List of How I Met Your Mother characters

Created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the show is presented from the perspective of Sophie in 2050 as she recounts to her unseen son the events that followed meeting his father in January 2022.

The main characters of How I Met Your Mother are: Ted Mosby, a romantic searching for "The One"; Barney Stinson, a womanizer; Robin Scherbatsky, a journalist who moved to New York in 2005; and Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, a long-term couple.

Ted's children and Marvin W. Eriksen (son of Marshall and Lily) appear in the background of many episodes and key moments without being crucial to many plots.

Notes: Portrayed by Josh Radnor, Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby (born on April 25, 1978) is a romantic, originally searching for "The One" and often discussing destiny and "The Universe" controlling things.

Ted is also the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children a very long story, with the premise of explaining how he met their mother.

Ted's history includes being left at the altar, taking a job as an architecture professor and designing the new headquarters for Goliath National Bank.

Robin is frequently made fun of for her tendency to laugh while lying, as well as her references to places and history exclusive to Canada, such as Mount Waddington or Danby's.

In "False Positive", Robin worked as a researcher for World Wide News and eventually moved up to co-anchor after hosting a New Year's Eve show.

"Stripper Lily" (known by the name "Jasmine") works at the Lusty Leopard and also appears in "46 Minutes" and "Gary Blauman", eventually marrying Scooter.

[8] In the video, future Ted is heard saying, "...When I think how lucky I am to wake up next to your mom every morning, I can't help but be amazed how easy it all really was...", indirectly stating that The Mother is alive.

The video ends right after the train passes at Farhampton station and credits start rolling, implying that Ted never went back to Robin as he lived a successful married life with Tracy.

Sophie is also the show's narrator from the future, portrayed by Kim Cattrall,[10] as she tells her son a very long story, with the premise of explaining the events that followed after she met his father.

Portrayed by Christopher Lowell,[10] Jesse is an aspiring musician who works as an Uber driver and music teacher, who has become an internet meme after being left by his ex-girlfriend Meredith after a failed marriage proposal.

Portrayed by Tom Ainsley,[10] Charlie is a British aristocrat who abandons his inheritance to follow his love interest Valentina to New York after meeting her at London Fashion Week (having previously done the same with three other women).

[12] A season nine promotional video was filmed with the same actors, now adults, joking that they have been listening to Ted tell the story for eight years, and was first shown at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con.

Joe Nieves received the part after the scene he was supposed to be in was cut from the pilot but no one had told him, and he turned up on set in a police officer costume.

[23] In the season 6 episode "Cleaning House," James finds out his father is Sam Gibbs after he and Barney discover an unsent letter that their mother Loretta addressed to him.

Zoey is (by marriage) a van Smoot, whose family is shown to have owned the mansion in which Marshall and Lily were married,[24] and an apartment in the Alberta building.

After "Last Words", set at Marvin's funeral, Carter Bays stated that they intended to bring back Bill Fagerbakke as Marshall's father in future episodes during flashbacks.

During his first formal date with Nora, she reveals her wishes to eventually marry and settle down and invites him to meet her parents, both of which Barney accepts as things he wants.

He reveals that he had taken much better care of Lily prior to her going to school; only when she started kindergarten and he found himself at loose ends did he go to the racetrack on a whim, where he developed a gambling addiction.

He appears in "The Stamp Tramp", claiming to be in need of help but later revealing that he is the opposition lawyer in a big court case, putting Marshall's job at risk.

His image appears in a flash forward in "Rally" when a news report shows him leading in exit polls over Marshall for New York State Supreme Court Judge in 2020.

Played by Kyle MacLachlan, George van Smoot (known by his nickname "The Captain") is introduced as Zoey Pierson's husband at a gala at the Natural History Museum.

Despite the Captain's frightening demeanor, such as the murderous look he has in his eyes, he proves to be generous, if rather strange; he is also seen to be somewhat shy because of the apparent age gap between him and most of Zoey's peers.

Played by Eric Braeden in "Happily Ever After" and Ray Wise in all other appearances, Robin Charles Scherbatsky Sr. is an overbearing father who wanted a son.

He works for Goliath National Bank as Barney and Marshall's co-worker and fires Ted when he designed an Employee Termination Room that was too "inspired".

Played by David Burtka, Neil Patrick Harris' real life husband, Scooter is Lily's old high-school boyfriend and is obsessed with her.

Scooter appears over several seasons, during which he fails to win back Lily at her wedding, works as a waiter in a fine-dining restaurant and as a cafeteria server at her school.

Played by Taran Killam, Cobie Smulders' real life husband, Gary was Barney and Marshall's coworker until he quit, having snapped after being shouted at during a board meeting.