The depiction of albinism in popular culture, especially the portrayal of people with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

in film and fiction, has been asserted by albinism organizations and others to be largely negative and has raised concerns that it reinforces, or even engenders, societal prejudice and discrimination against such people."'Evil Albino' missing from 2004 movies. Will ''The Da Vinci Code'' revive the cliché?"
, The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, 6 January 2005; accessed 15 December 2006 This trend is sometimes referred to as the ''"evil albino"

plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any narrative technique, technique in a narrative used to move the Plot (narrative), plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing ...

''. The "evil albino"

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...

is a

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

who is depicted as being albinistic (or displaying physical traits usually associated with albinism, even if the term is not used), with the specific and obvious purpose of distinguishing the villain in question from the heroes by means of appearance."Beyond the pale: Hollywood's unwritten rules for characters with albinism"
''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006 Traits of albinism commonly associated with the evil albino stereotype include pale skin, platinum blonde hair, and blue or pink-to-red eyes. Notably absent from most depictions is impaired vision, which is often experienced (depending on the type of albinism) by real people with albinism.
, ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006
, ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006 The stereotype has become sufficiently well-recognized to attract satire and to be considered a

cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...

. In response to the "albino gunmen" characters in ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...

'' and ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...

'', albinistic actor Dennis Hurley wrote, produced and starred in a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

parody, ''The Albino Code'', playing up the stereotypes, illustrating a typical example of real-world prejudice, and pointing out that the vision problems associated with albinism would make a successful career as a hitman highly improbable. In ''

The Big Over Easy ''The Big Over Easy'' is a 2005 novel written by Jasper Fforde. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary. It is set in an alternate reality similar to that of his previous books: ''The Eyre Affair'', ...

'', author

Jasper Fforde Jasper Fforde (born 11 January 1961) is an English novelist, whose first novel, ''The Eyre Affair'', was published in 2001. He is known mainly for his ''Thursday Next'' novels, but has published two books in the loosely connected ''The Big Over ...

includes an "albino community" protest against albino bias among his fictional news clippings, most of which satirize stock characters and hackneyed plot devices. ''Chicago Tribune'' movie reviewer Mark Caro says of this character type that it is someone "who looks albino and thus, in movie shorthand, must be vicious"."Movie review: ''Cold Mountain''"
; Caro, Mark; ''Chicago Tribune'' (online edition), date unspecified; accessed 13 March 2007 The

National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) is a non-profit organization that assists people who have albinism. NOAH was created in 1982 and is based in East Hampstead, New Hampshire. NOAH is operated by volunteers. It is ...

(NOAH) has stated that there were a total of sixty-eight films from 1960 to 2006 featuring an "evil albino"."Early viewers pan ''Da Vinci Code'': Film's release also provokes widespread protests"
no by-line; ''CNN.com'' "Entertainment" section / ''Associated Press Newswire'', 17 May 2006; accessed 13 March 2007 Types of albinism include: *

Oculocutaneous albinism Oculocutaneous albinism is a form of albinism involving the eyes ('' oculo-''), the skin (''-cutaneous''), and the hair. Overall, an estimated 1 in 20,000 people worldwide are born with oculocutaneous albinism. OCA is caused by mutations in seve ...

. Affects the skin, hair, and eyes. Around 1 in 70 people have a mutation in an OCA gene. There are several subtypes of OCA. * Ocular albinism. Affects the eyes, causing blindness. *

Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome Heřmanský–Pudlák syndrome (often written Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome or abbreviated HPS) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive disorder which results in oculocutaneous albinism (decreased pigmentation), bleeding problems due to a platelet ...

Effects include a bleeding disorder, IBS, and fibrocystic lung conditions. *

Chédiak–Higashi syndrome Chédiak–Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that arises from a mutation of a lysosomal trafficking regulator protein, which leads to a decrease in phagocytosis. The decrease in phagocytosis results in recurrent pyogeni ...

Similar to OCA but doesn't effect the whole body. *

Griscelli syndrome Griscelli syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by albinism (hypopigmentation) with immunodeficiency, that usually causes death by early childhood. Researchers have developed three different classifications of the form of di ...

Causes immune and neurological issues. Griscelli syndrome usually results in death within the first decade of life. Conversely, a number of real people with albinism have risen to fame ) especially in popular music and fashion modeling (though, as in the case of the Winter brothers, may themselves be the subject of "evil albino" parody). Albino animals capture public imagination and wonder as zoo attractions, and even in the wild can attract popular, positive attention ).

History of the "evil albino" stereotype

The "evil albino" stereotype may also have its roots in

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, where some cultures depicted

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

as a pallid woman with light hair. Fear of

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

and other legendary

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...

with a deathly

pallor Pallor is a pale color of the skin that can be caused by illness, emotional shock or stress, stimulant use, or anemia, and is the result of a reduced amount of oxyhaemoglobin and may also be visible as pallor of the conjunctivae of the eyes o ...

, especially in European folklore, could also have contributed to albino bias. The phenomenon may also have been influenced by attitudes towards people with albinism in Africa or Jamaica, where those with that condition are sometimes regarded as cursed or magical .

Dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

Dr. Vail Reese theorizes that albino bias may be part of a broader Hollywood pattern of equating or at least linking skin disorders and appearance problems with villainy."Most movies that feature skin disease use it to represent evil"
''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006 Another explanation may be sought in respective ideals of ugliness – most "evil albinos" appear in works of fiction from the West. In fiction from Japan, where ideals call for as pale skin as possible, characters with albinism or associated traits are more frequently sympathetic
, ''Albinism in Popular Culture'', by Luna Eterna, 1997–2006; accessed 8 January 2007 than in American and British fiction.
, ''Albinism in Popular Culture'', by Luna Eterna, 1997–2006; accessed 8 January 2007 This is not to say that

Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be t ...

has not depicted "evil albinos". However, such characters in Japanese fiction are often ''

bishōnen (; also transliterated ) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty. This word originated from the Tang dynasty ...

'' or ''

bishōjo In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. ''Bishōjo'' characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computer games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre) ...

'' whose beautiful appearance gives contrast to their evil character. Use of albinistic features to indicate villains in Hollywood films appears to have begun in the 1960s, and may be related to the popularity of tanning (and thus a decrease in pale skin being seen as attractive) in this period. One of the oldest perceived literary examples of albino bias was

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in ''Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devote ...

'', who was able to become invisible using his scientific discoveries only because he already lacked natural pigmentation; aberrant even before his experimentation, he subsequently became completely deranged. Albino bias is also alleged in modern times. For example, the 2003 Warner Bros movie ''The Matrix Reloaded'' featured two sociopathic characters with pale skin and white hair frequently interpreted to be albinos despite studio declarations that they are not. Positive depictions of albinos in mass culture are rarer, though one example is the 1995 film ''

Powder A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and ''granular'' are sometimes used to distin ...

'' which depicts an exceptionally gifted albinistic youth and the cruelty he endures from "normal" people because of his differences. In recent years, the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) has spoken out against albino bias in the United States. Albinistic actor Michael C. Bowman, of ''

Me, Myself and Irene ''Me, Myself & Irene'' is a 2000 American slapstick black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon ...

'', has said, "Kids all over this country are being affected in a very negative and harmful way because of the sloppiness and laziness of a writer in Hollywood."

Albinism and fiction

A number of movies, books and other works have been criticized for albino bias, as they associate the uncommon features of albinistic people (pale skin, white hair, and unpigmented eyes) with danger, terror, or criminality. Less frequently they are depicted as the harmless butt of jokes and ridicule, as maladjusted and undersocialized, or as "

freak A freak is a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first attested with this meaning in the 1880s as a shorter form of the phrase " freak of nature ...

s"."Book two of Hollywood's rules of albinism"
''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese. They may also actually be portrayed positively, even heroically – a more recent counter-trend.

Negatively portrayed characters

The most common depiction of people with albinism in fiction is that of the inimical, violent villain, especially the

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

. * "The Family", a cult of plague survivors are the antagonist in the film ''

The Omega Man ''The Omega Man'' (stylized as ''The Ωmega Man'') is a 1971 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston as a survivor of a pandemic. It was written by John William Corrington and Joyce Corrington, b ...

