of the prides and is often seen with the lions. Mufasa's spirit persuades him to bring Simba's daughter Kiara and Zira's son Kovu together as a way of uniting the prides. Rafiki tries to make them fall in love by singing to them about a place called "Upendi", which means "love" in Swahili. After Simba, exiles Kovu believing he was involved in the plot, he sighs very sadly and Mufasa's goals failed. In the end, he blesses the union of Kovu and Kiara and Kovu is welcomed into the pride. Rafiki appears briefly in The Lion King 1½, teaching Timon the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata", talking to Timon's mother about her son, and later convincing Timon to follow Simba to Pride Rock to confront Scar.

text: In the musical, the character of Rafiki was significantly modified. Because director Julie Taymor felt that the story lacked a strong female character, Rafiki was changed into a female mandrill and sangoma. She acts as narrator throughout the story, at one point speaking to the audience in a click language for comic effect. She sings the opening song "Circle of Life", a keening song called "Rafiki Mourns" following Mufasa's death, and a brief part in Nala's song "Shadowland", when she blesses Nala for her journey to find help. Instead of detecting Simba's scent on dust, Rafiki hears Simba's song "Endless Night" on the wind. Rafiki finds Simba and shows him that his father lives on in him through the song "He Lives in You". She is present during the battle, fighting a hyena, and adorns Simba with the king's mantle after his victory. And the play ends with her at the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

text: Rafiki makes occasional appearances in the Timon and Pumbaa TV series and has his own segments called "Rafiki Fables" in the same show. He appears briefly in the Pride Lands world of Kingdom Hearts II.

text: Shenzi, Banzai and Ed[edit]

text: Shenzi (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg in the films and Tress MacNeille in Timon & Pumbaa and Kingdom Hearts II), Banzai (voiced by Cheech Marin in the films and Rob Paulsen in Timon & Pumbaa) and Ed (voiced by Jim Cummings) are the three spotted hyenas who are Scar's former henchmen. After Scar promises them that they will have food, the hyenas trigger the wildebeest stampede and chase young Simba out of Pride Rock. When Simba returns to Pride Rock, Shenzi and Banzai are defeated by Pumbaa. The three turn on Scar when the latter tries to blame them for Mufasa's death and the ruin of the Pride Lands, and eat him alive.

text: Shenzi was originally going to be a male and be voiced by Tommy Chong to reunite him with Marin (who was playing Banzai), but the two had a falling out, so Shenzi was re-conceived as a female and Goldberg was hired for the role.[6]

text: Gopher[edit]

text: Gopher (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a gopher who works for Zazu as an informant. In the film he is seen warning Zazu that the hyenas have invaded the Pride Lands. His scene is expanded in the 2003 special edition. He appears during the song The Morning Report and is spotted by Simba who tries to pounce him, but Gopher pops back inside the dirt. Gopher reappears, trying to get Mufasa's attention, but Simba notices him again, to which the gopher hides back in the dirt. For the third time, Gopher reappears near a small rock, and Simba notices him again to try to pounce him, Gopher disappears to which Simba hits his head on the rock.

text: The character is expanded in the television series. He acts as Zazu's primary lieutenant, even sharing Zazu's home within a large tree. He is seen reporting to Zazu on the movements of elephants. In one episode Gopher is (temporarily) given Zazu's job after Zazu makes an error while counting the animal population. Cummings reprises his role for these episodes.

text: The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa[edit]

text: Quint[edit]

text: Quint (voiced by Corey Burton) is Timon and Pumbaa's archenemy, a sneaky, muscular man with black hair, a pink nose, and a shaven face, and he has varying roles. His wears different clothes in each episode because of the different jobs he has, but he is often seen wearing a hat. He also has different first names that show what his jobs are (in which they all happen to start with C).

text: Quint is a con artist who tricks Timon into stealing a gold nugget Pumbaa found in the episode "Yukon Con", a criminal who stole a suitcase that has $1,290,000 in the episode "How to Beat the High Costa Rica", an evil clock inspector who wants to get revenge on a timekeeper in the episode "Swiss Missed", a French chef who wants to make Speedy the Snail an escargot in the episode "French Fried", etc. In the episode "The Pain in Spain", two Quints are seen together, which may prove that there is more than one of him.

text: In some episodes, Quint appears to be a respectable man with an honest job, but he still seems to annoy Timon and Pumbaa. Notably in Season 2, Quint's face appears to be clean-shaven, except in the episode "Klondike Con" when he becomes a gold thief. Also, in the episode "Escape From Newark", his nose is the same color as his body for the first time.

text: Speedy the Snail[edit]

text: Speedy (voiced by Corey Burton) is a talking grayish/bluish snail with a shiny red shell and a yellow fedora. Timon and Pumbaa plan to eat him at first, but his ability to speak and sing and his bon viveur, good-humored attitude gets him to become friends with them. Timon gives him the name "Speedy", because he thinks that it would be a brilliant incongruity. Speedy always finds himself in danger, such as becoming a French gourmet snail and an earring out of his shell, and it's always up for Timon and Pumbaa to save him.

