Characters from Arrested Development

This is a list of the main and recurring fictional characters from the Fox television comedy series, Arrested Development.

Tobias Fünke

Tobias Fünke is married to Lindsay Bluth and they have a daughter, Maeby. He is portrayed by David Cross.

Related Topics:
Lindsay Bluth - Maeby - David Cross

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Tobias is a former Chief Of Psychiatry from Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital who lost his license for giving CPR to a Rhode Island man who wasn't actually having a heart attack. He has experienced sexual difficulties with his wife. This led to their joint decision to attempt an "open" marriage. Tobias has a rare condition called "Never-nude" syndrome (gymnophobia) http://the-op.com/view/article.php?a=8 and must always wear denim cut-off shorts under his pants. This condition threatened his acceptance of a coveted role as "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama that called for a nude shower scene. He had studied for the role by researching the "nature of fear" at the Orange County prison. Lindsay helped him deal with his condition and with the help of his acting coach, Carl Weathers, he got the part. Carl would eventually help Tobias land a part on the TV series Scandalmakers, where Weathers played Ice The Bounty Hunter, Tobias played George Sr., and Dave Attell played Tobias.

Related Topics:
Boston - Massachusetts General Hospital - CPR - Sex - Gymnophobia - Orange County - Carl Weathers - Dave Attell

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Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her mother, is convinced that her husband is gay. Much of the humor that is based around Tobias exploits this fact. A book he wrote while still a therapist, The Man Inside Me belatedly has become a runaway bestseller, but only in the gay community. At a reading, attended exclusively by gay men, he changed all the pronouns to "he" for the ease of reading, though his audience assumed it was for different reasons. Similarly, Tobias also has the intriguing habit of unintentionally making sexual double-entendres, usually implying his own homosexuality; examples include him (pretending to be a British nanny, a la Mrs. Doubtfire) offering Michael a "banger in the mouth" while holding out a plate of sausage or screaming "I just blue myself!" after donning the trademark blue paint of the Blue Man Group. These are just a few of several instances of Tobias's trademark oblivious nature, a personality trait that is frequently exploited in plot lines regarding his relationship with his wife and daughter.

Related Topics:
Mother - Mrs. Doubtfire - Blue Man Group

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In season 2, Tobias was desperate to be an understudy for the silent entertainers Blue Man Group, and would paint himself completely blue for hours, thus getting blue body paint on things in the Bluth model home (blue handprints can be seen in the background in many season 2 episodes). In the mid 1990's, Tobias and his family as the folk group, Dr. Fünke’s 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution. Every song was about new medicines and their potential harmful effects on consumers. Each performance was underwritten by the Natural Life Food Company.

Related Topics:
Blue Man Group - 1990's

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;External links

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• Profile of Tobias at the O.P.