Ever wonder where the names of our favorite Mounties and cops and wolves came from? Or wondered why Fraser asks "Are you related to....?" That's because the writers have inserted in-jokes related to famous (or infamous) Canadians. Occasionally, an American slips in. All explanations are fan-theorized, unless otherwise noted. Just peruse below!

Please note: Links with an '*' means you're going off-site to another web page.

BESBRISS, ELAINE.

Seasons 1-2 and some 3
No in-jokes have been found.

DEWEY, THOMAS E.

Seasons 3-4
Most likely named after the American politician of the same name, Thomas Edmund Dewey * (1902-1971). It's possible the producers were also looking for the last name Dewey, because of the 'Duckboys' heritage: Louis Gardino and Jack Huey were called the 'Duckboys' by Ray Vecchio, most likely in reference to the Disney character Donald Duck's nephews.

DIEFENBAKER

Pilot, Entire series
Most dogs are given two-syllable names, as it's a known fact they respond better. However, since this wolf-hybrid is supposedly deaf, it doesn't matter if he has the four-syllable moniker of Diefenbaker. Creator Paul Haggis named him after the former progressive Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker * (1895-1979), who served from 1957-1963.

FRASER, BENTON

Pilot, Entire series
Creator Paul Haggis chose the name Benton because it sounded formal. The name Fraser was not the original choice. Frobisher was the first choice, but CBS execs hated it. Fraser was named Prescott in the second draft script, and it was then changed to Fraser, named after a river in Canada (and in turn, after the Scottish explorer, Simon Fraser *, 1776-1862). Also interesting to note that the name Fraser is a well-established Scottish clan.

GARDINO, LOUIS

Seasons 1-2
No particular reason for his name, but see Dewey above for the 'Duckboys' reference.

HUEY, JACK

Entire series
No particular reason for his name, but see Dewey above for the 'Duckboys' reference.

KOWALSKI, STANLEY RAYMOND

Seasons 3-4
Movie and theatre buffs will instantly recognize the name Stanley Kowalski, who is the main protagonist in Tennessee William's famous 1948 play "A Streetcar Named Desire," about a woman who becomes a target of her brother-in-law's aggression when she moves in with her sister. The 1951 film starred Marlon Brando (as Stanley), Vivian Leigh Blanche, and Kim Hunter (as Stella). The name Kowalski also means 'blacksmith' in Polish.

THATCHER, MARGARET

Seasons 2-4
British fans will recognize the name -- that of Margaret Thatcher (born 1925), who became the first woman to be elected Prime Minister * in the United Kingdom.

VECCHIO, RAYMOND

Pilot, Seasons 1-2, Burning Down the House, Call of the Wild
No big mystery; the name Vecchio was also the name of friends of the creator of the series. Interestingly, the name means "old" in Italian as well.

WELSH, HARDING

Entire series
The last name was originally 'Walsh' in the Pilot movie, but became 'Welsh' in the series. It doesn't seem to mean anything - until the episode "Doctor Longball" came along. There we met Harding's brother, Wilson, and perhaps this a subtle joke to Woodrow Wilson * (1856-1924) and Warren G. Harding * (1865-1923), the 28th and 29th Presidents of the United States, respectively. Or maybe it's just a coincidence...

and...

RAY'S 1971 BUICK RIVIERA

Seasons 1-2 and "Burning Down the House"
The car of three lives (shot and blown up, car-bombed, then burned and drowned). Why did Ray drive this particular vehicle, and what happened to the black Mercedes he drove in the Pilot?? Well, creator Paul Haggis really liked the power that this American-made vehicle delivered. As for why the Mercedes vanished, perhaps it just didn't fit into the scheme of the show.

ABELARD, DAVIE

"Say Amen"
It's possible that Eloise and her boyfriend, Davie Abelard, are a reference to the Medieval lovers, Heloise and Peter Abelard. Abelard was a monk/teacher who fell in love with Heloise, the young niece and ward of a powerful churchman in Paris. They secretly married, had a child together, but were forced to separate. Abelard suffered a severe punishment, and Heloise was incarcerated in a local convent. Despite their separation, they continued to exchange love letters until the end of their days. You can check this web site * for more detail.

