10 Best Movie Characters That Never Say A Word
7. Dopey - Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
We'll take a break from cannibals, hat-throwing henchmen, and serial killers now for a very different kind of mute character.
How can you note love Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
Though nobody would ever accuse Dopey of being emotionally guarded or inexpressive, he doesn't speak a single word during Disney's classic film, communicating instead through his literally and figuratively animated facial and bodily expressions.
Happy (Otis Harlan) suggests that Dopey isn't actually physically impaired from speaking in any way, but simply that he "never tried" to speak. This is backed up by him occasionally screaming, whimpering, and hiccuping throughout the film.
Dopey is easily the silliest and most personable of the seven dwarfs, and having an endured over more than 80 years, is unquestionably one of cinema's most iconic silent characters ever.
Curiously, DisneyToon Studios were developing a Snow White prequel in the early 2000s which would actually reveal the cause of Dopey's wordlessness - witnessing the traumatic death of his mother - though the project was ultimately scrapped.
It's probably for the best, as the "why?" of Dopey's silence isn't particularly important.