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Titular Character
Howard Hughes
Portrayed by: Leonardo DiCaprio
The central protagonist of the film, Howard Hughes is an aviation pioneer who suffers from OCD.
- Byronic Hero: A charismatic male. He charms many women. He is intelligent, sophisticated, and self-centered. He is sensitive and his past (the epidemy in Houston) haunts him. He does not respect the social norms (he spies on his lovers, he bribes the military officers...).
- Troubled, but Cute: Has severe OCD, a very poor sense of financial responsibility, is an utter control freak, Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking and looks like Leonardo DiCaprio.
- Worthy Opponent: Juan certainly thinks this of Howard, for all his eccentricities and their history as rivals. After his final talk with Howard, he tells Dietrich:
If you let him testify at that hearing, the whole world will see what he's become. They should remember him for what he was.
Katharine Hepburn
Noah Dietrich
Ava Gardner
Senator Owen Brewster
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Portrayed by: Alan Alda
- Smug Snake: By the time he's deliberately arranging a hotel room to set off Hughes' OCD, you'll hate him just as much as Hughes.
Professor Fritz
Juan Trippe
- Affably Evil: In spades.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive:
- Friendly Enemy: Subverted. Hughes and Juan Trippe are certainly civil to each other, but you can sense Trippe's superior attitude when it comes to Hughes... who, in turn, barely manages to mask his own contempt for Trippe.
- Smug Snake: So very much.
