List of ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' characters

Count Olaf

Count Olaf is the main antagonist and one of the primary characters of the series, making an appearance in each installment with the Baudelaire children. Olaf is an eccentric criminal and a member of the Volunteer Fire Department that became a massive secret organization prior to the events of the first book in the series. Olaf is repeatedly described as an extremely tall and thin person with a monobrow, wheezy voice, gleaming eyes, extremely poor hygiene, and a tattoo of an eye on his left ankle.

Following the death of their parents, the Baudelaire orphans are placed under his care, and he proves to be a horrible guardian who is only interested in the Baudelaire fortune left behind by their mom and dad. It is implied that he gained his dislike of the Baudelaire and Snicket families after the Baudelaire children's parents, perhaps with the help of Kit and Lemony Snicket, killed his parents, orphaning him at a seemingly young age. After Olaf loses his guardianship over the children, he begins a series of attempts to steal the fortune by wearing various disguises and murdering Gustav Sebald, Montgomery Montgomery, Josephine Anwhistle, Jacques Snicket, and Olivia Caliban as well as attempting to murder Charles and countless other characters.

Count Olaf's aliases have included:

• Al Funcoot - Al Funcoot is an anagram of "Count Olaf" that he uses it as his nom de plume when writing The Marvellous Marriage, The Most Handsome Man in the World, its sequel, Why, I Believe I've Become Even More Handsome!, and One Last Warning to Those Who Try to Stand in My Way, as referenced in The Unauthorised Autobiography.
• Stephano (/ˈstɛfənoʊ/ STEF-ə-noh) - An assistant herpetologist with a long beard, a shaved head, and no eyebrows. He used special makeup to cover his ankle tattoo. In the TV series, he wears thick cartoonish glasses and speaks in a nasally accent.
• Captain Julio Sham - A sea captain with an eye-patch and a wooden leg who uses a tobacco pipe for smoking. Count Olaf murdered the real Julio Sham, who was the captain of the Prospero.
• Shirley T. Sinoit-Pécer - Dr. Georgina Orwell's feminine receptionist that wears stockings with eyes on them to cover his ankle tattoo. T. Sinoit-Pécer is "receptionist" spelled backwards. The alias was renamed Shirley St. Ives in the TV series.
• Coach Genghis - A sweatsuit-wearing gym teacher with a turban that he claims to wear for religious reasons covering his one eyebrow, and expensive looking running shoes covering his eye tattoo. In the TV series, Coach Genghis speaks in a southern American accent.
• Gunther (/ˈɡuːntər/ GOON-tər) - A pinstripe suit-wearing auctioneer. He pretends to come from a foreign country so that people will believe that he doesn't speak fluent English. Gunther constantly says "please" after and in the middle of every sentence in this disguise. He wears horse riding boots to cover up his tattoo and a monocle to distort his eyebrow. In the TV series, Gunther wears glasses.
• Detective Dupin - A "famous" detective obsessed with cool things, including ridiculous sunglasses which cover up his eyebrow and green plastic shoes with yellow lightning bolts on them to cover his tattoo. The alias name is a reference to C. Auguste Dupin. In the TV series, Detective Dupin is obsessed with scat singing and resorts to finding ways to get out of answering some questions.
• Mattathias (/ˌmætəˈθaɪ.əs/ MAT-ə-THY-əs) - Heimlich Hospital's new Human Resources director. The only sign of his presence is his voice over Heimlich Hospital's intercom. In the TV series, Mattathias is a doctor and has the full name of Mattathias Medicalschool who plans to do a "Crainioectomy" on "Laura V. Bleediotie."
• Kit Snicket - Olaf used this disguise in The End, but failed to fool anyone on the Island. The disguise consists of seaweed hair, Esme Squalor's dress which she wore in The Slippery Slope, and a diving helmet with the Medusoid Mycelium to make it look like Olaf is pregnant.
• Yessica Haircut - Exclusive to the Netflix TV series, Count Olaf used this improvisational disguise to convince Mr. Poe (who had a haircut scheduled) that the Baudelaire children should be given to Count Olaf prior the events of The Bad Beginning.

While the Baudelaire children are always able to see through his disguises and intentions, the adults around them remain completely oblivious to the villain and fail to aid the children, forcing the Baudelaires to unmask Count Olaf and his various schemes numerous times throughout the series.

With the death of Jacques, who is mistakenly identified as the count by The Daily Punctilio, the target of the police manhunt for Olaf shifts to the Baudelaires, who are framed for the murder of Jacques. Olaf uses his newfound immunity to burn Heimlich Hospital and Caligari Carnival without repercussions. When he and the Baudelaires burn the Hotel Denouement down, they are forced to flee the authorities by escaping to sea, where they are shipwrecked on the island on the coastal shelf. In an attempt to take control of the island, Olaf threatens to release the airborne pathogens of Medusoid Mycelium on the colonists, but is harpooned by Ishmael. Olaf lives long enough to help Kit Snicket safely deliver her child, then he softly kisses her on the lips, which the Baudelaires refer to as the "one good thing" in his life.

• In the 2004 film, Count Olaf is portrayed by Jim Carrey while the video game adaption had Count Olaf's additional dialogue provided by Robin Atkin Downes. Due to Carrey's comedic manner, Olaf's sinister nature was toned down and his occupation as an actor was increased, with him being comically bad at performing, but exceptional at improvising. His disguises for Stephano and Sham are slightly altered. Stephano now had thinning hair, prescription glasses, and a thin mustache that is "a tad askew" which Olaf claims was due to an incident involving a moray eel. He also spoke with a thick Italian American accent similar to comedian Ray Romano. His Sham disguise still kept the pegleg, but he had no eye patch (though the DVD extras reveal that at one point the filmmakers considered having him wear a strap around his head in place of a typical patch). After his plot was exposed and Count Olaf was arrested by the constable as the crowd converged on him, Lemony Snicket stated that the judge had decreed that Count Olaf be made to suffer every hardship he caused on the Baudelaire children before serving a life sentence. However, Lemony Snicket later stated that Count Olaf "vanished" after a jury of his peers overturned his sentence. In the video game, after being exposed, someone turned off the lights, enabling Count Olaf to escape as he vows to get his hands on the fortune.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. Much like Carrey's portrayal of the character, Harris' portrayal was lighthearted, but still sinister in some fashion. The show dives into his acting persona with him being capable of thinking up a plan and disguise on the spot. In addition, he assumes the alias of an unrelated Count Olaf who works as the Caligari Carnival's ringmaster in "The Carnivorous Carnival" after Count Olaf's apparent death.

Violet Baudelaire

Violet Baudelaire is one of the three protagonists of the series; she appears in all thirteen novels. In the TV series she is played by Malina Weissman. Violet helps her twelve-year-old brother Klaus and her baby sister Sunny solve problems with her inventing skills. As the eldest, she is the natural leader of the group. Violet is the eldest Baudelaire: she is fourteen at the beginning of the series and turns fifteen in The Grim Grotto. Brett Helquist's drawings indicate she has long, dark brown hair, and though her eye colour is never specified, it is implied that her eyes are a different colour than Klaus's.

When thinking and concentrating on new inventions, Violet ties her hair in a purple ribbon to keep it out of her face. Violet is a brilliant inventor, inventing various items such as:

• A grappling hook that gets her up Count Olaf's tower in The Bad Beginning.
• A lock pick that enables her to open Count Olaf's suitcase in The Reptile Room.
• A signaling device in The Wide Window.
• A staple-making device in The Austere Academy using a small crab, a potato, metal rods, creamed spinach, and a fork.
• A mobile designed to brighten up the Orphan Shack while keeping the crab infestation at bay in the TV adaptation of The Austere Academy.
• A climbing device made from ties, curtains, and extension cords in The Ersatz Elevator.
• 3 welding devices made of fire tongs in The Ersatz Elevator.
• An invention created from bread and water that frees the three siblings from the Village of Fowl Devotees' uptown jail in The Vile Village before two of them are to be burned alive.
• A rubber band ladder to escape the burning Heimlich Hospital in The Hostile Hospital.
• A cart as an escape vehicle made from vines, roller coaster parts, and a piece of rubber in The Carnivorous Carnival.
• Fork-assisted climbing shoes that help her and Quigley Quagmire climb the frozen waterfall of Mount Fraught in The Slippery Slope.

When Violet and her siblings were accused of killing "Count Olaf," they use a series of disguises while evading the authorities and Count Olaf's group. Violet's disguises include:

• In The Hostile Hospital, Count Olaf disguises her as a patient named Laura V. Bleediotie when he plans to perform a "Crainioectomy" surgery that will serve as a cover-up for Count Olaf's plot to behead her.
• In The Carnivorous Carnival, Violet and Klaus do a shared disguise of Beverly and Elliot where they disguise themselves as a two-headed person.
• In The Slippery Slope, Violet poses as a Snow Scout and a volunteer when saving Sunny from Count Olaf.
• In The Grim Grotto, Violet dresses as a scuba diver.

