Characters / Perfect Strangers

List of characters who appear in Perfect Strangers

Larry Appleton

Portrayed by: Mark Linn-Baker

One of the two protagonists. When the series starts, he has just moved out of his parents' home in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved to Chicago to pursue his dream of being a journalist. Starting in season 3 he gets a job at a big newspaper, the Chicago Chronicle.

• Babies Ever After: Along with Balki, he ends the series with Jennifer and him having the birth of their son.
• Butt-Monkey: He gets hurt much more than Balki does, although sometimes he deserves it.
• Break the Haughty: On a regular basis.
• Catchphrase: "Oh my Lord!" and "Don't you ever do that again."
• Deadpan Snarker: One of Larry's defining traits.
• Dirty Coward: In "Car Tunes", he screams in the heat of the moment for his alleged kidnappers to kill Balki but spare him (The alleged kidnappers were actually Jennifer and Mary Ann).
• Greed: Always one to leap at the chance to gain a big payout. Best exampled in the game show episode, despite using his smarts to get Balki and him more than enough money and a sports car to boot. He decides to go for the bonus round, doesn't know the answer to the question (ironically Balki did), and forced into doing the stunts to try and win it. The pair came close but fail at the last minute, losing everything.
• Happily Married: He gets married to Jennifer during Season 7.
• Happy Dance: He and Balki will often do the so-called "Dance of Joy" when they deem their goal successful.
• Heel Realization: This happens with Larry late in many episodes.
• Height Angst: He's very insecure about his height (Mark Linn-Baker is about 5'5'') and the fact that others make jokes about him being short doesn't help.
• I Just Want to Be Special: A lot of the plots come about from his insecurity and need to be something he clearly isn't. More often then not making a fool of himself.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Larry is often selfish and greedy, but ultimately cares for his friends, and sometimes realizes he was wrong.
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: He always thinks he knows what he's doing while Balki can plainly see that he's just blowing smoke.
• Money Fetish: He'll do whatever he can to earn a quick buck. Unfortunately for him, this usually doesn't end well. He's also tight-fisted when it comes to tipping. His actor has a reputation for also being "tight" with his money.
• No-Respect Guy: Even when he's not scheming, bad luck just seems to follow him and he rarely gets much respect from his superiors.
• Not a Morning Person: He doesn't wake up well, as shown in "Hello, Baby".
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Balki's red.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Played with. While neither are particularly "manly", Larry is more sophisticated and wittier than Balki, as well as being gruffly introverted. However, he's also neurotic and his displays of bravado quickly evaporate. Furthermore, "Since I Lost My Baby" hints that for all of his dominant behavior, he really wishes to be sexually passive.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He gradually got this.
• Straight Man: In the early seasons.
• Terrible Artist: In "Dimitri's World", he tries drawing Dimitri and fails miserably.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Became more mean and selfish as the series went on.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He's sometimes this with Balki.

Balki Bartokomous

Portrayed by: Bronson Pinchot

The other of the two protagonists, a Myposian sheepherder who has dreamed all his life of living in America. Originally Larry's co-worker at Mr. Twinkacetti's store, he moves to the Chicago Chronicle in season 3 and works as a mail clerk.

• Alliterative Name
• Babies Ever After: Along with Larry, he ends the series with Mary-Anne and him having the birth of their son, Robespierre, at the end of the series.
• Badass Adorable: He's constantly sunny, happy, cheerful and friendly to everyone. He's also talked down and disarmed a robber, won a sword fight and proven himself to be much stronger than he looks.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Don't push Balki too far, and do not threaten his Cousin Larry, or you may be sorry.
• Blithe Spirit: The one prominent ray of sunshine in everyone's lives.
• Catchphrase: "Of course not, don't be ridiculous!" and "Get out of the city!"
• Cloud Cuckoolander: One of Balki's defining traits.
• Cuddle Bug: Balki loves to give hugs, even when meeting someone for the first time.
• Deadpan Snarker: Whenever Larry is the one with the Zany Scheme.
• Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Because of the thick, Greek-ish accent he has when he speaks English, he sounds very eloquent when he speaks Myposian.
• Funny Foreigner: Balki is from a fictional country called Mypos, and talks in a Mediterranean accent.
• Happily Married: He gets married to Mary-Anne during Season 7.
• Happy Dance: He likes to do the "Dance of Joy" when he's happy. He always initiates it too, sometimes against Larry's will.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness
• Literal-Minded: He frequently takes phrases literally. In "Pipe Dreams" he thinks that Larry asked him to hit him in the head with a hammer, instead of the wrench he's holding.
• Manchild: A meek and mild-mannered example, and yet still outgoing and childlike.
• Nice Guy: Kind and compassionate.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Larry's blue.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Played with: The kind and gentle Balki is physically stronger than Larry, strong enough to carry him in his arms, and when the situation calls for it, he's tough as nails.
• Third-Person Person: Occasionally refers to himself in the third person.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He's sometimes this with Larry.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Often puts others before himself and just as often sees the good in questionable people.