text: In the episode "The Man from J.U.N.G.L.E.", Speedy is revealed to be a superhero called Super Duper Hero X after Timon and Pumbaa were captured by his nemesis Chromosome Quint. Every episode featuring Speedy end with Timon and Pumbaa saying bye to Speedy when they return him home, a seagull capturing Speedy, and then Timon and Pumbaa trying to save him once again. Speedy's voice was based on that of Bing Crosby. Speedy also makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode "Washington Applesauce".

text: Fred[edit]

text: Fred (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) is a meerkat who was Timon's best friend back at the meerkat colony. He is a practical joker, employing such gags as the hand buzzer, the squirting flower, and the whoopee cushion. He also loved Timon's hyena jokes. When Fred visits Timon and Pumbaa, he pulls more practical jokes on the duo, such as impersonating Timon's mother or impersonating a Billy Goat guard. Timon and Pumbaa, however, don't find Fred's jokes very funny and they often overpower him. Aside from pulling practical jokes, Fred enjoys doing all sorts of activities, such as playing Turtle Tennis and Fishing for Flamingos. He also mentions that he and Timon have always gone Bowling for Buzzards.

text: At the meerkat colony, Fred's duty was to guard the Duke Meerkat's castle, although on the day the Duke left the colony, he snuck away to get a snack and convinced Timon that it was now his chance to go on a date with Princess Tatiana. When the Duke banished Timon from the colony after a cobra kidnapped the princess, Fred's new duty was to guard the back gate, which indicates that he has been demoted for failing to protect the castle.

text: Fred appears in a total of four episodes: "Tanzania Zany", "Mombasa-In-Law", "Once Upon a Timon", and "Mind Over Matterhorn".

text: Boss Beaver[edit]

text: Boss Beaver (voiced by Brad Garrett) is an ill-tempered and cantankerous beaver with a white hard hat. His lifestyle is the exact opposite of Timon and Pumbaa's Hakuna Matata lifestyle: Boss Beaver likes to work while Timon and Pumbaa like to relax. He owns a lumber mill and an amusement park called "Boss Beaver's Log Land". Boss Beaver also has three mottos: "Makuta Hamaka", which means "work real hard", "safety first" and "you break it, you buy it."

text: Boss Beaver's favorite quote is "I am Boss Beaver and the reason they call me Boss Beaver is that I am your boss and I am a beaver. Therefore, I am Boss Beaver." In the episode "Amusement Bark", it is revealed that he has a mischievous son named Boy Beaver, who keeps breaking things at his amusement park and getting Timon blamed for it. Boss Beaver appears in a total of three episodes. He also makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode "Washington Applesauce."

text: Irwin[edit]

text: Irwin (voiced by Charlie Adler) is a clumsy, accident-prone penguin with a green scarf and a brown hat. Timon and Pumbaa befriend him at a boat stop in Antarctica when they see that he has two extra tickets for the duo to get on the ship. When Irwin leaves his home with the duo, it is shown that he has obviously injured all of his penguin "friends", as they are all seen wearing bandages. Timon dislikes Irwin's clumsiness, and tries to get rid of him by tricking him into playing a game of Hide-and-Seek. Irwin accidentally causes the boat to sink and Timon and Pumbaa run into him on an island. Timon confronts the penguin and he tricks him into playing another game and Irwin accidentally causes the island to sink.

text: Irwin meets Timon and Pumbaa again at a Hakuna Matata Megamall. Due to his clumsiness, Timon and Pumbaa try to avoid him by hiding in various stores. Irwin appears in two episodes of the series: "Frantic Atlantic" and "Shopping Mauled."

text: Toucan Dan[edit]

text: Toucan Dan (Jeff Bennett) is a dangerously clever criminal mastermind lying toucan who wears a red fez. He is a convincing liar and impersonator and would also do anything to get someone in trouble. In his debut episode "I Don't Bolivia", he keeps tricking Timon into freeing him from his cage. Later in the episode, while Timon impersonates Toucan Dan in order to not be in trouble with the police, Toucan Dan impersonates Timon and this makes Pumbaa have to decide which one is the real Timon.

text: Toucan Dan makes his second and final appearance in the episode "Alcatraz Mataz". In that episode, he frames Timon and Pumbaa for stealing a train car full of beak polish and the police throw them in jail. Angry at Toucan Dan, Timon and Pumbaa escape to catch the toucan and make him tell the truth.

text: Rabbit[edit]

text: Rabbit (voiced by Charlie Adler) is a large and tall pink hare who appears to be very annoying, tiring. He made his debut in the episode "Mojave Desserted". In that episode, Timon and Pumbaa save his life when he was drowning in quicksand and he decides to repay the duo hand and foot. Annoyed by Rabbit, Timon and Pumbaa hatch a plan to put themselves in danger and have Rabbit save them and then leave them alone.

text: Rabbit makes his second and final appearance in the episode "Africa-Dabra!," this time appearing as an unsympathetic and ruthless magician. After Timon pulls him out of a hat, he teams up with the meerkat to become part of his magic act, telling him that he has been looking for a partner for years. When he gets annoyed by Pumbaa ruining the magic acts, he breaks up Timon and Pumbaa's friendship. When Pumbaa finds out that Timon would never truly said anything mean about him, he gets revenge on Rabbit by trapping him in a cage.