In The Penultimate Peril, she and her siblings pose as concierges until Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed during a confrontation with Count Olaf. Justice Strauss states to the crowd that they will have a blindfolded trial to determine who is guilty and who is not. However, the other two judges are discovered by the Baudelaires to be the Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman With Hair But No Beard. Violet and her siblings see Strauss being kidnapped, but nobody else does since the entire courtroom is blindfolded. Following Olaf, Violet and her siblings help him unlock the laundry room to get the sugar bowl. Using three clues, they break in, but find that the sugar bowl is not there. Angered, Olaf declares that he is going to the roof to get the Medusoid Mycelium which he will spread through the hotel, kill everyone, and escape by jumping off the roof in a boat. Violet, realizing his plan is foolish, agrees to help. Klaus is surprised that she would do this but Violet knows that they need an escape route, and going with Olaf may be the only way. Then, Sunny abruptly suggests that they burn down the Hotel, and Olaf agrees. On the roof, Klaus reveals that the sugar bowl fell into the pond and not into the laundry room. Here, Violet deduces that Sunny suggested they set the Hotel on fire as a signal so that noble people like Kit, Hector and the Quagmires would cancel the meeting. As Sunny says "the last safe place is safe no more". Violet makes a chute for the boat to safely make it off the building, and they use the giant spatulas used for flipping sunbathers as oars. Justice Strauss attempts to stop the Baudelaires leaving on the boat, but Sunny bites her hand and makes her let go. The boat floats safely down to the ocean, and the Baudelaires are left "in the same boat" as Count Olaf. Flames engulf the Hotel Denouement and Count Olaf gets away yet again.

In The End, the boat carries Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Olaf away from the burning hotel. After surviving a storm, they find themselves on a coastal shelf of an island inhabited by a mysterious group of people. They are first greeted by a little girl named Friday Caliban. Count Olaf, who had previously proclaimed himself king of Olaf-Land, threatens the girl with a harpoon gun. Friday is unfazed; she refuses Olaf permission to land on the island, but invites the Baudelaires onto the island. Along the way, she describes what the islanders do with their time—all year long, they build an outrigger on the coastal shelf, and once a year the water rises high enough to submerge the shelf and launch the outrigger. This is known as Decision Day, when anyone who wishes can board the ship, bite a bitter apple, spit it back out, and sail away. The island facilitator, Ishmael, introduces the Baudelaires to the strange island customs and has the islanders introduce themselves to the Baudelaires. After Count Olaf and Kit Snicket die, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny adopt Kit's baby daughter Beatrice as they leave their island. Not much was known about the Baudelaires since then.

• In the 2004 film and its video game adaption, Violet is portrayed by Emily Browning.
• In the 2017 TV series, she is portrayed by Malina Weissman. She is much more kind to her siblings as she doesn't fight with Klaus like she does in The Wide Window episodes.

Klaus Baudelaire

Klaus Baudelaire is one of the three orphans of the series who appears in all thirteen novels. Klaus is the middle child of the Baudelaire orphans; he has an older sister named Violet and a younger sister named Sunny. His sister, Violet, is the family inventor, Sunny is the family biter, and he is the researcher. He is twelve years old at the beginning of the series and is fourteen by the end of the series. Klaus is the "bookworm" of the family, and his love of books has often helped him save himself and his sisters from Count Olaf. He tries to research their way out of the Marvellous Marriage in The Bad Beginning, helped prove that Stephano was really Count Olaf in disguise in The Reptile Room, and decoded Aunt Josephene's note, leading him and his siblings to Curdled Cave. In The Ersatz Elevator, Klaus helped Violet and Sunny find out what V.F.D means. He also found his book knowledge important when he and his siblings were accused of killing "Count Olaf." From The Vile Village onwards, the Baudelaire orphans use a series of disguises while evading the authorities and Count Olaf's group. Klaus' disguises include:

• In The Hostile Hospital, Klaus disguises himself as a doctor with Sunny. In the TV series, this disguise was named Dr. Faustus.
• In The Carnivorous Carnival, Klaus and Violet dress as a two-headed freak named Beverly and Elliot with Klaus as Elliot and Violet as Beverly.
• In The Slippery Slope, Klaus poses as a Snow Scout and a volunteer when saving Sunny from Count Olaf.
• In The Grim Grotto, Klaus wears a diving suit with a picture of Herman Melville on the front.

When it came to The Penultimate Peril, Klaus and his siblings pose as concierges until Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed during a confrontation with Count Olaf. Justice Strauss states to the crowd that they will have a blindfolded trial to determine who is guilty and who is not. However, the other two judges are discovered by the Baudelaires to be the Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman With Hair But No Beard. Violet and her siblings see Strauss being kidnapped, but nobody else does since the entire courtroom is blindfolded. Following Olaf, Violet and her siblings help him unlock the laundry room to get the sugar bowl. Using three clues, they break in, but find that the sugar bowl is not there. Angered, Olaf declares that he is going to the roof to get the Medusoid Mycelium, which he will spread through the hotel, kill everyone, and escape, by jumping off the roof in a boat. Violet, realizing his plan is foolish, agrees to help. Klaus is surprised that she would do this but Violet knows that they need an escape route, and going with Olaf may be the only way. Then, Sunny abruptly suggests that they burn down the Hotel, and Olaf agrees. On the roof, Klaus reveals that the sugar bowl fell into the pond and not into the laundry room. Here, Violet deduces that Sunny suggested they set the Hotel on fire as a signal so that noble people like Kit, Hector and the Quagmires would cancel the meeting. As Sunny says, "the last safe place is safe no more". Violet makes a chute for the boat to safely make it off the building, and they use the giant spatulas used for flipping sunbathers as oars. Justice Strauss attempts to stop the Baudelaires leaving on the boat, but Sunny bites her hand and makes her let go. The boat floats safely down to the ocean, and the Baudelaires are left "in the same boat" as Count Olaf. Flames engulf the Hotel Denouement, and Count Olaf gets away yet again.

In The End, the boat carries Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Olaf away from the burning hotel. After surviving a storm, they find themselves on a coastal shelf of an island inhabited by a mysterious group of people. They are first greeted by a little girl, Friday Caliban. Count Olaf, who had previously proclaimed himself king of Olaf-Land, threatens the girl with a harpoon gun. Friday is unfazed; she refuses Olaf permission to land on the island, but invites the Baudelaires onto the island. Along the way, she describes what the islanders do with their time—all year long, they build an outrigger on the coastal shelf, and once a year the water rises high enough to submerge the shelf and launch the outrigger. This is known as Decision Day, when anyone who wishes can board the ship, bite a bitter apple, spit it back out, and sail away. The island facilitator, Ishmael, introduces the Baudelaires to the strange island customs and has the islanders introduce themselves to the Baudelaires. After Count Olaf and Kit Snicket die, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny adopt Kit's baby daughter Beatrice as they leave the island. Not much was known about the Baudelaires since then.

• In the 2004 film as well as its video game adaption, Klaus is portrayed by Liam Aiken. He doesn't have glasses unlike his book counterpart.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is portrayed by Louis Hynes.

Sunny Baudelaire

Sunny Baudelaire is one of the three protagonists of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series who appears in all thirteen novels. Sunny is the youngest of the three Baudelaire orphans and is described as an infant through much of the series. Although Sunny cannot walk until the end of the seventh book and speaks in idiosyncratic baby talk, she repeatedly demonstrates advanced problem solving skills, motor dexterity, comprehension, moral reasoning, and intelligence.

Early in the series, Sunny is frequently noted for the size and strength of her teeth. While Klaus and Violet often use their respective talents of reading and inventing to solve their problems, Sunny is required on multiple occasions to use her sharp teeth. As the books progress and Sunny grows out of infancy, she develops a love for cooking.