Jennifer Lyons

Portrayed by: Melanie Wilson

Larry's main love interest for most of the series, and Mary Anne's roommate.

• Ascended Extra: Jennifer was originally a recurring character and friend of Larry and Balki. Later on, she becomes one of most featured characters on the show besides the aforementioned two, and Larry's fiance.
• Birds of a Feather: With Larry. Both are vain, ladder-climbing, and have eccentric friends who pair well together.
• Butt-Monkey: In season 8, when Jennifer is pregnant with she and Larry's son, Tucker. Her pregnancy woes, and the fact that nothing seems to be going her way become the subject of many gags that season.
• Deadpan Snarker: She shares this trait with Larry.
• Firemen Are Hot: We learn that Jennifer has a recurrent erotic fantasy about a fireman in the episode "Great Balls of Fire."
• Happily Married: To Larry, as of Season 7.

Mary-Anne Spencer

Portrayed by: Rebeca Arthur

Balki's main love interest for most of the series, and Jennifer's roommate.

• Ascended Extra: Mary-Anne was originally a recurring character and friend of Larry and Balki. Later on, she becomes one of most featured characters on the show besides the aforementioned two, and Balki's fiancée.
• The Ditz
• Dumb Blonde: Blonde and ditzy.
• Genius Ditz: A common trait for Mary-Anne.
• Happily Married: To Balki, as of Season 7.
• Nice Girl: She share's Balki's kindness.

Donald Twinkacetti

Portrayed by: Ernie Sabella

Larry and Balki's boss and landlord for the first two seasons.

• Bad Boss: He usually belittles Larry and Balki anyway he can.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Henpecked Husband: His wife always bosses him around and she beat him when they got mugged in "A Christmas Story", but given the way he is you can't blame her.
• Jerkass: He is selfish and greedy, similar to Larry, but shares none of his redeeming qualities. In one episode, he also refused to fix the heat in his apartments that were rented out, until everyone protested.
• Hypocrite: He's always calling Larry and Balki "jerks" or "punks". The man apparently never looked in a mirror.
• Last-Name Basis: His first name is rarely used.
• Money Fetish: Always trying to make a quick buck where he can, it's obvious he would sell his own mother just for some cash.
• Put on a Bus: After Season 2, due to the fact that Larry and Balki no longer works at his store or live in his apartments.

Edwina Twinkacetti

Portrayed by: Belita Moreno

Mr. Twinkacetti's wife.

• Tsundere: Type A towards Donald.

Susan Campbell

Portrayed by: Lise Cutter

Larry's original love interest.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She disappears without explanation midway through Season 2.

Sam Gorpley

Portrayed by: Sam Anderson

Balki's supervisor at the Chicago Chronicle.

• Bad Boss: Technically only Balki's supervisor, but he still tries to push Larry around sometimes.
• The Danza: ‘’’Sam’’’ Anderson as ‘’’Sam’’’ Gorpley.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Freudian Excuse: A pretty unpleasant guy to all concerned, but he mentions in "The Gift of the Mypiot" that he actually suffered a lot of unpleasant experiences throughout his life and all on Christmas, such as when his wife announced she was divorcing him or when his Disappeared Dad returned home just to steal his college money. The only good Christmas he can think of was when he was eight; his mother's trailer burned down, which meant he got to spend a night in a real bed for once at the Red Cross. The people who just wanted to literally throw him out of the party are stunned speechless.
• Jerkass: He likes to belittle Larry and especially Balki, often trying to get the latter fired.
• Last-Name Basis: His first name is rarely used.

Lydia Markham

Portrayed by: Belita Moreno

The neurotic, high-strung advice columnist for the Chicago Chronicle.

• Ironic Fear: Lydia is a successful, gifted advice columnist, though she is afraid of just about everything and cannot handle her own life problems.
• Minor Insult Meltdown: Lydia gets offended VERY easily when someone, especially Harriette, makes a jab at her.

Mr. Wainwright

Portrayed by: FJO Neil

• Reasonable Authority Figure: A boss that finally doesn't outright belittle Larry and Balki. While he's a little off put by their behavior, he's nonetheless a fair boss who does acknowledge their hard work.

Harriette Winslow

Portrayed by: Jo Marie Payton

The elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle building.

• Deadpan Snarker
• Sassy Black Woman: Calls everyone "honey" and rarely goes a few seconds without a snarky comment.
• Spin-Off: Harriette received a More Popular Spin Off in the form of Family Matters, meant to focus on her and her family. Of course, it eventually became Steve Urkel's show, with the Winslows as supporting characters.
• Token Minority: She is the only African-American character in the main cast.

Harry Burns

Portrayed by: Eugene Roche

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He was the original head of the Chicago Chronicle. After Mr. Mainwright was introduced, Mr. Burns mysteriously vanished, with Wainwright taking over the position.