List of Tremors characters

The following is a list of characters appearing in the "Tremors" films and television series.

Principal characters

Burt Gummer

Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) is the most frequently appearing character in "Tremors", featured in the first three films and several episodes of the TV series. Burt Gummer is a firearms enthusiast, and a paranoid survivalist. He and his former Wife Heather Gummer (played by Reba McEntire) were the first persons in the film series to directly kill a Graboid. He has an "overkill" approach to trouble and takes himself deadly seriously. Although he is only the central character in "Tremors 3" and the TV series (and did not appear in all thirteen episodes, due to "Tremors 4" being filmed at the same time), his eccentric personality has made him a favourite among Tremors fans and the de facto star of the franchise, along with the vicious Graboids who oppose him. His ancestor, Hiram Gummer (also played by Gross), appears in .

Although very little is known about Burt's past, it is widely hinted that he was involved in the military. In the Tremors TV Series, Burt went to Teluca in an episode to uncover a government conspiracy for the townsfolk to prove it was a Graboid problem, rather than an alien conspiracy that the government won't let them visit the "mothership", according to Rosie (The diner co-owner next to Red). Burt proceeded to go on about how he was all too familiar with cover-ups, which would lead one to believe he was involved, again, in the military. It's possible he was in a secret branch, and witnessed something he didn't like.

What is known, however, is that Burt settled in Perfection with his wife, Heather (Reba McEntire) sometime before the Tremors movie series. By the time of the second movie, Heather and Burt have separated, citing the collapse of the Soviet Union as their grounds for divorce. It was later revealed in Tremors 4 that his ancestor Hiram Gummer (again played by Gross), settled in Rejection (Perfection's previous name), and married the local town-mistress. Stampede Entertainment's official website states that Hiram and his wife left in 1902 for San Francisco after a disagreement with Nevada bureaucrats over the date of the town's founding, and never returned.

Burt has a strange affection with guns since middle-school, evidenced by him telling Desert Jack that he converted his BB gun to automatic by the eight-grade. One controversy is how he gets his weapons and ammo, despite all of his guns being legal (except a SMG he is seen to own), the bullets for the Grizzly Big Boar, and Barrett .50 caliber BMG sniper-rifle are a topic that could be debated. Also how he got his hands on a minigun legally is also questionable. It's possible he gets them in illegally, but W.D. Twitchell, the Department of Interior representative after Tremors 3, has done nothing to stop Burt. It is also possible that he undertook the NFA process to purchase completely legal transferable title II weapons. Which would include any of an array of sub-machine guns or even the minigun.

Burt was at first paranoid about surviving World-War III, which was why he considered himself a survivalist. He spent all of his years preparing in case it would happen sooner or later, which hasn't happened (yet, in the Tremors Universe). After Tremors 1, Burt's focus on Graboids becomes greater as each movie goes on. After Tremors 2, Burt is very paranoid about Graboids and Shriekers, rather than the world coming to an end. His focus shifts on them, determined to survive at all costs against El Blanco.

Burt, however, is known to have the first "actual" Graboid kill by using his own hands (guns actually), instead of the Graboid killing itself by ramming into a cement wall. As of "Tremors 3" he's the only person to ever survive being eaten by a Graboid, being eaten while in a barrel, after which the Graboid was tricked into killing itself by running itself into a cement wall, after which it was cut open with a chainsaw and Burt climbed out.

Hiram Gummer

Hiram Gummer (also Michael Gross) was Burt’s great-grandfather and the main character in "Tremors 4". He owned the silver mine that was the basis for the founding of Perfection (originally named Rejection). He is completely unlike Burt, being a city slicker from the eastern United States. He came to the town when the miners were being killed off by Graboids and costing the town money. He found it hard to adjust to western life, as he was the only one there at the time that couldn’t use a weapon.

Eventually, he planned to leave Rejection and head for Carson City, believing that there was nothing he could do to help them. However, after he hocked the last of his valuables (a gold watch), he purchased the proper weapons to kill the Graboids. He was forced to discover his Burtlike side to help deal with the problem. At the end of the film, he began work on what would become Burt's house. He and Christine would leave Perfection years later, but Burt and Heather would eventually move into their old property.

