Charles Bing
From Friends Central
| CHARACTER | ||||
| Charles Bing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| First appearance | The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks (normal) The One With Chandler's Dad (transvestite) | |||
| Last appearance | The One After "I Do" | |||
| Number of episodes | 4 | |||
| Portrayed by | Kathleen Turner | |||
| | ||||
| Gender | Male (transvestite) | |||
| Occupation | Las Vegas Drag Performer | |||
| Relatives | Nora Tyler Bing (ex-wife) Chandler Bing (son) | |||
Charles Bing is the father of Chandler Bing. He divorced Chandler's mother Nora Tyler Bing after admitting he was gay. He and Nora Bing told Chandler they were separating after Thanksgiving dinner. By that time — Chandler was nine years old — his father had an affair with the pool boy. Since then he became a drag queen and even attended Chandler's high school swimming events dressed as a different starlet each time. Chandler mentions that Charles slept with a Mr. Garibaldi. He now has a show in Las Vegas entitled Viva Las Gaygas and performs under the pseudonym Helena Handbasket at The Four Queens, where Mr. Garibaldi accompanies him at the piano. According to Ross, Charles once "put on a black cocktail dress and asked him up to a hotel room". Chandler also mentions his father in The One With The Dollhouse when he sees Phoebe's self-made dollhouse has lights and blows bubbles. Chandler exclaims "Hey, my father's house does that!"
Chandler and his dad have long been estranged as is revealed in The One With Chandler's Dad at the time of his wedding to Monica, when it is mentioned that the two "haven't seen each other in years". However, Chandler confesses to Monica that his dad tried to contact him numerous times by phone, letters and even came to visit him in New York. They never saw each other though, as Chandler pretended each time to be too busy.
In The One with Chandler's Dad, Monica convinces Chandler to invite Charles to the wedding, which he does. In The One With Monica And Chandler's Wedding, Part Two, he walks his son down the aisle in a black dress.
