Please note: Age references are that of the character, not the actor.

The Bailey Family

George Bailey (Male 21-38): Our hero; an everyman good fellow that would give you the shirt off his back. George is an idealist and dreamer just like his father, however he believes himself quite different from his father until later when he begins to understand his father's enduring vision, George finds has become his own. Every action in George's life has ultimately been for the good of someone else.

Mary Hatch Bailey (Female 18-35): An elegant, intelligent, and resourceful woman. Mary is three years younger than George, and has been deeply in love with him since she was nine years old. His humility and servant's heart is one of the main things that drew her to him. Mary's wisdom and resourcefulness is highlighted throughout their lives as she works to renovate the old Granville house into a beautiful home for the Bailey family, while simultaneously raising four children and supporting her husband's goals. She and George are the perfect match in every way that truly matters.

Pete Bailey (Male 9): George and Mary's eldest son.

Janie Bailey (Female 8): George and Mary's eldest daughter.

Zuzu Bailey (Female 6):  George and Mary's youngest daughter. George and Zuzu share a special bond and he calls her his little "Gingersnap." When George is frantic, simply being around Zuzu brings George a calm and peace that no one else is able to.

Tommy Bailey (Male 5): George and Mary's youngest child.

Ma Bailey (Female 50s): Ma Bailey is the ever-loving wife of Pa Bailey and the mother of George and Harry. While Pa ran the Building and Loan, Ma operated a Boarding house from their home. Routinely both joyed and annoyed with her boys over the years, she never failed to encourage them and support their dreams, just as she had always done with Pa Bailey.

Pa Bailey (Male 50s): George's father, Peter, is an idealist, stubborn only for other people's rights. Every positive personality trait of George was first modeled in Pa Bailey's life. Pa was George's hero even after his death.

Uncle William "Billy" Bailey (Male 40s-50s): Uncle Billy is the younger brother of Pa Bailey. He is a well meaning and good-humored man who is slightly addled. He is as forgetful as he is nice. He also enjoys food - especially Ma Bailey's cooking – along with a drink or two... or more. Uncle Billy was married years ago to Laura, but she died in childbirth along with their only child. Uncle Billy fell in to deep despair, but the deep love and care of his brother helped him get through the loss. George observed this, and it became an inspiration to George as he grew up.

Cousin Matilda "Tilly" Bailey (Female 30s-40s): The very efficient (and nosy) telephone operator of the Bailey Building & Loan. She is the older sister of Eustace and is not married.

Cousin Eustace Bailey (Male 30s-40s): A timid, meek man and the dutiful clerk of the Bailey Building & Loan. He is the younger brother of Tilly Bailey.

Harry Bailey (Male 18-35): Harry is George's joy-filled baby-brother who thinks the world of his older brother. Always following in his footsteps throughout their childhood, Harry is the one who gets to live George's dreams of leaving Bedford Falls and seeing the world. After college he married Ruth Dakin and went to work at her father's glass factory in Buffalo, NY as a lead researcher. Harry enlisted during World War II, returning home a war hero. Despite all of his successes, he never forgot how much his brother did for him. In the end he makes one of the most profound and important declarations over George's life,

The Angels

Gabriel, the arch-angel (Male Ageless): Gabriel is a wise and gentle arch-angel who oversees the guardian angels.

Joseph, a lieutenant angel (Male Ageless): Joseph is an experienced angel who assists Gabriel in managing the guardian angels in heaven. Not as patient as his superior, he is routinely annoyed by Clarence's simplistic and ingénue nature.

Clarence Oddbody (Male 40+): An angel second class with the I.Q. of a rabbit and the faith of a child who has been trying to earn his wings for over two hundred years. Earnest and well-intentioned, but very naive to the ways of the world. Clarence is often onstage "inside" the scenes of George's life. During these times, no other characters notice or acknowledge Clarence's existence in any way. Clarence is not noticeable by anyone until he appears to George at the bridge.

George's Friends

Bert the Cop (Male 21-38): Bert is a dutiful and loyal childhood friend of George's. The two met on the first day of first grade in 1913 when both were six years old. As such, Bert is George's longest known friend. He is typically found around Bedford Falls talking with his other best friend, Ernie the taxi driver, or getting a soda at Mr. Gower's Drugstore.

