Editing Uncle Fester (section)

==Live action TV series==
In the 1960s television series, Fester (portrayed by [[Jackie Coogan]]) is an uncle to Morticia Addams. In one episode, he became perplexed when asked his last name, suggesting he has somehow forgotten it. In several episodes, Fester refers to the Addams lineage as if it were his own, possibly implying some degree of intertwined [[consanguinity]] in both their family lines, but the flashbacks in the episodes "Morticia's Romance, Parts 1 and 2," clearly establish him as Morticia's uncle, brother of her mother, Hester Frump, a.k.a. Granny Frump (portrayed by [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]]), whose maiden name was similarly unrevealed (indicating a third family, similar to the Addamses and the Frumps). In various episodes, he was a partner in typical sitcom schemes with Gomez, Morticia, or Grandmama Addams, indicating no real preference for any family member over others.

Fester's known ancestry dates back to his Great-Grandfather Blob (not to be confused with Gomez's Cousin Blob, a two-headed ghost), who received the gift of a sacred ruby after he had pried it from the head of a Hindu (to whom it was giving a terrible headache). The ruby remained in the family until Fester unthinkingly used his [[slingshot]] to hurl it at a yowling stray [[cat]]. "Well, it was the only rock in the house!" he said in his defense.

Per the 1960s sitcom, little is known of Fester's childhood, save that his father (Morticia's maternal grandfather) was an excruciatingly strict man who severely disciplined him, paddling him even when he was good and paying him to stay out of public (Fester considered this to be experienced in "public relations"). He refused to allow Fester to even touch a battleaxe (a treasured toy among people with the Addams's macabre tastes) until he was eight. As an adult, Fester defended his father's strictness, pointing to his own character as proof of its effectiveness: "I didn't become what I am by accident! I had an upbringing like no other!" Sometime prior to Morticia's marriage to Gomez, Fester worked as a newspaper columnist, writing advice for the lovelorn, but left that job because people kept suing him.

Fester has also offered contradictory information about his educational background. In the sitcom's first episode, he notes that he never went to school ("And look how [well] I turned out!"), but he later claims to have failed [[recess (break)|recess]] three times. As an adult, Fester took correspondence courses in various subjects, and his educational endeavors occasionally formed an episode's main plot. It may be from one such course that he obtained his fraternity paddle, which he once threatened to use on [[Wednesday Addams|Wednesday]] in imitation of his father's punishment style; however, like many an uncle, Fester proved to have more bark than bite in dealing with the children. When he suspects someone of maligning, cheating, or otherwise mistreating anyone in the family, Fester is ever ready with his [[blunderbuss]] "Genevieve", eager to "shoot 'em in the back!" However, he is far less eager in meeting a malefactor in a face-to-face duel; he was briefly enthusiastic about a pistol duel with an enemy until he asked, somewhat timidly, "Does he get one too?...''Loaded''?"

Another prized possession was his cannon, "Old Reliable", which he normally kept in his bedroom. Fester maintained a treehouse in the Addams yard and frequently retreated to his closet to think. After receiving the gift of a motorcycle in the episode "The Addams Family Meets a [[Beatnik]]", Fester often drove it through the living room, inevitably crashing in the conservatory (several episodes used identical [[stock footage|recycled footage]] of this scenario). Fester also collects three-dollar bills.

The 1998 live-action series continues the tradition of having Fester (portrayed by Canadian actor [[Michael Roberds]]) as Gomez's biological brother, yet between this version and the 1960s series, this is the only visible difference. In furtherance on the original series running gag of Uncle Fester being able to store electricity, one episode has Uncle Fester nearly abducted by aliens so as to be used to power their spaceship; the Aliens leave Uncle Fester behind-but only after "cloning" him for their spaceship journey home.

In the [[Netflix]] show ''[[Wednesday (TV series)|Wednesday]]'', Uncle Fester is played by [[Fred Armisen]]. He wanted to be like the versions of Fester played by Jackie Coogan and Christopher Lloyd rather than reinventing the character. Every morning, Armisen's head was buzzed smooth, makeup and powder were applied to make him look paler, and dark circles were added around his eyes. The wardrobe covered much of Armisen, so little else needed to be done.<ref name="Vanity Fair">{{cite web |last1=Breznican |first1=Anthony |title=Fred Armisen Goes Bald as Uncle Fester in ''Wednesday'' |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/10/uncle-fester-fred-armisen-bald-wednesday |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307161134/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/10/uncle-fester-fred-armisen-bald-wednesday |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |date=October 8, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Fester helped Wednesday on solving her mysteries of the town of Jericho and Nevermore Academy by revealing to Wednesday that the mystery monster she encountered was a Hyde. Because of his hobby with electricity, he can now project lightning from his own hands. It was also mentioned that Uncle Fester didn't attend Nevermore, but snuck in to visit Gomez on occasion. Wednesday had to use Eugene Otinger's bee house for Uncle Fester to hide out in after he robbed a bank and is advised by her not to eat any of Eugene's bees.

In December 2023, it was announced that Netflix is developing a ''Wednesday'' spin-off series titled ''Fester'' that focuses on Uncle Fester.<ref name="Spin-off">{{cite web |last1=Blackwelder |first1=Carson |title='Wednesday' spinoff in the works centers on Uncle Fester |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/wednesday-spinoff-works-centers-uncle-fester/story?id=105777149 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=January 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227192212/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/wednesday-spinoff-works-centers-uncle-fester/story?id=105777149 |archive-date=December 27, 2023 |date=December 19, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>