The following is a list of characters that have appeared in the A&E drama-thriller television series Bates Motel , an adaptation of Robert Bloch's novel Psycho . The series was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano.
The following is a list of characters that have appeared in the A&E drama-thriller television series Bates Motel , an adaptation of Robert Bloch's novel Psycho . The series was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano.
| Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Norma Louise Bates | Vera Farmiga | Main | ||||
| Norman Bates | Freddie Highmore | Main | ||||
| Dylan Massett | Max Thieriot | Main | ||||
| Emma Decody | Olivia Cooke | Main | ||||
| Bradley Martin | Nicola Peltz | Main | Guest | |||
| Alex Romero | Nestor Carbonell | Recurring | Main | |||
| Caleb Calhoun | Kenny Johnson | Recurring | Main | Guest | Recurring | |
Norma Louise Bates (portrayed by Vera Farmiga) [1] is the series' female protagonist. Norma is depicted as a loving but extremely possessive mother who wants to keep Norman all to herself. As a child, she was abused by her parents and raped by her brother Caleb, and she was also abused by her second husband, Sam (Norman's father). She sees Norman as the only person in the world who loves her, and pulls him closer every time she is in distress.
Norman Bates (portrayed by Freddie Highmore) [2] is the series' male protagonist. Norman is depicted as a kind-hearted but deeply troubled boy who has an often unhealthy attachment to Norma. His mother has smothered and sheltered him his whole life, to the point that he is awkward and socially inept, especially around people his own age. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that Norman is mentally ill: he experiences blackouts, during which he hallucinates visions of Norma and behaves violently, before coming to with no recollection of his actions. In seasons three and four, it is becoming clear that he has a split personality, and that his other self – "Mother" – is gaining control.
Dylan Massett (portrayed by Max Thieriot) [3] is Norma's estranged son and Norman's half-brother. Having grown up largely on his own, he is resourceful, strong-willed and independent. He genuinely cares about Norman, but has a difficult relationship with Norma. He believes that Norma seeks out conflict and drama, and that her treatment of Norman will damage him. When he arrives to White Pine Bay, after recently being laid off, Dylan bonds with Norman and encourages him to have a life outside of Norma. He gets involved in the town's illicit marijuana business, and quickly rises up the ranks as he wins favor with his superiors. His world comes crashing down, however, when he learns from Norma that he is the product of an incestuous rape – his true father having been Norma's brother, Caleb – and distances himself from the family, moving out of the Bates' house. He eventually reconnects with his mother and brother in the second season finale. In season three, he becomes increasingly concerned with Norman's behavior, and tries to convince Norma to seek help for him. He also facilitates a reconciliation between Norma and Caleb after reconnecting with his father and starting a legal medicinal marijuana farm of his own, following a DEA raid which wipes out the town's cannabis trade. Throughout the season, he starts to grow close to Emma as she assists in looking after Norman, and attempts to raise the funds for her lung transplant, and the two subsequently form a romantic attachment. Dylan leaves for Seattle with Emma and the two subsequently get married and have a daughter. He finds out online that his mother committed suicide and is furious that Norman did not tell him. He returns to White Pine Bay after fearing for Norman's mental health. Norman later confesses to murder; Dylan visits Norman's hearing but is unable to listen to the charges against his brother. After Norman is freed, he goes to the motel and finds Norman in the kitchen with Norma's corpse. Norman attempts to stab Dylan but is fatally shot by his brother, whom he thanks as he passes away. Dylan then returns to Seattle to be with Emma and their daughter.
Emma Decody (portrayed by Olivia Cooke) [4] is Norman's best friend. A sufferer of cystic fibrosis, Emma is often seen carrying an oxygen tank. Although Emma is British, having been born in Manchester (as was Cooke, in real life), she was brought up in the United States and speaks with the local dialect. Identifying with his unusual personality, troubled history and friendly nature, Emma is immediately infatuated with Norman and develops a friendship with him. Norman in turn finds himself warming to her, and, at the request of her father, respects her feelings for him. Seeing this, Norma becomes fond of her and employs Emma at the motel to keep her close to Norman, as well as to provide her with some much-needed maternal support and advice. Her friendship with Norman becomes strained, however, when he allows his feelings for Bradley Martin to get in the way. In addition, she becomes upset when Norma begins to blatantly keep secrets from her or tell her false stories to explain some of Norman's strange actions, and contemplates resigning from the motel. Norman ultimately reaffirms his loyalty to her when he angrily berates his girlfriend, Cody, for egging Emma to do a cliff jump into a lake, clogging her airway and nearly killing her. He later convinces her to stay at the motel by telling her the truth about Dylan's birth, explaining why Norma would not answer her questions. In season three, Emma has a short-lived relationship with Norman, but they later decide to remain friends. She soon grows close to Dylan, who becomes concerned when he learns that Emma's health has deteriorated severely, and takes it upon himself to raise the money she needs for a lung transplant. This, in turn, leads to the two starting a romantic relationship.