When Sunny and her siblings were accused of killing "Count Olaf," they use a series of disguises while evading the authorities and Count Olaf's group. Sunny's disguises include:

• A surgeon in The Hostile Hospital.
• Chabo the Wolf Baby in The Carnivorous Carnival. Sunny uses Count Olaf's fake beard to make her look hairy.
• A scuba diver in The Grim Grotto. She is curled up in a diving helmet

In The Penultimate Peril, Sunny and her siblings pose as concierges until Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed during a confrontation with Count Olaf. Justice Strauss states to the crowd that they will have a blindfolded trial to determine who is guilty and who is not. However, the other two judges are discovered by the Baudelaires to be the Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman With Hair But No Beard. Violet and her siblings see Strauss being kidnapped, but nobody else does since the entire courtroom is blindfolded as the two villains state for everyone not to take their blindfolds off. Following Olaf, Violet and her siblings help him unlock the laundry room to get the sugar bowl. Using three clues, they break in, only to find that the sugar bowl is not there. Angered, Olaf declares that he is going to the roof to get Medusoid Mycelium which he will spread through the hotel, kill everyone, and escape by jumping off the roof in a boat. Violet, realizing his plan is foolish, agrees to help. Klaus is surprised that she would do this but Violet knows that they need an escape route, and going with Olaf may be the only way. Then, Sunny abruptly suggests that they burn down the Hotel, and Olaf agrees. On the roof, Klaus reveals that the sugar bowl fell into the pond and not into the laundry room. Here, Violet deduces that Sunny suggested they set the Hotel on fire as a signal so that noble people like Kit, Hector and the Quagmires would cancel the meeting. As Sunny says, "the last safe place is safe no more". Violet makes a chute for the boat to safely make it off the building, and they use the giant spatulas used for flipping sunbathers as oars. Justice Strauss attempts to stop the Baudelaires leaving on the boat, but Sunny bites her hand and makes her let go. The boat floats safely down to the ocean, and the Baudelaires are left "in the same boat" as Count Olaf. Flames engulf the Hotel Denouement, and Count Olaf gets away yet again.

In The End, the boat carries Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Olaf away from the burning hotel. After surviving a storm, they find themselves on a coastal shelf of an island inhabited by a mysterious group of people. They are first greeted by a little girl, Friday Caliban. Count Olaf, who had previously proclaimed himself king of Olaf-Land, threatens the girl with a harpoon gun. Friday is unfazed; she refuses Olaf permission to land on the island, but invites the Baudelaires onto the island. Along the way, she describes what the islanders do with their time—all year long, they build an outrigger on the coastal shelf, and once a year the water rises high enough to submerge the shelf and launch the outrigger. This is known as Decision Day, when anyone who wishes can board the ship, bite a bitter apple, spit it back out, and sail away. The island facilitator, Ishmael, introduces the Baudelaires to the strange island customs. Also, Ishmael has the islanders (most named after famous literary or historical castaways) introduce themselves to the Baudelaires. After Count Olaf and Kit Snicket die, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny adopt Kit's baby daughter Beatrice as they leave their island. Not much was known about the Baudelaires since then.

• In the 2004 film, Sunny is portrayed by Kara and Shelby Hoffman. In the video game adaption, her vocal effects are provided by Karis Campbell.
• In the 2017 TV series, Sunny is portrayed by Presley Smith and her vocal effects are provided by Tara Strong.

Arthur Poe

Arthur Poe is a banker in charge of the Baudelaire and Quagmire fortunes and the Baudelaire orphans' guardianship. He is distinguished by a congenital cough, purblind demeanour, and general inefficacy in caring for the Baudelaire and Quagmire children. Poe is the first to bring the news of Bertrand and Beatrice's death to the Baudelaire children who were at Briny Beach. As executor of the Baudelaire estate, he interprets the will's instructions that the children "be raised in the most convenient way possible", meaning they should remain within the city limits, and arranges for their distant relative Count Olaf to take custody. When the Baudelaires contact Poe at his bank, Mulctuary Money Management, to report Olaf's abuse, the banker points out that Olaf is acting in loco parentis, and can raise them as he sees fit. However, when Olaf traps Sunny in a birdcage and attempts to force Violet to marry him during the play while exposing his plot, Poe invokes citizen's arrest just prior to Count Olaf's escape.

Since then, Arthur Poe tries to find a suitable guardian to watch over the kids. He is not a very big help to the Baudelaire orphans. The Baudelaires are unable to contact him after the events of The Vile Village.

In The Grim Grotto, the Baudelaires appear on Briny Beach and run into Mr. Poe again. He offers to help the Baudelaires prove their innocence only for them to get into a taxi that Kit Snicket was in.

In The Penultimate Peril, Arthur Poe was staying at the Hotel Denouement. He came out of his hotel room during Count Olaf's confrontation with Dewey Denouement. Count Olaf being surprised by Arthur Poe's appearance resulted in the accident where Dewey Denouement was killed by the harpoon gun. During the trial of the Baudelaires and Count Olaf, Mr. Poe submitted some financial records as evidence. When Mrs. Bass claimed that the Baudelaires robbed banks, Mr. Poe quoted "Who said that?" When the hotel was burned down, Mr. Poe was last seen on the third floor as he states that he is still in charge of the affairs of the Baudelaire family as the elevator closes on him. Lemony Snicket says "it wasn't Mr. Poe's destiny to be killed by a harpoon gun, at least not this evening in particular." This means that Mr. Poe may be killed on another occasion by a Harpoon Gun and may suggest that he survived the Hotel Denouement fire.

• In the 2004 film, Arthur Poe is portrayed by Timothy Spall. Unlike the books, Arthur Poe repossesses the children from Count Olaf after he "let Sunny drive." This led Arthur Poe to take the Baudelaire children to relative after relative. Following the incident in Lake Lachrymose, Arthur Poe and the constable saw that Count Olaf had "redeemed himself" by rescuing the Baudelaire children from the Lachrymose Leeches. When Count Olaf's plot had been exposed, he and the crowd converged on him. After Count Olaf "vanished" after a jury of his peers overturned his sentence, Arthur Poe allowed the Baudelaire children to visit their old home before being taken to their next guardian. In the video game adaption, he is voiced by Daniel Hagen.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is portrayed by K. Todd Freeman. In "The Wide Window" Pt. 2, Mr. Poe loses the Baudelaire children during the confusion when Count Olaf was exposed. In "The Miserable Mill," Eleanora assists Mr. Poe into finding the Baudelaires and were able to locate them at Lucky Smells Lumbermill following Count Olaf's escape. In "The Vile Village" Pt. 2, Mr. Poe hears about the Baudelaire's "murder" of "Count Olaf." As he is unable to believe the Baudelaires' claim that the man that was killed wasn't Count Olaf, Mr. Poe is unable to help them and prepares to say his goodbyes to them before they are burned at the stake. Mr. Poe was surprised that Eleanora showed up to get a story and stated that they should've carpooled. After a crow is accidentally injured by Esmé during the Baudelaire's escape, Mr. Poe tells the villagers that they got to take the crow to the veterinarian. In "The Hostile Hospital" Pt. 2, Mr. Poe goes to Heimlich Hospital thinking that he contracted swine flu during his time at the Village of Fowl Devotees when he speaks to Hal about it. When he receives a ticket to the "crainoectomy" held by Count Olaf under the alias of Mattathias Medicalschool, Klaus and Sunny's disguises come undone as Mr. Poe is displeased that Klaus and Sunny were partaking in an operation where they didn't have a medical license. After Heimlich Hospital is set on fire, Mr. Poe gets out and comforts Babs. In "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 2, Mr. Poe attends the lion-feeding event at the Caligari Carnival. He was there after getting an anonymous tip that the Baudelaire children were sighted in the area. After the Caligari Carnival was burned to the ground, Mr. Poe was driving home as he plans to give Mrs. Bass a tour of his bank first.

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is the author of the book series who has chronicled the lives to the Baudelaire children. He dedicates his books to his long lost girlfriend, Beatrice Baudelaire.

• In the 2004 film, Lemony Snicket is portrayed by Jude Law where he is shown writing the story on a typewriter inside a clock tower. In the video game adaptation and the audiobooks, he is voiced by Tim Curry.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is portrayed by Patrick Warburton who appears as the onscreen narrator that is shown in different outfits to go with specific scenes. In "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 1, a flashback showed Lemony Snicket with Jacques at a party at the V.F.D. headquarters. He gets a root beer message stating "Olaf knows" as he rushes to get to Beatrice before Count Olaf can make an attempt on her life. In the present, the Baudelaire children notice him on the film reel they find at the Caligari Carnival about the V.F.D. and claim that he looks like Jacques Snicket.

Baudelaire family members

Count Olaf's acting troupe

Count Olaf's acting troupe is a troupe of actors who are the followers of Count Olaf. They follow Count Olaf in his plans to obtain the Baudelaire fortune.

Among the members are:

Quagmire triplets

Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire are triplets who help the Baudelaires on some of their adventures. While they are often mistaken to be twins because Quigley supposedly died in a fire, Duncan and Isadora still consider themselves to be triplets.

Baudelaire children guardians

Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, and Sunny Baudelaire live with various guardians following the death of Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire. After a brief stay with Mr. Poe, the children are shuffled from one legal guardian to another until The Vile Village when they run away from the Village of Fowl Devotees and become fugitives for the "murder" of Count Olaf. From this point on, there is always someone (or in some cases several someones) who takes care of them.

Besides Count Olaf, Uncle Montgomery, and Aunt Josephine, among the known guardians in order of appearance are:

Edgar and Albert Poe

Edgar and Albert are Mr. Poe's two sons. They are only seen in The Bad Beginning when the Baudelaires stay with Mr. Poe following their parents' death. The two brothers are unwelcoming to the Baudelaire orphans. Their names are apparent allusions to Edgar Allan Poe, though they may also be derived from Edgar Albert Guest (who is mentioned in The Grim Grotto).

