12 Angry Men (1957 film)

12 Angry Men (1957 film) Character List

1

The jury foreman. A reasonable man who presides over the proceedings. While he votes "guilty" initially, he patiently hears Juror 8's case and eventually changes his tune. He is an assistant football coach at a high school in Queens.

2

A soft-spoken and easily intimidated man, who often gets shouted over or pushed down in the argument. He works at a bank.

3

A passionate and angry man who is prone to fits of violence. He is the most intent on declaring the defendant guilty, and nearly attacks Juror 8 in the midst of the discussion. Eventually, we learn that his hot-headedness stems from his estrangement from his son. He is alienated from the world around by his unchecked anger.

4

An analytical and very by-the-book juror, who maintains that the defendant is guilty up until the very end of the meeting. He is a stockbroker.

5

A juror who grew up in a slum, and so views the murder case in light of his own personal experience. He is often offended by the bigotry that his fellow jurors exhibit towards people from the slums.

6

Another juror. A reasonable and tough-minded man, who works as a house painter.

7

A sarcastic and checked-out juror who desperately wants to watch the Yankees game. He votes "guilty" initially and eventually changes to "not guilty" just so that the proceedings can move along faster. He works as a salesman.

8 (Davis)

The only juror to initially vote "not guilty," he believes that the reasonable doubt present in the case means that they cannot possibly vote "guilty" in good conscience. He makes many different cases for the possible innocence of the young boy. He is an architect.

9 (McCardle)

An older man who often gets overlooked because of his age. He is the first one to begin to agree with 8, but eventually he makes a claim that converts every juror to vote "not guilty."

10

A loud and exceedingly prejudiced older man. He often goes on tirades against people who are from the slums, as well as immigrants. Eventually, his bigotry gets him ostracized by the rest of the jurors. He is a garage owner.

11

A European immigrant who believes strongly in American democracy and takes 8's pleas to give the boy a fair process very seriously. He is a watchmaker.

12

A smooth-talking and self-impressed advertising executive, who flip-flops in his opinion about the verdict several times.