10 Best TV Characters With No Name
5. The Greek (The Wire)
Few, if any, shows have as many named characters as The Wire; a show with over 900 speaking parts, the majority of which had acknowledged nicknames at least. The show’s overarching antagonist is the one exception to the rule - the embodiment of capitalism himself, known only as The Greek.
The Greek appears in season two as the unassuming kingpin of an import/export business. He runs drugs and women into Baltimore and money back out, his HQ a ramshackle diner on the docks where he conducts his trade. It’s several episodes in before he’s revealed as the man in charge - he looks like a lonely old timer nursing a coffee, which is precisely his aim.
By the time the cops have managed to link him to the criminal enterprise, he’s scrapped his passport and fled town. When he reemerges in season five, they never get close to him. He’s a shadow, stacking money and ordering hits without getting close to any dirt.
Played by the chillingly benign Bill Raymond, The Greek is a figure of pure power; the less we know about him, the more frightening he is. And of course, he’s not even Greek.