Here’s How 16 TV Characters With Hidden Faces Really Look
Emma Martin Quick Links
Sometimes, when you watch your favorite movie or TV show, you become really attached to some of the characters and to the actors portraying them. But what if you have no idea who the actor behind the certain character is? This was the case with a lot of widely popular movies and series where the actors wore masks at all times or where they never appeared at all.
If you are a sci-fi or fantasy fan, there is a big chance that your favorite characters’ faces are so well hidden behind masks that it is impossible to recognize them. Sometimes, the only thing that the actor and the character have in common is the actor’s voice but, in other cases, not even that.
Fortunately, with a little bit of research, it is quite easy to find out how those TV characters with hidden faces really look like. Some of them might come as a real surprise for you, for example, when a really hot girl portrays some kind of an ugly monster. In any case, it is always interesting to see the secrets behind the scene so let’s take a look how 16 TV characters with hidden faces really look like.
Howard’s Mom – The Big Bang Theory
Deborah "Debbie" Melvina Wolowitz, best known simply as Howard’s mom, was a character in the Big Bang Theory that no one has ever seen. She has never appeared on the screen but we all remember her voice because she used to communicate with the other characters by screaming at each other. We only saw glimpses of her when she was walking by, but her face was never featured on camera. Carol Ann Susi was the voice actress behind this character and we had a chance to hear her shouting at Howard and other characters in 39 episodes. Unfortunately, Carol Ann died in 2014 and the character of Mrs. Wolowitz died with her. However, after she died, the producers put her photo on the refrigerator in Sheldon’s apartment and it has been there ever since.
Dr. Claw – Inspector Gadget
"I'll get you next time, Gadget! NEXT TIME!” If you have ever watched Inspector Gadget, you remember this phrase for sure for you have probably heard it being said many times. However, you never really saw the character saying it since he never appeared on the screen. Dr. Claw is the main antagonist of the story about Inspector Gadget. Being a criminal mastermind, he always tries to find some new way of bringing chaos to the Metro City. The only part of his body you could see in this franchise was his mechanical arm while he was sitting in front of his computer, monitoring all of his evil activities. His face, however, stayed hidden up until the time his action figure was released, as well as a Nintendo game where his face was finally shown.
Wilson – Home Improvement
Wilson W. Wilson Jr., simply known as Wilson, is an interesting and eccentric character from the popular American sitcom Home Improvement. The series followed the life of Tim Taylor and his family, while Wilson was their neighbor who often offered his advice and opinion on stuff like fix-it-up and do-it-yourself projects that were a part of Tim’s daily life. What really makes this character special is the fact that his face was never fully shown in the series. There was always some object blocking at least half of his face, mostly it was a white picket fence while Wilson stood behind it. The actor playing Wilson was Earl Hindman and he also appeared in the series as Santa Claus but yet again, half of his face was covered with a beard.
Eddy’s Brother – Ed, Edd n Eddy
Ed, Edd n Eddy is an animated comedy series about “the Eds”, three preteen boys (Ed, Edd, and Eddy) from a town of Peach Creek where there are no adults anywhere to be found. The boys mention some of the adults from time to time but none of them have actually appeared on the screen. One mentioned most often is Eddy’s Brother and he was the only adult to appear in the series on screen. However, that didn’t happen during the 10 years the series was filmed. Eddy’s brother actually didn’t appear on the screen until 2009 when the movie Big Picture Show was released. 10 years after the first season was released, the fans finally got to see how an adult from Peach Creek would actually look like.
Alien – Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s Alien is a classic and the character the film was named after is one of the most feared villains in the history of the film. However, the actor hidden behind this huge and scary mask was hired by a complete accident. Bolaji Badejo was spending a quiet evening in a pub in London when an agent Peter Ardram approached him and arranged a meeting with Ridley Scott. Badejo’s thin, high, and insect-like appearance seemed to be a perfect fit for the role. This film was also Bajedo’s only credit and he returned to Nigeria after the filming was finished. He opened an art gallery a couple of years later and he died in 1992 from sickle cell disease. However, his performance in Alien will stay remembered for many years to come.
Freddy Krueger – A Nightmare On Elm Street
When talking about horror movies, those about the serial killer Freddy Krueger are definitely some of the most popular ones in the whole world. Almost everybody has seen this scary face at some point. The actor behind this horrifying mask was Robert Englund and, although many people portrayed Freddy Krueger after him, he was the original one and he is best known for his great work on this particular role. You might have seen him in this role in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), D.C. Follies (TV series), A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy's Nightmares (TV series), Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), New Nightmare (1994), Freddy vs. Jason (2003) etc.
Mammy Two Shoes – Tom And Jerry
Mammy Two Shoes is a character from popular cartoon series and comic books about a cat named Tom and his main enemy, a little mouse called Jerry. The series captures their daily fights since they both live in the same house where Mammy Two Shoes works as a housekeeper. Her body often appears on screen while she usually punishes Tom for his bad behavior, we never got to see her head and face. There were only two episodes where her face was shown really briefly. It was told that the character was inspired by Hattie McDaniel, an Oscar-winning actress best known for portraying Mammy in the movie Gone with the Wind. There has also been some speculation that Mammy’s appearances in Tom and Jerry have often been cut out or re-animated because it was considered racist.
