Characters
King of the Hill depicts an average middle-class family and their lives in a typical American town. It documents the Hills' day-to-day-lives in the small Texas town of Arlen, exploring modern themes such as parent-child relationships, friendship, loyalty, and justice. As an animated sitcom, however, King of the Hill's scope is generally larger than that of a regular sitcom.
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Henry Rutherford "Hank" Hill, the family patriarch, is the assistant manager of Strickland Propane, and a salesman of "propane and propane accessories.," He is obsessed with his lawn, propane (which he sometimes pronounces with the stress on the second syllable), the Texas Longhorns, and the Dallas Cowboys. Embarrassed and ashamed of his narrow urethra, he is uncomfortable with intimacy and sexuality; despite this, he has a healthy relationship with his wife and the rest of his family. Hank's catchphrase is "I tell you what," typically tacked onto the end of a sentence; other common utterances include "bwah!" when startled, a sotto voce "ugh" when disgusted, and "I'm gonna kick your ass!" when angered, though he is rarely moved to the point of actual physical violence. In contrast to his emotional distance from members of his family, he dotes unashamedly on his aging bloodhound, Ladybird, as well as his pickup truck. Hank is voiced by series co-creator Mike Judge. |
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Margaret J. "Peggy" Platter Hill, a substitute Spanish teacher who actually has a poor grasp of the language (she pronounces it phonetically as "es-puh-nole"), has won the Tom Landry Substitute Teacher of the Year award for 3 consecutive years. Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, real estate agent, notary public, and Boggle champion. She often displays her naiveté and arrogance with an inflated sense of her intelligence and appearance. She considers herself knowledgeable, clever, and very physically attractive, although she has on occasion noted her self-consciousness of her unusually large (US women's size 16.5) feet. More often than not, Peggy's ego will preempt better judgment, leading to actions that, while initially "helping" her, ultimately lead her down a path of agonizing realization of what she has done. In the first season, Peggy's everyday shirt was white. From the second season forward, the shirt changed from white to green. Peggy is voiced by Kathy Najimy. |
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Robert Jeffrey "Bobby" Hill, the son of Hank and Peggy, is an overweight, prepubescent 13-year-old, who wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older. Although he is not particularly attractive or intelligent, Bobby has an excellent sense of self-esteem; he is not ashamed of his body or his often sub-par performance in sports or other activities. Bobby lacks his father's athletic prowess and dislikes most sports, but has participated, typically peripherally, in wrestling, baseball, and track at Tom Landry Middle School and has also attempted to play football and soccer. He is, however, an excellent rifle marksman and has won 2nd place at the annual father–son shoot off. He has an offbeat sense of humor that clashes with Hank's more collected and conservative manner. Such sentiments are fueled by Bobby's interest in activities more traditionally considered to be feminine, such as cooking, high fashion, and dolls. Hank's discomfort with Bobby's proclivities is a regular narrative element in the series, and is manifested with remarks like "That boy ain't right." Pamela Adlon provides Bobby Hill's voice, a role for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2002. |
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Luanne Platter (named after the Lu Ann Platter from Luby's Cafeteria) is Peggy's niece. Sensitive and a bit of an airhead, her conflicts most often stem from her inability to think for herself, and from her naiveté, which allows others to take advantage of her. She follows a very specific pattern in the men she dates, which are usually all the wrong kinds. She grew up in a trailer park, and came to live with the Hills after her mother, Leanne, was sent to prison for stabbing Luanne's father (Peggy's brother) with a fork. Her full name is Luanne Leanne Platter, as is heard on the episode "Edu-macating Lucky." Late in the show's run, she marries Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt and has a daughter, Gracie, with him. Luanne's character voice was provided by Brittany Murphy, who died on December 20, 2009, at the age of 32, roughly 3 months after King of the Hill's last episode aired on September 13 of that year. |
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Dale Alvin Gribble is Hank and Peggy's next door neighbor, and one of Hank's friends from high school. He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, chain smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer in most conspiracy theories. Because of his distrustful nature, he will frequently use the alias "Rusty Shackleford." Dale is married to Nancy Hicks Gribble, and is oblivious to the fact that Nancy had cheated on him for most of their marriage, and that their son, Joseph, was actually fathered by John Redcorn. Dale has an unsuccessful pest extermination company called Dale's Dead Bug. Some of Dale's catchphrases include "s'go" (shortened from "let's go"), "sh-sh-shaa" when he feels accomplished, "wingo!" when he becomes excited, and "gih!" when surprised. Voiced by Johnny Hardwick, Dale is named after Dan "Gribble" Costello, a close friend of Mike Judge's. |
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William Fontaine "Bill" de la tour Dauterive was Hank's best friend in high school and now lives across the alley from him. In high school, Bill was extremely fit, athletic, and competent with a full head of hair, but he is now overweight, balding, and emotionally needy. He holds the fictional MOS of barber in the U.S. Army. Bill is eternally melancholy and lovelorn; he pines constantly for his ex-wife, Lenore, and is attracted to Peggy. He often uses pity as a device to garner attention from his friends and neighbors. He occasionally gets involved in crazy schemes, either by himself or with Dale, Boomhauer, or both, which often end badly for him. A native of Louisiana, Bill speaks fluent Cajun and has only one surviving relative by blood, his cousin Gilbert. Bill is voiced by Stephen Root. |
