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Main Characters:
Lieutenant Frank Drebin
Played by: Leslie Nielsen
"But there she was, just as I remembered her. That delicately beautiful face. And a body that could melt a cheese sandwich from across the room. And breasts that seemed to say... "Hey! Look at these!""
The main hero of the films, Drebin serves to fight crime and uphold the law… but is too much of an idiot to do it properly. But despite his numerous shortcomings, he's usually the last line of defense against any nefarious schemer.
- The Ace: Subverted. He seems to be something like this in the field of police work, although much of it happens through sheer dumb luck and several Accidental Hero moments.
- Accidental Hero: Is quite an expert at this, as mentioned at the beginning of 2 as having killed his 1000th Drug Dealer (the latter two hit with his car, although they turned out to be drug dealers), and later on unwittingly hitting a police station robber with the door as he walks in.
- Accidental Pervert: He unknowingly touches a woman's breasts in both the first and third movies (The first time while scaling the outside of a building, the second while reaching for melons at the supermarket and being distracted by a tannoy announcement).
- Adaptational Dumbass: The movies give him a level of incompetent idiocy that was absent in Police Squad, turning him from a competent cop whose quirks are just a byproduct of the ZAZ-style comedy to an Accidental Hero whose lack of common sense and propensity for disaster is the cause of many problems.
- Ambiguously Bi: He's in love with Jane but there are times where it's clear he may have a thing for the same sex, an example being when he takes Nordberg muttering "I Love You" to heart before realizing he was referring to the name of a boat. In Police Squad, it's mentioned that he lived with another man for several years, and seemed very bitter that his old partner got married. He once mistakes Ed's response to his question about why a man would be in a red-light district as a proposition for sex. His response implies he might consider it in the future.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Just because he's comically disaster-prone doesn't mean he can't get the job done at the end of the day.
- Casual Danger Dialogue:Frank: I'm sorry, I can't hear you! Don't fire the gun while you're talking!
- Comically Missing the Point: Very frequently, usually with a large helping of literal-mindedness. He's played by Leslie Nielsen, after all.
- The Comically Serious: His main character trait is that he's always deadpan serious despite all the weirdness that surrounds him. This is a key trait of Leslie Nielsen's acting style in his comedic roles.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The guy may not be the best at what he does, he still manages to come out on top.
- Cool Old Guy: Being obviously quite old (Nielsen was in his late fifties/early sixties playing Frank) doesn't hamper him in his work, especially given that he's surprisingly acrobatic for a man of his age.
- Cowboy Cop: He has a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later, as evidenced by his killing of five actors performing Julius Caesar which he mistook for an actual murder attempt.
- The Ditz: Frank is… not the brightest bulb in the box. Which is why it's so entertaining when he takes himself so seriously.
- Does Not Understand Sarcasm: It comes with the literal-mindedness.Frank Drebin: Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant, Police Squad.
Academy Award guard: Yeah, and I'm Robert De Niro.
Frank: Mr. De Niro, we've got to get inside. - Drives Like Crazy: Downplayed. He can drive perfectly well most of the time, he just can't park without hitting something, and seems blissfully unaware of the existence of rear-view mirrors (as evidenced by Nordberg and those two drug dealers he backed over). He also gets behind the controls of a tank in the second movie, with appropriately destructive results. It certainly didn't help that he couldn't see a thing while driving and broke the brakes.
- Excellent Judge of Character: Despite being a Lethal Klutz and blissfully ignorant, he actually averts being a Horrible Judge of Character; the one thing Drebin is actually good at is knowing if someone is trustworthy or not. Even before he had evidence to prove his case, he had a sinking suspicion that Ludwig was hiding something, and was able to notice that the man everyone thought was Dr. Meinhimer was acting differently compared to their first meeting.
- The Fool: In spite of his colossal naivete, he always manages to save the day.
- Heroic Comedic Sociopath: "Just think about it, the next time I shoot somebody, I could get arrested."
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: As discovered when he performs the National Anthem to an entire crowd of baseball spectators (that includes the Queen of England!).
- Househusband: He becomes on at the beginning of the third movie, taking care of the laundry and other chores while Jane is at work.
- Iconic Outfit: Drebin's olive suit is his most common attire even going back to Police Squad!, most often with a light blue dress shirt.
- Idiot Hero: He's always prone to dumb sayings, decisions, pratfalls (though once it helped, as he tripped on the power cord of a bomb and stopped it), and humiliating circumstances.
- Lethal Klutz: He accidentally killed his fiancée before the events of the first movie, a fact that Drebin remains blissfully unaware of.
- Literal-Minded: In many, many ways.
- Love at First Sight: With Jane.
