An anxious jazz double bass player who disguises himself as Daphne to evade gangsters. He becomes the target of millionaire Osgood Fielding III's persistent courtship, accepts a marriage proposal, and eventually reveals his true identity.
An arrogant and impatient Baltimore industrialist, Wendell travels to Ischia to retrieve his father's body and arrange a formal memorial in the United States. He initially insults Pamela and resists local customs, but gradually falls in love with her and finally accepts that their parents should be buried together on the island.
Grumpy widower whose life changes when he falls for a new neighbor.
Jack Godell is the shift supervisor at the Ventana nuclear plant. He manages the emergency shutdown, detects suspicious equipment failures, challenges management over unsafe practices and falsified radiographs, and agrees to testify. When the plant is restarted, he takes control of the facility to force a live interview with Kimberly.
The lone initial dissenter who demands fair deliberation. He systematically questions the evidence, produces an identical knife, and orchestrates the vote shifts that ultimately lead to a unanimous acquittal.
Neurotic, fastidious New Yorker and Oscar's best friend.
Resilient airline captain who survives a hijacking and underwater crash.
A nationally syndicated cartoonist known for his 'Bash Brannigan' spy series. Initially enjoys a luxurious bachelor lifestyle but undergoes a significant personal transition after an accidental marriage, eventually adapting his comic strip to reflect his new role as a harried husband.
Professor Fate is Leslie's black-clad nemesis and a daredevil competitor in the transcontinental race. He builds the Hannibal Twin-8 with concealed sabotage devices, repeatedly schemes to defeat Leslie, and eventually masquerades as Prince Hapnick during the Carpania coup. His rivalry with Leslie drives much of the film's comic conflict.
Joe is a San Francisco public relations executive whose relationship with Kirsten leads him from social drinking into severe alcoholism. After losing jobs, endangering his family, and repeated sanitarium stays, he achieves sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous, becomes a responsible father to Debbie, and refuses to abandon recovery even when Kirsten cannot stop drinking.
Nestor is an honest policeman whose raid on the Hotel Casanova leads to his dismissal after he unknowingly arrests his superior and is framed for bribery and insubordination. He falls in love with Irma, disguises himself as a wealthy English lord, and ultimately escapes arrest, proves his innocence, and marries her.
Shelley Levene is a once-successful salesman in a prolonged slump, desperate for money while his daughter is in the hospital. After failing to obtain Glengarry leads from John Williamson, he helps Dave Moss sell stolen leads to a competitor, then tries to bribe Williamson and pleads for mercy before his crime is exposed.
Jack Lemmon has 149 screen credits in a career dating back to 1944. Their work spans 5 cinematic universes — most prominently The Odd Couple Collection with 2 titles. Signature works include The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, Avanti!. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
Universe traveler — spans 5 universes
Related entry on Wikidata (Q94123), public domain (CC0).
