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Description

While all the Addamses are considered a trifle odd by their neighbors, if there’s one character most agree is the most bizarre of the bunch, it’s the incorrigible Uncle Fester. It’s hard to call anyone in the Addams the specific “family eccentric,” but that’s the best term to even come close to describing Fester; part mad scientist, part ghoul, the bald-headed and bonkers Fester is one of the most popular members of the family, and is generally considered the key comic relief…though, again, it’s hard to call anyone that specifically when the whole franchise is essentially comedy. Whatever he is, no version of the family would be complete without him, and it’s time to give him his dues!

Put a lightbulb in your mouth and try to make it blink! These are My Top 5 Portrayals of Uncle Fester!

5. Rip Taylor.

In the 90s cartoon show, voice actor Rip Taylor played a particularly flamboyant and almost vaudevillian take on Fester. This take on the character was something of a party animal; always looking for thrills and ways to bring both himself and his family excitement. He seemed to do things just because…well, why not? Like many versions of Fester (and the Addamses in general) he also seemed to derive a great deal of joy from pain, specifically having fun with finding different ways to blow himself or various other things to bits. Nothing would ever stop him, though, and he’d always be on to the next big thrill. He was a favorite playmate of both Wednesday and Pugsley, and the sworn nemesis of the Addams Family’s neighbors, the Normanmeyers. The Normanmeyers hated the family in general, naturally, but Fester they considered the worst of the bunch…which was particularly ironic, considering Fester thought of them as his best friends. I guess when being run over by a lawn mower is fun for you, that’s not going to discourage you much.

4. Michael Roberds.

Roberds played Fester in “The New Addams Family” and, in some ways, I think may be the version that is the most definitive take on the character. He’s not the most popular, by any means, but I find that more people seem to play Fester in his vein – intentionally or not – than any other. “The New Addams Family” was effectively a 90s remake of the original 60s sitcom; most of the episodes were the episodes from the 60s show, but updated with new elements to fit the culture of the 90s, as well as taking inspiration from the Barry Sonnenfeld features. Roberd’s Fester is essentially a younger, sassier version of Jackie Coogan’s take on the character; he owes little to Christopher Lloyd, although the show DID keep the update (as most versions have since) of Fester being Gomez’s brother. He had all of the oddities we expected from the character at this point, but now translated them through his own lens, giving his Fester a sweetness and an exuberant youthfulness no other version really has had before or since. It was hard for me to decide where to place him, and I feel bad placing him this low in the running…but when I think of Uncle Fester, the three above him tend to take precedence.

3. Kevin Chamberlin.

On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Daddums, Horton the Elephant became an Addams. Kevin Chamberlin is probably best known to TV audiences for his role as the butler, Bertram Winkle, in the Disney Channel show “Jessie,” and to movie audiences for the role of Charles Weiss in “Die Hard With a Vengeance.” However, to me, Chamberlin will always stand out most for his roles in musical theatre…and when it comes to musicals, there are two particular roles I’ll always recognize him for most: Horton from “Seusical,” and Uncle Fester from the original Broadway cast of “The Addams Family: The Musical.” In the musical, Fester is our Master of Ceremonies; I hesitate to call him our narrator, because he’s really more our semi-omnipotent host, guiding us through the story with quick asides and calling on the help of the Addamses’ ghostly ancestors to provide assistance throughout the play. He has his own subplot as a character, too, however: the show revolves around the concept of love, with Morticia and Gomez having some trouble in their relationship, while at the same time, Wednesday deals with her feelings for a rather normal boy named Lucas. Fittingly, Fester is dealing with a troublesome love, too: he has become enamored with the Moon. (pauses) It’s…both weird and kind of adorable, to be honest. Plenty have played Fester since Chamberlin, but in my opinion, none of them have been able to top the original. The man was nominated for no less than three awards for his work in the show, and it’s a pity he didn’t win any of them...same thing for the two he was nominated for with Seussical, incidentally, but that’s another story.

2. Jackie Coogan.

Yeah, I bet you all thought Coogan would be number one, since the last two times I gave the top spots to the 60s series. While I’ll state openly that the original 60s sitcom is my favorite interpretation of the Addams Family overall (sorry, movie fans), this does not mean all of the members of the family are my favorite versions of those respective versions. It’s the same reason I can say “Batman: The Animated Series” is my favorite take on Batman’s universe as a whole, but then claim Frank Gorshin is my favorite Riddler, Gary Oldman my favorite Commissioner Gordon, and Alastair Duncan my favorite Alfred, just to give a few examples. In this case, make no mistake, I ADORE Jackie Coogan’s zany, enthusiastic performance as Uncle Fester, and chances are good that if I played Fester in something myself, I’d use his performance as my key guide. Much like John Astin and Carolyn Jones, as well as…basically ANYONE from this version, he is to thank for the Fester we know today, and in fact most versions do seem to use his work more as an influence than certain other interpretations. But he’s not my absolute favorite.

