< How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother/Characters


Main Characters

Ted Mosby

"I thought you said it was going to be a piece of cake. I remember, because you were eating a piece of cake at the time, and you said, 'My class is going to be this.'"

Played by: Josh Radnor
Future Ted narrated by: Bob Saget

The main character and narrator, a thirty-something architect professor of architecture (and later an architect again) at Columbia with an excessively romantic disposition, looking for love in New York.

Marshall: Ted and I have a history! I could do things to him that would blow his m... ...Why do we keep trying to have sex with Ted?
Barney: I don't know; it's weird.


Marshall Eriksen

"The only people in the universe who haven't seen Star Wars are the characters in Star Wars. And that's cause they lived 'em, Ted! That's cause they lived the Star Wars!"

Played by: Jason Segel

Ted's former college roommate and best friend, a sweet-tempered goofball who makes his way through law school and eventually takes the Bar during the course of the series. In the pilot, he becomes engaged to his girlfriend Lily. They get married later and are currently trying to have a child.

Lily Aldrin

"Today, I yelled at a little girl for painting a rainbow."
Played by Alyson Hannigan.

An artist and kindergarten teacher with a slightly rebellious streak, who is nevertheless deeply committed to Marshall. Together they represent the voice of stable, adult relationships in the series, as the resident Beta Couple.

Barney Stinson

The unrepentant bachelor who offers a counterpoint to Lily and Marshall's monogamous bliss. Barney is a business executive who works a high paying desk job, does exactly what he wants all of the time, makes it a point not to sleep with the same girl twice, and makes no apologies for what he is.


Robin Scherbatsky

"Let's go to the mall! *forced chuckle* Today!"
Played by: Cobie Smulders

Former Canadian teen pop star turned reporter for a crappy news station and later to a researcher for a more respected one, she's got a fun mix of geeky/guyness to her. Ted falls in love with her at first sight, but it's not meant to be. She ends up a member of the gang (and Lily's best friend) anyway. She slept with Barney once, which seems to have given him a case of feelings for her, and she seems to reciprocate. They get together (then break up). Then get married (then divorce). And finally she ends up with Ted after he recovers from the death of The Mother.

"Robin Scherbatsky is many things: friend; confidant; occasional guest star in some confusing dreams that remind me a woman's sexuality is a moving target, but she is no crazy, jealous stalker-bitch."

Other Characters

The Mother (Tracy McConnell)

"Kids, I'm gonna tell you an incredible story. The story of how I met your mother."

Played by: Cristin Milioti

The woman about whom Future Ted is telling a story to his kids about. Little is known about her, other than that she owned a yellow umbrella and that she was in the class Ted's seen teaching at the end of season four. Glimpsed in part several times during the course of the series, and finally revealed in the last episode of the series.

"Luke and Leia" Mosby

"Leia" played by: Lyndsy Fonseca
"Luke" played by: David Henrie

Ted's son and daughter living in the year 2030. Currently he's subjecting them to a lengthy and needlessly detailed tale of how he met their mother.

Ranjit

"HELLOOOOO!"
Played by: Marshall Manesh

The gang's favorite cab/limo/anything driver. Meets the main five for the first time in the pilot episode, and after driving them around a few times eventually becomes friends with them to the point of knowing many personal details about their lives.


Carl MacLaren

"I can trust you guys!"
Played by: Joe Nieves

The owner of the bar the core five frequently go to. He has known the gang at least since 2001 and seems to be relatively close to them.


Wendy

"I-It's a tie..."
Played by: Charlene Amoia

The most prominent waitress at MacLaren's Bar. Like Carl, she seems to be relatively close to the main five and even had a short fling with Barney.

  • The Chew Toy: She seems to get hurt a lot at MacLaren's, often because of the gang.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Subverted - Barney sees her as this during their short fling, because he's Barney. She simply thinks they're actually boyfriend and girlfriend, and acts accordingly.
  • Deadpan Snarker: On occasion
  • Everyone Calls Her Barkeep: Subverted. Everyone knows her by her first name, but she's always called "Wendy the Waitress".
  • Happily Married: In Ted's 2021 flashback, she's married to an ex-coworker of Marshall's, and they run into Ted while on their second honeymoon in Hong Kong.
  • Nice Girl
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist


Victoria

Played by: Ashley Williams

Victoria is the first serious girlfriend Ted gets in the series. She shows up in mid-season one and stays around for most of the remaining episodes of the season until she gets a baking scholarship in Germany.