BLAKE, 'BIG TOE'

"Call of the Wild, part 1"
This character was the huge man whom Fraser and Stan had to tackle on the street. Perhaps named after Hector "Toe" Blake, who played on the Montreal Canadiens in the 1930's/40's and then became the coach of the hockey team (1955-68).

BRODA, TURK

"The Blue Line"
Probably a reference to the late great Turk Broda, who was a Hall of Fame (hockey) Goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs

BROWNING, KURT

"Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
Famous Canadian figure skater, four times World Champion.

BURE, PAVEL

"Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
A hockey player once known as the "Russian Rocket" on the Canucks hockey team. Now the Right Wing on the Florida Panthers (formerly with Vancouver Canucks). One of the fastest players on the ice. He was mentioned as a menu item!

BUSH, SPECIAL AGENT

"The Edge"
Presumably named after George Bush, former head of the CIA during the Nixon administration, and former president of the USA.

CASEY, SPECIAL AGENT

"The Edge"
Presumably named after the late William Casey, head of the CIA during the Reagan administration.

CHAREST, DAWN

"The Blue Line"
Confirmed by writer David Shore, this character was named after the outspoken Canadian sports commentator Don Cherry.

CLOONEY, DR.

"Say Amen"
You could hear this doctor being paged in a hospital scene in this episode; presumably an in-joke to George Clooney, who played Dr. Ross in NBC's TV series E.R..

DEGAS

"A Cop, a Mountie and a Baby"
Probably named after the French Impressionist Edgar Degas * (1834-1917). Three characters in this episode had 'artistic' names.

DOMI, TIE

"Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
A right wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey). His name was a menu item!

DONNELLEY, CAMERON

"Gift of the Wheelman"
Most likely named after the Legend of the Black Donnelleys. The Donnelleys were a family who were involved with family feuding and murder from 1847-1880 in Lucan, Ontario. The entire family was eventually lynched and murdered. Gruesome stuff.

DRAKE, FRANK

The Pilot Movie
This joke was self-explanatory within the movie; hired killer Francis Drake didn't care for the jokes that his name was the same as the famous explorer, Sir Francis Drake * (1545-96).

ELOISE

"Say Amen"
It's possible that Eloise and her boyfriend, Davie Abelard, are a reference to the Medieval lovers, Heloise and Peter Abelard. Abelard was a monk/teacher who fell in love with Heloise, the young niece and ward of a powerful churchman in Paris. They secretly married, had a child together, but were forced to separate, and suffered a severe punishment, and Heloise was incarcerated in a local convent. Despite their separation, they continued to exchange love letters until the end of their days. You can check this web site * for more detail.

DRYDEN

"The Blue Line"
Perhaps named after Ken Dryden, a (hockey) Hall of Fame Goalie for the Canadiens.

EXLEY, FBI AGENT

"Odds"
Possibly named after Ed Exley, one of the characters in the 1990 James Ellroy book and 1997 movie "LA Confidential." The movie came out about the time this episode was being filmed.

FROBISHER, 'BUCK'

"Manhunt," "All the Queen's Horses," "Call of the Wild"
Presumably named after explorer Sir Martin Frobisher *, who had a bay off the southeast coast of Baffin Island named after him in Canada (the town of Frobisher Bay was subsequently renamed 'Iqaluit' and now serves as the capitol of the new Canadian territory, Nunavut).

GARBO, GRETA

"Burning Down the House"
Famous movie actress * (1905-1990) in the 1920-40's. In her later years, she was known more for the 'Garbo mystique' than her true acting abilities.

GOBRAUGH, AGENT AARON

"Mojo Rising"
A fan postulated that perhaps it's a play on the Irish saying "Éireann Go Brách," which means 'Ireland Forever.'

GUSTAFSON, MORT

Various episodes in seasons 3-4
No relevance has been ascribed to his last name, but since 'mort' is Latin for death, and he is a coroner...

HALL

"The Blue Line"
Perhaps named after Glenn Hall, a (hockey) Hall of Fame Goalie for the Black Hawks.

HELMS, SPECIAL AGENT

"The Edge"
Presumably named after Richard Helms, head of the CIA during the Nixon/Ford administrations.

HENDERSON, PAUL

"The Blue Line"
Presumably named after hockey player Paul Henderson, who scored an infamous goal for Team Canada vs. Team USSR in 1972.

