Michael Bluth

Living… at Sudden Valley, a Bluth Company development in Southern California. Michael has made a lot of sacrifices for his family and his decision to live here, in one of the family company’s housing tracts, is one of them. Now, he’s having to house virtually his entire extended family all at once. It’s enough to make him seriously consider a move to Arizona.

Profession… real estate developer. Michael’s worked for his father’s company for 10 years, waiting to be made partner. Now his father’s been indicted, and he’s chosen to hand the reins to Michael’s mother instead. His father considers this a favor. If Michael had been in charge, he might have also ended up behind bars.

Interests… spending time with his son, George-Michael. Since his wife died, Michael has been extra conscious of being there for George-Michael. Their little rituals – Sunday morning cornballs, weekly rides to Balboa Island – make dealing with the rest of the family more tolerable.

Relationship Status… widowed and content. Michael hasn’t met anyone he’s been interested in for years, long enough for his mother to express concern. But he tells her he just hasn’t met anybody who’s “not completely self-absorbed and impossible to have a conversation with.” (Though that might also have been a dig at his mom.) The only woman that Michael would even consider is Marta, and unfortunately she’s dating his brother Gob.

Challenge… getting his family to stop depending on him, keeping the company afloat, and getting his father out of prison. All of the other Bluths have been far too happy to take from the company at their leisure. Michael’s been the only one to ever work a real job, to feel the sting of sweat in his eyes from a hard day’s work. He thinks it’s time his siblings felt the same.

Personality… hard-working and responsible. Michael still believes in doing the right thing, and caring for others – things that are utterly foreign to the rest of his nuclear family. He wants his son to absorb his values as well. Even with all of his frustration, he can’t turn his back on his family. On some level, he still wants to take care of everyone. Truthfully Michael isn’t quite as good a guy as he likes to think, but compared to the rest of his family he’s a virtual saint.