| Character name |
Portrayed by |
Seasons featured |
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| Stephanie Kaye | Nicole Stoffman | 1–2 |
| Stephanie Kaye was born as Stephanie Kobalewsky in 1973. After her parents' divorce, she took her mother's maiden name Kaye. Popular, beautiful, but naive, Stephanie was the school president of Degrassi Junior High. She reinvented her image for grade 8 to become more "mature", arriving at school in relatively conservative apparel before changing into something provocative in the school's bathroom. She could be stuck up and selfish, which caused a student revolt in the season one finale Revolution, after she promotes Joey to sports rep just to make Wheels' jealous.
Stephanie was one of the most notorious characters in the Degrassi franchise, as well as one of the most controversial. Her sexualized image and apparent disregard for self-respect was a heavy storyline in the show's first two seasons. Later, she became suicidal and battled depression after being rejected by Simon for Alexa, and during her parents' custody battle. In season three, Stephanie was said to have gone to private school in Europe after her mother wins the lottery. In reality, actress Stoffman left the show to star in the sitcom Learning the Ropes with Lyle Alzado.
- Stephanie appeared in 22 episodes. She receives top billing in the episodes "Kiss Me Steph" (1.1), "The Big Dance" (1.2), "Best Laid Plans" (1.7), "What a Night" (1.9), "Revolution" (1.13) and "Dog Days" (2.9).
- Nicole Stoffman was nominated for the Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Continuing Dramatic Role at the 1987 Gemini Awards for her role as Stephanie Kaye.[5]
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| Arthur Kobalewscuy | Duncan Waugh | 1–5 |
Arthur is Stephanie's younger brother. On his first day at school, he is rejected by his more popular-conscious sister, then trapped in the storage closet by Joey before being rescued by Yick, who becomes his best friend. Arthur is nerdy and socially awkward, with many of his storylines revolving around his struggles to fit in, as well as his sexual awakening, such as an interest in pornography, getting wet dreams and a unrequited crush on Caitlin. His friendship with Yick becomes strained when he comes into wealth after his mother wins the lottery, and later in high school when Yick becomes friends with Luke and falls in with an older, druggier crowd. Although he does not appear, he is mentioned in a deleted scene by Yick in Degrassi: The Next Generation, who shares that they are still friends and have set up a web design company together.[6]
- Arthur appeared in 65 episodes. He receives top billing in the episodes "The Experiment" (1.3), "Season's Greetings" (3.4), "Making Whoopee" (3.13) and "Dream On" (4.4).
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| Rick Munro | Craig Driscoll | 1–2 |
- Rick appeared in 18 episodes. He receives top billing in the episode "The Cover-Up" (1.4).
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| Melanie Brodie | Sara Ballingall | 1–5 |
- Melanie appeared in 56 episodes. She receives top billing in the episodes "The Great Race" (1.5) and "Twenty Bucks" (3.10).
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| Caitlin Ryan | Stacie Mistysyn | 1–5 |
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| Lorraine "L.D." Delacorte | Amanda Cook | 1–4 |
- L.D. appeared in 41 episodes. She receives top billing in the episode "Nothing to Fear" (1.8).
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| Christine "Spike" Nelson | Amanda Stepto | 1–5 |
| Christine "Spike" Nelson is introduced as an extra in the first eight episodes of Degrassi Junior High, with no speaking lines. She begins to play a bigger part in the show starting from episode 8 of Season 1, where she and Voula send flowers to L.D.'s ailing father as a nice gesture. She is elevated to near-main character status starting from episode 11, when she discovers that she is pregnant as a result of having unprotected sex with Shane McKay at a party held by Lucy Fernandez. When Erica and Heather Farrell help her purchase a pregnancy test, she initially hides it from her mother until she gives in and tosses the bag towards her. After a visit to the clinic, she confirms to her mom that she is pregnant.
By Season 2, she befriends new student Liz O'Rourke, but hits a major setback when various parents begin to object to her presence in the school being pregnant. Caitlin becomes angry and decides to use her position in the school's newspaper to publish a piece condemning her removal. Mr. Raditch, while praising the piece as well-written, tells Caitlin that because of its heavy bias, it could not be published. Caitlin accuses Raditch of censorship and decides to spread her piece around on its own. This leads Caitlin into getting "tons" of detention, and Spike chiding her for not consulting her first. Other students are seen talking about Spike's presence in the school; Kathleen agrees with the decision to remove her, while her friend Melanie, as well as Joey (who brings up the hypocrisy of not kicking out Shane) object. After the PTA decides to remove Spike, Mr. Raditch tells the class that it is just the way it is, but vows that she will pass regardless, and tasks Erica and Heather Farrell to give her assignments. However, her absence only really lasts for one episode as she returns in time for the school dance, where she goes into labor.