'' (1971). *

Silas Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and et ...

, in the book ''

'' (2003) by

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), ''In ...

, (played by

Paul Bettany Paul Bettany (born 27 May 1971) is an English actor. He is mostly known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently starring in the Disney+ miniseries ''WandaVision'' (2021), for which he was nominated fo ...

in the 2006

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

), is described as being albinistic. He is a religious fanatic and an assassin who murders several people, although he repents at the end of the book, praying to God for mercy and forgiveness. Critics have called the portrayal "damning", "hateful", and "cruelly stereotypical"."''The Da Vinci Code'' Albinos[sic] Murderer Depiction Was Slammed"
; Gheorghe, Adina; ''Softpedia Reviews'', 20 March 2006; accessed 13 March 2007 In defense, author Brown has pointed out that "Silas's skin color has nothing to do with his violent nature – he is driven to violence by others' cruelty... not by anything inherent in his physiology" and that he believes "the novel's portrayal of Silas is a compassionate exploration of how difficult albinism can be – especially for young people – and how cruelly societies can ostracize those of us who look different", going on to say he considers Silas to be the most sympathetic character in the story.
Retrieved on 21 April 2007. * " The Twins" (played by Adrian and Neil Rayment), in ''

'' (2003)"The Matrix Reloaded"
at IMDb are considered by detractors to be the highest-profile case of "evil albino" bias to date, though said by producers to not be intended to be taken as actually albinistic. * Edgar and Johnny Autumn, in four 1995 issues of the ''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the ...

'' comic book, are mutant villain brothers for the main character to fight. They were thinly-disguised caricatures of real-life albinistic musician brothers, Edgar and Johnny Winter ''(see images, right)'', who filed an unsuccessful lawsuit (''Edgar Winter et al. v. DC Comics et al.'')."C.A. Revives Rock Stars’ Suit Over Use of Their Personae"
''Metropolitan News-Enterprise'', 20 June 2002; accessed 15 December 2006. A spokesperson for Johnny Winter characterized the depiction as "picking fun at them for being albinos", while a

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

representative claimed that the characters were an homage. *

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

, the main character of ''

'' (1897) by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

main article for sources.)'' *Francis Davey, the vicar of Altarnun in

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

's novel ''

Jamaica Inn The Jamaica Inn is a traditional inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall in the UK, which was built as a coaching inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. Located just off the A30, near the middle of the moor close to the hamle ...

'' is an albino whose status as a 'freak of nature' is explicitly linked to his rejection of conventional morality and hence his villainous actions including murder. * Samuel Aboah from ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' episode "Teliko". He was a Burkinabé immigrant who, lacking a pituitary gland, harvested them from other African or African-American men to restore his skin tone. He is compared unfavourably to a vampire like creature from West African folklore (the eponymous Teliko) by a Burkinabé ambassador. He is depicted as a merciless killer with a seemingly inhuman ability to squeeze into small spaces (''a la'' previous ''X-Files'' villain

Eugene Victor Tooms "Squeeze" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. It premiered on the Fox network on September 24, 1993. "Squeeze" was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong and directed by Harry ...

) * "Snow" (played by

Billy Drago William Eugene Burrows (November 30, 1945 – June 24, 2019), known professionally by his stage name Billy Drago, was an American television and film actor. Drago's films, in which he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's ...

), in ''

Vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...

'' (1986)''Vamp''
at IMDb is the violently-inclined leader of a street gang composed of albinistic people and others with appearance problems. He meets a violent end. * Joseph (played by

Jake Busey William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', Aiden Tanner in the 20 ...

, son of Gary Busey; see next entry), in ''

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

'' (1997)"Contact"
at IMDb is a religious extremist turned suicide-bomber. * Mr. Joshua (played by

Gary Busey Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...

), in ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...

'' (1987)"Lethal Weapon"
at IMDb. is a seemingly psychopathic hit man. He was specifically referred to as "albino" in the film. * Bosie (played by Charlie Hunnam),
IMDb in '' Cold Mountain'' (2003)"Cold Mountain"
at IMDb. is a U.S. Civil War-era "sneering albino killer ...[who] seems to have wandered in from a ''Lethal Weapon'' movie" – Ty Burr, ''Boston Globe'' review."Cold Mountain Movie Review: Moving 'Mountain'"
Burr, Ty; ''Boston Globe'' (online edition), 25 December 2003; accessed 13 March 2007 * "Bad Bob" (played by Stacy Keach) in ''

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1972) * "Dragon" (played by Thayer David) in ''

The Eiger Sanction ''The Eiger Sanction'' is a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker. The story is about a classical art professor and collector who doubles as a professional assassin, and who is coerced out of retirement to ave ...

'' (1975)"The Eiger Sanction"
at IMDb is an underworld kingpin also described as being unable to stand light and requiring frequent blood transfusions. * "The Albino" (played by Mel Smith), in ''

The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...

'' (1987)"The Princess Bride"
at IMDb. is an

Igor Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling * ...

-like

henchman A henchman (''vernacular:'' "hencher"), is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organization: minions whose value lies pri ...

and torturer, depicted as diseased, with visible sores. * "Albino" (played by the genuinely albinistic

Victor Varnado Victor Varnado (born May 15, 1969) is an American stand up comedian and actor. He is African American and albinistic. He was born legally blind due to his albinism. He grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Care ...

), in ''

End of Days End of days may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''End of Days'' (film), a 1999 supernatural film Music * ''The End of Days'', a 2010 album by Abney Park * ''End of Days'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the 1999 film ...

'' (1999)"End of days"
at IMDb is a menacing "servant of

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

" who meets a grisly death. * "Whitey" Jackson a.k.a. "The Albino" (played by

William Frankfather William Frankfather (born Billy Joe Frankfather; August 4, 1944 – December 28, 1998) was an American actor. Early life Frankfather was born in Kermit, Texas on August 4, 1944. Career Frankfather guest-starred in many popular television seri ...

), in '' Foul Play'' (1978)"Foul Play (1978)"
at IMDb is another heavily armed killer, this time in a comedy. * " Tombstone", in the ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

'' comics is an African-American with albinism. He is a mob hitman. ''(See main article for sources.)'' * "

Tobias Whale Tobias Whale is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Black Lightning. Whale appears in the live-action Arrowverse series ''Black Lightning'', portrayed by Marvin "Krondon" Jones II ...

" a

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

albinistic

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

whose villainy induces character Jefferson Pierce to become the superhero "

Black Lightning Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...

". ''(See main article for sources.)'' * Moke (played by

Dar Robinson Dar Allen Robinson (March 26, 1947 – November 21, 1986) was an American stunt performer and actor. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He invented the decelerator (use of dragline cables rather than airbags for a ...

), in ''

Stick Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...

'' (1985)"Stick"
at IMDb. is a ruthless criminal, who likes to shoot people in the back *

Judge Holden Judge Holden is a purported historical person, a murderer who partnered with John Joel Glanton as a professional scalp-hunter in Mexico and the American South-West during the mid-19th century. To date, the only source for Holden's existence is ...

, in

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...

's ''

Blood Meridian ''Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West'' is a 1985 epic novel by American author Cormac McCarthy, classified under the Western, or sometimes the anti-Western, genre. McCarthy's fifth book, it was published by Random House. In a l ...

'' (published 1985; ). In McCarthy's novel, Holden is a wanton mass-murderer. There is no historical evidence to suggest that the non-fictional Holden was albinistic. ''(See main article for further sources.)'' * "Albino" (played by Warrick Grier), in ''

Freefall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on it. ...

'' (1994)"Freefall"
at IMDb. is a menacing figure who drugs the film's heroine. * Mark Purayah (Mark II) and Mark Parchezzi (Mark III) ("the Albinos"), in '' Hitman: Blood Money'' (released 2005)"Hitman: Blood Money (VG)"
at IMDb. are clones of an unseen Mark I, and all are assassins. ''(See main article for further sources.)'' * Otis B. Driftwood (played by

Bill Moseley William Moseley (born November 11, 1951) is an American actor, primarily known for his performances in horror films. His best-known roles include Chop Top in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' (1986), Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie's ''Firefly ...

