Countess Von Luftballon

A titled aristocrat drifting through Futurama's universe of gag cameos, the Countess carries herself with the exaggerated hauteur of old-world nobility even in the show's grimy far-future setting. She arrives dressed in finery, speaks with theatrical refinement, and treats the Planet Express crew's chaos as beneath her considerable dignity.

Tress MacNeille, one of animation's great utility voices, gives the Countess a plummy, self-satisfied lilt that turns a one-scene joke into a fully formed person. The character works because Futurama trusts a single well-observed vocal performance to do all the comic heavy lifting, no backstory required.