text: Vulture Police[edit]

text: The Vulture Police (voiced by Townsend Coleman and Brian Cummings) are recurring characters in the Timon & Pumbaa series. They appear in a total of six episodes. They make their first appearance in the episode "The Law of the Jungle," where they arrest Timon for using the Forbidden Stick to scratch his back and take him to a rhino judge who gives a number of test to see whether he's innocent or guilty. In the episode "Yosemite Remedy," Timon and Pumbaa go to the police after a criminal raccoon steals their suitcase full of valuables. When they handcuff the thief, he tells them that he didn't steal Timon and Pumbaa's suitcase, he found it. The police let him go but later arrest him again when they find out that he really stole the duo's suitcase.

text: In the episode "Alcatraz Mataz", the Vulture Police throw Timon and Pumbaa in jail after they were convinced by Toucan Dan that they stole the train car full of beak polish. After Timon and Pumbaa confront Toucan Dan, the police show up and realize that it was really Toucan Dan who stole the train car, so they arrest the toucan. However, they also throw Timon and Pumbaa back in jail since they escaped when they told them not to.

text: The Vulture Police make a brief appearance in the episode "Wide Awake in Wonderland," in the meerkat and warthog version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

text: Cheetata and Cheetato[edit]

text: Cheetata (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Cheetato (voiced by Jim Cummings) are a pair of sophisticated twin cheetahs, reminiscent of Warner Bros' Goofy Gophers, speaking in British accents and using similar phrases ("Indubitably," "How very kind of you"). In order to tell them apart, not only do they have different voices, they also have different personalities: Cheetata appears to be more eager and aggressive while Cheetato seems more likely to think things through.

text: The cheetahs first appear in the episode "Cooked Goose", where they are annoyed by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed getting in the way of their wildebeest hunt, so they try sending them on various wild goose chases. They also appear in "Gabon with the Wind," where they are convinced by Timon that he is going to catch Pumbaa for them, when he is actually going to find his friend so that they can both run away to safety.

text: In the episode "Boary Glory Days", Timon and Pumbaa use Cheetata and Cheetato to play a game of Predator Tag. While the cheetahs are chasing Timon and Pumbaa, the duo outsmarts the brothers by having them jump over a mud pool and fall into it.

text: The Three Natives[edit]

text: The Three Natives (voiced by Jeff Bennett) are a trio of tribes who are really university students. They have a leader (also voiced by Jeff Bennett) who is also a university student and who usually precedes what he says with "Bungala, bungala." The natives first appear in "Boara Boara". This episode shows that they used to have a warthog king of the island, which is unknown what might've happened to him. Therefore, the natives might have not seen their king in a really long time. When Timon and Pumbaa visit the island, the natives mistake Pumbaa for their long-lost king and they make Timon his servant. Everything goes well until they make Pumbaa relight the fire and realize that he's an impostor when they see that he is unable to do so.

text: The natives also appear in the episode "New Guinea Pig," where Pumbaa decides to trade his tusks to them, and "Beast of Eden", where they steal a golden magic tooth that belongs to a beast and Timon and Pumbaa have to retrieve it from them. They also make a brief appearance in the episode "Mozam-Beaked" when Timon and Pumbaa go to Bora Bora to throw a woodpecker into the volcano.

text: Smolder the Bear[edit]

text: Smolder (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a grumpy, short-tempered, but nice grizzly bear, although he gets easily angered, such as when he is awoken from his nap or when someone gets his food order wrong. He also has a romantic interest in a beautiful supermodel named Leslie Lambeau (voiced by Grey DeLisle). He appears in seven episodes, from "Slalom Problem" to "It Runs Good".

text: In the episode "Jailhouse Shock," Smolder becomes cell mates with Little Jimmy, who gets even with Timon and Pumbaa by taking advantage of him by convincing him that the duo hurt him so that he could beat them up. Smolder starts to show compassion for Timon and Pumbaa in the episodes "Ready, Aim, Fire" and "Stay Away from my Honey!"

text: Tatiana[edit]

text: Tatiana (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the daughter of the Duke Meerkat and the princess of the meerkat colony. She only appears in one episode but she's vital for Timon's past. After Timon leaves his sentry duty post to prepare for his date with Tatiana, a king cobra enters the colony and kidnaps the princess, which makes everyone believe she's dead and which causes Timon to get banished. After Timon and Pumbaa meet for the first time, they see that Tatiana is still alive and rescue her from a cobra. When Tatiana returns to the colony with Timon and Pumbaa, Timon is offered her hand in marriage. When the Duke makes him choose between Tatiana or Pumbaa, he chooses to be Bestest Best friends with Pumbaa.

text: Although "Once Upon a Timon" was meant to be Tatiana's only appearance, there is a female meerkat who bears a striking resemblance to her in the episode "Timon in Love". The only difference is that Tatiana has blond hair while the other meerkat has red hair and she's not wearing a tiara.

text: Sharla[edit]

text: Sharla (voiced by Lisa Ortiz) is a female warthog who is the leader of Pumbaa's former sounder as well as Pumbaa's former girlfriend. While she only appears in one episode, she is vital for Pumbaa's past. She and three other male warthogs of the sounder banished Pumbaa from the group due to his awful scent, which was appalling even by warthog standards.