), in ''

House of 1000 Corpses ''House of 1000 Corpses'' is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the ''Firefly'' film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Ka ...

'' (2003)."House of 1000 Corpses"
at IMDb leads a clan of psychopathic backwoods serial killers. Despite being played by the same actor, in the sequel ''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie, and is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to his 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses''. The film is center ...

'' (2005)"The Devil's Rejects"
at IMDb he has a normal skin tone. ''(See main article for further sources.)'' * "The Albino" in ''

The Albino's Dancer ''The Albino's Dancer'' is the ninth in the series of "Time Hunter" novellas, and features the characters Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish from Daniel O'Mahony's '' Doctor Who'' novella ''The Cabinet of Light''. It is written by Dale Smith ...

'', a "

Time Hunter Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to co ...

" novella; the character is a

. ''(See main article for sources.)'' * "The Albino" (played by

Bill Bolender Bill Bolender is an American character actor and artist, mainly known for small appearances in ''RoboCop 2'', '' JFK'', ''Reality Bites'', ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Nixon'' and ''Dante's Peak''. His guest starring appearances include roles ...

) from the ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'' episode " Blood Oath", who is a dishonorable Klingon warrior and murderer. ''(See main article for further sources.)'' * Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langström, also known as the

Man-Bat Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...

, is depicted as being albinistic in the television series ''

The Batman Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman or The Batman may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Characters * Batman (Terry McGinnis) * Batman (Thomas Wayne) * Batman (Earth-Two) * Bat ...

'' (which also depicts him as more villainous than other versions of the character). Langström's "Man-Bat" form is also depicted as being albino.''(See main article for further sources.)'' * Kobra, an albinistic

biker Biker or bikie may refer to: * A cyclist, a bicycle rider or participant in cycling sports * A motorcyclist, any motorcycle rider or passenger, or participant in motorcycle sports ** A motorcycle club member, defined more narrowly than all motor ...

Robert R. McCammon Robert Rick McCammon (born July 17, 1952) is an American novelist from Birmingham, Alabama. One of the influential names in the late 1970s–early 1990s American horror literature boom, by 1991 McCammon had three ''New York Times'' bestsellers (''T ...

's 1981 novel ''

They Thirst ''They Thirst'' is a horror novel by American writer Robert R. McCammon, first published in 1981 and republished in 1991 in hardback. The book details the relentless possession of Los Angeles by vampires, who quickly transform the city into a necro ...

'' who is depicted as sadistic and violent. He eventually becomes a commander of an army of

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

s besieging Los Angeles (but was albinistic before becoming a vampire).''(See main article for sources.)'' *

Monsieur Zenith Monsieur Zenith the Albino is an ambiguous villain created by writer Anthony Skene for the "Sexton Blake" series of detective pulp fiction. Zenith is an albino, world-weary gentleman thief, originally Romanian nobility but in exile for undetermine ...

, a

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

villain in the "

Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications ...

" series by Anthony Skene. Zenith is a world-weary

gentleman thief A gentleman thief, gentleman burglar, lady thief, or phantom thief is a stock character in fiction. A gentleman or lady thief is characterised by impeccable manners, charm, courteousness, and the avoidance of physical force or intimidation to ...

who uses

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

, commits crimes, and feuds with Blake simply to relieve his ennui. * The clairvoyant albino Juni Swan in

Darren Shan Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...

's "

The Demonata ''The Demonata'' is a young adult horror/fantasy series by author Darren Shan. It deals with the world of demons. The series is told by three different protagonists: Grubbs Grady, Kernel Fleck, and Bec MacConn. The series is notable for its e ...

" series is characterized by her deceptive and sadistic nature as well as her exceptional beauty. However, in '' Death's Shadow'', the seventh book of the series, she appears as a hideously deformed monster. * "Helter Skelter", a mysterious assassin seen in the opening cutscene of the video game '' No More Heroes'' * Bigboy, the sadistic, ruthless chief of the prison guards in the Stephen Hunter novel ''Pale Horse Coming.'' * Jei Farfarello, a sadistic/masochistic member of a group of assassins named "Schwarz" in the anime ''

Weiß Kreuz is a series conceptualized by voice actor Takehito Koyasu about four assassins that work in a flower shop called "Kitty in the House". The assassins are members of a group called Weiß (white), which is run by Persia of the mysterious K ...

''. He is portrayed as a one-eyed, heavily scarred and clinically insane killer. * Olivia Presteign, the daughter of a powerful business man in

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

The Stars My Destination ''The Stars My Destination'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Alfred Bester. Set in the 24th or 25th century, which varies between editions of the book, when humans have colonized the Solar System, it tells the story of Gully ull ...

, is responsible for numerous homicides along with various other crimes. Her albinism renders her blind to the normal spectrum of light visible to humans, but she is able to see the infrared spectrum. * The anime/manga Deadman Wonderland features two albinos named Chan and En as bodyguards to the main antagonist of the series, the director of Deadman Wonderland named Hagire Rinichirou. They are twin brother and sister, and are incredibly loyal to Hagire, seeing him as a father figure and killing people who merely insult him. There is also a third albino, one of the main characters, named Shiro, who appears an innocent and complacent young girl, but has a cruel and psychopathic alter ego knows as the Wretched Egg, which is Hagire's lifetime obsession. * The Mark clones in Hitman: Blood Money are genetically created assassins from the rival organization The Foundation. * Shadow Prove from Bakugan New Vestroia is most probably albino. He often laughs at other peoples problems and tries to annoy but hates being insulted by Mylene, his companion. He is part of the evil organisation Vexos. * Practical Frost in The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie is an Albino depicted as a brutal and psycopathic torturer's assistant. ;Animals and other non-humanoid characters *In '' Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'', the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

, named Rudy, is a huge albino ''

Baryonyx ''Baryonyx'' () is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, about 130–125 million years ago. The first skeleton was discovered in 1983 in the Smokejack Clay Pit, of Surrey, England, in se ...

''. Unlike most other dinosaurs in the film, he is depicted as vicious, vindictive and entirely inimical. The filmmakers explicitly stated that his albinism is a reference to

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whit ...

and other pale fictional antagonists. Audio commentary initially says character based on ''Baryonyx'', someone else said ''

Suchomimus ''Suchomimus'' (meaning "crocodile mimic") is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived between 125 and 112 million years ago in what is now Niger, during the Aptian to early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous period. It was named and ...

''; both are

spinosaurs The Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) are a clade or family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. They came into prominence during the Cretaceous period. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, includin ...

. *

Lord Shen The following is a list of characters from the DreamWorks animated film media franchise ''Kung Fu Panda''. The franchise includes a film trilogy (''Kung Fu Panda'', ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', and ''Kung Fu Panda 3''), a series of shorts and television ...

, an albino

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

, was the main enemy on

Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily voic ...

, revealed to'd tried to wipe out the pandas to prevent a prophecy of one defeating him, among them being Po's mother. *The megalodon in Steve Alten's novel '' Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror'', hunted by the main characters, is depicted as albino. * The Banes from

Suzanne Collins Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer. She is known as the author of the book series ''The Underland Chronicles'' and ''The Hunger Games''. Early life Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962, in ...

's ''

The Underland Chronicles ''The Underland Chronicles'' is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland,” a subterranean world located under ...

'' novel series. An albino gnawer (giant, talking rat). Born once every few hundred years, they are always insane, tyrannical, and far larger than even the other gnawers. The only one featured in the series is Pearlpelt. He is, however, an exception, as all the ''Underland'' humans are albinos, and they are generally portrayed favorably, with varying personalities. *The Pure Ferrets King Agarnu, Prince Bladd and Princess Kurda of the ''

Redwall ''Redwall'' is a series of children's fantasy novels by British writer Brian Jacques, published from 1986 to 2011. It is also the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, as well as the name of the abbey featured in the book, ...

