Sterling Archer

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This article is about the fictional character. For the television series, see Archer (TV series).
Sterling Archer
Archer character
Sterling Archer.png
First appearance "Mole Hunt"
Created by Adam Reed
Portrayed by H. Jon Benjamin
Occupation Special agent for the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) (formerly)
Cocaine Dealer
Family Malory Archer (mother)
Ron Cadillac (former step-father)
Unknown biological father
Seamus Magoon-Archer (legal son)
Abbiejean Kane-Archer (daughter)
Significant other(s) Lana Kane (prior to series)
Cheryl Tunt (1.01)
Katya Kasanova
Linda Belcher

Sterling Malory Archer (often simply referred to as Archer) is the title character and the main protagonist of the American animated comedy series Archer. For the first four seasons, he is a special agent of the intelligence agency ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service), working at the agency's main headquarters in New York City. After ISIS is shut down by the FBI, Archer joins some of his former co-workers into a life of crime, trying to sell a tonne of cocaine. Archer was created by series creator Adam Reed, who began working on the character shortly after the conclusion of the television series Frisky Dingo. The character is voiced by actor H. Jon Benjamin.

Largely influenced by Ian Fleming's vision of James Bond,[1] Archer has been described as pompous, misogynist, egotistical, and attractive. The character is highly promiscuous, often verging on hypersexual proportions, and is a heavy alcoholic. His habitual use of alcohol can be seen as a parallel to Bond, who was an ardent drinker and smoker throughout much of the James Bond novels.[1] A portion of the show's plot has been devoted to Archer searching for his biological father, which has resulted in growing tensions between him and his mother Mallory Archer.

Throughout the series' run, the character has received positive reviews from critics. Similarly, critics have commended Benjamin's voicework, citing his delivery and distinctive monotone voice as highlights of the show. For his portrayal, he has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and an Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Television Production.



Archer was born in Tangier, Morocco as the first and only child of Mallory Archer,[2] a retired special agent and the CEO of the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). As an adult he is a blue eyed, black haired Caucasian male, who weighs 184 pounds and is 6'2" in height.[3] He is named for the sterling silver baby rattle then-barman (later valet) Woodhouse gave his mother shortly after she gave birth to him, explaining that "a clapped out Arab whore traded it for a pint" at his bar. For most of his life, Archer believed that his biological father passed away when he was three years old; however, Mallory reveals that John Fitzgerald Archer was a fake identity she created, and the true identity of Archer's father is the subject of more than one episode. Russian colonel Nikolai Jakov receives the most screen time, but it could also be O.D.I.N. director Len Trexler, American jazz drummers Bernard "Buddy" Rich or Gene Krupa.[4] In one episode, Mallory also mentions a black-haired, blue-eyed Italian activist with whom she had been in love. In the season 4 episode "Once Bitten" Archer remembers a suppressed memory during a cobra venom induced hallucination of his father visiting him in secret on his birthday as a child. The unknown man gives Archer a stuffed alligator (hinting at a connection with his fear of them). The man's face is never seen and the reliability of this memory cannot be verified, though the flashback does indicate the man doesn't have a foreign accent, likely ruling out Jakov as a possible father. Archer is brought out of his delirious state before he can see the man's face. Archer spent all of his primary and secondary educational years at a boarding school for over fifteen years,[5] where he tried out and participated in the school's lacrosse team.[3] Although not explicitly stated, it appears Archer graduated from Georgetown University.[6]



Aisha Tyler[7]

Archer mainly comes off as extremely narcissistic, Reed's main objective in creating Archer was to make him "as dickish as possible", yet also have him possess sympathetic characteristics.[8] The character has been described as "misogynistic",[9] "racist",[9] "suave",[10][11] "bumbling",[12] "inept",[13] "handsome",[13] "vain",[13] and "nasty".[13] Archer is a heavy alcoholic, and often uses his position as a secret agent to have sex, which often results in him being the subject of scrutiny; according to Pam Poovey, the Human Resources Director of ISIS, most of her work consists of managing sexual harassment complaints against him.[3] "On Archer, the arrogant, thickheaded superspy puts the moves on any curvy woman he encounters," affirmed Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly in his review of "The Man from Jupiter".[14] Despite being a dependable agent on his own terms, Archer displays frequent bouts of incompetence while attempting to complete laborious tasks.[15]