Bradley Martin (portrayed by Nicola Peltz) [5] is a kind, attractive and popular classmate of Norman. Bradley immediately takes a shine to Norman, inviting him to his first party and introducing him to her boyfriend. Her world takes a turn for the worse, however, when her father is burned to death, and in her time of grief, she ends up having sex with Norman. Regretting it, she attempts to make amends with him, but accidentally alienates him further. She also wins the ire of Norma and Emma, who become jealous of the attention Norman gives her. With Dylan's help, she finds out who her father's murderer was, and ends up shooting him dead. With blood on her hands, Bradley turns to Norman once more, and, with his help, flees White Pine Bay to go into hiding in Boston. She later returns in season three and, lonely, seeks comfort in Norman. She asks him to speak to her mother, who thinks she's dead, but changes her mind upon learning that her mother has quickly adjusted to being without her husband and daughter. Afterwards, she feels the only person she has left in the world is Norman. She decides that it is best for her to leave town once again and pleads for Norman to come with her. He accepts, but Norman (in his "Mother" persona) kills Bradley by repeatedly bashing her head against a rock.
Alex Romero (portrayed by Nestor Carbonell) [6] is White Pine Bay's sheriff in a very awkward position. He tolerates the town's open marijuana cultivation, but only because he knows that the town's economy depends on it, and comes down hard on any gang-related murders. He maintains a stoic, hardened demeanor, both on and off the job. His interaction with the Bates family does not go smoothly, when he suspects Norma's complicity in the disappearance (and death) of Keith Summers, his friend and the former motel owner. Over time, he comes to warm to Norma, but often finds himself having to clean up her messes, including murdering a man threatening her, or pinning the blame for one of Norman's murders on somebody else. When a call girl staying at the motel gets shot and, upon dying, gives Norma a USB drive that contains a financial ledger splitting up an investment return of at least $15 million (illegal revenue from the drug trade), Romero must protect Norma, while investigating those listed on it, including his imprisoned father who used to be sheriff. When it is revealed that Norma lied to him about her husband's death, their friendship suffers and is nearly at an end. Romero must also fight those seeking the ledger in order to keep his job and save his own life. In season four, after Norman is committed for psychiatric observation, Romero's relationship with Norma changes suddenly into a romantic one. He is eventually arrested on perjury charges and is sent to prison. He escapes in season 5 and kidnaps Norman and forces him to take him to where he hid Norma's body. After telling Norma that he will always love her, he is shot by Norman in his "mother" persona. Before he dies, Romero tells Norman that he killed his own mother and Norman can't hide from that.
Caleb Calhoun (portrayed by Kenny Johnson) [7] is Norma's estranged older brother, Norman's uncle and Dylan's biological father. In season two, Caleb arrives at the Bates Motel but Norma immediately throws him out. However, Caleb bonds with Dylan, saying he helped protect Norma from their abusive father when they were children. Dylan defends Caleb to Norma, but he also repeatedly raped her for years during their childhood. This then escalates into a fight between Norman and Dylan until Norma intervenes by revealing that Caleb is Dylan's father. After Norman (in Norma's persona) attacks him for the rape, Caleb leaves town. He returns to help Dylan with a "pot farm" by building a barn. Dylan grows closer to Caleb and ponders telling Norma about his return, which is hastened by Norman and Emma spotting Caleb at the remote cabin. Norma and Caleb have an emotional reunion in which he apologizes to her, but she does not completely forgive him. After a curious neighbor to the farm seeks a gun runner to Canada, Caleb offers to take the job; however, Dylan also needs the money to help Emma so he accompanies him. The dropoff is supposed to have been the neighbor's demise, and Caleb manages to save Dylan. He then returns to beat the neighbor until he promises to leave Dylan alone and give them the promised money. Caleb leaves again, but not before telling Norma about Norman attacking him in the "Mother" persona.
Introduced in season one
| Introduced in season two
|
Introduced in season three
| Introduced in season four
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Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main protagonist in his 1959 horror novel Psycho. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, who in his daily life runs the Bates Motel.
Alfred Thomas Highmore is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), August Rush (2007), and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). He won two consecutive Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Young Performer.
Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 American made-for-television slasher film directed by Mick Garris, and starring Anthony Perkins, Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey, Warren Frost, Donna Mitchell, and CCH Pounder. It serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, focusing on the early life of Norman Bates. It includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film. It is the fourth and final film in the original Psycho franchise, and Perkins' final appearance in the series before his death in 1992.