- One-Man Army: His bodycount is apparently ridiculous; In the second film, he receives a citation for killing one thousand drug dealers (albeit the last two were accidentally backed over with his car) and upon retirement, his Police Squad colleagues have made him a banner crediting him with killing 6000 bad guys and wounding hundreds more.
- Private Eye Monologue: He often narrates events in his head.
- Silver Fox: Parodied in the second film where he's given an obvious muscled body double.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: Becomes this to Rocco's gang in the third film when he impersonates a thug called "Slasher" McGurk.
- Trigger-Happy: Once shot five actors ("Good ones!") on the basis of them being weirdos in togas stabbing a guy in the middle of the park. Also shot an in-law at his bachelor party.
Nordberg
Played by: O. J. Simpson
Drebin's partner and close friend. He, too, serves as a police officer. However, unlike Frank, he actually ends up getting hurt way more severely, usually thanks to Frank.
- Amusing Injuries: Starting from his very first scene and going downhill from there. How else would the random bear trap on board a boat full of drug dealers be explained?
- Ascended Extra: After playing a minor, albeit amusing, role in the first film, Nordberg is given much more screen-time and jokes in the later sequels.
- The Chew Toy: One would almost feel sorry for him if it weren't such cartoonish fun to see him get beat up so much.
- Disaster Dominoes: Something simply bad can't happen to Nordberg, oh no. Something bad has to happen to him immediately followed by something terrible, which would then be immediately followed by something horrendous. And then he'll get an additional injury somehow later on the hospital bed.
- Funny Afro: Had this in the 70s. It was so big he can't even fit through the door.
- Ikea Weaponry: The second film has him whip out a Desert Eagle and start slapping so many Gun Accessories into it that it ends up as an anti-aircraft gun.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Has a wide string of bad luck in every movie, but almost always manages to spring back. Just watch his first appearance. It doesn't end there.
- Last-Name Basis: Never addressed by his first name. Even his wife refers to him as only "Nordberg".
- Made of Iron: Because of his Iron Butt Monkey status, he survives a ridiculous amount of punishment throughout the trilogy. In the first film's opening scene alone, he gets shot six times, hits himself off several objects lying around, steps in a Bear Trap, catches his sleeve on some wet paint, and lands face first in a cake before falling overboard and nearly drowning.
Jane Spencer (later Drebin)
Played by: Priscilla Presley
- Adaptational Dye-Job: In the first film, she's portrayed as blonde. In 2 1/2, her hair is brown. In 33 1/3, it's back to blonde.
- The Ditz: No wonder she and Frank gravitated toward each other. And yet she's still the more levelheaded one.
- Drives Like Crazy: She's apparently been taking driving lessons from Drebin, if the third movie is any indication. She might actually be worse, since Frank at least pays some kind of attention to the road in front of him.
- Horrible Judge of Character: She works for the first movie's Big Bad and thinks he is a great guy. In the second film she is dating the Big Bad.
- May–December Romance: With Drebin, largely, although Hapsburg also looks to be quite a bit older than she is.
- My Biological Clock Is Ticking: Wants a baby in the third film, a situation not helped by the fact that she's surrounded by working mothers in court.
- Ms. Fanservice: Played almost to the point of parody, with the lingering pans up her body, painstaking descriptions by Drebin's narration, and gratuitous Sexophone. Plus, there's the shower scene in the second film.
- Nice Girl: Even with her ditzy attitude, Jane is very kind and understanding for the most part.
- Sexophone: Her Leitmotif when Frank first sees her in the first and second movies.
- Soapbox Sadie: In the sequels, after leaving Ludwig's business, Jane starts dedicating her time to environmental conservation, fighting global warming, and working in civil courts.
Ed Hocken
Played by: George Kennedy
The chief of police and Drebin's boss.
- Big Eater: During the baseball game in the first movie, he eats a lot of junk food (including a whole cake).
- Cool Old Guy: Out of all the characters in the series, he's arguably got the most level head on his shoulders, and is generally quite pleasant.
- Da Chief: Even though it's rare that he pulls rank.
- Police Brutality: Only once attempted this, on a Mook who he thought beat up Dr. Meinheimer in the second movie. He gets his ass kicked in seconds.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's more of a friend to Frank than a boss. He visibly cries at Frank's retirement party.
- Straight Man: Most of the time he's this for Frank, though he gets in his own brand of deadpan goofiness once in a while.
- Unwitting Test Subject: Ted, from the research lab at Police Squad, invents cufflinks in the first movie (which go on to be a Chekhov's Gun) that fire a tranquilizer dart. He then casually tests it on Ed.
The Bad Guys:
Vincent Ludwig
Played by: Ricardo Montalbán
- Affably Evil: A really charming socialite, that just so happens to be masterminding an assassination.
- Big Bad: Of the first movie.