KING, MACKENZIE

"Diefenbaker's Day Off," "One Good Man"
Presumably after the former liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King * (1921-48) of Canada, who was also reputed to talk to his dead mother.

KOWALSKI, STELLA

Various episodes in seasons 3/4
Movie and literary buffs will instantly recognize the name Stella as the wife of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William's famous play "A Streetcar Named Desire."

LAURIER

"The Man Who Knew Too Little"
Most likely named after the former Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier * (served 1896-1911). He was the first French-Canadian to lead a federal party.

MACDONALD, IAN

"The Man Who Knew Too Little," "Starman"
No politicians here; he was most likely named after Paul Haggis's personal assistant, Ian MacDonald.

MCGUFFIN, MRS.

"Chicago Holiday" / "Invitation to Romance"
Creator Paul Haggis is a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, the famous film director who made such classics as North by Northwest and Psycho (the B&W one, not the color one). A McGuffin (MacGuffin or Maguffin) * is a plot device that gets the action moving and about which the characters care a great deal, but the audience couldn't give a hoot about.

METCALF, VICTORIA

"Victoria's Secret"
Most likely named after Paul Haggis' mother, Mary Yvonne Metcalf.

MONET

"A Cop, a Mountie and a Baby"
Probably named after master painter Claude Monet * (1840-1926). Three characters in this episode had 'artistic' names.

MORISOT, B.D.

"A Cop, a Mountie and a Baby"
Possibly named after the French painter Berthe Morisot * (1841-1895), an artist whose most famous painting was that of a baby.

MOTHERWELL, ZOLTAN

"Burning Down the House"
Perhaps named after the character Paul Gross played - Motherwell - in the 1982 play The Kite.

PAPPAS, BARRY

"Body Language"
Fans ponder if this character was named after Terry Papas, who runs the actual diner that was shown in the episode "Victoria's Secret". Terry also played a waiter in that episode.

PEARSON, DR. ESTHER

"Hawk and a Handsaw," "Victoria's Secret"
Presumably after the former liberal prime minster, Lester Bowles Pearson *, who served from 1963-68. He was also a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

PINSENT, CAROLINE

"The Edge"
The name was mentioned in this episode as Fraser's mother's maiden name, and is no doubt a reference to Gordon Pinsent, who portrayed Fraser Sr.

PORTER, WILLIAM SIDNEY

"Gift of the Wheelman"
O. Henry was the psuedonym for writer William Sydney Porter (1862-191), a famous writer.

POTTER, MR.

"One Good Man"
This episode was a play on the now famous Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life, and no doubt the nasty Mr. Potter in this episode is a replica of the crotchety and unethical Mr. Potter in that film.

PROULX, HECTOR

"Doctor Longball"
Possibly named after Ron Proulx, who worked on the series in seasons 1 and 2.

PUMPUTIS, MRS.

"The Wild Bunch"
Fans ponder if this character was named after Lori Pumputis, who did Additional Casting for Due South.

QUINN

"Easy Money"
Fraser's friend was possibly named from the subject of a Bob Dylan song, Quinn, the Mighty Eskimo.

ST. LAURENT, LOUISE

"Victoria's Secret," "The Witness," "Bird in the Hand," "Mask," "Juliet is Bleeding"
Presumably named after former Prime Minister Louis Stephen St. Laurent * (1882-1973), who served from 1948-57.

SELANNE, TEEMU

"Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
A hockey player, from Finland, who is a right wing for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks team. However, his name mentioned as a menu item.

SPENDER, AGENT KEVIN

"I Coulda Been a Defendent"
Perhaps a reference to Agent Spender (a guest role) on the Fox series The X-Files.

TIKKANEN, ESA

"Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
A hockey player, from Finland, who is the left wing for the New York Rangers hockey team. However, his name mentioned as a menu item.

TURNBULL, CONSTABLE RENFIELD

Various episodes in seasons 2-4
Renfield came from the name of the faithful servant to Dracula in the movies, as well as the 1917 Enfield rifle. The origin of the last name is unknown, but the Enfield rifle did have a "turnboldt" type mechanism ... just a wild theory. (Oh, and his first name was never mentioned on-screen; it was cited in the "Bird in the Hand" script.)

WHITE, AGENT

"Odds"
Possibly named after Bud White, one of the characters in the 1990 James Ellroy book and 1997 movie "LA Confidential." The movie came out about the time this episode was being filmed.