text: Years later, Sharla and the three warthogs carry around a big bag of bugs for the rainy season, but come across a flock of Guinea fowl, who are their natural enemies and nightmares. Due to the birds' abilities to remove their furs in just a few seconds, the warthogs refuge in a hut and make a distress call, which Pumbaa answers. When Pumbaa reunites with his sounder, he has Timon come up with ideas on how they can get rid of the Guinea fowl. However, none of Timon's ideas work, so Pumbaa suggests that he and Timon use the jeep so that they carry a fake bag of bugs (which have firecrackers inside) to distract the Guinea fowl while Sharla and the other warthogs leave the hut with the real bag of bugs.

text: Although Sharla banished Pumbaa from the group, they still have romantic feelings for each other. When Pumbaa (and Timon) show up to the hut, they tell each other that they have never forgotten one another. Sharla tells Pumbaa that he should stay with the group, but Pumbaa decides to continue living his Hakuna Matata lifestyle with Timon, which the female warthog understands.

text: Ned the Elephant[edit]

text: Ned (voiced by Frank Welker) is a high and mighty elephant who thinks he's wonderful at everything. He seems to enjoy teasing Timon and Pumbaa when they fail at proving their worth to him. In the episode "Uganda be an Elephant", Timon states that Ned is the most popular guy in the jungle and Pumbaa decides to turn himself into an elephant in order to be popular as well. Although Ned is selfish and sarcastic, he gets a change of heart after Pumbaa rescues him and his hippo henchmen from falling off a cliff.

text: In the episode "Unlucky in Lesotho", it is revealed that Ned has a Good Luck Club, which lost most of its members due to Ned bringing an unlucky jar. Because he gets eaten by piranhas (or tigerfish), Ned is never seen or heard from again after this episode.

text: Little Jimmy[edit]

text: Little Jimmy (voiced by Joe Alaskey) is a cute, yet dangerous bluebird. He is similar to Toucan Dan, with the fact that he is also a criminal mastermind and he can also be dishonest. He also has two voices: his fake cute, innocent voice and his criminal voice. Little Jimmy first appears in the episode "Nest Best Thing," where he tricks Pumbaa into building a birdhouse for him, which is actually a hideout. The pigeon police show up and arrest Little Jimmy.

text: In the episode "Jailhouse Shock," Little Jimmy is cell mates with Smolder the Bear. In order to get revenge on Timon and Pumbaa for turning him in, he tricks Smolder into thinking that Timon and Pumbaa hurt him so that he could hurt them back.

text: Pimon and Tumbaa[edit]

text: Pimon (voiced by Billy West) and Tumbaa (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) are a buff meerkat and warthog duo who are evil counterparts of Timon and Pumbaa. They are shown to be bullies of the jungle, as they enjoy pushing Timon and Pumbaa around, giving them atomic wedgies, as well as being shown picking on a squirrel. They also have their own philosophy: Kahuna Potato, which means that they will never leave Timon and Pumbaa (or anyone) alone.

text: Pimon and Tumbaa make their first and only appearance in the episode "Kahuna Potato". After Timon and Pumbaa successfully catch some bugs, the bullies steal their bag of bugs, give the two wedgies, and walk off with the bugs. Fed up of being picked on by the bullies, Timon decides that it is time for himself and Pumbaa to learn how to fight. Timon and Pumbaa go to Rafiki to have him teach them self-defense, which Rafiki suggests that they should snatch some bugs off his palm and he will teach them the secret to Kung-Fu. After Timon and Pumbaa learn Kung-Fu from Rafiki, they go confront Pimon and Tumbaa, who show them that they also know Kung-Fu. While the two groups fight each other, the bullies give Timon and Pumbaa more atomic wedgies, causing the two to give up until Rafiki appears and tells the two to use Hakuna Matata to fight. Listening to Rafiki's advice, Timon and Pumbaa continue fighting Pimon and Tumbaa and they end up defeating the bullies.

text: Later that night, Pimon and Tumbaa get their hairs shaved off and feed Timon and Pumbaa the bugs they stole from them.

text: The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[edit]

text: Kiara[edit]

text: Kiara (voiced by Neve Campbell as a young adult and Michelle Horn as a cub in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and by Eden Riegel in The Lion Guard) is the only daughter of Simba and Nala and Kion's older sister. She has a cameo appearance in The Lion King and is a major character in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard. Kiara is also a descendant of Mufasa and Sarabi, who are Simba's parents.

text: Kiara is portrayed as a feisty, playful, and adventurous princess whom Simba easily fears for her safety. As a cub, Kiara befriends Kovu and rescues him from a group of nile crocodiles. As a young adult, Kiara is rescued by Kovu as part of Zira's plan to avenge Scar's death and the two lions eventually fall in love. When Kovu is exiled from the Pride Lands following Zira's ambush on Simba, Kiara helps him return to the Pride Lands to reunite the Pridelanders and Outsiders. Afterwards, she becomes Kovu's wife.

