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Leonard Hofstadter - Leonard is arguably the most normal of the four guys on the show. He tries to be more social and less of a geek. He works as a physic professor at Cal Tech and shared an apartment with Sheldon. He dated Penny (until later in the series). Although he tries to hide his geek interests in scifi, comic books, gaming et al. he is just as into those things as his friends. He's probably the most insecure, though, in many ways, and he also has many health problems.

Sheldon Cooper - Sheldon is the alpha nerd in the group. He is the smartest and always has to be right and have the last word. He doesn't always understand normal human emotions and sometimes lacks empathy for others. He has a hard time understanding some types of humor, particularly sarcasm. Even though he is very smart, he lacks some real understanding about the real world. Like all of the guys on the show, Sheldon is a huge fan of Star Trek and comic books. He is a professor of physics at Cal Tech. He was a child prodigy and graduated early from school. He went to college very young as well. Amy was his girlfriend and Leonard is his best friend (for most of the series).

Penny - Penny was a waitress at the Cheescake Factory. She's originally from Nebraska and moved to California to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. She is not as educated as the guys is frequently seen as dumb, yet she has more social skills and common sense. She dated Leonard, despite how different they are. She tried to take classes so she wouldn't feel stupid and also tried to give the acting profession a serious try.  Leonard has been good for her self-esteem. She pals around with the two other girls, Bernadette and Amy, and she also is friends with all of Leonard's guy friends. Leonard and Penny are married now, and she became successful in her new career, selling pharmaceuticals for Bernadette's company.

Howard Wolowitz -  Howard used to think of himself as a ladies' man, but he really came over as completely creepy and weird when he hit on women. He lived with his mother for most of his life, and they had a creepy relationship. Howard is the only one of the men without a PhD. He has a Master's degree in Engineering and worked in the same physics department as the others. Howard works on projects for NASA and went into space to the International Space Station. He married Bernadette, a microbiologist. Although all four guys are friends, Raj is Howard's best friend.  Howard and Bernie have children now. Raj lived in their garage for awhile.  Sheldon really looks down on Howard because he's "only" an engineer.

Raj Koothrappali - Like all of the guys here, Raj is very smart and works at CalTech in the Physics department (as an astrophysicist). He is extremely shy around women and used to have trouble even talking to them unless he was drunk. Raj is from India and often says strange things that don't come out right. Raj and Howard are good friends. However,  since Howard got married, Raj has also become close friends with comic book store owner Stuart. Raj's rich parents used to pay for everything, but now Raj is living on his salary instead. He lived in a room over the garage at Howard and Bernie's house for awhile.

Bernadette Rostenkowski - Bernadette worked with Penny as a waitress while she finished her Microbiology graduate degree. She is married to Howard, although they had a rocky road together before finally tying the knot before he went off into space. She has become friends with Penny and Amy, since they are all with the guys in the group. Bernadette works for a pharmaceutical company. She's had two children with Howard.

Amy Farrah Fowler - Amy dated and then married Sheldon. She is a neuroscientist and very smart, like Sheldon, with some of the same lack of social skills. However, Amy wanted more of a physical relationship, but Sheldon has a lot of trouble with that sort of thing.  They finally did have sex and became engaged, and then they had their wedding. Amy has had a crush on Penny as well. Amy and Sheldon won the Nobel Prize.

Stuart Bloom - Stuart runs a comic book store in Pasadena that the guys visit often. He has become more a part of their group and is close to Raj. His background is design, not science, but he is smart and knows everything about comic books. Stuart has better social skills than most of them and dates more, but he often feels like a loser and is very lonely. When Howard went to space, Raj took his place in the group. Stuart lived for a while with Howard and Bernie, helping to take care of their baby. He finally got a regular girlfriend in the last season.

Mrs. Wolowitz was Howard's loud, obnoxious and over-bearing mother. We heard her raspy voice from another room, but we never saw her. She was very needy and still treated Howard like a boy. She acted like the quintessential Jewish mother.  Although we never saw her, she was described as quite large.  She passed away in Season 9 (as did the actress who played her).  Howard and Bernie live in her house.

Priya Koothrappali - Priya is Raj's sister, a Harvard-trained lawyer.  She and Leonard used to date, and she returned to town in the 4th season. We also saw her some in the 5th season. She was very jealous of Penny and didn't approve of Leonard and Sheldon's co-habitating. She tried to keep her relationship with Leonard secret, since her parents didn't approve.

Barry Kripke is another physics professor at Cal Tech. He has a slight speech impediment and long-time rivalry with Sheldon. Barry likes to mock others (especially Sheldon) and hits on every woman he meets. He's a brilliant scientist but lazy.

Bert Kibbler is a shy, gentle, boring professor of geology at Cal Tech. He had a crush on Amy. He seems more interested in rocks than anything else. He briefly had a girlfriend named Rebecca.

Wil Wheaton is a real-life actor, but he plays a sitcom version of himself on the show. He finds Sheldon and his friends annoying. He looks down on them and insults them frequently.  He and Sheldon have a rivalry. Eventually Wil makes friends with all of them. Wheaton seems to be playing a slightly meaner, more immature and less successful version of himself.

Emily Sweeney is Raj's girlfriend for a few seasons. They met through a dating site. She likes scary movies and has a weird sense of humor. In the past, she had a blind date with Howard. She and Penny don't get along. Raj breaks up with her in order to date another girl. She got back together for a while but then broke up again.

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Page updated 9/5/21