Ernie the Cabby (Male 21-38): Ernie Bishop is a simple but loyal childhood friend of George's. He has a joking and playful personality and loves talking with his friends and customers - and pretty much anyone who wants to chat. Ernie married a friend of Mary's after the two were introduced at a dinner at the Bailey's house a year after George and Mary's wedding. They later purchased a house in Bailey Park that George had designed and the Building and Loan was building.

Sam Wainwright (Male 21-38): Sam is a childhood friend of George's and the same age. The two became best friends quickly, after a meeting between their fathers at the Building & Loan. He is a very colorful and  boisterous joker who is always teasing George, who returns do anything to help his friend. While not physically present at George's darkest hour, Sam immediately pledged $25,000 dollars (~$400,000 today) to George as soon as he got word that George needed help - without knowing anything about why George needed the money; that was how much he trusted his friend.

Marty Hatch (Male 21-38): Marty is Mary's older brother and also a childhood friend of George's. He is a few months younger than George and has always looked up to him as the older brother he never had. George's impact on Marty's life inspired him to become a great leader in the army during World War Il, where he aided in leading the capture of the Remagen bridge in Germany.

Mr. Gower the Pharmacist (Male 50s-70s):

The good-humored owner of the local pharmacy soda shoppe who holds George in high regard. When Mr. Gower receives the telegram of his son's death, he turns to alcohol to drown his sorrows and try to dull the pain he is feeling. He then receives a call for medicine for a sick boy in town, which he correlates to his own son. He rushes to prepare the medicine, but in his drunkenness he grabs the wrong bottle. He is usually a very cautious pharmacist, so when George initially tries to question the pills he dismisses George as simply wasting time - and thereby increasing the chances of the boy dying just like his son did. It isn't until George expresses empathy and compassion to Mr. Gower's pain that he is able to clear his mind momentarily and consider what he has done.

Mr. Martini (Male 30s-50s): An Italian man and close friend of George who is the embodiment of a warm welcoming spirit. His face never fails to have a smile and his speech is equally friendly - always. He owns a bar-restaurant - Martini's Place - that is as welcoming and as he is. He and his family later move into a house in Bailey park that George designed and the Building & Loan holds the mortgage on.

Violet Bick (Female 18-35): Violet is a childhood friend of George and Mary's who was in Mary's class in school. Growing up she was always chasing after George, which routinely put her at odds with Mary despite the fact that George showed no interest in either throughout their childhood. She was drawn to George because he was the only boy in town who wasn't chasing after her. She always tried to present herself as older and more physically mature than she was (think "9 going on 19"). In adulthood, Violet became a very sexy woman who knows how to use her wiles to get what she thinks she wants. As she matured, she began to appreciate that George was always a steady ever-present friend for her who valued her for who she was, unlike many of her other friends.

Mrs. Hatch (Female 40s-50s):

Mrs. Hatch is the mother of Marty Hatch and Mary Hatch Bailey, and the eventual mother-in-law of George. She is a well-meaning woman who has only ever wanted the best for her daughter. She always tried to pair Mary with Sam Wainwright, and never suspected that her daughter truly loved George. She initially disapproved of their marriage, but eventually came to love and appreciate George as a son.

Jane Wainwright (Female 23): Jane first began working as Sam Wainwright's secretary, and overtime their relationship grew into a romantic one as Sam leaned on her wise business-savvy mind. She is a nice woman, a little younger than him.

The Citizens of Bedford Falls

Mr. Henry F. Potter (Male 50s-70s): The richest and meanest man in town.

Mr. Potter's Goon (Either M/F 20s-50s): A stone-faced, silent person with no character, expression, or feeling who pushes Mr. Potter around in his chair.

Principal Partridge (Either M/F 60s): The elderly fussy high school principal.

Freddie Reineman (Male 18-35): A classmate of Mary's who is infatuated with her. Not the brightest candle, he later works for Mr. Potter as a rent collector.

Mickey Dunwood (Male 18-35): A punk from Mary's class who's had a few too many drinks, but is nevertheless oddly aware of how the school's new swimming pool works.

Dr. Campbell (Male 50s-60s): The Bailey's family doctor and friend and the Chairman of the Board at the Building & Loan.

Various towns people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.