George Valentin starts off The Artist as the cat's pajamas. He's the bee's knees. The tomatoes all think he's hotsy-totsy—after all, he's an Oliver Twist.What's that? You don't speak 1920s slang?...

Pep In Her StepYou can't give the screenwriter credit for subtlety when it comes to Peppy's name—she's, well, peppy. (Other acceptable names would have been "Sassy" and "Chipper." Her smile might...

Al Zimmer is one of those cigar-chomping execs with perpetual dollar signs in his eyes. He's the big boss man for Hollywood's Kinograph Studios in The Artist, and his loves are movies, babes, stogi...

In some ways, Jack is the true heart and soul (and tongue and paw) of The Artist. He's clever, he's cute, and he's there when you need him. He's also an extension of George himself—many of George...

Clifton's the strong, silent type…and not just because he's acting in a (mostly) silent film. Clifton would probably be insulted if we compared him to a dog, but, like Jack, he's extremely loyal...

The film isn't exactly fair to George's wife, Doris Valentin, who comes off as chilly and sour as a tall glass of unsweetened lemonade.But you'd probably be just as bitter as Doris if you had to li...

Constance is George's obnoxious co-star and Al Zimmer's main squeeze. She's not exactly a good actor, but she gets parts because, ahem, nepotism. She can't stand George's self-important antics and...