Earl Bassett

Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) was a hired hand in the small desert valley town of Perfection, Nevada, working with partner Valentine McKee to eke out an almost entirely insignificant lifestyle. Though Valentine would've cringed at Earl's usage of the phrase "hired hands" ("Handymen, Earl! We are "handymen"!"), it was in truth what they were. Earl and Val constantly said that they were going to go somewhere and make a better life for themselves; they never actually did anything about it until one of Walter Chang's septic tanks blew up all over them in 1990. Hurrying out of Perfection, Earl and Val had the misfortune of running across some dead townsfolk, and once they got back to Perfection to give the new to the other residents, they discovered that what they were dealing with was far from ordinary. They attempted to reach Bixby (the nearest town to Perfection, 38 miles away) to alert the police, but the road was blocked by an avalanche caused by the mysterious threat, which was later revealed to be Graboids. Thus, they were commissioned against their will to take two of Walter's horses across the valley to try to reach the police until they were attacked by a Graboid and discovered how enormous they were. Earl and Val met up with grad student Rhonda LeBeck after having killed the Graboid, and after staying all night on top of a boulder to avoid another of the creatures, they drove in Rhonda's pickup truck back into town where they rallied together with their fellow Perfectionites to kill the three remaining Graboids. Earl had plans of using the Graboid situation to take his big chance in life. He wanted recognition in "National Geographic Magazine"; he got a cover story in "People" magazine. Still, that was enough to raise national interest in the Graboids, and soon, Earl and Val were in ads for Nike, Inc.. The news spawned Graboid-themed Dark Horse comic books, and even an arcade game. However, though Earl was co-discoverer and co-destroyer of the Graboids, in the end he got no residuals from any of the merchandise that used the Graboid likeness, and he found himself, in 1996, stuck back in Perfection ranching ostriches. However, things changed when Grady Hoover, a big Graboid enthusiast and admirer of Earl, showed up on his doorstep and offered him his big "second big chance" in life...to accompany him on a Graboid-hunting expedition for the Petro Maya oil company in Mexico. This time there were thirty-six Graboids instead of only four, and they would get $50,000 apiece for each one killed. While there, Earl and Grady killed twenty-eight, which ended up totaling $1,400,000. During this process, Earl felt at some point that they needed reinforcements, so he called in Burt Gummer to join him.

The remaining eight Graboids turned into Shriekers, the second stage of the Graboid's biological life cycle, but Earl, Grady, and Burt killed every one of them. They also managed to talk the Mexican government into giving them money for each of the Shriekers killed (considering the dozens of Shriekers that they destroyed in a large explosion, one can only imagine how much more money they were awarded, even if they did destroy the entire Petro Maya oil refinery). While battling Graboids with Grady in Mexico, Earl met Dr. Kate Reilly, the geologist working on the case for Petro Maya. They got along very well, and eventually discovered that they really, "really" liked each other...and at a time of utmost desperation, when they were camped out on a roof to avoid the Shriekers, Earl realized that she had been Miss October 1974, the "Playboy" Playmate he had pinned up on his wall ("She's there to remind me not to keep chasing after things I'm never gonna get"). They fell in love and presumably got married. After the situation in Mexico, Earl and Grady used their newfound riches to operate a Graboid-themed amusement park (Earl and Grady's Monster World), a proposition that Grady suggested in at the end of the second film, calling Earl's "third" big chance. While Earl was never seen again, it was revealed in the third film that the theme park had become a major success.

Melvin Plug

Melvin Plug (Robert Jayne) appeared in the first and third films, and in two episodes of the TV series. He is the only character, besides Burt, to be played by the same actor in both the films and the TV series. He was originally a lazy, somewhat obnoxious teenager who was fond of basketball and practical jokes. Val, Earl and Burt never liked him much, and he never got along with them. He grew to dislike the living conditions of Perfection.