GQ '​s Dennis Tang proclaimed that as Archer progresses over time, the character's abrasive qualities have become less notable, as Archer becomes more affectionate with his peers. This is indicative of revelations such as channeling a love for ocelots and revealing anxieties such as a fear of aligators, crocodiles, and brain aneurysms.[8] Although Reed agreed with such sentiments, he concluded that Archer was still a "total douche".[8] "I think that remains the trick," he resumed, "to make him as dickish as possible but still sympathetic. I think we get glimpses behind his façade accidentally, like I'm sure he wouldn't do that voluntarily, but you see moments of his sad childhood, and unguarded moments with an animal, or his total adulation of Burt Reynolds. I think those help the times when he's an utter dick, you go, 'Eh, well, he didn't have it so easy'."[8]

Archer displays an unusual knowledge of popular culture and references it frequently. His favorite celebrity is actor Burt Reynolds (and his favorite film is Reynold's Gator). This also extends to Archer's fear of both terminators and Predator. Archer also frequently attempts (and fails) to come up with one-liners appropriate to situations he finds himself in. He also is fond of creating elaborate voicemail pranks to irritate his coworkers, particularly his mother. After being referred to as possibly autistic in S4E08, It has become more emphasized that Archer has a natural talent for mathematical calculation. This shows through his ability to convert numerical values between different measurements within a few seconds, as well as being able to count and memorize how many bullets remain in, sometimes multiple, various magazines on the spot. These qualities are most emphasized in episodes S4E08, S4E12, and S5E04.

Archer has complex relationships with many of his coworkers. He has an ambivalent dynamic with his mother, who was often negligent of him during his childhood; in turn, this resulted in Archer developing feelings of maternal abandonment—or so-called "mommy issues".[16] Some of these issues have translated into sexual tension, as evident when Archer gets an erection from the thought of Mallory being dead and when he shouts her name during sex with Lana.[17] Archer initially has an estranged relationship with Lana, who ended their multi-year relationship six months before the start of the series "because of the thirty-five-year-old umbilical cord." However, after Archer's battle with cancer, Lana becomes more affectionate with him—something that she "didn’t have before [...] She’s softened quite a bit towards him."[18] The ISIS spymaster frequently uses his cunning wit and sarcasm to degrade his peers, as well as to hide his insecurities. "I think it’s because he has someone lower on the totem pole than he is," concluded Reed, who felt that in the instance of him collaborating with Lana and Cyril Figgis in "El Contador", Archer bullies Cyril to appear as an equal to her.[15]


Archer is introduced in the episode "Mole Hunt", as a special agent for the intelligence agency International Secret Intelligence Service. He attempts to make amends with a resistant ex-girlfriend Lana Kane, who ended their relationship six months prior because of an affair. The situation is further exacerbated by Cyril Figgis, who is Lana's companion at the time.[17] Concurrently, he had a brief relationship with secretary Cheryl Tunt.[17] Lana's drive to get revenge on Archer for cheating on her is fairly evident throughout the initial half of the first season, even going as far as to shoot him on multiple occasions.[19][20] Unbeknownst to Archer, Malory has been keeping in contact with Nikolai Jakov and Len Trexler, one of whom—despite serving for rivaling agencies—could possibly be his real father.[19] By "Dial M for Mother", he becomes suspicious of Malory's sly tactics, which prompts her to affirm that the identity of Archer's biological father is unknown.[4]

Much of the second season of Archer is devoted to the character identifying his real father. Archer travels to Russia to find out whether Jakov is his biological father, only to be stranded and kidnapped by agents of the Soviet Committee for State Security (KGB).[21] Worried about her missing son, Malory sends nemesis Barry Dylan to rescue Archer from the KGB—Barry is later severely injured after falling from grabbing onto Archer's legs for dear life. Although unsuccessful at finding out the DNA results, he meets Katya Kasanova, a former KGB spymaster looking to enter into ISIS.[21] Eventually, the couple get married; however, the marriage is interrupted by Barry, who is now a cyborg revitalized by the KGB (in a parody (one of dozens in the show, all with different targets) of The Six Million Dollar Man).[22] Following a growing disdain of Archer after previously destroying his femur and having anal sex with his (now ex-)fiancée,[23] he attempts to murder him. Katya unsuccessfully attempts to kill Barry by jumping off of the roof of Archer's apartment building, sacrificing herself in the process.[22] During the search for his father, Archer develops breast cancer after being exposed to high doses of radiation. Although the group thinks that he has entered into remission by the latter half of "Stage Two",[24] the following episode concedes that the tumor has progressed into Stage II breast cancer.[25] Treatment for the tumor consisted of sucrose pills and Zima, according to an evaluation commenced by Dr. Algernop Krieger, causing Lana and Archer to tackle a local Irish gang that has been smuggling anticancer drugs in lieu of the sucrose pills and Zima solution.[25]

