George Bluth

George Bluth is the unlawful patriarch of the Bluth family
Actor: Jeffrey Tambor — First Appearance: "Pilot" — Last Appearance: "Development Arrested"

George Bluth, Sr. is the patriarch of the Bluth family and the founder of the Bluth Company. While running his real estate empire for five decades he stole exorbitant amounts of money and unlawfully built houses in Iraq for Saddam Hussein. He was incarcerated for a year, on the lam (living in an attic) for a year, and under house arrest for several months before his exoneration.

George is married to Lucille Bluth and is the biological father to Michael Bluth and G.O.B., adopted father to Lindsay Bluth Fünke and Annyong Bluth, and legal guarian and father/uncle to Buster Bluth.

George Bluth is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor and appears in 53 episodes of Arrested Development. He is last seen fleeing to Cabo with his son and grandson aboard The C-Word in "Development Arrested".

About

George Bluth with recently hired Bluth Company employees, in "Family Ties"

Career and incarceration

George Bluth founded the Bluth Company in 1953 and proceeded to grow it into a real estate powerhouse in Newport Beach, California. He didn't do so entirely legally or morally, and in his 50 years as CEO and president George fired his identical twin brother Oscar, ("Missing Kitty") systematically replaced the entire staff with younger, cheaper employees, ("Family Ties") and worked with Saddam Hussein for a quick buck. ("The One Where Michael Leaves")

On the day of his retirement party George was arrested by the SEC for defrauding investors, petty theft, and grand theft by using the company as his personal piggy bank. ("Pilot") He was also under investigation for "light treason" regarding his dealings in Iraq. ("Shock and Aww") George briefly enjoyed his incarceration at Orange County Prison but eventually fled to Mexico by faking a heart attack. ("Let 'Em Eat Cake") He then fakes his own death and retreated to hide in the attic of the model home. ("Good Grief") Word got out that he was still alive so he shaved Oscar's head and had him arrested, while he fled to Reno to be a member of the Blue Man Group. ("Righteous Brothers") He was then put under house-arrest at Balboa Towers, under the watchful gaze of his wife Lucille. ("For British Eyes Only")

George was exonerated of all crimes after it was discovered he was hired by a British syndicate hired by the CIA to build model homes in Iraq to spy on Saddam Hussein. ("Exit Strategy")

George selling The Cornballer with Richard Simmons in "Bringing Up Buster"

Side businesses

A talented businessman, George Bluth is also the inventor of The Cornballer, a faulty product which has been banned in numerous countries. Despite this, he still sells them in Mexico. ("Bringing Up Buster") George is also the founder of Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand, an idea he stole from a Korean immigrant in 1953. ("Development Arrested") George almost filmed and sold a series of Boyfights films of his sons brawling. ("Making a Stand")

While in prison, George attempts to monetize he newfound Jewish "faith" by distributing a series of Caged Wisdom tapes and Bluth Banana Jail Bars. ("Marta Complex")

George turns Jewish in "Storming the Castle"

Religion

George has also had two religious awakenings in his life. The first was becoming Jewish after a brief period of isolation in prison. He then cuts off part of his left shoe and wears it as a yarmulke and quotes fake scripture to his family. His new devine way of life cause the guards to fear him but annoys Lucille. ("Storming the Castle") His newfound Judaism helps him cope with prison life and he even attempts to evangalize to others in prison. ("Staff Infection") He is a self-taught Jew so he makes up a lot of the religious Dogma as he goes along.

He later turns to Christianity after reading a pamphlet left by Ann in a garbage bag while hiding in the attic. ("Shock and Aww")

George and Buster in "Justice Is Blind"

Personality

George is an extremely manipulative individual. On multiple occasions he has proved himself very willing to endanger or even sacrifice his children if it is to his benefit, including turning Michael and G.O.B. against each other. ("Making a Stand") He is also serial poisoner, dubbed by the media as "The Muffin Man". He used poisoned muffins to intimidate the teachers of his children in the 1970s, and later his grandchildren in the 2000s. ("S.O.B.s")

He has a soft spot for ice cream sandwiches and Franklin but is usually sarcastic and demeaning to other people.

George dances the Chicken Dance with his daughter and wife in "For British Eyes Only"

Family

George has a deepseated loathing for his twin brother Oscar. Partly this is because he's jealous Oscar has hair while he does not. George stole Lucille from Oscar ("Switch Hitter") and although he loves her he is afraid of how controlling she can be. ("Development Arrested") He has had several affairs on Lucille, most notably with his assistant Kitty.

George doesn't respect his oldest son G.O.B.'s magic career and often asks him to do reckless or dangerous tasks, knowing he'll obey because he wants to prove himself. ("Charity Drive") He respects Michael's business abilities but never told him, as a motivation technique. ("Switch Hitter") He is proud of his daughter Lindsay's looks, but has never thought of her as having any other respectable qualities. ("My Mother, the Car") He deeply dislikes Buster, perhaps because he knows Buster is not his biological son. ("Bringing Up Buster")

Character history

Season one

George in Season One

George is arrested at his retirement party for defrauding Bluth Company investors by using the company as his personal piggy bank. ("Pilot") George is evasive when Michael tries to learn the location of the family storage unit, so Michael burns down the banana stand to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately George was not able to get the message across that "there's always money in the banana stand!" ("Top Banana") Michael seeks his father's parenting advice, but George has been busy with prison life, such as strip poker. ("Bringing Up Buster") G.O.B. tries to connect with his father while incarcerated as a publicity stunt, but G.O.B. is stabbed by White Power Bill. ("Key Decisions") 