text: Kovu[edit]

text: Kovu (voiced by Jason Marsden as an young adult and Ryan O'Donohue as a cub) is the youngest child of Zira and Scar's chosen heir. Kovu means "scar" in Swahili, a reference to his character conception as Scar's son, which was changed due to the implications of him and Kiara being first cousins once removed and falling in love.

text: During his childhood, Zira trains Kovu to assassinate Simba and take his place as King of Pride Rock. As a young adult, Kovu rescues Kiara during a planned ambush and Simba reluctantly allows him to stay in the Pride Lands. While spending time with Kiara, Rafiki gets the two young lions to fall in love, and Kovu realizes he cannot hurt Simba. However, after Simba is ambushed by the Outsiders and Nuka is killed, Kovu angrily disowns Scar and leaves the Outlands but is quickly exiled from the Pride Lands as a traitor. Kovu returns to Pride Rock and stops the fighting between the Outsiders and Pridelanders with the help of Kiara. Simba later reconciles with Kovu and allows him to become his eventual successor.

text: Zira[edit]

text: Zira (voiced by Suzanne Pleshette in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and Nika Futterman in The Lion Guard), meaning "hate" in Swahili, is the mother of Nuka, Kovu and Vitani. She plots to avenge Scar's death by forming the Outsiders. However, after taking advantage of Kovu's friendship with Simba's daughter Kiara, she devises a plan to assassinate Simba. Eventually, the Pridelanders and the Outsiders fight each other, but with Kiara and Kovu's help, Vitani and the other Outsiders abandon Zira. Attempting to attack Simba, Zira is intercepted by Kiara and falls to her death despite the latter's attempt to rescue her.

text: Zira made an appearance in The Lion Guard alongside Kovu, Nuka, Vitani and the rest of her pride in the episode "Lions of the Outlands". She tries to convince Kion that using the Roar of the Elders against her and the other Outsiders would cause him to lose it just as Scar did, and to side with his fellow lions. However, Kion is eventually able to see through her deceptions and drives her and the others off with the Roar.

text: Nuka[edit]

text: Nuka (voiced by Andy Dick) is the eldest child of Zira. His name means "stink" in Swahili. Jealous of Zira's greater relationship with Kovu, Nuka often attempts to gain his mother's approval. During the Outsiders' ambush, Nuka attempts to kill Simba to prove himself to his mother, but is crushed to death.

text: Vitani[edit]

text: Vitani (voiced by Jennifer Lien as a young adult and Lacey Chabert as a cub), a Swahili portmanteau of the words "Vita" ("War"), "Ni" ("I Am"), and "Shetani", is the middle child and only daughter of Zira. Although she has a prominent appearance in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, she makes a cameo appearance in The Lion Guard. As a young adult, Vitani is Zira's strongest lieutenant, supporting and acting on her mother's violent plans. With Kovu and Kiara's help, Vitani and the Outsiders turn on Zira and join the Pridelanders to stop the fighting between the two prides.

text: She was originally named "Shetani" ("She-Demon" in Swahili) in early drafts of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, but this was softened to "Vitani", which is a portmanteau that can be roughly translated to "I Am War" or, more commonly, "Demon of War".

text: The Lion King 1½[edit]

text: Ma[edit]

text: Ma (voiced by Julie Kavner) is Timon's mother. Generally encouraging and optimistic, she believes in Timon convinces Uncle Max to give him a job as a sentry or look-out. After Timon fails in his duty, she remains convinced that he can still find a place in the colony, but when he insists that he has to go, Ma supports him.

text: Later, she gets worried about Timon after speaking to Rafiki and searches for him. They finally reunite at Pride Rock and Ma helps in the battle against the hyenas by digging a long tunnel to trap them. After Simba becomes king, the death of Scar and avenging Mufasa, Timon takes them and the entire meerkat colony to the jungle paradise he and Pumbaa discovered.

text: She is mentioned by Timon in The Lion Guard episode "Beware the Zimwi", where it is said that her cousin's friend knew an ox that was eaten by the Zimwi. It's unknown if she's still alive or not.

text: Uncle Max[edit]

text: Uncle Max (voiced by Jerry Stiller) is a prominent member of the meerkat colony and relative of Timon and Ma. He has grey head-fur and a very large nose. Max is a pessimist by nature and very paranoid, believing that a meerkat's fate is to be "food for other animals! Feared by nothing and eaten by all!" Max reluctantly agrees to let Timon be a sentry for the colony and attempts to train him for the job, but is nearly eaten by the hyenas when they attack. He is glad to see Timon go but ends up going with Ma to find him. Max appears again towards the end of the film, where he and Ma encounter Timon and Pumbaa at Pride Rock, and helps Timon get rid of the hyenas by digging a tunnel. Max finally believes in Timon, and after Timon takes the meerkats to his jungle paradise, Max teaches the meerkats tai chi instead of how not to be eaten.

text: Some of Max's role was originally going to be filled by Timon's father, who was considered for inclusion in the film but ultimately dropped.

text: The Lion Guard[edit]

text: Kion[edit]

text: Kion (voiced by Max Charles[7]) is the son of Simba and Nala, Kiara's younger brother, Mufasa, Sarabi, Sarafina and Nala's father's grandson and Scar's great-nephew. His name is derived from the Swahili word "Kiongozi" ("leader") and he has a power called the Roar of the Elders which when used causes the lion spirits of the Pride Lands past to roar with him.