In the TV series, Edgar and Albert are played by Kaniel Jacob-Cross and Jack Forrester, respectively. Their unwelcoming attitude goes so far to the point that they both think the Baudelaires caused the fire themselves. Lemony Snicket reveals that later in life one became a banker like their father while the other lives in a cave, but that both think that "the other has it better."

Eleanora Poe

Eleanora Poe is the sister of Mr. Arthur Poe, who is in charge of the Baudelaire orphans' affairs. Eleanora is the editor-in-chief of The Daily Punctilio. She is first mentioned as "a tiresome woman named Eleanora" who was in an elevator at the Hotel Preludio with the Baudelaire family one day when Bertrand played a prank that forced her to stop at every floor on the way to her hotel room.

It is implied that Eleanora and Arthur are not part of the V.F.D. organization because at The Anxious Clown, Larry the Waiter uses a code for V.F.D. members. Neither Eleanora nor Arthur seem to understand it or decide to ignore it.

In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Biography, she once fired Lemony Snicket for giving a "bad" review about Al Funcoot's play titled "One Last Warning to Those Who Stand in My Way" and Esmé Squalor. Eleanora was eventually locked in the basement of the newspaper building by her "star reporter" Geraldine Julienne on the orders of Esmé. She tried to telegram her brother only for an imposter to tell Mr. Poe to ignore all incoming telegrams.^[16] This was likely to secure the influence of the newspaper for the villainous side of V.F.D.

In the TV series, her character is changed to be Mr. Poe's wife upon being amalgamated with Polly Poe and she is portrayed by Cleo King. She is shown to be more concerned with the Baudelaires' fame in the papers than their actual living conditions. In addition, she has used the "Wait until the readers of the Daily Punctilio see that!" catchphrase that Geraldine uses. In "The Vile Village," Eleanora arrives at the Village of Fowl Devotees to get the news on the Baudelaires having "murdered" Count Olaf. Arthur was surprised by her appearance and stated that they should've carpooled. She even joins in the villagers pursuing of them and the Quagmires in order to get an interview from them. Her story about Count Olaf's "death" makes the front page of the Daily Punctilio.

Polly Poe

Polly Poe is Arthur Poe's wife. She is mentioned in The Bad Beginning when the Baudelaires stay with the Poe family. While the Baudelaires stay at the Poes' house, she buys a lot of itchy and ugly clothing. She later appears at the theater for Count Olaf's performance of The Marvelous Marriage and was there when Count Olaf's plot was exposed.

In The Ersatz Elevator, Mr. Poe says that he will tell his wife that dark is in, indicating that she is interested in fashion.

• In the film, she is played by Deborah Theaker.
• In the television series, her character is combined with Eleanora Poe who is portrayed by Cleo King.

Justice Strauss

Justice Strauss is a judge who lives next door to Count Olaf. The Baudelaires initially take a liking to her as soon as they meet in The Bad Beginning and her library also comes in handy in the foiling of Count Olaf's plot to get the Baudelaire fortune. At the purported mock wedding that Olaf sets up at the theater, she plays the judge and unwittingly almost marries Violet to Olaf, legally. At the end of the book following Count Olaf and his troupe getting away, she offers to look after the Baudelaires only for it to not be possible due to legal obligations on the part of Mr. Poe.

Strauss reappears in The Penultimate Peril. She has been researching the Baudelaire case and attempts to bring Count Olaf to justice. Justice Strauss and Jerome Squalor meet up with Dewey Denouement and the Baudelaires at Hotel Denouement where they are confronted in the lobby by Count Olaf and his remaining associates. After Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed, Justice Strauss breaks up the commotion between the guests. She informs everyone present that the authorities have been summoned and that they will have a trial on the Baudelaire children and Count Olaf. Justice Strauss has the Baudelaires placed in room 121 while Count Olaf is placed in room 165. When it came to the trial, she had issued an order beforehand to have the Baudelaires, Count Olaf, Frank and Ernest Denouement, and those attending the trial wear blindfolds to go with the "Justice is blind" saying. Though she did had to direct them to where the respectful benches are. In addition, Justice Strauss states that anyone who peaks will be found guilty of contempt of court. As the trial progressed where the judges were given their evidence against the Baudelaires and Count Olaf, it turns out that her two fellow High Court judges are actually Olaf's associates the Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman with Hair But No Beard. Olaf kidnaps Justice Strauss and the Baudelaires follow the two. They end up ascending the roof of the Hotel Denouement after setting fire to the building as part of the Baudelaire children's plan to leave a signal in the sky to warn those of the firefighting side of the V.F.D. that the upcoming meeting is cancelled and that Hotel Denouement is no longer safe for them. Justice Strauss attempts to prevent the escape of Count Olaf, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, but they leave her behind. It is unknown if she got out of the burning hotel or not.

• In the film, Justice Strauss is portrayed by Catherine O'Hara. When Count Olaf's plot during the play was exposed, Justice Strauss was shocked that she was duped and ran off stating that she didn't know. In the video game adaption, she is voiced by April Stewart.
• In the Netflix series, she is portrayed by Joan Cusack. Justice Strauss' library is shown to have a book on secret societies. At the end of the second part of "The Bad Beginning," she pushes the book on secret societies that was partially pulled out back in sometime after the Baudelaire children were transferred to Uncle Monty.

Gustav Sebald

Gustav Sebald is a film director and member of the V.F.D. who invented the Sebald Code which was used by V.F.D. members in their correspondence.

Gustav's films contained crucial messages to the V.F.D.

In The Reptile Room, Gustav was mentioned to be the assistant of Montgomery Montgomery. When Count Olaf arrived at his house in the disguise of Stephano, Montgomery was informed that Gustav has suddenly and suspiciously resigned. Gustav's movie "Zombies in the Snow" was seen at Tedia's local theater by the Baudelaire children, Montgomery, and Stephano. The coded message that Montgomery couldn't understand was "Attention! Hidden in the snowman is a survivor of the fire. Meet us in the town where this film takes place. Bring the three children. Your new assistant is not one of us. Beware!" Following Gustav's death, his sister Sally is managing his estate.

• In the film, Gustav Sebald is portrayed by John Dexter. He was briefly seen having been strapped to the front of a train by Count Olaf.
• In the TV series, Gustav Sebald is portrayed by Luke Camilleri. He first appeared in "The Bad Beginning" Pt. 2 where he met Jacquelyn underground after she escaped from the Bald Man's trap and informed him what happened. When Count Olaf's plot to get the Baudelaire fortune is exposed, Jacquelyn and Gustav made themselves known as they revealed that Montgomery Montgomery was supposed to get the Baudelaire children and not Count Olaf. Before Count Olaf can be apprehended, the lights go off enabling Count Olaf and his associates to get away. When outside Montgomery's house to make sure the Baudelaire children arrived safely, he is hit by a tranquilizer dart fired by an offscreen Count Olaf where his body sinks into a pond in Swarthy Swamp. Gustav's death enabled Count Olaf to begin his next plot as Stephano. In "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 1, Gustav made an appearance in a flashback at a celebration at the V.F.D. headquarters on the day when Count Olaf failed at murdering Beatrice. He was seen being hypnotized by Georgina Orwell into kissing her which Orwell covered up in front of Jacquelyn. In the present, he appears on a film reel at the Caligari Carnival that talks about the V.F.D. where he talked about his movie codes and showed the different disguises.

Larry

Larry is a waiter who works at the "Anxious Clown" restaurant in The Wide Window who is implied to be a member of V.F.D. as he uses the coded phrase "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion." He also has a history with Josephine Anwhistle.

He first appears where he serves food to the Baudelaire children, Mr. Poe, and Count Olaf in his alias of Captain Sham.

In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, a letter Lemony received from Jacques advised him to visit The Anxious Clown and look for a waiter who quoted "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion."