'' book ''

Triss ''Triss'' is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 2002. It is the 15th book in the ''Redwall'' series. Plot summary At Riftgard, an isle in the far north, the ferret king, King Agarnu, and his cruel offspring, Princess Kurda and Pri ...

''. They were rulers of an island-fortress known as Riftguard and enslaved many creatures, including the protagonist Trisscar Swordmaid. * Silas Vorez, the main antagonist of the 2022 video game The Quarry is a human

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

with albinism, referred to as the “white wolf”.

Subjects of ridicule and "freaks"

In the last few decades, there has been an increase in the number albinistic characters who are mocked (sometimes by the actual works in which they appear, an instance of albino bias itself, and sometimes by other characters in a way that highlights albino bias). * "Powder", the eponymous character in the movie ''

''. The name can be seen as mocking or derogatory; however the depiction can be seen as positive in its portrayal of the effects of bias against those with albinism. * Autumn Lynn Henderson, the sister of the protagonist in "Mercy Among the Children" by

David Adams Richards David Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer and member of the Canadian Senate.

. Already an outcast in their small New Brunswick town because of their father's reputation, she is further alienated during her adolescence due to her albinism. Her brother (and protagonist) Lyle tries to make Autumn's life easier by purchasing a wig and contact lenses for her, but it helps very little in the treatment of her by the other children. *Casper, a.k.a. "Whitey" or "Q-Tip" (played by Michael Bowman), in ''

Me, Myself & Irene ''Me, Myself & Irene'' is a 2000 American slapstick black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon an ...

'' (2000). His alleged real name is as mocking as his nicknames. He is the subject of a good deal of ridicule, which may be accurately representative of the casual discrimination that people with albinism are often made to suffer, and is accurately depicted as having impaired vision, and is a vital friend of the main characters. The genuinely albinistic actor "somewhat regrets" taking the role: "I worried that it was sending the wrong message." * Cee-Cee, a character in "The Mediator" novel series by

Meg Cabot Meggin Patricia Cabot (born February 1, 1967) is an American novelist. She has written and published over 50 novels of young adult and adult fiction and is best known for her young adult series ''Princess Diaries'', which was later adapted by W ...

, is ridiculed by her classmates. Generally portrayed fairly accurately as a person with albinism, wearing protective clothing, sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses outdoors, though said to have purplish irises even though that is rare. While described supportively, as intelligent. On the other hand, Cee-Cee's aunt, who also has albinism, reads

tarot cards The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots ...

and speaks with the dead. * Harold Kline, in ''Ghost Boy'', a novel by

Iain Lawrence Iain Lawrence (born 1955) is a bestselling Canadian author for children and young adults. In 2007 he won a Governor General’s Literary Award in Children’s Literature for ''Gemini Summer''. Biography Lawrence was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontar ...

, is an albinistic youth who ran away from home and ended up working in the circus with the other "freaks", as people called them. His portrayal is supportive, but the "freak" label is not, even if accurately depicting biased attitudes. * The hermaphrodite in

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

's ''

Fellini Satyricon ''Fellini Satyricon'', or simply ''Satyricon'', is a 1969 Italian fantasy drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini and loosely based on Petronius's work ''Satyricon'', written during the reign of Emperor Nero and set in Imperial Rome ...

''.

Neutrally or ambiguously portrayed characters

Neutral or at least morally uncertain depictions of persons with albinism are also somewhat common in literature and film, as anti-heroes, morally confused characters, or simply incidentally. *

Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...

, the main character of an eponymous series of fantasy novels and short stories by

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

that began in 1961 with "The Dreaming City". Elric is described as handsome and intelligent, but physically weak without the aid of drugs and magic. In the book ''Stormbringer'', Elric's final battle saw him heroically defeating the evil forces of Chaos to become the last person alive before the rebirth of humankind. The author stated in 2004 that he had received no complaints with regards to his treatment of albinism since "after all, Elric is a hero (if somewhat flawed)". However, Elric also frequently murders in cold blood and is classified by some reviewers/critics as an anti-hero, even a protagonist–villain. Elric was based in part on the aforementioned M. Zenith. ''(See main article for further sources.)'' * "Snow", an albinistic psychic who achieves a messianic following, has his story told in ''

Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

'', a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Spock's Beard Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Ballard was rep ...

. The portrayal is ambiguous and unrealistic, and the character has a stereotypical moniker. * "U.V.", played by non-albinistic actor Chad E. Donella, in the film ''

Disturbing Behavior ''Disturbing Behavior'' is a 1998 teen science fiction psychological horror film starring James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl. The film was directed by David Nutter, who was a director and producer on ''The X-Files'', and the screenplay ...

''. He is not a villain, but a stoner with a stereotypical nickname that refers to his skin sensitivity, while on the other hand has a clever sense of humor, is "hip", and is well-accepted by his friends. ''(See main article for additional sources.)'' * "The bride" (played by the genuinely albinistic"Realistic Characters with Genetic Conditions"
''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006 Diane Costa), in '' Nobody's Fool'' (1986)"Full cast and crew for ''Nobody's Fool'' (1986)"
at IMDb Depicted accurately, though possibly mostly for comedic effect, as requiring sunglasses under her veil at her outdoor wedding, and mocked behind her back as having landed a husband out of pity, but shown as engaging in a normal societal role. * Snowdie McLain, an albinistic woman, is a central character in Eudora Welty's "

The Golden Apples ''The Golden Apples'' is a short story collection with seven stories written by Eudora Welty, first published in 1949. The stories form an interrelated cycle, which explores the economic and social plight of the fictional Morgana Mississippi: “ ...

", a book of connected stories set in Mississippi. Other characters sometimes link Snowdie's albinism to her reserved manner or her perceived helplessness. * Princess Hinoto, in the ''X'' manga and TV series and ''X-1999'' movie. While a heroine in the original comics and movie, she becomes a villain in the follow-up television series. Has red eyes in some episodes, purplish in others. Accurately portrayed as having vision problems, but also given deaf-muteness, lameness, and psychic powers. * "Whitey" (played by

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Class ...

), in ''

Buster and Billie ''Buster and Billie'' is a 1974 American neo noir crime film motion picture released by Columbia Pictures. The film was of the tragic romance/revenge film genres. It was directed by Daniel Petrie, whose credits include films such as ''Fort Apache, ...

''. He dyes his hair black, but is known by his nickname, which he wears on his hat. * The detective, in ''What's the Worst that Could Happen?''. Like the villain in ''Foul Play'', he wears all-white suits. * Olympia Binewski, an albinistic,

bald Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarrin ...

hunchbacked Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result fr ...

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

, from the 1989 novel ''

Geek Love ''Geek Love'' is a novel by Katherine Dunn, published completely by Alfred A. Knopf (a division of Random House) in 1989. Dunn published parts of the novel in ''Mississippi Mud Book of Days'' (1983) and ''Looking Glass Bookstore Review'' (1988) ...

'' by

Katherine Dunn Katherine Karen Dunn (October 24, 1945 – May 11, 2016) was a novelist, journalist, voice artist, radio personality, book reviewer, and poet from Portland, Oregon. She is best known for her novel ''Geek Love'' (1989). She was also a prolific wr ...

. "Oly" is the narrator of the story, and as part of a family intentionally bred for defects for traveling carnival show purposes is no more or less "freakish" than the rest of the major characters; her albinism appears simply to have been selected at random by the author as a genetic abnormality to add to the list. ''(See main article for sources and further detail.)'' *Cielle, a minor character in the flash animation film ''

Broken Saints ''Broken Saints'' is a partially Flash-animated horror drama web series by Brooke Burgess, with technical direction from Ian Kirby and artwork by Andrew West. First released online from 2001 to 2003, it is one of the earliest examples of a motio ...