Eventually, he got his act together, moved to Bixby, went to college, and became the head of his own realty company called "Melco". In 2001, he returned to Perfection very rich at age 28, and claims residency both there and in Bixby. He owns much of the land in the valley, and wants to turn it into something more urban. However, because Graboids are a protected species, he cannot do so as long as El Blanco is alive. Additionally, the other residents refuse to sell out their land to him. He still sells or rents plots of land from a company called "Perfection Ranchettes" (a branch of Melco), and also owns the Bixby golf course "The Oasis", as seen in the episode "Water Hazard". Though better educated than most of his friends, his book smarts prove of little use when handling Graboids.

Although Melvin appeared to live alone in the first film, this is implausible for a 17-year-old. The creators of the films stated that his parents were uncaring towards him and often abandoned him to go gambling in Las Vegas (a fact referenced in the original draft of the script). [http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tremors.html] This was partially the source of his bitterness toward the uncivilized valley. The town’s sign in the first film said that Perfection's Population was 14. Therefore, if his parents lived in Perfection, then Edgar Deems and Old Fred, living well outside of the town area, were likely not counted as part of the 14.

Nancy Sterngood

Nancy Sterngood (Charlotte Stewart in the films, Marcia Strassman in the TV series) is an artist and former hippie who separated from her husband sometime prior to the first film, and the mother of Mindy Sterngood. As of the time the TV series takes place (2003), she is one of three of the original characters who still live in Perfection (the other two being Burt and Melvin). In the films, her main concern has been her daughter, especially her safety from the Graboids; however, when Mindy became an adult, Nancy was able to worry about her own affairs more. Their last name was in the original script of the first film, but was not used onscreen until the third.

In the third film, she began selling Graboid-themed souvenirs. The film suggested she has had to purchase them at wholesale prices, but in the TV series, she makes much of her merchandise herself, perhaps due to dissatisfaction of the quality of the souvenirs that the manufacturers had made (they had given the Graboid items one too many tentacles). Though she feels as annoyed with Larry Norvel as everyone else, she let him have her guest room for a week until he found a more permanent home in Perfection. Had there been a second season, it was planned that a potential romance would form between her and Burt. [http://www.stampede-entertainment.com/faq/]

Mindy Sterngood

Mindy Sterngood (Ariana Richards in the films, Tinsley Grimes in the TV series) was, in the first film, a nine-year-old girl who rode a pogo stick around town counting the hops, often doing several hundred without stopping. Innocent, childlike and impressionable, she depended on her mother for protection. Most likely, she and Melvin went to school in Bixby. In the third film, however, she became an ambitious, twenty-year-old college student who had left Perfection for some time, but was forced to drop out of school and move back in with her mother when they couldn’t pay her school funds.

In the third film, when the Sterngoods discovered that food temporarily puts Ass Blasters into a coma, they caged one up and prepared to sell it to the highest bidder. This happened to be Siegfried and Roy (referred to as "Sigmund and Ray" in the TV series for unknown reasons). She moved away again, as she could now afford college. She only appeared once in the TV series, where she visited Perfection with a protest group of twenty-somethings advocating for "Graboid Rights".

Miguel

Miguel (Tony Gerano) was a cattle rancher in Perfection, appearing in both the first and third films. His last name has never been given, but it may be Pedilla, as Juan is his ancestor. He escaped the first Graboid attack in 1990 and remained in Perfection until the end of his days. An Ass-Blaster killed him in 2001, making him the only character appearing in more than one "Tremors" instalment to be killed off. Miguel was Catholic, as evinced in the fact that he wore rosary beads and a Christian cross around his neck. When he died, Burt removed the rosary beads to later give to Miguel's relatives, which Rosalita Sanchez claimed to be.

Miguel didn’t appear to have much formal education, but he was not altogether unintelligent, as he was a source of ideas for his friends. He originated the idea of using a machine as a decoy for Graboids (he thought of using Walter’s small tractor, while Earl improved on this idea using remote-controlled vehicles). He mentioned once having an albino goat who never gave birth, which helped his friends realize that the same may be true for El Blanco, explaining why it never produced any Shriekers (realistically, however, this is scientifically inaccurate).