George convinces G.O.B. to sneak into a permit office to file some late permits. ("Charity Drive") George tells Michael "daddy horny" so Michael arranges a conjugal visit between him and Lucille. George arranges a conjugal visit from his assistant/mistress Kitty and G.O.B. must distract Kitty. ("Visiting Ours") George is released from prison for one day to participate in the Living Classics Pageant as God. He tries to escape but is caught. ("In God We Trust") Lindsay starts visiting George in prison but turns no heads. She eventually starts wearing a SLUT shirt and George pleads with her to stop, as he has been paying off his fellow inmates to not look at her. ("My Mother, the Car")

George in Season One

George converts to Judiasm after being locked in solitary for his escape attempt. He is, for the first time in his life, supportive of Buster. ("Storming the Castle") When Michael wants to teach his son a lesson about marijuana, George refuses to lend him J. Walter Weatherman, and instead uses the one-armed man to teach Michael a lesson about teaching lessons. ("Pier Pressure") George videocalls into a family PR meeting, but gives Judiasm lessons to fellow inmates instead. ("Public Relations") Lucille visits George in prison and he suggests his line of Caged Wisdom tapes to keep her company. ("Marta Complex")

George is taken to the courthouse for his arraignment and upon hearing his full list of charges decides to flee but accidentally ends up in a cell. ("Beef Consommé") George is approached by SEC mole Cindi Lightballoon who attempts to get him to confide in her. ("Shock and Aww") Tobias is admitted to George's prison to prepare for the role of Frightened Inmate #2 and George trades him to White Power Bill for a pack of cigarettes. ("Staff Infection") Cindi, now really in love with George, tells him that she knows for a fact he can get out of prison, but he finds out she mistook a blooper on his Caged Wisdom videos and opts to take a plea bargain. ("Altar Egos")

George in "Whistler's Mother"

G.O.B. steals a binder of evidence from Michael (who is carrying it for Maggie Lizer) and George asks G.O.B. to break into her house to steal more evidence. ("Justice Is Blind") George and Tobias come face to face when Tobias is named "Dorothy" in the prison after kitting White Power Bill. George tells him he resents him for taking his daughter away. ("Missing Kitty") George throws G.O.B. a bachelor party with an ulterior motive: to frame Bluth Company accountant Ira Gilligan with a fake murder so he won't testify about missing funds. ("Best Man for the Gob")

George asks Michael to give his twin Oscar a little bit of money but Michael gives him $10,000 for a lousy lemon grove. Michael tries to blame George or the shoddy deal but George Michael and Maeby give up the game when they visit George in prison. ("Whistler's Mother") George grows angry when he finds out from Buster that Lucille is seeing Oscar. ("Not Without My Daughter") George is submitted to a lie detector test and gives himself an injection of medicine to fake a heart attack at the last minute. He and Kitty escape from the hospital to Mexico. ("Let 'Em Eat Cake")

Season two

File:Publicity - S2 - George.jpeg

George in Season Two

Turn this article from a frozen banana into a G.O.B. special. This article which does not cover all information available about the topic. You can help by expanding it.

George and his assistant Kitty fled to Mexico, where George was arrested under suspicion of being his twin brother Oscar Bluth. Upon realizing his true identity, the Mexican police kept him incarcerated for selling The Cornballer. George bribed some officers to fake his death and he fled back to California and hide in the attic of the model home, where he worked with his son Michael to solve family problems and prepare for his trial.

When Tobias is admitted to the hospital, George, disguised as Oscar, steals the briefcase of evidence G.O.B. found in the wall of the Bluth Company offices. ("The One Where Michael Leaves") Kitty and George wait in a Mexican hotel room until George flees to call Michael. He is arrested and held for illegal distribution of The Cornballer in Mexico. ("The One Where They Build a House") A fake funeral for George is held in Mexico which his sons don't notice when they try to find him. ("¡Amigos!") George pays off the police to fake his death and escapes back to Newport Beach and hides in a hole in the ground. George Michael finds him and hides him in the model home's attic. Ice tells the Bluth family that George has been killed so they hold a wake for him. Michael discovers a box of Glisten in the dirt and finds his father in the attic and tells his family he is alive and has escaped. ("Good Grief")

After seeing Lucille with Oscar at his wake, George tells Michael he will turn himself in if his wife is in love with his twin brother. Both Michael and George learn that Lucille is, in fact, in love with Oscar but Michael's care for George keeps him in hiding. ("Sad Sack") George makes Michael concerned that George Michael is pulling away from him. ("Afternoon Delight") George sneaks out of the attic to be an umpire at a Bluth Company softball game against Sitwell Enterprises. ("Switch Hitter") He tries to talk Michael out of getting a company car, and critiques some of Maeby's assigned screenplays. ("Queen for a Day")

Season three

File:GeorgeSr.jpg

George in Season Three

Turn this article from a frozen banana into a G.O.B. special. This article which does not cover all information available about the topic. You can help by expanding it.

After fooling the police into jailing Oscar, George fled to Reno where he worked in the Blue Man Group. Michael then arranged for him to be placed under house arrest in Balboa Towers, where he was a sexual prisoner of his wife Lucille. While under house arrest he used a "surrogate", Larry Middleman, equipped with a camera in his hat to spend time with his family outside of the house. George was absolved of all crimes when his sons uncovered a CIA plot George was involved with, including building model homes to monitor Saddam Hussein. He then fled with his son and grandson to Cabo.

Season four

George Bluth will appear in Season Four. It would be paramount to light treason to not subscribe to Netflix and tune in.

Teaser poster, featuring an Ice cream sandwich	Character poster

Trivia

• The character of George Bluth was originally only supposed to appear in "Pilot" but Mitch Hurwitz was so thrilled that Jeffrey Tambor was interested that he made the character a full fledged member of the main cast.

Images

→ See 539 pictures of George Bluth at Images of George Bluth.