'', is an albinistic occultist with white dreadlocks and pink eyes who gives a prophetic tarot card reading to characters Raimi and Oran. Although Oran scorns her, she is not offended and claims that many people don't understand her condition. *The personification of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

in the anime/webcomic Hetalia: Axis Powers is commonly perceived by fans of the series to be an albino, because of his red eyes and silver-white hair. Whether or not he actually albinistic has not been discussed in the series canon, however. *Mr. Skimpole, a character in '' The Somnambulist'' at first seems evil, but is made more likable through his crippled son, whom he cares for (although the narrator insinuates that his son might be a fabrication, to make Skimpole seem more sympathetic). * Kevin Smith, the silent, knife-wielding British assassin in

Goichi Suda , known by his alias Suda51, is a Japanese video game designer, writer and director. Affiliated with Human Entertainment from 1994 to 1998, he founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998 with a number of other Human Entertainment staff to produce thei ...

's ''

Killer7 is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda and produced by Hiroyuki ...

'' video game, one of the seven Smith personalities the player may control. Although a protagonist, the character's occupation as a murderer is not particularly heroic. ''(See main article for sources).'' * Theokoles, "the Shadow of Death", is an albinistic, pink-eyed

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

in the fifth episode, "Shadow Games" (2010), of the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

TV series '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand''. He is depicted as a huge and greatly feared, savage warrior prone to blood-lust, "a beast that has never been tamed". Despite the fact that at least one review labels the character an "evil albino", Theokoles is also said to have won many fortunes and his freedom via his long-undefeated string of victories in the arena, for which he is respected as well as feared by other gladiators. * The Underland humans from Suzanne Collins's "

" novel series are all albinistic, with violet eyes, since they live underground and are not exposed to the sun. They are portrayed as no different from any other race, with varying personalities. ''(See also The Banes, above.)'' * Hansberry in the film ''

A Guy Thing ''A Guy Thing'' is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Chris Koch and starring Jason Lee, Julia Stiles and Selma Blair. Plot Paul Morse (Lee) and Karen Cooper (Blair) are about to get married in Seattle. During his bachelor party, Paul has a ...

'' (2003) *The Anime/manga series ''

Deadman Wonderland is a Japanese manga series written by Jinsei Kataoka and illustrated by Kazuma Kondou, who also wrote and illustrated the ''Eureka Seven'' manga, and published in '' Shōnen Ace'' since 2008. Tokyopop acquired the licensing rights to distribut ...

'' features an albino character named Shiro (Japanese for "white"). She is introduced as an absurdly strong but ditzy and kind girl who knew the main character Ganta as a child and was in love with him. It is later revealed that Shiro is a split personality. Her secondary persona is called the Wretched Egg, a violent, psychopathic murderer. The Wretched Egg persona becomes one of the main antagonists while the Shiro persona struggles in vain to retake control. This puts her in the odd position of being both the villain and a victim. * Brynden Rivers, also known as Bloodraven for a birthmark on his neck, is an albino character in

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

's ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who init ...

'' who, while a bastard of the Targaryen bloodline, decided to not side with his rebelling siblings against the throne long before the series begins. He loses an eye during said rebellion, and serves the realm afterwards. Later he is revealed to still be living, although it is unclear if he is a villain or not thus far. * One of the ''sangomas'', or witchdoctors, in ''

Shaka Zulu Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

'' has albinism. *In

Games Workshop Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''. Founded in 1975 by John Peake (gam ...

tabletop game Tabletop games or tabletops are games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface, such as board games, card games, dice games, miniature wargames, or tile-based games. Classification according to equipment used Tabletop games c ...

The Horus Heresy ''The Horus Heresy'' is an ongoing series of science fantasy set in the fictional ''Warhammer 40,000'' setting of tabletop miniatures wargame company Games Workshop. Penned by several authors, the series takes place during the Horus Heresy, a ...

" the Emperor's Children Space Marine legion is described as having a gene-seed defect that results in an "occasional incidence of albinism, and a shift in iris colour to violet in some recruits." The Emperor's Children are initially depicted as being obsessed with achieving personal perfection in all ways, though they seemed not to care about this defect. They were the only legion allowed to bear the Emperor's name, and the only legion allowed to bear his personal standard, the "Palatine Aquila." However, they were also one of the legions which betrayed the Imperium during the Horus heresy event. Whether or not this makes them evil is entire subjective, as arguments can be made for both the Imperium and the Traitor Legions being good or evil. It is unknown whether this gene-seed defect still exists in

Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...

(of which the Horus Heresy is a spin-off game.) *In

Kazuma Kamachi is the pen name of a Japanese author who has published over 100 light novel volumes. He is best known for the creation of the ''A Certain Magical Index'' franchise which, as of 2019, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and has been licensed ...

A Certain Magical Index is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura, which has been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2004 in a total of three sepa ...

, Accelerator, is an esper with albinism due to his ability. At first he is portrayed as a villain in the story, but as the story progresses he is portrayed more of an anti-hero. ;Animals and other non-humanoid characters * Moby Dick, an albino

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

, in the book ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler, whaling ship ''Pequod (Moby- ...

''.

* The

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...

from

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

''. (Although Carroll did not specifically state that the character is albinistic, and not all white rabbits are albinos in real life, both the 1951 adaptation and the 2010 Tim Burton re-imagining, among other more obscure versions, depict him as an albino, with pink eyes.) While the White Rabbit is timid and nervous, he is depicted as one of the saner and more intelligent denizens of Wonderland. * In

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

's novel ''

Out of the Silent Planet ''Out of the Silent Planet'' is a science fiction novel by the British author C. S. Lewis, first published in 1938 by John Lane, The Bodley Head. Two sequels were published in 1943 and 1945, completing the ''Space Trilogy''. Plot While on a ...

'', the protagonist Ransom (an Englishman visiting

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

) encounters three species of intelligent

Martians Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pred ...

. One Martian individual is unpigmented. *El Blanco, in '' Tremors 3: Back to Perfection'', is an albino

graboid ''Tremors'' is a 1990 American monster horror comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, produced by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, written by Maddock, Wilson, and Underwood and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba ...

that while inaccurately portrayed as being sterile as a result of albinism. *In the '' Perils of Penelope Pitstop'' episode "Arabian Desert Danger", Penelope tries to cross a desert to donate a young albino

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

to a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

without having to put the animal in danger. *Philip of Macedonia, Uncle Amos's pet crocodile from ''

The Kane Chronicles ''The Kane Chronicles'' is a trilogy of Adventure novel, adventure and Egyptian mythology, Egyptian Mythic fiction, mythological fiction books written by American author Rick Riordan. The series is set in the same universe as Riordan's other fra ...

''. *In ''

Flushed Away ''Flushed Away'' is a 2006 computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, produced by Cecil Kramer, David Sproxton, and Peter Lord, and written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan and W ...

'', an albino rat named Whitey is one of the villain's henchmen; although he works for the villain, he comes across as friendly and good-natured with no malicious intent (making him an ambiguous example rather than a clearly negative one).

Positively portrayed characters

Persons with albinism are sometimes depicted heroically or otherwise positively, or at least accurately with regard to their condition and its medical and social results: *Alexander Kramir, from the novel Lentara is a fairly accurately portrayed boy with Albinism who helps an alien race save the Earth and falls in love with an alien. He later fathers a child who will help save the universe. * Bibwit Harte, Queen Alyss's albino tutor from

Frank Beddor Frank Beddor (July 31, 1958) is an American former world champion freestyle skier, film producer, actor, stuntman, and author. He worked as a producer on ''There's Something About Mary'' and ''Wicked'', and wrote the book ''The Looking Glass War ...

The Looking Glass Wars ''The Looking Glass Wars'' is a series of three novels by Frank Beddor, heavily inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and its 1871 sequel ''Through the Looking-Glass''. The premise is that the two books w ...

. A human version of the

''(see above)'' from

, he has large, unusually sensitive ears, and his name is an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of "white rabbit." * Dancy Flammarion, the monster-slaying heroine of

Caitlín R. Kiernan Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan (born 26 May 1964) is an Irish-born American published paleontologist and author of science fiction and dark fantasy works, including 10 novels, series of comic books, and more than 250 published short stories, novella ...

's ''Alabaster'' comics, as well as many prose stories by the author, including her novel ''Threshold'' and the short stories collected in ''Alabaster.'' * Beowulf "Bey" Shaeffer, hero of several stories in

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...