- Disney Villain Death: He falls over the railing of the football stadium. And then gets run over by a car, smooshed by a steamroller, and then trampled by a marching band playing "Louie Louie." Just like how Ed's father died, apparently…
- Has a Type: According to Jane, he likes East German men.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Very, very rich, and has the luxuries to show for it.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Falls over the railing of a football stadium, gets rolled over by a car, flattened by a steam roller and finally is trampled over by a marching band.
- Wicked Cultured: Has an appreciation for fine arts and the exotic.
Quentin Hapsburg
Played by: Robert Goulet
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: During the climax, when Drebin has him dangling out the window, Drebin threatens to drop him unless he gives him the code to disarm that bomb he planted inside a building. Hapsburg would have complied, had Ed not thrown Hapsburg out the window before he had a chance to speak.
- Affably Evil: Much like Ludwig, Hapsburg is also a charming and polite criminal mastermind.
- Big Bad: Of the second movie.
- The Comically Serious: He's always straight-laced and scowling, making Frank's antics even funnier in context. It helps that he has an amazing "What the hell?" expression.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's the backer for the United States' largest energy firms, and is willing to resort to kidnapping (and eventually murder) to get his way.
- Disney Villain Death: Subverted. He is pushed out of a high window by Ed, but survives, only to be attacked by a lion that had escaped the zoo along with the other animals earlier.
Rocco Dillon
Played by: Fred Ward
- Affably Evil: He's very polite toward his teammates.
- Big Bad: Of the third film.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: While his predecessors Ludwig and Hapsburg were each a Corrupt Corporate Executive with many resources and minions, Dillon is a blue-collar criminal with a small gang. And while the previous antagonists enjoyed Villain with Good Publicity status, Rocco's crimes are already well-known, as he is first seen in prison.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: His most redeeming trait. He clearly loves his mom and crosses the Despair Event Horizon when she's killed.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He calls out his mom when she insults Papshmir's clients and views Frank as his brother when he thinks he's a terrorist like him and isn't happy when he learns the truth.
- Evil Virtues: Honesty, Honor, Love and Valor.
- Karmic Death: He's blown up by his own nuke.
- Mad Bomber: He plans to nuke the Academy Award celebration.
- Sibling Murder: Has killed at least one of his brothers, considering that he treats Frank "like my brother!... the one I didn't kill."
- Undignified Death: Blown up with his own bomb, and with his head sticking out of a toilet and looking at a pantless Papshmir.
Tyrone
Played by: Bruce A Young
- The Dragon: He's Rocco's right-hand man in prison. However, he's put out of commission halfway through and replaced by Frank.
- Dreadful Musician: He used to be in a band and was apparently so horrible that Frank dreads the prospect of being tortured by his music.
- Race Lift: In-universe. He was apparently a white man (a drummer for The Osmonds, at that) before being in prison inexplicably turns him black.
- Scary Black Man: Black and an accomplice to a famous terrorist. This example is a bit Played With in that Tyrone was actually white before inexplicably turning black.
- Undying Loyalty: To Rocco. He's quick to remind Frank not to mess with his boss or face pain like he's never faced before.
Papshmir
Played by: Raye Burk
- Affably Evil: Wants to blow up America, but is friendly to his allies and even thanks one of them for the cookies his wife gave him.
- Back for the Dead: Returns to be the mastermind of the third movie, but dies for his troubles.
- Bald of Evil: Clearly has an onset of male pattern baldness.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Of the first and third movies, although technically he's more like the middle man, as he represents the nefarious intentions of America's enemies.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Gets blown up by the bomb that Rocco - whom he is backing - planned to use to blow up the Academy Award ceremony. Bonus points for his private plane just happening to fly overhead when Rocco gets slingshotted through the roof.
- Karma Houdini: Gets away scot-free in the first movie, with the heroes not even knowing he was involved, or even who he is. He dies in the third film, but even then they still don't know he was there.
- Punny Name: His name sounds just like Pap Smear.
- Undignified Death: Catapulted off his luxury plane's toilet by Rocco punching through it with his head and spends his last seconds on Earth with his pants around his ankles.
- The Unfought: He is never fought or cornered by any of the heroes in both his appearances.
- Unknown Rival: Sort of. He's The Man Behind the Man for the bad guys of the first and third films, but the heroes never even know of his existence. The closest they got was Papshmir being present at the terrorist meeting Frank busts up in Beirut, and even then it doesn't look like he actually fought Frank (he may have simply escaped off screen).
Others:
Mayor Barkley
Played by: Nancy Marchand
- Everyone Calls Her "Barkeep": Mayor Barkley is only referred to by her surname once, very briefly. Ironically, a similar character in the sequel (Commissioner Annabell Brumford), is introduced by her full name early on.