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Jeff Boomhauer (who is always addressed only by his last name) is another of Hank, Dale, and Bill's friends from high school. He has a deep suntanned complexion and speaks in a rapid-fire, nearly incomprehensible mumble. According to the commentary on the "Pilot" episode DVD, Boomhauer's unique speaking style was inspired by a voicemail left on Mike Judge's answering machine. When he sings, however, he is clearly understood. Additionally, Boomhauer speaks French fluently and clearly. Like Hank, he often tacks "I tell you what" to the end of his sentences; he also uses "dang 'ol" and "Dad gum" liberally when he speaks. He has a brother named Patch (who also speaks in a similar fashion). Boomhauer is a committed bachelor, shown to be quite promiscuous with his many girlfriends. In Episode 13.20, "To Sirloin with Love," it is revealed that Boomhauer is a Texas Ranger. Prior to this, he was hinted to be an electrician on workers' compensation. Boomhauer's driver's license is shown in the series finale, confirming his full name. Mike Judge provides the voice of Boomhauer. |
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Cotton Hill, Hank's father, is a deranged, politically incorrect misogynist with a hair-trigger temper. His shins were blown off in World War II by a "Japan man's machine gun" and his feet were reattached to his knees, resulting in a short height and stilted gait. Despite his disability, he eventually reaches the rank of Colonel in the State Militia, and is addressed as such by his friends and Dale Gribble. In episode No. 126, "Returning Japanese," it is revealed that Cotton became romantically involved with a Japanese nurse during his service in World War II resulting in the birth of his first son, Junichiro. After divorcing Hank's mother, Tilly, he marries a much younger, soft-spoken, busty blonde candy striper named Didi, an elementary school classmate of Hank's. Didi later gives birth to Cotton's third son, who he names G.H., or "Good Hank" implying that his middle son is "Bad Hank." Thoroughly contemptuous of Peggy, he never calls her by name, instead calling her "Hank's wife" to her face. Cotton often makes references to his possibly dubious wartime heroism, including his killing of "fitty (fifty) men." Despite his less-than-amiable personality, Cotton seems to have a softer side for Bobby, frequently mentioning he is proud of the boy and even taking the blame when Bobby accidentally burns down a church. Cotton spends most of his free time playing checkers and hatching absurd schemes (such as taking a speedboat to Cuba to kill Fidel Castro) with his war buddies at the VFW. By the middle of the series, Cotton is shown to have outlived all of his war buddies. Cotton himself dies, not once but twice, in episode No. 218, "Death Picks Cotton," after first suffering severe burns, then an allergic reaction to shrimp during a tirade at a Japanese restaurant. In the episode "Chasing Bobby," Peggy states that Hank's greatest fear is that Cotton will die without telling Hank that he loves him, which is exactly what occurs. Cotton's dying wish, to destroy Hank's new shed, is carried out by Dale after Cotton's death. In the episode "Serves Me Right for Giving George S. Patton the Bathroom Key," Hank completes a list of embarrassing tasks left to him by Cotton, including his last request to have his cremated remains flushed down a toilet that General George S. Patton once used, which Hank and his friends honor. Toby Huss voices Cotton Hill. |
King of the Hill also featured numerous celebrity guests during its run, including Alan Rickman, Burt Reynolds, Michael Keaton, George Strait, Andy Dick, Dale Earnhardt, Trace Adkins, John Force, Renée Zellweger, Owen Wilson, Topher Grace, Brad Pitt, Johnny Knoxville, Nathan Fillion, Lindsay Lohan, Lucy Liu, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Goldblum, the late John Ritter, Jerry Lambert, Lisa Kudrow, Laura Linney, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller, Billy Bob Thornton, Dax Shepard, Meryl Streep, Debra Messing, Jennifer Aniston, Maura Tierney, Brendan Fraser, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Christina Applegate, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bernie Mac, Wyatt Cenac, David Cross, Kelly Clarkson, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Rue McClanahan, Drew Carey, Danny Trejo, Matthew McConaughey, Don Meredith, Green Day, No Doubt, Willie Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chuck Mangione, Stephanie Hodge, Milla Jovovich, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Alyson Hannigan, Jamie Kennedy, Randy Travis, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, George Foreman, Marg Helgenberger, Tone Lōc, the Dixie Chicks, Christopher Lloyd, Randy Savage, Dusty Hill (playing himself as Hank's cousin), and Jason Bateman. In the later seasons, Tom Petty had a recurring guest role as Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt, who married Luanne and had a daughter with her.
Read more about this topic: King Of The Hill, Setting and Characters
Famous quotes containing the word characters:
“Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Of the other characters in the book there is, likewise, little to say. The most endearing one is obviously the old Captain Maksim Maksimich, stolid, gruff, naively poetical, matter-of- fact, simple-hearted, and completely neurotic.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“The Nature of Familiar Letters, written, as it were, to the Moment, while the Heart is agitated by Hopes and Fears, on Events undecided, must plead an Excuse for the Bulk of a Collection of this Kind. Mere Facts and Characters might be comprised in a much smaller Compass: But, would they be equally interesting?”
—Samuel Richardson (1689–1761)