Known Space Known Space is the fictional setting of about a dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by Larry Niven. It has also become a shared universe in the spin-off ''Man-Kzin Wars'' anthologies. The Internet Spec ...

series, from the planet We Made It, which is populated primarily by albinistic people due to a

founder effect In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942, using ...

from the original colonists. ''(See main article for sources.)'' * Bran Davies, in " The Dark Is Rising" novel series, is a positive portrayal but somewhat inaccurate because the character lacks any vision problems. *

Bjørn Beltø Bjørn Beltø is a fictional crime novel character created by Tom Egeland, the great-grandson of the writer Jon Flatabø. In an interview with the newspaper ''Aftenposten'', Egeland explained that the protagonist Bjørn Beltø in the novel ''Sirkel ...

, an archaeologist in

Tom Egeland Tom Egeland (born 8 July 1959 in Oslo) is a Norwegian author. His great-grandfather was Jon Flatabø from Kvam in Hardanger, one of the pioneer authors of popular literature in Norway. Egeland's novels are published in Norwegian and transelate ...

's Norwegian novel ''Sirkelens Ende'' (''Circle's End''), , which pre-dates but is very similar to ''

'', which incidentally features an albinistic person in a negative role while Egeland's novel does the opposite. * Pete White in ''

The Venture Bros. ''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animation, adult animated action comedy TV series created by Chris McCulloch (also known as "Jackson Publick") for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on ...

'' animated series on "

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

". An albinistic computer scientist and friend of Dr. Venture from his college years, he runs "Conjectural Technologies" with Master Billy Quizboy, Boy Genius. The name is stereotypical (as per superhero convention), but his intelligence is accentuated, and the character is not otherwise mocked, although Dr. Venture makes a reference in the pilot to an experiment gone awry with a device called an "albino bomb." This line does not seem to be canon though. In an earlier career as a TV quiz host, he wore a black wig and used makeup in an attempt to appear "normal", although this fear came less from discrimination than from his own desire to be popular. * Misaki Saiki, an albinistic dominatrix, is the principle heroine in the '' Vulgar Ghost Daydream'' manga. She speaks to ghosts for a special government agency, but such fantasy is common in the genre. ''(See main article for sources.)'' * Billy Raven of the "

Children of the Red King Charlie Bone is a series of ten children's fantasy, school and adventure novels written by British author Jenny Nimmo, first published by Egmont 2002 to 2010. It is sometimes called "the ''Charlie Bone'' series" after its main character. A ser ...

" novel series, an albinistic orphan initially manipulated into helping a villain, is overall a sympathetic character. Realistically, he needs eyeglasses; unrealistically, he has the magic ability to talk to animals, although his supernatural abilities are said to not be related to his albinism (cf. "Snow" and "Powder", etc., above). *

Geralt of Rivia Geralt of Rivia ( pl, Geralt z Rivii) is a fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsist ...

from Andrzej Sapowski's 'The Witcher' series. * Setsuna Sakurazaki of the manga ''

Negima! ''Negima! Magister Negi Magi'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from February 2003 to March 2012, with its chapters co ...

'' is stated to be an albino who regularly dyes her hair and wears contact lenses to hide her albinism. ''(See main article for sources.)'' * Peter Smart in Adam Salter's 2007 novel ''The Platinum Prison'' () is an albinistic man, tortured by the label "albino", who "tries...to find his place in life and search sfor acceptance and love" in the late 1960s and early 1970s. * Persephone "Percy" Parker, "an albino orphan with a talent for languages", in Leanna Renee Hieber's Gothic occult novels set in Victorian London, is a sympathetic character described as a beautiful and intelligent young woman, with a normal love life and the respect of colleagues. * The Albino Pirate from

Gideon Defoe Gideon Defoe (born 26 December 1975) is a British writer and author of ''The Pirates!'', a series of comedy books following a group of pirates on their adventures. Bibliography *''The Pirates! series: ** '' The Pirates! in an Adventure with Sci ...

's ''

The Pirates! ''The Pirates!'' is a series of five comedy books following a group of pirates on their adventures. It is written by British author Gideon Defoe and was published starting in 2004 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The fifth book, ''The Pirates! in an Ad ...

'' series is a fan favorite character, noted for his kindness, youthful inexperience, and naivete. While his condition is occasionally exploited or misunderstood, he is always portrayed fairly, and his albinism is not the central focus of his character. (While his name, or lack thereof, seems to indicate otherwise, all the pirates are named for one noticeable feature, e.g. The Pirate With Gout or The Pirate with a Scarf.) * Strangelove, an albino bisexual artificial intelligence developer from the ''

Metal Gear is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...

'' series. * The playable avatar from ''

Fire Emblem Fates ''Fire Emblem Fates'' is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released inter ...

'' (named Corrin by default) has traits of

, though this is only by default since this character can be customized. * Sunny, the heroine of fantasy novel

Akata Witch ''Akata Witch'' (retitled ''What Sunny Saw in the Flames'' in Nigeria and the UK) is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor. It was nominated for the Andre Norton Award and it is the first novel in the ''Nsibidi ...

Nnedi Okorafor Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor (formerly Okorafor-Mbachu; born April 8, 1974) is a Nigerian-American writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. She is best known for her ''Binti Series'' and her novels ''Who Fears ...

, is an American-born Nigerian girl with albinism who discovers her magical abilities and enters the world of the Leopard People. *In the 2012 Canadian movie

war witch ''War Witch'' (french: Rebelle) is a 2012 Canadian dramatic war film written and directed by Kim Nguyen and starring Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien and Serge Kanyinda. It is about a child soldier forced into a civil war in Africa, an ...

(rebelle) by Kim Nguyen, telling the story of a runaway child soldier in West Africa and an albino boy played by Serge Kanyinda, albinos play an important role. The movie portrays an albino community. ;Animals and other non-humanoid characters * Dangerous Beans, an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

albino rat in

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

's children's novel, ''

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents ''The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'' is a children's fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, published by Doubleday in 2001. It is the 28th novel in the ''Discworld'' series and the first written for children. The story is a ...

'', is the most intelligent and peaceful of the group, and a kind of spiritual leader. He is almost totally blind. *Urthwyte the Mighty, an

albino badger in the "

"-series fantasy novel ''

Salamandastron ''Salamandastron'' is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 1992. It is the fifth book published and eighth chronologically in the ''Redwall'' series. Plot introduction Ferahgo the Assassin, a terrible weasel warlord, and his son Kli ...

'' by

Brian Jacques James Brian Jacques (, as in "Jakes"; 15 June 1939 – 5 February 2011) was an English novelist known for his ''Redwall'' series of novels and ''Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'' series. He also completed two collections of short stories entit ...

. He is portrayed as a kind, gentle and talented leader. * Chobbal, an albino

, is the hero of ''Sophie and the Albino Camel'' and other books by British children's author Stephen Davies. He experiences rejection by his own mother, and is fed and nurtured by a young African boy. He has a cheerful and generous disposition."Times Educational Supplement: An Awkward Age"
. *Ghost, in

's ''

'', is an albino

dire wolf The dire wolf (''Aenocyon dirus'' ) is an extinct canine. It is one of the most famous prehistoric carnivores in North America, along with its extinct competitor ''Smilodon''. The dire wolf lived in the Americas and eastern Asia during the Lat ...

trained to aid his companion Jon Snow. He is the second most frequently referred-to companion animal in the story. * The ''

Magic: The Gathering ''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a tabletop and digital collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro), ''Magic'' was the first ...

'' character Ajani Goldmane is an albino leonid (a race of fictional

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

s). Once saw as a bad omen from his own tribe for his condition, after the brother's death he became a "Planeswalker", a powerful being capable to travel to the other planes of the game's multiverse (a trait secluded to most of the other living beings).