In the Netflix TV series, Larry is portrayed by Patrick Breen. He was first seen in "The Wide Window" sweeping outside his restaurant when Count Olaf appears. Count Olaf manages to overpower Larry as the rest of his troupe swarms over him. While Count Olaf in the disguise of Captain Sham has dinner at the Anxious Restaurant with Mr. Poe and the Baudelaire children, Larry serves them food as Count Olaf's theater troupe makes sure that he sticks to the script. While struggling to get untied, he does managed to answer a call from Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire. When the Hook-Handed Man grabbed the phone, Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire hung up knowing that the Anxious Clown has been compromised. In "The Austere Academy," Larry appears as a cafeteria worker at Prufrock Preporatory school where he misplaced a book about secret societies that Jacquelyn gave him. He gets locked in the walk-in refrigerator by Count Olaf and is later freed by Jacques Snicket. In "The Ersatz Elevator" Pt. 1, Larry appears as a waiter at Café Salmonella where he stalls Esmé while Jacques and Olivia sneak into their building to find Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. In "The Vile Village" Pt. 2, Larry hears about Jacques' death assists Jacquelyn into distracting the Village of Fowl Devotees' inhabitants in order to give the Baudelaires time to get away from them. He was shown to have a history with Mrs. Morrow and Mr. Lesko. Though they are tied up by Count Olaf's troupe, Larry and Jacquelyn are pleased that the Baudelaire children and the Quagmire children successfully got away in their own ways. In "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 1, Larry was seen in a flashback at a party at V.F.D. HQ where he has a message passed along to Lemony Snicket that tells him "Olaf knows" as Lemony runs out in an attempt to thwart Count Olaf's attempt on Beatrice Baudelaire's life. In the present, he appears on a film reel at the Caligari Carnival that talks about the V.F.D. as he talks about the different coded phrases. While in the tunnels, he is on the phone with someone about the survivor of the Baudelaire fire being sighted at the Mortmain Mountains when he starts to smell smoke.

Phil

Phil worked at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in The Miserable Mill. Phil was one of the friendlier mill workers, and helped the Baudelaires adjust to their new home. During the Baudelaires' stay at the lumbermill, Phil was injured by a mill machine, operated by Klaus, who was hypnotized at the time. On the bright side, Phil is an eternally optimistic character who is not upset about the accident, by saying things such as "at least no one would ask whether I'm right-handed or left-handed."

In The Grim Grotto, Phil worked as a cook at a submarine manned by Captain Widdershins (who calls him Cookie) and his stepdaughter Fiona although all he can make are damp casseroles. Klaus believes that Phil is still being affected by the stamping machine accident, but Phil claims it to be a shark bite. He, along with Captain Widdershins, abandons the Baudelaires and Fiona during the middle of the novel for unknown reasons, (or had been captured), and does not appear in The Penultimate Peril or The End.

It is suspected that Phil may have left his work at Lucky Smells Lumbermill due to a lack of sufficient pay; in The Miserable Mill he states that he has read law books and learned that being paid with coupons is illegal. Despite bringing this up with Sir, it is stated in The Penultimate Peril the workers at the mill are still being paid in coupons.

In the TV series, he is portrayed by Chris Gauthier.

Dr. Georgina Orwell

Dr. Georgina Orwell is an optometrist and an accomplice to Count Olaf in his attempts to steal the Baudelaire fortune in The Miserable Mill by hypnotizing Klaus after the Bald Man with the Big Nose posing as Foreman Flacutano breaks his glasses. Her name is an allusion to George Orwell.^[10] She is killed when she falls into a gigantic lumber saw while battling Sunny, sword vs. teeth.

In the TV series, she is portrayed by Catherine O'Hara (who previously portrayed Justice Strauss in the film adaptation). Instead of being killed by the gigantic lumber saw, she falls into the furnace where all that was left of her was her glasses. In "The Carnivorous Carnival," Georgina made an appearance in a flashback at the celebration at the V.F.D. headquarters the day when Count Olaf failed at murdering Beatrice. She hypnotized Gustav into kissing her and had to cover up this act in front of Jacquelyn. In the present, she appears on a film reel at the Caligari Carnival that talks about the V.F.D.

Mr. Remora

Mr. Remora is a teacher at Prufrock Preparatory School in The Austere Academy teaching Violet Baudelaire. He loves bananas and is constantly seen eating one, smearing banana pulp on his moustache. In his class, students are forced to listen to tiresome and extremely short stories he dictates after which he gives examinations on various objective aspects of the stories. He thinks that the Baudelaires are good students and even objected to Vice-Principal Nero expelling them.

Lemony Snicket reveals in Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography that Mr. Remora later retired from his teaching job because he choked on a banana and was briefly replaced by Kit Snicket under the alias of Miss K.

Whether retired or not depending on when the banana-choking incident happened, Mr. Remora reappears in The Penultimate Peril staying in room 371 with Vice-Principal Nero and Mrs. Bass, having been invited to a cocktail party at the Hotel Denouement by "J.S." and makes a brief reference to running from the law (possibly a reference to Mrs. Bass's bank robbery). Hal also tries to communicate with him using a V.F.D. coded phrase "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion." However, Mr. Remora fails to understand, meaning that he is probably not part of V.F.D., and commented to Hal "it will be a sad occasion if you don't feed us." When making his order, Mr. Remora goes with a dish that has bananas in them. When Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed during a confrontation with Count Olaf which woke up all the patrons, Mr. Remora chose the side of the Baudelaire children where he mentioned good things about them which Vice-Principal Nero mimicked. During the blindfolded trial, Mr. Remora submits the gradebooks as evidence. When Count Olaf starts the fire at the Hotel Denouement, Mr. Remora was last seen wandering the seventh story with Nero while wondering about fried bananas.

In the TV series, Mr. Remora is portrayed by Malcolm Stewart.^[8] During the pep rally, he and Mrs. Bass shoot down Duncan and Isadora's attempts to warn the Baudelaires that Count Olaf is in the school. He later assists Vice-Principal Nero and Mrs. Bass in giving the Baudelaires their exam. Unlike the books, Mr. Remora made an appearance in "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 2 attending the Caligari Carnival with Mrs. Bass where they watched the lion-feeding event. He mentions that he has a skin condition when someone mistakes him for a freak.

Mrs. Bass

Mrs. Bass is Klaus Baudelaire's teacher in The Austere Academy, obsessed with measuring in metric and all of her lessons are on measuring certain items. Mrs. Bass is described to having long messy hair that vaguely made her resemble a gorilla. She and Mr. Remora only agree that Violet and Klaus are good students after their final examination that would determine their expulsion from Prufrock Preparatory. Prior to this however, they were under the impression that Violet and Klaus were the two worst students in the history of the school. Mrs. Bass at this occasion states that she dislikes Carmelita Spats.

She reappears in The Penultimate Peril where she is staying at Hotel Denouement in room 371 with Vice-Principal Nero and Mr. Remora. Mrs. Bass was wearing a thin black mask and a small white wig as a disguise. It is implied, as foreshadowed in The Austere Academy and Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, that she has robbed a bank, having in her possession several bags of money marked with name of Mulctuary Money Management. It is also implied that the money she stole is from the Spats Fortune. She makes no attempt to conceal her crime from Vice Principal Nero and Mr. Remora and they in turn do not judge her, seeming to look on her robbery as an everyday occurrence. She also reveals that her invitation to the cocktail party hosted by "J.S." which asked her to bring all her valuables and since she did not earn enough as a teacher to have valuables she was forced to turn to a life of crime. When being served by Hal at the Hotel Denouement's Indian restaurant, Mrs. Bass states that she is so hungry that she can eat a whole decagram of rice. Despite her defense of the Baudelaires in The Austere Academy when their own identities are revealed at the Hotel Denouement following the death of Dewey Denouement, she claims that they are criminals that should be punished which Hugo agreed with her on. During the blindfolded trial, Mrs. Bass submits the blueprints for banks and later claims that the Baudelaires robbed a bank to which Mr. Poe quoted "Who said that?" When Count Olaf starts a fire at the Hotel Denouement, Mrs. Bass was last seen on the third story muttering something about a getaway car.

It is assumed that she survives the fire because it is mentioned in The Austere Academy that she was arrested for bank robbery at Mulctuary Money Management by Lemony Snicket which is one of the reasons why Prufrock Preparatory School closed down.

In the TV series, Mrs. Bass is portrayed by BJ Harrison.^[8] This version is an African-American woman and doesn't have messy hair. During the pep rally, she and Mr. Remora shoot down Duncan and Isadora's attempts to warn the Baudelaires that Count Olaf is in the school. She later assists Vice-Principal Nero and Mr. Remora into giving the Baudelaires their exam. Like the books, she starts to become a bank robber. Unlike the books, Mrs. Bass appeared in "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 2 attending the Caligari Carnival with Mr. Remora where they watched the lion-feeding event. She is shown to have a bag of money in her hands which she passes off as quiz papers. While the Caligari Carnival was burning down, she hitches a ride with Mr. Poe where she wants him to give her a "tour" of Mulctuary Money Management.

Ms. Tench

Ms. Tench is the gym teacher at Prufrock Preparatory School.

She was mentioned in The Austere Academy where Vice-Principal Nero stated that Ms. Tench "fell out of a third story window a few days ago." Though it wasn't mentioned if she is dead or injured. Either way, she was replaced by Count Olaf posing as Coach Genghis.