text: In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba has Kion organize the titular guard along with Bunga, Beshte, Fuli, and Ono; he serves as the group's leader due to his strong sense of responsibility. When Kiara is cornered by Janja and his clan, Kion and the Lion Guard rescues her and force the hyenas to leave. In The Lion Guard, he also demonstrates a strong yet open sense of discernment, which warms him to scavengers like Jasiri the hyena and her clan. However, more cunning neighbors such as Zira of the Outsiders and Reirei the jackal have used his trusting spirit to exert their will, only to be soundly subdued when Kion's instincts come into play.

text: Bunga[edit]

text: Bunga (voiced by Joshua Rush) is a young honey badger, Kion's best friend and the bravest member of the Lion Guard. He is also the adoptive nephew of Timon and Pumbaa. Bunga is shown to be very adventurous and he rarely acts serious or even sits still, as he is always on the move, working off boundless energy and enthusiasm, and makes even the most dire of situations into a fantastic time. Though this makes him a great friend and playmate, it lands him into trouble more often than not. Not only is he willing to put himself in bodily harm, such as his stunt in leaping off Pride Rock, but he will face down predators such as the hyenas in order to save his friends. According to Kiara, Bunga is "brave, bordering on stupid," but a valued member of the Lion Guard nonetheless. His catchphrase is "Zuka Zama," which means "pop up, dive in" in Swahili. His name means 'fool' in the same tongue.

text: Fuli[edit]

text: Fuli (voiced by Diamond White [7]) is a cheetah, one of Kion's friends and the fastest member of the Lion Guard, as well as its only female member. She is quite prideful in her running abilities and shows extreme delight for being able to outpace a pursuer of any species. Despite being friends with Kion, she is somewhat resentful of the Lions for lording over the Pride Lands and was skeptical about Kion's Roar of the Elders. Despite these negative traits, she was willing to join the Lion Guard with her friends to defend the Circle of Life when Janja and his clan invaded the Pride Lands. Her catchphrase is "Huwezi," which means "you can't (catch me)" in Swahili. Her name means 'very fast' in the same tongue.

text: Beshte[edit]

text: Beshte (voiced by Dusan Brown[7]) is a hippo, one of Kion's friends and the strongest member of the Lion Guard. Being one of the most popular animals of the Pridelands, Beshte is shown to be kind-hearted. His friendliness extends to everyone, as he acts like a big brother to the younger members of his herd, a friend to animals of all different species, and a protector of the Pride Lands at large. Beshte can also, however, be sensitive, being especially tactful when his friend Kion is unable to use the Roar of the Elders. For an animal so large and full of life, Beshte has an appropriately large heart and never fails to treat his friends with kindness. His primary catchphrase is "Twende Kiboko!", which means "let's go, hippo!" in Swahili - a secondary one is likely his question phrase, "What's the kerbubble?", when sensing a disagreement of almost any sort. His name means 'friend' in the same tongue.

text: Ono[edit]

text: Ono (voiced by Atticus Shaffer[7]) is a cattle egret, one of Kion's friends and the keenest of sight of the Lion Guard, as well as its only non-mammal member. He is one of the more easygoing members of the group, being friendly and group-oriented. He is used to spending time around other animals and is content to be part of The Lion Guard. Ono is also shown to be blunt, as he is able to lay out his feelings without sugar-coating. He is by far the most realistic member of the group, as he always thinks things through before jumping in.

text: When it comes to his role on the Lion Guard, Ono is brave and has a knack for following the rules. He obeys Kion's orders without question and proves himself to be plucky and thrifty, considerably useful when it comes to scouting out a situation. His principles are clear in his willingness to fight with his full heart for the Circle of Life, and he is a valued member of the Lion Guard for his intelligence and ability to see things from afar. Ono's catchphrase is "Hapana!", which means "oh no!" in Swahili. His name means "passion" in the same tongue. It also means "good" in Hawaiian.

text: Zuri[edit]

text: Zuri, voiced by Madison Pettis, meaning "beautiful" in Swahili, is a lioness cub and one of Kiara's friends. She appears to be vain about her appearance, as she constantly sharpens her claws on trees in order to keep them shiny. Unlike her friends, Zuri is delicate and timid. She shows considerable anxiety and fear in the face of simple circumstances and harbors deep disgust for grubs.

text: Tiifu[edit]

text: Tiifu, voiced by Sarah Hyland, is a lioness cub, and a friend of Kiara's. She is shown to be kind and patient, as seen when she comforts an overreacting Zuri. She is a great rule-follower and trusts the judgment of her friends, showing faith when she leaves Kiara to fetch help as Janja invades the Pride Lands.

text: Janja's clan[edit]

text: Janja's clan are a spotted hyena clan that live in the Outlands.

text:
Janja, voiced by Andrew Kishino, is the cunning leader of the hyenas in the Outlands and one of the main antagonists.
Cheezi, voiced by Vargus Mason, is an excitable hyena who is usually seen sticking his tongue out. He looks similar to Ed.
Chungu, voiced by Kevin Schon, is a hyena of the Outlands clan with Janja and Cheezi, that has a slightly heavier build than Janja.