Other references to albinism

Comics

Albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

is the alias of two Marvel Comics supervillains, Augusta Seger and Ulysses Counts. In Augusta Seger's backstory, he acquired the nickname "Albino" in school because of his pale skin, he grew up to become a criminal, and was recruited into the Power Men supervillain team and given a serum which allowed him to mimic others' superpowers. After Augusta was arrested, he accidentally transferred his powers to Ulysses Counts, his friend and old partner in crime, who gained the ability to phase through solid objects, used that power to escape from jail, and assumed the alias of Albino. * Tombstone, an albino

be one of

's enemies. *Allison Double, a telepathic woman with albinism is an ally of

Captain Britain Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer Ch ...

. She helps

Betsy Braddock Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Captain Britain and the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, she ...

adjust to life without her sight after she's brutally beaten and blinded by Slaymaster. *Deluge (Mzungu) is an African mutant with albinism. He fought (and was killed) by the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

. *Other albino characters have appeared in the Marvel main continuity universe: the Hellfire Club member Scribe (Jane Hampshire), the mobsters Fade (DiLorenzo) and Lord Drain, the villainous businesswoman Headhunter ...

Film

, an albino

, was the main enemy on

, revealed to'd tried to wipe out the pandas to prevent a prophecy of one defeating him, among them being Po's mother. *

Rudy Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch polit ...

, an albino

, was the main enemy of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and the nemesis of the daring

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...

Buck whose left eye he destroyed. * James, a character in ''

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. Th ...

'', had a catchphrase, "I'm an albino!" that he used as a child star in a fictitious sitcom about a

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

child growing up in a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

family. In the film, he has grown up, and people use "I'm an albino!" as a greeting to him at parties. He and his partner also gleefully shout the phrase while having sex. At one party, a man with albinism comes up to James and talks to him, saying "I really am an albino" (although played by

Reg Vermue Reg Vermue is a Canadian indie rock singer from Guelph, Ontario. Born in Trenton, Ontario, he has recorded music under the stage names Gentleman Reg and Regina Gently. His musical style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, The Smiths ...

, who has normal pigment in real life).

Music

* "An albino" (along with "a

mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...

") is mentioned in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of Nirvana's hit song about teenage angst and high school factionalism, "

Smells Like Teen Spirit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...

Television

*''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008 to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club ope ...

'' season 2, episode 1, titled "

Albification "Albification" is the second season premiere of the FX television series ''Sons of Anarchy''. It was written by Kurt Sutter, the original series creator, directed by Guy Ferland, and staff-written by Misha Green. It originally aired in the Unit ...

", concerns "whitewashing" various unpleasant truths, and introduces L.O.A.N., a new (fictional)

white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...

organization, which strives to prevent the titular motorcycle club of the show from doing business with

people of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

Myths, folklore, and urban legends

Africa

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, modern

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

posits that sexual intercourse with an albinistic person will cure one of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

, leading to the

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

and subsequent HIV infection of women with albinism in that region. In

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

in 2008, President

Kikwete Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 under his ...

publicly condemned

witch doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of Folk healer, healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to Alternative medicine, healers, particularly in region ...

s for opportunistic persecution of albinism, including a spate of murders of albinistic people. Over 50 albinos were murdered between March 2007 and October 2008. They were motivated to kill albinos for their body parts which are thought to bring good luck – hair, arms, legs and blood are used to make potions which the witch doctors claim will bring prosperity. Consequently, graves of the albinistic have to be sealed with cement to discourage grave robbers. By June 2008, killings had been reported in neighboring

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and possibly also the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, spreading to

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

by October 2008.

Caribbean

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, people with albinism were historically degraded, and regarded as "

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

d". In recent times, the albinistic musicians King

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

and Al Beeno have helped to curb this stereotype.

North America

The 2004 book ''Weird N.J.'' (a tie-in to the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

TV series '' Weird U.S.'') chronicled and further popularized one of the lesser-known local

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

s of the US, "albino colonies". The book uses alleged first-hand accounts mailed to the authors to paint a picture of various locations in the U.S. (most notably

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

) where aggregations of albinistic families were said to live in seclusion. The accounts tell tales of honking horns to try to bring the residents out of their houses, of gawkers being shot at by residents, and even of gangs of local albinistic

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

s. In some versions of the

sewer alligator Sewer alligator stories date back to the late 1920s and early 1930s; in most instances they are part of contemporary legend. They are based upon reports of alligator sightings in rather unorthodox locations, in particular New York City. ''The ...

urban legends, the alligators supposedly became albinistic due to mutation and/or lack of exposure to sunlight which erroneously conflates pallor due to lack of exposure to sunlight with albinism.

South America

Among the

Kuna Kuna may refer to: Places * Kuna, Idaho, a town in the United States ** Kuna Caves, a lava tube in Idaho * Kuna Peak, a mountain in California * , a village in the Orebić municipality, Croatia * , a village in the Konavle municipality, Croatia ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, members with albinism have a special place in their indigenous mythology. While they are regarded as physically inferior, at the same time they are regarded as 'closer to God' and in possession of special powers. At times of eclipses, the Kunas believe their members with albinism are able to scare away with bow and arrow the demon who devours the sun or moon.

Film and television coverage of discrimination against albinism

Due to a wave of

persecution of people with albinism Persecution of people with albinism (sometimes abbreviated PWA) is based on the belief that certain body parts of albinistic people can transmit magical powers. Such superstition is present especially in some parts of the African Great Lake ...

in some parts of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(especially

and neighboring countries) a number of

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

s have been made about the problem. They have depicted persecution including ritual murder and dismemberment for potions and good-luck charms. These include: * '' In My Genes'' (

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, 2009) * '' White and Black: Crimes of Color'' (

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

/Tanzania, 2010) * '' In the Shadow of the Sun'' (Tanzania, 2013) * ''Black Man White Skin'' (2015) Also released in 2013, ''White Shadow'', an award-winning

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

–

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

–Tanzanian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, portrays the plight of albinistic Tanzanians and their efforts to avoid falling victim to witchdoctors' bounty hunters. Outside the African context, the 2007 short film "Perception Is Not Reality: Portraying the REAL Truths About Albinism", was produced by Mashawna Thompson, editor of the ''Parent of a Child with Albinism'' blog. Originally released on the now-defunct OneTrueMedia.com platform. It attempted to dispel Hollywood and urban-legend misconceptions about the condition. A new version, featuring over 40 different children with albinism, was released in 2014. The theme of ''The Albino Code'' (2007) is to point out the absurdity of typical depictions of albinistic people in Western media. In 2009, two

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

albinistic

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...

s, Shaun Ross and Diandra Forrest, were the focus of an episode of the ''

Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

'', and revealed the traumas they experienced growing up albinistic, before finding unexpected success in front of the camera. This short piece covers Banks's meeting Ross which led up to the episode. The site is now defunct, and no video is available from it (or even images), though the episode can be found on YouTube and similar sites. Exact airdate uncertain. ''My Colour, Your Kind'', a 1998 Australian film, gives a powerful, impressionistic insight into the feelings of alienation experienced by a teenage albino Aboriginal girl. In a convent boarding school in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, she is misunderstood and bullied by a severe, unloving nun. She escapes in dreams and eventually in reality to her mother where she feels at peace.

Notable people with albinism

* Salum Khalfani Bar'wani, a politician in

(a country marked by

) elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

in October 2010. *

Connie Chiu Connie Chiu (born 1969) is a fashion model and jazz musician known for being the world's first fashion model with albinism. Chiu was born in British Hong Kong and grew up in Kowloon. The congenital absence of pigmentation in her skin and hair ...

, a Hong Kong female fashion model with

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs inc ...

''See main article(s) on topic mentioned for sources.'' *

Cano Estremera Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón (2 September 1958 – 28 October 2020) was a Puerto Rican Salsa singer who was a native of Santurce, Puerto Rico. Estremera was nicknamed "" () and later "" (), for his uncanny ability to improvise lyrics to Salsa ...

, a Puerto Rican

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...

ian * Winston "Yellowman" Foster (also known as "King Yellowman"), a Jamaican

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

musician * G. Harishankar, a Carnatic ''khanjira'' drummer *

Thando Hopa Thando Hopa (born 1989 in Sebokeng) is a South African model, activist, and lawyer. She is the first woman with albinism to be on the cover of ''Vogue''. While working as a prosecutor, she was scouted by Gert-Johan Coetzee to work as a model. ...