In the TV series, Miss Tench is portrayed by Bronwen Smith.^[8] While riding a bus with the pep squad and sports team, the bus is hijacked by Count Olaf. While it was mentioned that Count Olaf and his troupe left Ms. Tench, the pep squad and sports team, and the bus driver on the side of the road, Count Olaf's disguise as Coach Genghis seems to include her stolen tracksuit.

Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire

Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire are the parents of Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire who are on the fire-fighting side of the V.F.D. They perished in the fire at their home after getting their children to safety.

In the TV series, Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire are portrayed by Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders. Their subplot throughout the first season had them captured by the fire-starting side of the V.F.D. and their escape as they make their way back to their kids. During a flight over Lake Lachrymose, the two of them managed to secretly help the Baudelaires set off a signal light at the time when they are being attacked by the Lachrymose Leeches. Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire were able to reunite with their children. Later that night, an unseen person starts to set fire to their mansion from a distance causing Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire to perish offscreen.

Council of Elders

The Council of Elders are the governing force behind the Village of Fowl Devotees. It consists of the village's 25 elders. Each of the members of the Council of Elders worship the crows and wear hats that have fake crows on top of their hats. They sit on a long bench in the Village of Fowl Devotees' City Hall to discuss some things. The youngest member of the Council of Elders was The Woman Who Was About Eighty-One. Some of the laws they enforced are no murder, no harming the crows, no villains allowed, no mechanical devices, no books on mechanical devices, only police officers can talk on the platform, and the Council of Elders' hot fudge sundae can only have 15 nuts on them.

In The Vile Village, the Council of Elders meet the Baudelaire children during an assembly and ask who would watch over them. They got Hector to watch over them because nobody else wanted the job. When Count Olaf in the alias of Detective Dupin and Esmé Squalor in the alias of Officer Luciana frame the Baludelaires for the murder of "Count Olaf (who was actually Jacques Snicket), the Council of Elders sentences them to be burned at the stake. The Council of Elders join the villagers into pursuing the Baudelaires and the Quagmires even when Hector's mobile home appears in the sky. After someone sees Detective Dupin without his sunglasses, some members of the Council of Elders struggled with him to see if there is an eye-shaped tattoo on him where they got his green plastic shoe off. In addition, the Council of Elders are among those who get angry at Officer Luciana when she was discovered to have harmed a crow with one of the harpoons from the harpoon gun. After Count Olaf and Esmé escape on a motorcycle, a member of the Council of Elders tells the Baudelaires to stay put as they are still going to be burned at the stake for the rules they broke right after the villagers take the injured crow to the V.F.D. veterinarian.

In the TV series, the Council of Elders only has three members. They are named Anabelle, Jemma, and Sam and are portrayed by Mindy Sterling, Carol Mansell, and Ken Jenkins respectively.^[8] Anabelle is the one who quotes "silence" when someone breaks the rule that states "No one may talk while on the platform" even when asked a question that is rephrased to the other villagers. Though she would overlook it if the person on the platform is a police officer or a bank consultant. Carol is the soft-spoken of the Council of Elders while Sam has a gruff voice.

Mrs. Morrow

Mrs. Morrow is a citizen from the Village of Fowl Devotees in The Vile Village. She is seen at Town Hall wearing a pink bathrobe when the Baudelaires arrive. She is one of the people who does not want the Baudelaires living with her. Mrs. Morrow makes them trim her hedges and later complains about their poor job. Mrs. Morrow delivers the news about Jacques Snicket's mysterious death whom she, like the other villagers, thought was Count Olaf. Mrs. Morrow is one of the villagers most determined to burn the Baudelaires (and any other person in violation of the many thousands of village rules) at the stake. She was with the villagers when Esmé Squalor in the alias of Officer Luciana accidentally injured a crow with her harpoon gun and was among the villagers that retaliated at this rule violation. After Count Olaf and Esmé got away, Mrs. Morrow and the rest of the villagers took the injured crow to the V.F.D. veterinarian.

She reappears in The Penultimate Peril as a guest at Hotel Denouement alongside Mr. Lesko. Mrs. Morrow was awoken up by a shot from the harpoon gun that killed Dewey Denouement. When Charles states to Sir that Count Olaf caused accidents at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill and not the Baudelaire children, Mrs. Morrow stated that "Count Olaf" was murdered by the Baudelaire children in her village. She submits constitutions to be used as evidence at the blindfolded trial for the Baudelaires and Count Olaf. When Count Olaf starts a fire at the Hotel Denouement, Mrs. Morrow was last seen on one of the floors arguing with Mr. Lesko.

In the TV series, Mrs. Morrow is portrayed by Lossen Chambers. While helping Jacquelyn buy the Baudelaires and the Quagmire's time to get away, Larry mentioned to Mrs. Morrow that he remembered her and her mother from book club. Mrs. Morrow stated that it's now a magazine club and she hates magazines. Unlike the books, Mrs. Morrow appears in "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 2 attending the Caligari Carnival with Mr. Lesko and some of their fellow villagers where they watched the lion-feeding event.

Mr. Lesko

Mr. Lesko is a citizen of the Village of Fowl Devotees from The Vile Village. The Baudelaires first meet him at a meeting in Town Hall where he is shown wearing plaid pants. He and several other citizens do not want the Baudelaires to live with him and describes them as "noisy" children. Mr. Lesko is very mean to them and makes them and Hector clean the windows of his house. He is the one who suggests the Baudelaires be burned at the stake because he thinks they killed Count Olaf (who was actually Jacques Snicket). In addition, Mr. Lesko was also shown to have knowledge on motorcycle safety. Mr. Lesko was with the villagers when Esmé Squalor in the alias of Officer Luciana accidentally injured a crow with her harpoon gun and was among the villagers that retaliated at this rule violation. After Count Olaf and Esmé got away, Mr. Lesko and the rest of the villagers took the injured crow to the V.F.D. veterinarian.

He returns in The Penultimate Peril where he was seen with Mrs. Morrow. He is woken up when Dewey Denouement is killed. When Mrs. Morrow claims that "Count Olaf" was killed by the Baudelaire children in her village, Mr. Lesko claims that he thought the man that was killed was named "Count Omar." At the Baudelaires and Count Olaf's blindfolded trial, he hands in rule books for evidence. When Count Olaf starts the fire at the Hotel Denouement, Mr. Lesko was last seen on one of the floors arguing with Mrs. Morrow.

In the TV series, Mr. Lesko is portrayed by Kevin Chamberlin and is first referred to as "The Man in Plaid Pants" by the Council of Elders. While helping Jacquelyn buy the Baudelaires and the Quagmire's time to get away, Larry asked Mr. Morrow how his retirement was. He didn't get an answer out of him. Unlike the books, Mr. Lesko appears in "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 2 attending the Caligari Carnival with Mrs. Morrow and some of their fellow villagers where they watched the lion-feeding event.

Jacques Snicket

Jacques Snicket is the older brother of Lemony Snicket and the twin brother of Kit Snicket as well as a member of the V.F.D. At some point during his work, he lost contact with Lemony and remained close to Kit.

Jacques was first seen in The Vile Village where the villagers of the Village of Fowl Devotees mistook him for Count Olaf. He was to be burned at the stake only to be killed by the real Count Olaf (who was disguised as Detective Dupin at the time) who framed the Baudelaire siblings for his death. Before he died, he tried to mention to the Baudelaire children that he worked for the V.F.D.

In the Netflix TV series, Jacques Snicket is portrayed by Nathan Fillion.^[6] He is first seen in "The Austere Academy" where he frees Larry from the walk-in refrigerator that Count Olaf trapped him in. In "The Ersatz Elevator," Jacquelyn enlists Jacques Snicket to bring Olivia Caliban into their organization. While Esmé is kept busy by Larry at Café Salmonella, Jacques and Olivia sneak into the Squalors' building to find Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. When Count Olaf in the form of Gunther holds an auction, Jacques and Olivia attend it. In "The Vile Village," Jacques and Olivia arrive in the Village of Fowl Devotees in order to detain Count Olaf. Unfortunately, Count Olaf poses as Detective Dupin where he fools the villagers into thinking that Jacques Snicket is actually Olaf and the Council of Elders sentence Jacques to death. While Jacques still had the V.F.D. tattoo, Count Olaf put a fake extension between his eyebrows to make it look like one eyebrow. He did silently introduce himself to the Baudelaires and explain the tattoo description to them while Detective Dupin and the Council of Elders were talking. After Olivia negotiates with Esmé in the disguise of Officer Luciana for their freedom in exchange for the information about the Sugar Bowl that Count Olaf seeks, Jacques sends Olivia to find "Madame Lulu." When Jacques confronts Count Olaf and Esmé, they managed to incapacitate him as Count Olaf struck him with a crowbar offscreen. The next day, the Baudelaires are informed that "Count Olaf" was murdered. Olaf as Detective Dupin pins the blame of his death on the Baudelaires. In "The Hostile Hospital" Pt. 1 and 2, Jacques Snicket appeared on a film reel that is in Heimlich Hospital's Library of records. In "The Carnivorous Carnival" Pt. 1, Jacques Snicket was seen in a flashback at a party at the V.F.D. Headquarters with Lemony. In the present, he appears on a film reel at the Caligari Carnival that talks about the V.F.D.