tag: ul

text: Mzingo[edit]

text: Mzingo, voiced by Greg Ellis, is a white-backed vulture who is one of Janja's majordomo of the Outlands. He is the leader of a flock of vultures that is allied with Janja's clan.

text: Jasiri[edit]

text: Jasiri, voiced by Maia Mitchell, is a friendly female spotted hyena who makes her first appearance in the episode "Never Judge a Hyena By Its Spots." She is open to making friends with lions. Bold and spunky, Jasiri is able to look past differences and focus on where different species have common ground. Unlike Janja and his clan, she dislikes selfishness and gluttony, and she respects the Circle of Life. She has blue eyes and mauve fur, unlike the other hyenas.

text: Pua[edit]

text: Pua, voiced by Gerald C. Rivers, is a Nile crocodile who originally led the crocodile float, until he is defeated by Makuu in a "mashindano" battle for the position of alpha male.

text: Makuu[edit]

text: Makuu, voiced by Blair Underwood, is a young, sleek, and well-built Nile crocodile who leads the crocodile fleet that lives in The Pride Lands after defeating the previous leader Pua in battle. He is shown to be boastful and loves to bask in the attention of others. Unlike his predecessor, Makuu has no respect for tradition or the Circle of Life, and certainly not for authority (except his own), seeing both Pua and Kion as weak and cowardly. He appears to only respond to strength and power, as he was awestruck by the Roar of the Elders and gave into Kion's second demand to leave Big Springs while trying to save face. In Season 2, Makuu has decided to become a better leader for his float, reforming from his trouble-making ways.

text: Reirei's family[edit]

text: Reirei's family is a family of black-backed jackals who first appeared in the episode "The Kupatana Celebration". They trick the Lion Guard into letting them into the Pride Lands so that they can devour all the animals. At Kupatana, the jackals attack the Pridelanders until they are defeated by the Lion Guard. Simba himself approaches the jackal family and roars, sending them scurrying back into the Outlands. Reirei and Goigoi reappear in the episode "Too Many Termites", where they attempt to eat a pack of aardwolves, but are stopped by the Lion Guard. They are the first canine villains to appear in the Lion Guard.

text:
Reirei, voiced by Ana Gasteyer, is a clever, scheming, and manipulative jackal who wreaks havoc in the Pride Lands.
Goigoi, voiced by Phil LaMarr, is a jackal who only thinks with his stomach and has the tendency to fall asleep.
Dogo, voiced by Jacob Guenther, is one of Reirei and Goigoi's sons who uses his innocent looks to his advantage to win the trust of others in order to take advantage of them.

text: Ushari[edit]

text: Ushari, voiced by Christian Slater, is an Egyptian cobra who is shown to strongly dislike Bunga. He is rather quiet, only speaking when provoked. However, when disturbed, he becomes aggressive and irate.

text: Basi[edit]

text: Basi, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, is Beshte's father and leader of his and his son's pod. He is amicable and open, willing to engage in conversation and negotiate according to the customs of the Pride Lands. Even in the face of adversity, such as Makuu's violent takeover of Big Springs, Basi maintains his temper and graciously offers the crocodile a chance to return once the fish have returned in plenty.

text: Being so learned in the ways of the animals, Basi is knowledgeable and wise. Despite being an animal with a very different way of life, he understands the customs of the crocodiles and how this affects his pod's everyday life. Unlike the inexperienced young Makuu, Basi grasps an understanding of the Circle of Life and how every animal must give and take in order to keep it in balance.

text: Leopards[edit]

text: Several African leopards appear in the series; two are antagonists, while one is an ally of the Lion Guard:

text:
Makucha (voiced by Steven Blum): an aggressive, powerful leopard who comes to the Pridelands in pursuit of the okapi Ajabu, and who proves to be quite an adversary to the Lion Guard due to his speed and strength.
Badili (voiced by Jack McBrayer): a friendly leopard who was initially too timid to stand up to Mapigano, who tried to take over his territory.
Mapigano (voiced by Jorge Diaz): a mean leopard who attempts to take over Badili's territory until Badili gains confidence through training with the Lion Guard and drives him out.

text: Aardwolves[edit]

text:
Mjomba (voiced by Charlie Adler) is a grumpy and impatient aardwolf. He has a hunched back, bushy black eyebrows, gray fur, and darker gray markings. His inner ears are pink, and his nose is black. Like the rest of the pack, he adores termites.
Ogopa (voiced by Marieve Herington) is a bright and cheerful aardwolf. She has blue-gray fur and black markings, as well as a narrow muzzle and a black nose. Her yellow eyes are large and framed by a few eyelashes, and her inner ears are pink with a couple of hairs sprouting from each. Like the rest of the pack, she adores termites. She is easily frightened and has a tendency to jump to conclusions. She also tends to add afterthoughts after she states her opinion on a subject.
Haya (voiced by Ogie Banks) is a nervous and shy aardwolf. He has dark gray fur with longer fur on his cheeks and black markings, and his inner ears are pink with a few hairs sprouting from them. His upper teeth protrude from his dark muzzle. Like the rest of the pack, he adores termites. Like Ogopa, he tends to add afterthoughts after stating his opinion.