Distraught by the death of his fiancée, Archer retreats to French Polynesia to recuperate from the frenetic pace of his occupation. Rip Riley, a former ISIS agent, is recruited by Malory to pursue him and return Archer to New York City.[3] After a futile attempt, Lana and Ray Gillette are sent to rescue Archer and Riley, who have been kidnapped by pirates.[3] Ultimately, the duo are captured by the pirates and put into a dungeon, where Riley, Noah (a doctoral candidate in Anthropology who was enslaved by the pirates after they captured his research vessel), and Archer are being harbored. Malory prepares to administer a ransom for the group, but later declines to extort money to the assailants after being insulted by Archer. Now temporarily severed from ties with the International Security Intelligence Service, the group steals a helicopter and escapes from the pirate fortress.[3]

FBI agents shutdown ISIS as it turns out it was not sanctioned by the U.S. government to perform acts of espionage whatsoever. Throughout the fifth season, Archer and the rest of ISIS are selling the tonne of cocaine they have stored in order to make enough money for early retirements. Towards the end of the season, Malory succeeds in having ISIS reinstated as an official agency by cutting an affiliation deal with the CIA. Around the same time, it is revealed that Archer is the father of Lana Kane's newborn daughter, conceived through in vitro fertilization from semen stored when Archer was being treated for cancer.



And I started reading those, and I had never read them before, and it was like, page one—this guy is a dick! He's a troubled man, and he's incredibly misogynistic. There's one scene—I forget which book it's from, but basically what happens is rape. It's like, 'She protested, but then Bond twisted her hand behind her back and took his reward.' Like, what the shit?!

Adam Reed[1]

After the subsequent cancellation of the television series Frisky Dingo in 2008, Reed took a year off from work and traveled to Europe and Morocco for leisure. He would often observe the general atmosphere of the environment around him.[1] "I was in Europe and Morocco for most of the year," Reed recalled, "bumming around with a backpack and a scruffy beard, and sitting in cafes writing in my journal, seeing all these wealthy people and beautiful women, walking around, looking all European. I kept thinking about this world that I wasn't invited to going on behind me in these gorgeous buildings. I was like, 'I know there's some awesome cocktail party on the roof of that building, and I am walking around with a Hot Pocket.' So I kept thinking about, y'know, James Bond would totally be at that party, and would not be eating this Hot Pocket."[1]

Hoping to become innovative in the spy fiction genre, Reed continued his endeavors at home. He read all of the James Bond novels, which were given to him several years previously by an acquaintance.[1] Reed quickly alluded to the misogynist nature of the covers of the novels, which he described as Pulp Fiction-esque covers of Bond "assaulting a woman somehow while playing cards".[26] Although the Archer creator wanted the title character to embody an obtuse, yet sympathetic personality, he was still apprehensive on modeling it after James Bond until viewing GoldenEye (1995); in the film, Reed was immediately captivated by Judi Dench's portrayal of M—the head of the Secret Intelligence Service.[26] "I was spinning my wheels on that," Reed remarked, "and then it clicked when I was watching the James Bond reboot with Judi Dench as M, and then I thought what if M was James Bond’s mother, and what a weird dynamic that would be, and what if they were both horrible people."[26]

FX initially disapproved of Archer's bumbling demeanor, as similar endeavors have previously been done on multiple occasions.[clarification needed] This made it especially difficult on Reed in writing the script for "Mole Hunt", the pilot episode of the series.[27] "It was hard, if a guy’s really good looking and apparently rich and has a great apartment and has really great clothes and dates all the girls and could kick your face off, if he’s also the smartest guy in the room, you’re not going to root for him."[27] Indeed, he would often debate with the executives of FX on the character throughout the first season, but concerns later subsided after Reed asserted that Archer was merely overconfident, and not dumb. "He’s just supremely confident and thinks that nothing bad is ever going to happen to him, so in these dangerous situations where he’s being an idiot, he’s just being willfully obtuse to see what will happen."[27]