Geraldine Julienne

Geraldine Julienne is the star reporter for the Daily Punctilo. She is depicted as always carrying a microphone and incorrectly reports on events throughout the series. In addition, Geraldine is a devoted fan of Esmé Squalor. Her catchphrase upon coming across a headline is "Wait until the readers of the Daily Punctilio see that!"

She was first mentioned in The Vile Village where she wrote the inaccurate article about the Baudelaire children murdering Count Olaf. What really happened is that Count Olaf framed them at the time when Jacques Snicket was mistaken for Count Olaf.

In The Hostile Hospital, Geraldine is present at Violet Baudelaire's surgery.

In The Carnivous Carnival, Geraldine appears at the Caligari Carnival reporting on the lion show there.

In The Penultimate Peril, Geraldine is seen at the Hotel Denouement. She was seen in the rooftop sunbathing salon with Esmé Squalor and Carmelita Spats. When Dewey Denouement is accidentally killed during a confrontation with Count Olaf which woke up all the patrons, Geraldine quotes that the Baudelaires are no ordinary murderers. When Justice Strauss proposes a blindfolded trial, she did not want Geraldine to do any premature news stories. During the blindfolded trial, Geraldine submitted some newspaper articles as evidence. When Count Olaf starts the fire at the Hotel Denouement, Geraldine was last seen on one of the floors using her microphone as a cane while squealing about the headlines.

In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Esmé orders Geraldine to lock Eleanora Poe in the basement of the Daily Punctilo.

In the TV series, Geraldine Julienne had written different articles in the series like the loss of the Baudelaire children's parents, them being raised by Count Olaf, and the accident at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill.

Milt

Milt is the shopkeeper at the Last Chance General Store.

He first appears in The Hostile Hospital when the Baudelaires appear the Last Chance General Store after escaping from the Village of Fowl Devotees. He gives them cranberry muffins. When Lou shows up with the newspapers from the Daily Punctilio talking about the Baudelaires murdering "Count Olaf," Milt and Lou try to catch them only for the Baudelaires to escape into the van of the Volunteers Fighting Disease.

In the TV series, Milt is portrayed by Serge Houde. Like the book, he meets the Baudelaires when they arrive at his store. Instead of Milt recognizing them from the newspaper, the Baudelaires leave when Count Olaf shows up. Though he still gets the newspapers when the Baudelaires escape into the van of the Volunteers Fighting Disease.

Lou

Lou is a newspaper delivery boy.

He first appears in The Hostile Hospital where he brings the newspapers from the Daily Punctilio to the Last Chance General Store. When the front page lists that the Baudelaires have murdered "Count Olaf," he and Milt try to catch the Baudelaires only for them to escape into the van of the Volunteers Fighting Disease.

In the TV series, Lou is portrayed by Gabe Khouth. Instead of Lou and Milt recognizing the Baudelaires from the newspaper, the Baudelaires leave when Count Olaf shows up. Though Lou still unloaded the newspapers when the Baudelaires escape into the van of the Volunteers Fighting Disease.

Babs

Babs first appears in The Hostile Hospital.

She is the head of Heimilich Hospital's Human Resources Department. She is never seen but is heard over an intercom, which distorts her voice and makes it sound 'scratchy'. She seems to believe that the Baudelaires should be "seen and not heard" which is ironic since she can't see them anyway. Count Olaf, disguised as Mattathias, later stole her position to take control of the hospital and hinted that he pushed her off the roof of the hospital as he said she had "decided to pursue a career as a stuntwoman' and had 'started jumping off buildings immediately." This means that Olaf probably pushed her off a roof or forced her to jump off one. Either way, Babs was killed.

In the TV series, Babs is portrayed by Kerri Kenney-Silver.^[8] She is actually seen in this version and is easily stressed, carrying a paper bag around to breathe into when she begins to hyperventilate. Babs is also obsessed with paperwork. Despite them not being on her list, she allows Count Olaf, disguised as Dr. Mattathias Medicalschool, and his troupe into the hospital. Later, they capture her and Count Olaf replaces her as the head of the Human Resources Department. When Violet is also captured, she attempts to escape with Babs, but Babs's nervous laughter and loud speech results in them being captured by Count Olaf again and separated. Despite Count Olaf threatening to kill her at this point, Babs survives and is later seen escaping Heimlich Hospital during the fire and mourning the loss of her clipboard and paperwork. Mr. Poe attempts to comfort her as he chases after the Baudelaires.

The Man with Pimples On His Chin

The Man with Pimples On His Chin is a middle-aged man and a resident of the Hinterlands several large pimples on his chin and a skin condition that cause people to mistake him for a freak. In addition, he has a mother who also has pimples on her.

The Man with Pimples On His Chin first appears in The Carnivorous Carnival where he mistakes the Hook-Handed Man as a freak to which the Hook-Handed Man states that he isn't one. The Man with Pimples On His Chin apologizes and advises the Hook-Handed Man to get some fake hands. During the show, he joins the Hook-Handed Man into heckling Hugo. Violet and Klaus in the alias of the two-headed person Beverly and Elliot encountered the Man With Pimples On His Chin before the lion-feeding event where he asks them why one of them doesn't wear a bag over their head. Sunny in the alias of Chabo the Wolf Baby grows at them as Violet tells him to leave them alone as Chabo is protective of them. The Man With Pimples On His Chin states that Chabo won't be a match for the lions which his mother agrees on. During the lion-feeding show, The Man with Pimples On His Chin tells Beverly and Elliot to jump into the lion pit. During the commotion where nobody would push Beverly and Elliot into the lion pit, The Man with Pimples On His Chin was accidentally slapped by an audience member as he begins to argue with him and his wife where the worsening commotion caused Madame Lulu and the Bald Man with the Big Nose to be accidentally knocked into the lion pit where they are devoured. When the Caligari Carnival was set on fire, The Man with Pimples On His Chin and his mother aren't seen again after that.

In the TV series, his role is filled by an exclusive character named Mr. Willums who is portrayed by David Burtka where the character also speaks the lines that are also said by The Woman With Dyed Hair. He has a wife named Mrs. Williams (portrayed by Jill Morrison) and children Skip and Trixie Willums (portrayed by Gideon Burtka-Harris and Harper Burtka-Harris) where they attend the Caligari Carnival. During the "House of Freaks" show, he is the only one who applauds. During the lion-feeding event, Mr. Willums starts to get more excited about the selected freak being fed to the lions. Though he and his son annoy Count Olaf when Mr. Willums asks why he gets to pick which freak gets devoured by lions and his son asking if it is legal. Mr. Willums is among those horrified when Madame Lulu is thrown to the lions as his kids sadly state that they want to go home. When the Caligari Carnival is burned down, Mr. Willums and his family aren't seen again after that.

The Woman With Dyed Hair

The Woman With Dyed Hair is a woman whose hair has been dyed.

She is seen in The Carnivorous Carnival as a spectator of the Caligari Carnival where she mocks the freaks.

Fiona

Fiona is a very bright mycologist and is the stepdaughter of Captain Widdershins and the sister of Fernald (the Hook-Handed Man). She is also the love interest of Klaus Baudelaire.

Fiona first appears in The Grim Grotto, when Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire enter the Queequeg. Though she is not part of the Queequeg's "Crew of Two", she is the ship's head engineer. Fiona is the first non-Baudelaire that can actually understand some of Sunny's utterances. Later, Fiona goes with the Baudelaires into the Gorgonian Grotto to look for the sugar bowl, but when the four children come back, empty-handed, they find the Queequeg deserted; Captain Widdershins and Phil had been convinced by an unnamed woman to abandon the ship. Count Olaf then captures the submarine with his own, the Carmelita, and takes the Baudelaires and Fiona to the brig to be tortured by the Hook-Handed Man, who turns out to be Fiona's long-lost brother Fernald. The Baudelaires and Fiona persuade Fernald to join them and help them escape. The Baudelaires escape, but Fiona and Fernald are caught and tell Esmé Squalor that they support Count Olaf. At this point, Esmé begins to call Fiona "Triangle-Eyes", due to the triangular shape of her glasses. Later, Fernald persuades Fiona to really be part of Count Olaf's troupe. Fiona, knowing that she is wrong, allows the Baudelaires free access to the Queequeg to escape. But she cannot go with them, out of loyalty to her brother, but before she rejoins Olaf, however, she kisses Klaus.

Fiona did not appear in The Penultimate Peril, but Count Olaf says that she and Fernald stole the Carmelita. In The End, it was revealed that both returned to the Fire-Fighting Side of V.F.D., but they may have been sucked into The Great Unknown.