text: Six New Adventures & other books based by The Lion King characters[edit]

text: Kopa[edit]

text: Kopa is the son of Simba and Nala, appearing in the book series The Lion King: Six New Adventures, and is shown to look a lot like his father as a cub, except with a tuft of hair on top of his head. The book series was released before Simba's Pride, therefore Kopa does not appear in the film.

text: Ahadi[edit]

text: Ahadi is the father of Mufasa and Taka (Scar), the grandfather of Simba, the great-grandfather of Kopa, Kiara and Kion and the king of the Pride Lands during the events of The Lion King: Six New Adventures story A Tale of Two Brothers. He is shown to look a lot like Mufasa except with darker fur.

text: Uru[edit]

text: Uru is the mother of Mufasa and Taka (Scar), the grandmother of Simba, the great-grandmother of Kopa, Kiara and Kion and the queen of the Pride Lands during the events of The Lion King: Six New Adventures story A Tale of Two Brothers. She is absent from the book but is mentioned to have left to search for water to save the kingdom.

text: Mohatu[edit]

text: Mohatu is the father of Ahadi or Uru, the grandfather of Mufasa and Scar, the great-grandfather of Simba, and King of the Pride Lands during the events of the story The Brightest Star. He went to find water for the animals of the land during a drought and helped the animals get on with each other. When he died, he became a star which was brighter than the others. He is shown to look a lot like a darker furred version of Mufasa, having facial features like Simba's and was said to have been one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.

text: Ni[edit]

text: Ni is a character who appears in The Lion King: Six New Adventures story Nala's Dare. He is a young lion who has left his pride to start his own and travels through the Pride Lands during Scar's reign and saves Nala from hyenas before leaving after meeting the rest of the Pridelanders.

text: Kula[edit]

text: Kula is a character in The Lion King: Six New Adventures story Nala's Dare. She is one of Nala's friends and one of the cubs of the Pridelanders who lived during Scar's reign.

text: Chumvi[edit]

text: Chumvi is a character in The Lion King: Six New Adventures story Nala's Dare. He is one of Nala's friends and one of the cubs of the Pridelanders.

text: Joka[edit]

text: Joka is a giant python in The Lion King: Six New Adventures story A Snake in the Grass. He is extremely intelligent and is able to formulate complicated plans in a short amount of time. He has the power to twist his words into whatever he rightly wants and uses hypnotism to lure unsuspecting victims into believing his empty words. The name Joka translates as 'dragon' in the Swahili tongue

text: Jelani[edit]

text: Jelani is Rafiki's lazy cousin in The Lion King: Six New Adventures story Follow the Leader. Despite being considered leader of his troop, he is unconcerned about the suffering of his subjects, as he is often too concerned about his own welfare to lead them to a new home.

text: Kwaheri[edit]

text: Kwaheri is Kopa's monkey friend in The Lion King: Six New Adventures stories Nala's Dare and How True, Zazu? He is social, talkative, and critical to his friends. He often flaunts his talents around Kopa to either spark a reaction or just be a show-off.

text: Boma[edit]

text: Boma is a cape buffalo who appears in The Lion King: Six New Adventures stories A Tale of Two Brothers and How True, Zazu?. His grandparents were killed during an attack by army ants. He is the leader of the cape buffalo and he is aggressive, controlling, selfish, strong, and short-tempered. He is also somewhat seclusive and gruff, as he doesn't seem to understand that there is a balance between species and refuses to share the last remaining water-hole during a draught, which can affect the whole of the Pride Lands. It is due to him that Taka got his scar after which he renamed himself to Scar. If challenged or insulted he becomes very angry. However he is mildly co-operative if not insulted or challenged. Taka tries to get Mufasa in trouble by telling him to talk with Boma to share the water-hole. Mufasa tries to reason with him to share the water-hole however he refuses. Scar then roars and tells him that he must obey or challenge Mufasa. He then chases after Mufasa who is rescued by Rafiki. Rafiki starts to grow tired while running but is picked up by Mufasa who then jumps across a ravine. Boma is unable to make the jumps and falls into it. Mufasa tells him that he doesn't have to fight but he keeps hurling thret while saying that the other buffaloes can still harm Taka. Taka is then attacked by three buffaloes during which he receives his scar. Ahadi stops this attack with a large herd of animals and has an elephant push Boma out of the ravine.

text: Zuzu[edit]

text: Zuzu is Ahadi's majordomo. She only appeared in A Tale of Two Brothers, though she was mentioned in How True, Zazu?. She turned out to be Zazu's mother. Flirtatious and gossipy, Zuzu is a very maternal bird who never passes up the chance for some juicy gossip, much like her son, Zazu. Her talkative nature and nosy habits often make her a bit of an annoyance to the other animals, though Ahadi puts her personality to good use in order to get a better grip on the doings of his kingdom. Zuzu is also known for being loyal and brave, as she was willing to help Rafiki even though she did not fully understand the danger Mufasa was in. It said that she retired, and gave Zazu her place as the king's majordomo.