My favorite take on Fester Addams has to be…

1. Christopher Lloyd.

Yes, Sonnenfeld lovers, you may rejoice. The weird thing to me about Lloyd’s take on Uncle Fester is that, while obviously he IS my favorite…he’s not by any means the definitive take on the character. His voice is unlike others, with Lloyd basically using his standard voice, as opposed to the high-pitched quality most versions of Fester before and since have had. He also just plays Fester in a different way; his movements and facial expressions seem more reminiscient of Igor or Quasimodo than the Coogan character. There’s really no version of Fester LIKE Lloyd, as opposed to other takes on the characters from the films, which have carried their influence into other interpretations. But, with that said…both myself and others can’t help but think of Lloyd when we think of Uncle Fester, and in turn we can’t think of Uncle Fester without immediately thinking of Lloyd. I blame this partially on the fact that both of the Sonnenfeld movies place a LOT of focus on Fester as a character. The main plot of the first film basically revolves around Fester as a character, and in the second film, the central conflict of the story, ultimately, is once again focused on Fester’s part of the story. On top of that, while Lloyd’s take on Fester may be unique from any other…maybe that’s also part of the appeal: the man really took the role and made it totally his own, yet somehow he and the filmmakers were able to keep enough elements of what had been done before to still make it identifiably Fester. I also have to give credit to the movie version for streamlining Fester’s place in the family: in the 60s show, Fester wasn’t Gomez’s brother, but rather Morticia’s Uncle, making him the children’s great uncle. This could be a bit confusing, and the film fit him in much more nicely as the children’s Uncle and Gomez’s brother, which also made the plot and themes of the story much more identifiable. Since then, every version of Fester since – at least to my knowledge – has stuck with this family setup, and for good reason. It’s easy to see why the unique and cherished Christopher Lloyd is My Favorite Portrayal of Uncle Fester.

Honorable Mentions Include…

Nick Kroll.

I can keep things short and simple for both of these Honorable Mentions. Kroll voiced Fester in the 2019 film. He was fun, but at times he felt a bit distracting, and he didn’t get that much focus in the story, I felt. As a result, I didn’t feel justified placing him in the Top 5…especially not with my nostalgia for Rip Taylor’s version, which I loved since I was a kid.

Blake Hammond.

Hammond played Fester in the first national tour of the musical. While some portrayals of the characters in the tour were, I felt, honestly better than the original Broadway cast (such as Douglas Sills and Sara Gettelfinger as Gomez & Morticia, against Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth), Hammond was not one of them. I do love his Fester, I just liked Chamberlin and the rest more.

Description

While all the Addamses are considered a trifle odd by their neighbors, if there’s one character most agree is the most bizarre of the bunch, it’s the incorrigible Uncle Fester. It’s hard to call anyone in the Addams the specific “family eccentric,” but that’s the best term to even come close to describing Fester; part mad scientist, part ghoul, the bald-headed and bonkers Fester is one of the most popular members of the family, and is generally considered the key comic relief…though, again, it’s hard to call anyone that specifically when the whole franchise is essentially comedy. Whatever he is, no version of the family would be complete without him, and it’s time to give him his dues!

Put a lightbulb in your mouth and try to make it blink! These are My Top 5 Portrayals of Uncle Fester!

5. Rip Taylor.

In the 90s cartoon show, voice actor Rip Taylor played a particularly flamboyant and almost vaudevillian take on Fester. This take on the character was something of a party animal; always looking for thrills and ways to bring both himself and his family excitement. He seemed to do things just because…well, why not? Like many versions of Fester (and the Addamses in general) he also seemed to derive a great deal of joy from pain, specifically having fun with finding different ways to blow himself or various other things to bits. Nothing would ever stop him, though, and he’d always be on to the next big thrill. He was a favorite playmate of both Wednesday and Pugsley, and the sworn nemesis of the Addams Family’s neighbors, the Normanmeyers. The Normanmeyers hated the family in general, naturally, but Fester they considered the worst of the bunch…which was particularly ironic, considering Fester thought of them as his best friends. I guess when being run over by a lawn mower is fun for you, that’s not going to discourage you much.

4. Michael Roberds.

Roberds played Fester in “The New Addams Family” and, in some ways, I think may be the version that is the most definitive take on the character. He’s not the most popular, by any means, but I find that more people seem to play Fester in his vein – intentionally or not – than any other. “The New Addams Family” was effectively a 90s remake of the original 60s sitcom; most of the episodes were the episodes from the 60s show, but updated with new elements to fit the culture of the 90s, as well as taking inspiration from the Barry Sonnenfeld features. Roberd’s Fester is essentially a younger, sassier version of Jackie Coogan’s take on the character; he owes little to Christopher Lloyd, although the show DID keep the update (as most versions have since) of Fester being Gomez’s brother. He had all of the oddities we expected from the character at this point, but now translated them through his own lens, giving his Fester a sweetness and an exuberant youthfulness no other version really has had before or since. It was hard for me to decide where to place him, and I feel bad placing him this low in the running…but when I think of Uncle Fester, the three above him tend to take precedence.