The ambitious sidekick

Every instalment of the franchise features a man in his 20s (the younger of the male leads) who dreams of making a success of himself.
* Valentine "Val" McKee (Kevin Bacon): One of the original male leads and Earl’s partner in an odd-jobs business. Near the start of the first film, he began wishing he’d accomplished more in his life. At times he shows insight, as he figured out that Graboids hunt by sound. Originally, he was looking for a girl who matched his list of ideal qualities in physical appearance. However, while dealing with Graboids alongside Rhonda LeBeck, his perspective of women changed, and in the end he fell in love with her. The first Graboid threat made him rich and famous, and he and Rhonda got married. He was intended to be in the second film, but Kevin Bacon declined; thus began a tradition of a different character filling his role in every instalment.
* Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin): A taxi driver who brought Senor Ortega to Perfection, and brought Earl to Chiapas, Mexico. He was the one who convinced Earl that he had a "big second chance" to be rich and successful from the Graboids and that he should take it. Eventually, he and Earl destroyed all of the Graboids and Shriekers in Chiapas, and became partners in Grady's idea for opening a theme park. Grady is a city slicker by nature, contrasting with the other characters who played a role similar to him.
* Jack Sawyer (Shawn Christian): AKA "Desert Jack", this thrill-seeking man moved to Perfection in the third film to create Desert Jack's Graboid Tours, a tourist business. There were hints of a romantic relationship between him and Jodi, but the relationship apparently did not last, as he did not appear in the TV series. Toward the end of the film, he said he was now "Car Wash" Jack, as he had landed a job in Bixby.
* Tyler Reed (Victor Browne): When Shawn Christian was unavailable to appear in the TV series, the new character of Tyler was created to be Burt’s new sidekick. It was stated that he moved to Perfection to buy out Desert Jack's Graboid Tours. There have been suggestions that he is interested in Rosalita, though this has never been explored.
* Juan Pedilla (Brent Roam): The founder of Miguel's cattle ranch as well as his ancestor, featured in the fourth film. He attempted (and eventually succeeded, though not without difficulty) to help Hiram Gummer to adjust to life in the American west. He struggled to pay off his land, but Hiram eventually commissioned the money from his silver mine.

The Chang family

Since the 1880s, Chang’s market, which is Perfection’s only store, has been owned and run by the Chang family.
* Walter Chang (Victor Wong): A well-aged, somewhat eccentric man, he only appeared in the first film. He claimed that since Perfection’s residents discovered the Graboids, they should name them, an idea that Miguel and Melvin agreed to (though Val and Earl thought that naming them wasn’t important). Shortly after Walter coined the term "Graboids", one of them ate him--a fact humorously referenced in the second film. In the original script, he was intended to be a Vietnamese man named Pham Van, but this was changed before the film was made. [http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tremors.html]
* Jodi Chang (Susan Chuang in "Tremors 3", Lela Lee in the TV series): Jodi appears somewhat more practical and rational than her uncle Walter (especially in the TV series), though Chuang’s portrayal is a bit more humorous than Lee’s reserved, book wise version. Jodi coined the term "Ass Blasteers" (it is unknown who named the Shriekers).
* Pyong Chang (Lo Ming), Lu Wan Chang (Lydia Loo), and Fu Yien Chang (Sam Ly): A father, mother and child respectively. They were the original owners of Chang's Market and immigrants from China. Presumably, Fu Yien is Walter's grandfather. Keeping with the family tradition, Pyong came up with the name "Dirt Dragons".