, South African model, activist, and lawyer. * Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and actor *

Zephania Kameeta Zephania Kameeta (born 7 August 1945 in Otjimbingwe, Erongo Region) is a Namibian religious and political leader. Since March 2015, he has been the Namibian Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. Religious work Kameeta studied at th ...

, a Namibian religious and political leader * Stanley Sataan Kaoni

Stanley Kaoni (also known as "Sataan"), a former

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

militant leader. Kaoni has light blonde hair and pale facial skin with some evidence of

vitiligo Vitiligo is a disorder that causes the skin to lose its color. Specific causes are unknown but studies suggest a link to immune system changes. Signs and symptoms The only sign of vitiligo is the presence of pale patchy areas of depigmen ...

, and appears to have developed some pigmentation especially on the arms; his particular type of albinism is likely to be OCA1b. *

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

, a

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

an popular musician *

Malford Milligan Malford Milligan (born March 29, 1959) is an American singer. He sings soul, blues and gospel songs and also writes music. He has won 8 Austin Music Awards for Best Vocalist. Career Storyville In 1994 Milligan became the singer for Storyville ...

, an American blues and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer''Albinism Through the Eyes of Bianca''
, by Bianca Knowlton,

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

, England, 12 February 2007
specific page here
* Refilwe "Vanillablaq" Modiselle, South African female fashion model, singer, and actress, nominated to the ''

Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'' 2013 "Power List" * Corrie "Al Beeno" Moodie (also known as "Prince Yellowman"), a Jamaican dancehall musician now living in Canada * Nahadr3

Mem "M" Nahadr, an African-American performance artist, author, composer,

off-broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

producer, and multi-octave, multi-genred

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

. *

* Ali "Brother Ali" Newman, an American hip hop artist *

Hermeto Pascoal Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, 1936) is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a significant figure in the history of Brazilian music, mainly known for his abilities in orches ...

, a Brazilian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician * Willie "Piano Red" Perryman, an American

blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

ian *

Abdallah Possi Dr. Abdallah Saleh Possi (born 25 August 1979) is a Tanzanian politician who serves as Tanzania's Ambassador to Germany. He is also accredited to Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, the Holy See, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Switzerland.https:// ...

, a deputy government minister in Tanzania. * Shaun Ross, an African-American male fashion model with Djamee Models *

Sivuca Severino Dias de Oliveira (May 26, 1930 – December 14, 2006), known professionally as Sivuca, was a Brazilian accordionist, guitarist and singer. In addition to his home state of Paraíba, Brazil, and cities Recife and Rio de Janeiro, he worked ...

, another Brazilian

musician * Seinei, 22nd

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

(5th century) *

William Archibald Spooner William Archibald Spooner (22 July 1844 – 29 August 1930) was a British clergyman and long-serving Oxford don. He was most notable for his absent-mindedness, and for supposedly mixing up the syllables in a spoken phrase, with unintentionally ...

, an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest and Oxford

don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

Darnell Swallow ''Big Brother 2008'', also known as ''Big Brother 9'', was the ninth series of the British reality television series ''Big Brother (British TV series), Big Brother''. The show followed twenty-one contestants, known as housemates, who were isolate ...

, a contestant on ''Big Brother 9'' UK (2008); noted for discussing albinism and his desire for acceptance with his on-show housemates, e.g. wearing a top with the words "Don't Label Me. Respect Me" *

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

and actor. *

Redford White Cipriano "Dodoy" M. Cermeño II (December 5, 1955 – July 25, 2010), better known by his screen name Redford White, was a Filipino actor and comedian. He was best known on his role as Sol in the television sitcom ''Buddy and Sol'' opposite Eric Q ...

(Cipriano Cermeño II), a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

actor and comedian *

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

and

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

, American blues-rock musician brothers * David Wrench, a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

-born

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

ian"David Wrench"
BBC Wales – Music, ''bbc.co.uk''; accessed 11 March 2007"David Wrench Biography"
BBC Wales – Music, ''bbc.co.uk''. Retrieved 11 March 2007 *

Zāl use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

( fa, زال), a warrior of ancient

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(present-day

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

), mentioned in '' The Book of Kings'' and ''

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...

''. Today, in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

''zaal'' is a term for albinistic people.

People commonly mistaken to have albinism

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

was falsely said to be albino, by his widow, for unknown reasons.Oldies Music Guide Profile: Roy Orbison
, by Robert Fontenot,

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

; accessed 27 January 2007. German singer

Heino Heinz Georg Kramm (born 13 December 1938), known professionally as Heino, is a German singer of Schlager and traditional Volksmusik. Having sold a total of over 50 million records, he is one of the most successful German musicians of all time ...

has

Graves' disease Graves' disease (german: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyr ...

, which can be mistaken for albinism. Actor

Anthony Rapp Anthony Deane Rapp (born October 26, 1971) is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of ''Rent''. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, Rapp reprised it in the film version ...

fronts a rock band called Albinokid, but is not albinistic, being a normally pigmented, blonde

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

. Prime Minister of the UK,

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

, known for his pale hair, has also been mistakenly called albino. In general, platinum blonde ("towheaded") people with very pale skin can be mistaken for albinistic (and conversely, some forms of albinism can result in

phenotypes In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

so normal-looking that only genetic testing can reveal the albinistic genes).

Notable albino animals

Many notable albino animals have become special attractions at zoos or theme parks.

Bristol Zoo Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend” biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider unders ...

was the home to a very rare albino

African penguin The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiff ...

named Snowdrop, who was hatched at the zoo in October 2002 and died in August 2004."Albino Penguin 'One-in-a-million'"
no by-line, ''BBC News'' (online edition), 13 December 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2007."Zoo's Rare Albino Penguin Is Dead"
no by-line, ''BBC News'' (online edition), 19 August 2004. Retrieved 11 April 2007. For many years, a unique albino

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

named Floquet de Neu in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

and Copito de Nieve in Spanish (both meaning "Snowflake"), was the most famous resident of the Parc Zoològic de

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

.''FloquetDeNeu.es''
, Parc Zoològic de

, date of publication unknown (no earlier than 24 November 2003); accessed 11 April 2007. There is also an albino crocodile in Jungle Island theme park in Miami, Fl. Other notable albino animals have been found in the wild. An albino

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...

called

Migaloo The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

(

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

for "White Lad") travels the east coast of Australia, and has become famous in the local media.''MigalooWhale.org''

Pacific Whale Foundation The Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1980 and based in Maui, Hawaii that conducts whale research and educates the public in an effort to save vulnerable species of whales from extinction. As of 2012 the ...

;

Maui, Hawaii The island of Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th largest island in the United S ...

, USA, 2007; accessed 11 April 2007."Stormy seas for Migaloo and friends"
Darby, Andrew; ''Sydney Morning Herald'',

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, 20 April 2005; accessed 11 April 2007 In 2009, a pink albino

bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...

, nicknamed Pinky, was sighted several times in an inland lake in the United States,"Pink dolphin appears in US lake"
''Telegraph'', United Kingdom, 5 March 2009; accessed 7 March 2009 and footage of it has become popular on Internet video sites. Perhaps the most significant albino animal in history was

Mocha Dick Mocha Dick (; died 1838) was a male sperm whale that lived in the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, usually encountered in the waters near Mocha Island, off the central coast of Chile. American explorer and author Jeremiah N. Reynolds pu ...

, a

of the early 19th century that lived mostly near the island of Mocha, off

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

's southern Pacific coast, several decades before

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

fictionalized him in the 1851 novel ''

''. The real whale was renowned for being docile until attacked whereupon he became ferocious and capable of disabling smaller vessels. This made him widely feared among

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

crews, though also a target for adventurous captains, who engaged him in possibly as many as hundred or more sea battles before he was eventually killed.

References

External links

''Albinism in Popular Culture''
website

(as of 2005) * ttps://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58599,00.html "Pale Riders Who Wear Black Hats"– ''Wired News'' article on albinism in cinema
NOAH, National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albinism in Popular Culture Animals in popular culture Prejudice and discrimination