Scooter

Played by: David Burtka

Scooter is Lily's ex-boyfriend. Their parents are friends and the two of them dated throughout their teenage years, but Lily broke things off when she went to college. To this day, he's still trying--and failing--to win her back.


Brad

Played by: Joe Manganiello

Brad is one of Marshall's friends from law school. He's introduced in the second season and becomes friends with the rest of the gang.


Stella Zinman

Played by: Sarah Chalke

Stella is a dermatologist who Ted visits for the purpose of removing his lower-back tattoo and becomes his main love interest throughout seasons three and four and almost marries him. She has a daughter named Lucy and has an unresolved relationship with Tony, her ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter.

  • Actor Allusion: Stella's a doctor played by Sarah Chalke.
  • Easily Forgiven: Averted hard. When she comes back for an episode, no one forgives her for leaving Ted on their wedding day.
  • Fauxshadow: In season 3's St. Patrick's Day episode, narrator!Ted states that the mother was at the same party he and Barney went to, but that they didn't meet her then. Stella mentions offhand that she was at a party on St. Paddy's.
  • Hospital Hottie
  • Hot Mom
  • Kick the Dog: She leaves Ted at the altar in "Shelter Island", leaving him nothing but a letter and is then seen making up with Tony.
    • Not to mention her part in the making of "The Wedding Bride," which made everyone hate Ted's character and humiliating Ted.
  • Love Epiphany: Realizes she's not over her ex-boyfriend on the same day she's supposed to marry Ted.
  • Put on a Bus
  • Sixth Ranger


Tony Grafanello

Played by: Jason Jones

Stella's ex-boyfriend and Lucy's father. Is jealous of Ted and Stella's relationship, as he never got over her, but is shown to feel guilty for getting back together with her on the same day she and Ted were supposed to get married.


Don

Played by: Benjamin Koldyke

Don is introduced as Robin's new love interest after she and Barney break up and "the guy she's supposed to marry". He left after accepting the same job opportunity that Robin turned down in order to be with him.

  • Character Shilling: One episode after he's shown to be a jackass and loser, he hangs out with the gang offscreen and the gang simply starts talking about how perfect he is. It's rather jarring.
  • Creator's Pet: See above.
  • Irony: The only reason that Don got a shot at his dream job is that Robin gave up that same opportunity.
  • Jerkass: Being apathetic about his job regardless of who else that interferes with? Pulling the Naked Man on Robin after trying to make amends for his behaviour? Leaving Robin for a job that Robin turned down so she could stay with him? Yeah, this guy fits here.
  • Put on a Bus
  • Romantic False Lead

George van Smoot, aka, The Captain

Played by: Kyle Mac Lachlan

Zoey's ex-husband.

I daresay Scylla and Charibdis could not have torn us asunder: we had great big boners for each other.

Stuart and Claudia

Stuart played by: Matt Boren
Claudia played by: Virginia Williams

Friends of the gang. Introduced in season 1, appeared sporadically throughout and had a baby in season 6.

  • The Alcoholic: How Stuart copes.
  • Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: At Marshall's bachelor party, Stuart uses all the tired cliches of marriage being a ball and chain, the end of freedom, etc. and pretty much confirms it's because his own marriage isn't going so well. As the party goes from bad to worse, he states that he misses Claudia.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: To be fair, Claudia is a bit of a shrew.
  • Wedding Episode: Pretty much the reason for their appearance on the show, to have a wedding.

James Stinson

Lily: Remember that time you two scored a brother-sister combo?
Barney: She was a little bit country.

James: He was a lot into black guys.
Played by: Wayne Brady

Barney's gay half-brother. Not a jerk like Barney.

Kevin

Played by Kal Penn

Robin's court-ordered therapist after she had assaulted another woman. He stopped being Robin's therapist because he was attracted to her and they ended up dating.

  • Nice Guy
  • Only Sane Man: Literally. As a professional therapist, he can point out all the specific psychological ways the Five-Man Band is so completely messed up.

Patrice

Robin's co-worker. She doesn't like her.

"NOBODY ASKED YOU, PATRICE!"
"DAMN IT PATRICE, STOP SMOTHERING ME!"
"PATRICE IRONS MY PANTS WRONG!"

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