Psycho II is a 1983 American psychological slasher film directed by Richard Franklin, written by Tom Holland, and starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Robert Loggia, and Meg Tilly. It is the first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho and the second film in the Psycho franchise. Set 22 years after the first film, it follows Norman Bates after he is released from the mental institution and returns to the house and Bates Motel to continue a normal life. However, his troubled past continues to haunt him as someone begins to murder the people around him. The film is unrelated to the 1982 novel Psycho II by Robert Bloch, which he wrote as a sequel to his original 1959 novel Psycho.
Kenny Johnson is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in The Shield, Butch "Burner" Barnes in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Detective Ham Dewey in Saving Grace, Herman Kozik in Sons of Anarchy, Matt Webb in Prime Suspect, Caleb Calhoun in Bates Motel, Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., and Tommy Welch on Chicago Fire (2014–2015).
Psycho is a 1998 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, and Anne Heche. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film of the same name, in which an embezzler arrives at an old motel run by a mysterious man named Norman Bates; both films are adapted from Robert Bloch's 1959 novel.
Psycho is an American horror franchise consisting of six films loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch: Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, the 1998 remake of the original film, and additional merchandise spanning various media. The first film, Psycho, was directed by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Subsequently, another film related to the series was made: an Alfred Hitchcock biopic, and two new novels, by Takekuni Kitayama and Chet Williamson, were released. Also, an independent documentary called The Psycho Legacy was released on October 19, 2010, mostly focusing on Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning, while covering the impact and legacy of the original film.
Psycho is a 1959 horror novel by American writer Robert Bloch. The novel tells the story of Norman Bates, a caretaker at an isolated motel who struggles under his domineering mother and becomes embroiled in a series of murders. The novel is considered Bloch's most enduring work and one of the most influential horror books of the 20th century.
Néstor Gastón Carbonell is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He came to prominence for his role as Luis Rivera in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan. He is known for his roles as Richard Alpert in the ABC drama series Lost, Sheriff Alex Romero in the A&E drama series Bates Motel, and Yanko Flores in the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show. Carbonell also starred as Mayor Anthony Garcia in Christopher Nolan's superhero films The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
Emma Spool is a fictional character created by screenwriter Tom Holland for the 1983 film Psycho II. She serves as the primary antagonist, and is portrayed by Claudia Bryar. More attention is given to her character in Psycho III, although she only appears as a corpse.
Norma Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho. She is the deceased mother and victim of serial killer Norman Bates, who had recreated her in his mind as a murderous alternate personality.
Marion Crane, also under the alias Marie Samuels, is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho. She is portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 version of Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock, by Anne Heche in the 1998 version of Psycho, and by Rihanna in the television series, Bates Motel (2017). For her performance in Psycho, Leigh was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Academy Awards and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category.
Lila Loomis is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho; she is the sister of Norman Bates's victim Marion Crane. She is revealed as the real protagonist of the novel in the final chapters, after several false protagonists, including her sister, who gets murdered. Lila is portrayed by Vera Miles in the 1960 film version and by Julianne Moore in the 1998 version. Additionally, Lila appears in Bloch's 1982 sequel novel Psycho II, and the unrelated 1983 sequel film of the same name, in which she serves as an antagonist.
Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama television series that aired from March 18, 2013, to April 24, 2017. It was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano, and is produced by Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E.
The second season of Bates Motel consisted of 10 episodes and broadcast on A&E from March 3-May 5, 2014, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series itself is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho and follows the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film.
Olivia Kate Cooke is an English actress. In television, she has starred as Emma Decody in the thriller Bates Motel (2013–2017), Becky Sharp in the period drama Vanity Fair (2018), and Alicent Hightower in the fantasy drama House of the Dragon (2022–present).
The first season of Bates Motel aired from March 18-May 20, 2013. The season consisted of 10 episodes and aired on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on A&E. The series is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho and follows the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film. The series takes place in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon.
The third season of Bates Motel consisted of 10 episodes and broadcast on A&E from March 9-May 11, 2015, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series itself is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, following the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film. The series takes place in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon.
The fourth season of Bates Motel aired from March 7-May 16, 2016. The season consisted of 10 episodes and aired on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on A&E. The series itself is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, following the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film. The series takes place in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon.
The fifth and final season of Bates Motel aired from February 20-April 24, 2017. The season consisted of 10 episodes and aired on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on A&E. The series itself is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, following the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film. The final season of the series loosely adapts the plot of Psycho. The series takes place in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon.