The romantic interest

Typically, a Tremors film has three main characters, one of which is female, and a love interest for one of the male leads. Jodi Chang filled this role in "Tremors 3" (see above).
* Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter): A college student of seismology and the original female lead. She was responsible for scientific knowledge in dealing with the first Graboid attack. For this reason, Val and Earl depended on her a lot. Initially, Val was disappointed that she was not a blonde, blue-eyed, sexy woman. However, by the end of the first film, the two fell in love, and in the second film, it was revealed that they got married.
* Dr. Kate Riley (Helen Shaver): A middle-aged single scientist working in Chiapas, Mexico where the Graboids attacked. She said that only she, Pedro and Julio were still at the oil base. It was eventually revealed that she was the (fictional) Miss October, 1974 that Earl used to pine for. After they killed off all of the Shriekers, she and Earl fell in love. They later married.
* Rosalita Sanchez (Gladys Jiminez): In "Tremors: The Series", Rosalita Sanchez is the equivalent of the films' female leads, even though she is not the only female main character (she, Nancy and Jodi have more or less equal prominence in the TV series). Claiming to be Miguel’s niece, she moved to town to take over his ranch. She is an ex-Las Vegas showgirl with a dark past she wants to put behind her. Apparently, there is some romantic interest between her and Tyler. ("Water Hazard" implies that Melvin also finds her attractive). Had there been a second season, it would have been revealed that her relationship with Miguel is a lie. [http://www.stampede-entertainment.com/faq/]
* Christine Lord (Sara Botsford): Burt's great-grandmother who was apparently a widow before she married Hiram (which happened sometime after the film). She ran the hotel in Rejection (when the town had more businesses than it did in the late twentieth century). Though only a supporting character, she, like Tecopa, Juan, and the Changs, was a great help in dealing with the Graboids.

Minor characters in "Tremors"

* Heather Gummer (Reba McEntire): Burt’s wife in the first film. Like Burt, she is a firearms enthusiast. The two worked as a team in being prepared for defending themselves. However, because McEntire chose not to reprise her role, it was stated that Burt became too paranoid even for her, and she divorced him and moved away.
* Nestor Cunningham (Richard Marcus): His last name Cunningham was in the original script. [http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tremors.html] He initially thought that ordinary tools like a pickax or chainsaw could stop Graboids. He lived in a trailer, which the Graboids turned over so they could eat him. He was the last character to die in the first film. Notably, Melvin was upset at his death, but not at anyone else’s.
* Edgar Deems (Sunshine Parker): An old man who lived well outside of town. He was a hermit who found companionship mainly in his donkey Justine, but was friends with Old Fred. [http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tremors.html] Edgar was apparently responsible for repairing electrical equipment, such as the power lines. However, the Graboids cornered him up a tower until he died of thirst.
* Old Fred (Michael Dan Wagner): Another hermit who lived outside of town, he was even older than Edgar. He kept a flock of sheep and a vegetable garden. The Graboids pulled him underground and ate him (though they left his head).
* Jim and Megan Wallace (Conrad Bachmann and Bibi Besch): The town doctor and his wife. They were a married couple trying to erect their home in Perfection, suggesting they were the newest arrivals. Jim was eaten alive, and Megan was buried alive (she tried to hide in their car, but it was pulled underground). Their last name Wallace was in the original script. [http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tremors.html]
* Carmine and Howard (John Pappas and John Goodwin): Two highway construction workers who were eaten when the Graboids closed off the only road out of town.

Minor characters in "Tremors 2"

* Señor Ortega (Marcelo Tubert): An executive of the oil company who hired Earl to deal with the Graboids that were killing off his workers and costing him money. He was not seen for the rest of the film, and presumably survived.
* Pedro (José Ramón Rosario): The chief engineer at Señor Ortega’s company. He was killed by Shriekers while en route to answer Earl and Grady’s call for a tow truck.
* Julio (Marco Hernandez): Kate’s assistant. When Shriekers appeared at the oil refinery, they killed him.
* Oil Worker (Thomas Rosales Jr.): An unnamed man seen being killed at the start of the film.