All of the main characters on the program were modeled after a select group of local residents of Atlanta. The producers then had them dressed up in period clothing.[28] "We just grabbed people around here, and then it was just sort of a fluke that they ended up looking like, to some extent, their real-life counterparts."[28] Archer was designed after an electrician who, according to Adam Reed, was "exactly that handsome and also really nice".[28]


Reed originally wanted to provide the voice of the character, but eventually recognized that his voice would stand out amongst other professional actors.[29] H. Jon Benjamin—who Reed was familiar with from his work on various Adult Swim cartoons such as The Venture Bros. and Home Movies—was approached for the role of Archer, who was given a phone call from the Archer creator while visiting his parents in Tucson, Arizona.[30] Benjamin initially didn't know him at the time. Benjamin was given a copy of the pilot script, and later recorded it at a Tucson studio the following week.[30] "So I think I just went in to this—it was in the back of this guy’s house or something. He had a makeshift studio. So it felt dirty, but I don’t think I read the script prior, didn’t get it. I just happen to be visiting my parents and it all happened, so I just went in and read and it worked out well for them, not for my parents."[31] Benjamin was contingent with the role, as he was apprehensive on imitating a spy.[32] The Home Movies actor was a top prerogative for Reed in portraying the character because of his distinctive voice. "One of the reasons I think that you root for him, besides knowing that some of it isn’t his fault, he’s got this terrible mother and a terrible childhood, is Jon’s delivery. It’s so disarming that even the most conceited, hurtful, horrible things that Archer says, when Jon puts voice to them, they come across as not so bad."[26]


Benjamin's portrayal of Sterling Archer has attracted positive reviews from critics.

The character of Archer and Benjamin's voicework has been well received by commentators. Dan Kois of Slate ascribed the character's lovability to his impulsive and callow disposition. "He has the wardrobe, sex life, and armaments of an adult superspy, but the soul (and impulse control) of a child."[33] As Newsday writer Verne Gay affirmed, "Sterling Archer [...] is a suave if hard-bitten boozehound who, nonetheless, knows how to handle weaponry and women—sometimes."[10] James Poniewozik of Time defined Archer as the "bluff" and "lunkheaded" star of the series,[34] while USA Today '​s Whitney Matheson professed that the character is a callous, albeit attractive individual.[12] San Francisco Chronicle columnist Tim Goodman attested that Benjamin's monotonous delivery of his lines was one of the highlights of the show. "Benjamin has a kind of laid-back, half-drunk, half-outraged banter that never fails to amuse," professed the San Francisco Chronicle journalist.[11] Poniewozik echoed similar sentiments, who avouched that the actor evinced Archer's arrogant predilection.[34] To Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, Benjamin delivered a unique inflection and attitude that she described was purely "Archer-ian".[35]

Critics have generally applauded the storylines that has involved the character. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix commented that the series shines when the writers "are able to straddle the line between Archer being an ignorant baby and a witty spy capable of being a hyper-competent badass", as palpable in the first part of the third season installment "Heart of Archness".[36] Annotating on "The Man from Jupiter", Paste '​s Ross Bonaime avouched that Burt Reynolds' character effectively shed light onto the issues that Archer faces, as well as demonstrate a more affectionate side of him.[37] Benjamin has been nominated for two awards for his work as Sterling Archer on the television series. His performance in "Mole Hunt" resulted in the actor being nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance. Benjamin ultimately lost to actress Anne Hathaway for her performance in The Simpsons episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield".[38] Alongside with fellow cast members Jessica Walter and Judy Greer, Benjamin was a candidate for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in a Television Production—the award was given to Jeff Bennett for his work in the Nickelodeon television series The Penguins of Madagascar.[39]