Kit Snicket

Kit Snicket is the sister of Lemony and Jacques Snicket, the lover of Dewey Denouement, and the mother of Beatrice II. She was four years old when the Schism began and became a member of the fire-fighting side of the V.F.D.

In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Kit Snicket went to Prufrock Preparatory to work as a teacher under the alias of Mrs. K following Mr. Remora's retirement. When Carmelita Spats' parents informed Vice-Principal Nero that Mrs. K was having the students read books that are not on the recommended list, Vice-Principal Nero fired her as Kit made off with two orphans that were attending Prufrock Preparatory.

In The Grim Grotto', Kit Snicket was mentioned to have helped Captain Widdershins in constructing the Queequg. She also warned Gregor Anwhistle about the use of the Medusoid Mycelium. By the end of the book, she meets the Baudelaires at Briny Beach and takes them away in her taxicab.

In The Penultimate Peril, Kit Snicket brings the Baudelaires to Hotel Denouement where she provides them with concierge disguises, mentions that she is pregnant and informs them about Frank and Ernest Denouement. Lemony Snicket mentioned that Kit rode a jet ski in order to meet up with Captain Widdershin.

In The End, Kit Snicket and the Incredible Deadly Viper wash up on the coastal shelf of the island on a raft of books where her legs are injured. After regaining conscious, she tells the Baudelaires about how Hector's mobile home crashed into the Queequeg and she got injured when the telegram device fell on her legs. Kit also mentions that she doesn't know what happened to Hector, the Quagmires, Captain Widdershin, Fernald, and Fiona when the Great Unknown neared the wreckage. Later on, Kit is among those who are poisoned by the Medusoid Mycelium and refuses the hybrid horseradish apple that counters it due to the side effects it has on unborn children. As Kit goes into labour, Count Olaf performs his only act of kindness by carrying her to a place to give birth as he helps to deliver her child. After Kit dies giving birth, Count Olaf dies from his injuries. Both of them are buried next to each other as the Baudelaires take Beatrice Baudelaire II into their custody.

Castaways

The Castaways are a group of people that live on an island that Count Olaf tried to christen as Olaf Land. Among the known castaways are:

Incredibly Deadly Viper

The Incredible Deadly Viper (also known as Ink and Inky) is a snake that was discovered by Montgomery Montgomery.

In The Reptile Room, Inky was presented to the Baudelaire children as Montgomery's latest discovery" where it bonded with Sunny. When Count Olaf posed as Stephano and killed Montgomery while framing Inky, the Baudelaire children were able to prove its innocence and expose Stephano as Count Olaf. After Count Olaf and the Hook-Handed Man got away, Inky was among the reptiles that were packed up by Bruce to be sent to the Herpetology Society.

In The End, Inky arrived on the island with a pregnant Kit Snicket who revealed that Inky lived on the island before being "discovered" by Montgomery. Following Count Olaf and Kit Snicket's deaths, Inky rounded up the type of apples that were mixed with normal apples and horseradishes in order to give them to the departed castaways following their infection of the Medusoid Mycelium.

• In the film, Count Olaf as Stephano pinned the blame of Montgomery's death on the Incredibly Deadly Viper to Mr. Poe and the Constable. This plot was foiled when Sunny plays with it causing Count Olaf to secretly get away while shedding his disguise on the way out.
• In the TV series, Count Olaf as Stephano pinned the blame of Montgomery's death on the Incredibly Deadly Viper to Mr. Poe with the help of the Person of Indeterminate Gender posing as Nurse Lucafont while the rest of Count Olaf's troupe posed as members of the Sheriff Department. Just like the book, Violet finds the vial containing the Mamba du Mal poison in Stephano's briefcase.

Mamba du Mal

The Mamba du Mal is a snake in Montgomery Montgomery's collection which is "one of the deadliest snakes in the hemisphere" that kills its victims by strangling them.

In The Reptile Room, Count Olaf in his alias of Stephano used its venom to kill Montgomery and frame the Incredibly Dangerous Viper for the death. After Count Olaf was exposed and the Incredibly Deadly Viper was innocent, the Mamba du Mal is among the reptiles that are packed up by Bruce in order to take them to the Herpetology Society.

While the Mamba du Mal does not appear in the film, its venom was used in the TV series during the final parts of "The Reptile Room" Pt. 1. When Stephano talks about the Mamba du Mal in the second part, it shifts to a snake that might by the Mamba du Mal. Either way, it alongside the other creatures in Montgomery's collection are claimed by the Herpetology Society in light of Montgomery's death.

Lachrymose Leech

The Lachrymose Leech is a type of leech that lives in the waters of Lake Lachrymose where they have six rows of sharp teeth, a sharp pointed nose, and a smell of food. As they are blind, the Lachrymose Leeches can attack any human who has just eaten something as well as their usual food of small fish and crabs. Anyone traveling on the lake must wait one hour after eating before entering it for any reason.

In The Wide Window, Josephine Anwhistle mentioned that she lost her husband Ike to the Lachrymose Leeches when he waited 45 minutes before going swimming. When the Baudelaire children and Josephine were leaving Curdling Cave by water, the Baudelaires did not know that Josephine ate a banana which started to attract the Lachrymose Leeches. As their boat is attacked by the Lachrymose Leeches, Violet invents a signal light that attracts a passing boat. However, the boat is operated by Count Olaf in the alias of Captain Sham. When Josephine begs for Captain Sham to spare her, he got irritated with Josephine and pushed her into the water where the Lachrymose Leeches are.

In The Beatrice Letters, there was a Lachrymose Leech paperweight that Ike Anwhistle gave Lemony Snicket as a graduation present.

• In the film, the Baudelaires were rescued from the Lachrymose Leeches by Count Olaf who left Josephine to her fate.
• In the TV series, the Baudelaires were rescued from the Lachrymose Leeches by Captain Sham and the disguised members of Count Olaf's troupe.

V.F.D. Crows

The V.F.D. Crows are a type of crows that are worshiped by the Village of Fowl Devotees and have the same migratory pattern every day. The #1 rule in the Village of Fowl Devotees is to never harm a crow.

In The Vile Village, Esmé Squalor in the alias of Officer Luciana accidentally harmed a crow when she fired a harpoon gun at the books that the Quagmire children were throwing to the Baudelaire children. This incited the wrath of the villagers causing Count Olaf and Esmé to flee.

Volunteer Feline Detectives

The Volunteer Feline Detectives are a group of lions that lived in the caves of the Mortmain Mountains. They were trained by the V.F.D. to smell out smoke. At some point following the Schism, the fire-starting side of the V.F.D. gained possession of the lions. On a related note, one of Gustav Sebald's movies was called Lions in the Mountains which references these lions and their habitat in the Mortmain Mountains.

In The Carnivorous Carnival, Count Olaf whipped and abused them enough for them to have scars where the Baudelaire children noticed that as they can see the ribs of one of them due to them being lethargic and malnourished. When Count Olaf put on a show at the Caligari Carnival, he held an event where one of its freaks would be fed to the lions. During the crowd chaos, Olivia Caliban and the Bald Man with the Big Nose were knocked into the lion pit and devoured by the lions. When the Caligari Carnival is burned by Count Olaf, the lions perished in the fire as Count Olaf neglected to get them out of the pit. Lemony Snicket stated that the lions' bodies were blackened when he found them. It wasn't mentioned what happened to the remaining lions in the Volunteer Feline Detectives.

In the TV series, a group of starving lions lurk in the haunts near the Caligari Carnival. Two of the lions were captured by Count Olaf for his lion-feeding event. Just like the book, the lions perished in the Caligari Carnival's fire.

Snow Gnats

The Snow Gnats are small flying insects that inhabit the Mortmain Mountains. Similar to red ants, they enjoy stinging people for no reason. There are two ways to prevent Snow Gnats from stinging people. One is to create smoke by starting a fire since Snow Gnats hate smoke. Another way is to cover the entire body so that they won't attack.

In The Slippery Slope, the Snow Gnats are first seen attacking Violet and Klaus. They managed to find shelter in a cave where Bruce, Carmelita Spats, and the Snow Scouts are taking refuge in.

V.F.D. Eagles

The V.F.D. Eagles are a type of eagle that are used by the fire-starting side of the V.F.D. They bend to their whim upon hearing their whistles.

In The Slippery Slope, the V.F.D. Eagles are summoned by Count Olaf to carry off Bruce and the Snow Scouts. The Man with a Beard But No Hair and the Woman with Hair But No Beard escaped on some of them.

In The End, it was mentioned that the V.F.D. Eagles have attacked Hector's self-sustaining hot-air mobile home causing it to crash into the Queequeg. This was foreshadowed by Kit Snicket in The Penultimate Peril where Quigley Quagmire used a homemade net to save his fellow siblings.