Minor characters in "Tremors 3"

* Buford (Billy Rieck): Jack’s assistant who came to Perfection with him. He helped simulate Graboid attacks for tourists, but then real Graboids appeared and ate him.
* Dr. Andrew Merliss (Barry Livingston), Agent Charlie Rusk (John Pappas), and Frank Statler (Tom Everett): Three federal employees who came to Perfection to inform the residents that Graboids were considered an endangered species. They wanted to seize the land and protect the creature. Their offer of compensation for the residents’ losses didn’t please them. In the end, one of the Graboids turned into Shriekers and killed the three. (Pappas also played Carmine in the first film.)
* Tourists: Named in the credits as Tourist Guy (Kelly Connell) Tourist Kid (Matthew Seth Wilson) Tourist Kid (Jason Hopkins), Tourist Lady (Lorna Scott), and Tourist Mom (Mary Gross). They appeared near the start of the first film taking Jack’s tour. None of them died. (Note: Mary Gross is Michael Gross’s sister.)
* Argentine newspersons (Elena Sahugan, Javi Mulero, and Diego Galantie): A reporter, producer and cameraman respectively, who covered Burt dealing with a Shrieker attack in Argentina at the start of the film.

Minor characters in "Tremors: the Series"

The following characters were featured in more than one episode of the TV series.
* W.D. Twitchell (Dean Norris): A federal agent who moved to Perfection so that the government could monitor the area. He purchased a plot of land from Melvin. He once mentioned having a wife and child, but they have never been seen. While he is techincally a series regular (along with Burt, Nancy, Jodi, Tyler and Rosalita), he is a rather minor character in the franchise overall, as he has no connections to any characters in the films.
* Larry Norvel (J.D. Walsh): A fanatic of Graboids and Burt Gummer, and a regular visitor. The residents of Perfection wish he would leave them alone. Nevertheless, he has been helpful from time to time. Eventually, he settles in town. Jodi was surprised to find out that his ideas actually helped her store, so in the end he works for her.
* Dr. Cletus Poffenberger (Christopher Lloyd): Cletus is a retired biochemist. He worked in a now-abandoned lab somewhere near Perfection and helped create a chemical called Mixmaster, which can mix any non-human DNA to create new forms of life. When any such creature threatens the valley, he is often called in.
* Harlowe Winnemucca (Branscombe Richmond): A Native American who is Rosalita’s hired hand on her ranch.
* Dr. Casey Matthews (Sarah Rafferty): A scientist who came to Perfection to study Graboids.
* Roger Garrett (Richard Biggs): Dr. Matthews’ assistant who came to Perfection with her.
* Frank (Nicholas Turturro): A Las Vegas criminal who visited Perfection twice.

Minor characters in "Tremors 4"

* Black Hand Kelly (Billy Drago): A gunfighter who was hired by Hiram to deal with the Dirt Dragons (as the Graboids were formerly called). He was apparently based on Burt, but lacked some of the positive aspects of Burt’s personality, as he was not likely to make friends. He believed in being prepared, and said that "being full grown don’t make you a man". He was eaten alive.
* Tecopa (August Schellenberg): A Native American who lived in Rejection. A hard worker, he set up a hole for a flagpole before Nevada had even adopted a flag. He is not related to any characters from the first three films.
* Old Fred (J.E. Freeman): An old man who drove the freight in Rejection. His existence and death by Graboid in the fourth film is a comical reference to the first film. He may or may not be related to the other Old Fred.
* Silver Miners: Various men who worked at the silver mine that Hiram owned. They were killed one by one. The Mine Foreman (Lou Carlucci) died near the start of the film. The last group to die, accompanying Hiram and Juan, included Big Horse Johnson (John Dixon), brothers Brick Walters (Matthew Seth Wilson) and Stony Walters (Dan Lemieux), and drunk Soggy (Don Ruffin).
* Townspeople: Various people who left when the town was going broke from miners dying. Two were named (but not identified) as Stan Kelton, who was the town blacksmith, and Andrew Beck, who was the one who sent for Hiram. It is unknown whether they are related to any characters from the other films.
* Victor (Neil Kopit)
* Western Union Clerk (Sean Moran)
* Luke (Andrew Van Hise)

See also