  1. ^ a b c d e f Pappademas, Alex (February 10, 2010). "Theft! Super-Spies! Run-Ins With Carrot Top! Meet the Genius Behind 'Archer'". GQ. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  2. ^ Reed, Adam (February 24, 2011). "The Double Deuce". Archer. Season 02. Episode 05. FX.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Reed, Adam (September 15, 2011; September 22, 2011; September 28, 2011). "Heart of Archness". Archer. Season 03. Episode 01; 02; 03. FX.
  4. ^ a b Reed, Adam (March 18, 2010). "Dial M for Mother". Archer. Season 01. Episode 10. FX.
  5. ^ Reed, Adam (March 16, 2012; March 23, 2012). "Space Race". Archer. Season 03. Episode 12; 13. FX.
  6. ^ See Season 2, Episode 9. Archer is depicted at the bottom of the staircase outside Lauinger Library. Healy Hall is also depicted in the background.
  7. ^ Thorn, Jesse (January 19, 2012). "Aisha Tyler". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  8. ^ a b c d Tang, Dennis (January 19, 2012). "Archer Creator Adam Reed Talks to GQ—GQ Fixes Archer's Tie Bar". GQ. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  9. ^ a b Owen, Rob (2009-11-17). "Preview: 'Archer' crude but clever". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  10. ^ a b Gay, Verne (January 12, 2010). "'Archer': Cartoon spy has trouble with the ladies". Newsday. Cablevision. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  11. ^ a b Goodman, Tim (January 13, 2010). "TV review: 'Archer' is well-crafted comedy". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  12. ^ a b Matheson, Whitney (January 14, 2012). "DVR alert: FX unveils animated 'Archer'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  13. ^ a b c d Gilbert, Matthew (January 14, 2010). "‘Archer’ is a sly, witty spy cartoon for adults". Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  14. ^ Tucker, Ken (March 9, 2012). "Archer (2012)". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  15. ^ a b VanDerWerff, Todd (April 24, 2012). "Adam Reed walks us through Archer’s third season (Part 1 of 3)". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  16. ^ Lowry, Brian (2009-11-17). "Archer Review". Variety. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  17. ^ a b c Reed, Adam (January 17, 2010). "Mole Hunt". Archer. Season 01. Episode 01. FX.
  18. ^ "Interview: Aisha Tyler on ‘Archer’". Picktainment. March 1, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  19. ^ a b Reed, Adam (February 11, 2010). "Skorpio". Archer. Season 01. Episode 06. FX.
  20. ^ Reed, Adam (February 18, 2010). "Skytanic". Archer. Season 01. Episode 07. FX.
  21. ^ a b Reed, Adam (April 14, 2011). "White Nights". Archer. Season 02. Episode 12. FX.
  22. ^ a b Reed, Adam (April 21, 2011). "Double Trouble". Archer. Season 02. Episode 13. FX.
  23. ^ Reed, Adam (March 11, 2010). "Job Offer". Archer. Season 01. Episode 09. FX.
  24. ^ Reed, Adam (March 17, 2011). "Stage Two". Archer. Season 02. Episode 08. FX.
  25. ^ a b Reed, Adam (March 24, 2011). "Placebo Effect". Archer. Season 02. Episode 09. FX.
  26. ^ a b c d Smith, Julia (January 26, 2011). "Adam Reed, Creator of "Archer": Interview on The Sound of Young America". Maximum Fun. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  27. ^ a b c Faye, Dennis. "Getting Smart". Writers Guild of America. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  28. ^ a b c Gelman, Vlada (February 24, 2011). "Adam Reed". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  29. ^ Lasker, jake (July 23, 2010). "SDCC 2010: ARCHER Interviews with Judy Greer, Chris Parnell, and Creator Adam Reed". Collider. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  30. ^ a b Heisler, Steve (February 4, 2011). "H. Jon Benjamin". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  31. ^ "H. Jon Benjamin Talks FX’s Archer Season Finale". Rock n' roll Ghost. March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  32. ^ DeSauliner, Jordan (January 19, 2012). "H. JON BENJAMIN TALKS 'ARCHER' SEASON THREE". Rogue. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  33. ^ Kois, Dan (February 9, 2012). "Character Studies: Sterling Archer". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  34. ^ a b Poniewozik, James (January 14, 2010). "TV Tonight: Archer". Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  35. ^ Ryan, Maureen (January 13, 2010). "Promising comedy 'Archer' goofs on spy-world cliches". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved June 1, 2012. 
  36. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 15, 2011). "Review: 'Archer' - 'Heart of Archness, Part 1': All hail the pirate king!". HitFix. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  37. ^ Bonaime, Ross (January 19, 2012). "Archer Review: "The Man From Jupiter" (Episode 3.4)". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved June 4, 2012. 
  38. ^ "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance 2010". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
  39. ^ "39th Annual Annie Nominations & Winners!". ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 

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