Kenny – South Park
Kenny McCormic is one of South Park’s key characters who dies in almost every single episode, yet his face remains a mystery. He wears an orange parka which covers most of his face and muffles his voice as well. He has an interesting power of immortality which results in him simply waking up after dying. As a result of that, he was killed off in 97 different ways and his friends seemed surprised by that every single time. Although his face was never fully shown throughout the series, it briefly appeared in the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut released in 1999. The series itself is an animated comedy series for adults and what makes it special is really dark humor and bizarre adventures of the four main protagonists.
The Night King – Game Of Thrones
Game of Thrones is one of the most popular TV series in the world at the moment. It seems like everybody is watching it and, lately, discussing the character of the Night King. The Night King is the leader of the White Walkers and we have never seen his face beneath the mask nor heard his voice. Although, there was one scene where the actor did appear and it was during the story of how White Walkers were created. And while we have no idea who this character in the show actually is and many speculations are rising day by day, we do know who the actor hidden behind this mask is. There were actually two of them. Richard Brake portrayed him in the seasons 4 and 5, but he was replaced by Vladimir Furdik in season 6. Reportedly, Furdik will stay in this role until the end of the series.
Ms. Sara Bellum – Powerpuff Girls
Ms. Sara Bellum, also known as Sweet Cheeks, is a cartoon character from the popular Cartoon Network series Powerpuff Girls. She usually appears beside the Mayor and she is the big mastermind behind his decisions regarding the Townsville. We have seen her red hair, red suit, and red shoes, but her face has remained a mystery all throughout the series. Whenever she appeared on the screen, her head was either cut off or blocked by some object or, in some cases, her hair completely covered her face. The fans finally got to see her face in 2008 when the movie The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! was released, so 3 years after the final season of the series was filmed. It was a big moment for all curious people out there who used to watch The Powerpuff Girls in 1998 when it premiered.
Leaf – Game Of Thrones
If you have watched Game of Thrones from the beginning, you might have heard some legends about the Children of the Forest since the very first season of the show. However, they first appeared on screen is the season 4 with the character Leaf being one of the main members of this non-human race. In the season 4, she was portrayed by Octavia Alexandru, but she was replaced with a Japanese actress Kae Alexander. Kae Alexander was the one hidden behind Leaf’s mask in the season 6. She was the one that converted a man into the first White Walker (later known as the Night King) and she died in the season 6 while helping Bran escape from the White Walkers. It’s a little bit of a shame to hide such a lovely face behind a mask though.
Parents – Cow And Chicken
If you thought your siblings were weird, that is nothing compared to Cow and Chicken – hilarious siblings from the popular animated comedy series nominated for two Emmy Awards. The weird siblings also have their parents which are nor cows nor chickens, but instead, two people featured always from the waist down. We recognize the dad by his brown loafers and green pants, while the mom wears a white dress with red polka-dots. Both parents use their feet as hands and they appear to be completely insane. Also, if you look at their shadows, there seems to be nothing from the waist up. It looks like their bodies simply end at the waist. However, their faces were revealed in one episode called "Cow and Chicken Recycling". It was sort of comforting, actually, to know that they do have faces after all.
The Predator –Predator
Kevin Peter Hall was an American actor who portrayed Predator in the first two movies in this popular franchise – Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990). It is a sci-fi thriller about a group of commandos hunted by an extraterrestrial predator in the deepest parts of the jungle. The costume was so well made that it is hard to believe that it was actually a real person underneath it, especially when you take into consideration how tall the predator was. But it didn’t take any special effect to make this character as huge as it was because the actor himself was 7ft 2in (218cm) high. That amazing height combined with such a scary costume resulted in creating one of the most intimidating and creepy TV characters ever featured on the screen.
Ercole DiMeo – The Sopranos
Ercole DiMeo, also known as “Old Man”, is the famous boss of the DiMeo mob family. He is serving a life sentence in a prison in Springfield and although we have learned some interesting details about his life during the series, we have never seen how he looks like. The interesting thing about this character is the fact that it was based on a real boss of the Decavalcante family Giovanni Riggi, going also by the name John the Eagle. The whole DiMeo crime family was actually based on the Decavalcante family. Ercole DiMeo never made an onscreen appearance and none of the characters haven’t visited him in prison. He also didn’t have much of an influence over the family although he was officially referred as the boss of the family.
Charlie – Charlie’s Angles
Charlie Townsend is a character from Charlie’s Angels who never appeared on the screen. He is a mysterious boss of three women detectives who solve crimes and fight evil. The story behind his lack of appearance is that he has a lot of enemies because he was a successful detective himself back in the days, so he stays hidden for his own protection. The only character who has seen him is his assistant Bosley. His identity remains a mystery for every other character in the story, as well as for the whole audience in front of the screen. The voice actor behind Charlie’s voice was John Forsythe. You might have heard his voice in the Charlie’s Angels TV series (1976-1981), as well as in the newer movies Charlie's Angels (2000) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).
The Joker – The Dark Knight
There have been many versions of the Batman story captured on film with many different people portraying The Joker, but one of the most famous faces behind this mask is the one of Heath Ledger. The Joker is one of the most famous supervillains from the comic book world. He wears a clown-like makeup with a red lipstick that covers his Glasgow smile. Ledger’s interpretation is the perfect embodiment of the chaos and obsession, and it is known as Ledger’s final performance since the actor died from prescription drug overdose 6 months before the movie was released. His performance in this film earned him a post-mortem Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as many other praises that he, unfortunately, wasn’t there to witness. However, Ledger himself stated that it was his most enjoyable work.