3. Kevin Chamberlin.

On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Daddums, Horton the Elephant became an Addams. Kevin Chamberlin is probably best known to TV audiences for his role as the butler, Bertram Winkle, in the Disney Channel show “Jessie,” and to movie audiences for the role of Charles Weiss in “Die Hard With a Vengeance.” However, to me, Chamberlin will always stand out most for his roles in musical theatre…and when it comes to musicals, there are two particular roles I’ll always recognize him for most: Horton from “Seusical,” and Uncle Fester from the original Broadway cast of “The Addams Family: The Musical.” In the musical, Fester is our Master of Ceremonies; I hesitate to call him our narrator, because he’s really more our semi-omnipotent host, guiding us through the story with quick asides and calling on the help of the Addamses’ ghostly ancestors to provide assistance throughout the play. He has his own subplot as a character, too, however: the show revolves around the concept of love, with Morticia and Gomez having some trouble in their relationship, while at the same time, Wednesday deals with her feelings for a rather normal boy named Lucas. Fittingly, Fester is dealing with a troublesome love, too: he has become enamored with the Moon. (pauses) It’s…both weird and kind of adorable, to be honest. Plenty have played Fester since Chamberlin, but in my opinion, none of them have been able to top the original. The man was nominated for no less than three awards for his work in the show, and it’s a pity he didn’t win any of them...same thing for the two he was nominated for with Seussical, incidentally, but that’s another story.

2. Jackie Coogan.

Yeah, I bet you all thought Coogan would be number one, since the last two times I gave the top spots to the 60s series. While I’ll state openly that the original 60s sitcom is my favorite interpretation of the Addams Family overall (sorry, movie fans), this does not mean all of the members of the family are my favorite versions of those respective versions. It’s the same reason I can say “Batman: The Animated Series” is my favorite take on Batman’s universe as a whole, but then claim Frank Gorshin is my favorite Riddler, Gary Oldman my favorite Commissioner Gordon, and Alastair Duncan my favorite Alfred, just to give a few examples. In this case, make no mistake, I ADORE Jackie Coogan’s zany, enthusiastic performance as Uncle Fester, and chances are good that if I played Fester in something myself, I’d use his performance as my key guide. Much like John Astin and Carolyn Jones, as well as…basically ANYONE from this version, he is to thank for the Fester we know today, and in fact most versions do seem to use his work more as an influence than certain other interpretations. But he’s not my absolute favorite.

My favorite take on Fester Addams has to be…

1. Christopher Lloyd.

Yes, Sonnenfeld lovers, you may rejoice. The weird thing to me about Lloyd’s take on Uncle Fester is that, while obviously he IS my favorite…he’s not by any means the definitive take on the character. His voice is unlike others, with Lloyd basically using his standard voice, as opposed to the high-pitched quality most versions of Fester before and since have had. He also just plays Fester in a different way; his movements and facial expressions seem more reminiscient of Igor or Quasimodo than the Coogan character. There’s really no version of Fester LIKE Lloyd, as opposed to other takes on the characters from the films, which have carried their influence into other interpretations. But, with that said…both myself and others can’t help but think of Lloyd when we think of Uncle Fester, and in turn we can’t think of Uncle Fester without immediately thinking of Lloyd. I blame this partially on the fact that both of the Sonnenfeld movies place a LOT of focus on Fester as a character. The main plot of the first film basically revolves around Fester as a character, and in the second film, the central conflict of the story, ultimately, is once again focused on Fester’s part of the story. On top of that, while Lloyd’s take on Fester may be unique from any other…maybe that’s also part of the appeal: the man really took the role and made it totally his own, yet somehow he and the filmmakers were able to keep enough elements of what had been done before to still make it identifiably Fester. I also have to give credit to the movie version for streamlining Fester’s place in the family: in the 60s show, Fester wasn’t Gomez’s brother, but rather Morticia’s Uncle, making him the children’s great uncle. This could be a bit confusing, and the film fit him in much more nicely as the children’s Uncle and Gomez’s brother, which also made the plot and themes of the story much more identifiable. Since then, every version of Fester since – at least to my knowledge – has stuck with this family setup, and for good reason. It’s easy to see why the unique and cherished Christopher Lloyd is My Favorite Portrayal of Uncle Fester.

Honorable Mentions Include…

Nick Kroll.

I can keep things short and simple for both of these Honorable Mentions. Kroll voiced Fester in the 2019 film. He was fun, but at times he felt a bit distracting, and he didn’t get that much focus in the story, I felt. As a result, I didn’t feel justified placing him in the Top 5…especially not with my nostalgia for Rip Taylor’s version, which I loved since I was a kid.

Blake Hammond.

Hammond played Fester in the first national tour of the musical. While some portrayals of the characters in the tour were, I felt, honestly better than the original Broadway cast (such as Douglas Sills and Sara Gettelfinger as Gomez & Morticia, against Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth), Hammond was not one of them. I do love his Fester, I just liked Chamberlin and the rest more.