Season 3 of Junior High sees the debut of Spike's baby, Emma, who becomes a protagonist of The Next Generation. While her raising Emma is not explicitly seen, she is seen with her frequently. During the season, Shane, who had been giving her child support payments, is persuaded by a friend to withhold a payment to attend a Gourmet Scum concert. At the concert, Shane takes acid and jumps off of a bridge, leaving him in a coma and developmentally disabled when he wakes up. After this, Spike attempts to apply for a job to make ends meet. When offered a job at a diner, she arrives for an interview, where the manager insults and laughs at her hair and claims she is late despite arriving on time.
By Degrassi High, she restarts her love life when she meets an Irish emigrant named Patrick, who is wearing the same Pogues shirt as her. As the relationship progresses, he even writes a song about her on his acoustic guitar, but she begins to avoid him because she feels like the relationship is too perfect, and is afraid about what will happen if it ends. Eventually, Patrick sits her down and tells her to take it easy. Off-screen in Season 2, she breaks up with Patrick and tells Liz she was on good terms with him. Later on, Liz asks Spike about going out with Patrick, to which Spike sarcastically allows her to. Liz does not pick up on the sarcasm and begins to date Patrick anyway, which angers Spike, and after an argument between the two, Liz breaks up with Patrick. While Spike is in the library, Patrick confronts her, ordering her to not meddle with his relationships especially as she was the one that broke up with him. He ends the confrontation by telling Spike that she may be a mother but she needs to grow up and leaves. Later on, after Claude Tanner commits suicide just before a talent show, Spike is the one to suggest to hold the show regardless, but give the proceeds to Claude's family, or a charity of their choice.
By School's Out, Spike works as a film processor with Tessa Campanelli, and is going to university. She jokes to Caitlin at Alexa's wedding that she and Emma are gonna be students together, and excuses herself to let Joey make amends with Caitlin.
Spike is a punk teen with large spiked hair, although this changes to more of a "mall hair" style by Degrassi High. Despite her punk fashion, her attitude can be generally described as mild-mannered although confrontational and resentful at times. She later befriends Caitlin after the school paper incident (although their friendship really takes off in The Next Generation). She is shown to have a love-hate relationship with Shane McKay after she becomes pregnant, feeling that Shane claims he wants to help until it becomes inconvenient, although in Degrassi High, after his accident, she offers to hang out with him. She appears to have some trust issues, as evidenced by her nervousness and dislike of being touched by Patrick. Being the mother of Emma, she has a recurring role in The Next Generation, appearing in more episodes of the latter than the former.
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| Derek "Wheels" Wheeler | Neil Hope | 1–5 |
| Wheels was born Derek Michael Nelson to a pair of teenage parents, but shortly after his birth he is adopted by John and Ellen Wheeler in a closed adoption. He is best friends with Joey and Snake, who together form the garage band The Zit Remedy, later shortened to The Zits in high school. His initial storylines include ill-fated dates with class president Stephanie Kaye, meeting his biological father Mike Nelson, a struggling musician, shortly after his fourteenth birthday, and his poor grades due to being nearsighted and having to wear glasses. After after-school tutoring with Ms. Avery, his grades improve and he is able to pass eighth grade.
Things take a tragic turn at the start of season three, when his adopted parents are killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. He is then placed in care with his maternal grandparents, but never really recovers from the tragedy and begins to act out. He runs away to see his biological father in Port Hope, Ontario, and is nearly molested by a traveling salesman while hitchhiking. However, Mike is starting a new life with his pregnant fiancé, Maggie, and sends Wheels back to his grandparents.
In the final season, his elderly grandparents eventually tire of his lies, disobedience and theft, and evict him. He stays with Joey, until he steals money from Joey's mother's purse and is kicked out. He sleeps on Snake's porch for a night before realising he needs to change and promises to pay Joey's mother back for the money he stole from her. In the made-for-television movie Degrassi: School's Out, Wheels is assumed to have graduated from high school, is working as an auto mechanic, and is preparing for a move to Calgary to be with his girlfriend Karen. He has since become a heavy drinker, and while driving with Lucy under the influence, collides with another car. He temporarily blinds and partially cripples Lucy, and kills a young child in the other car. When Joey visits him in pre-trial confinement, Wheels' inability to accept culpability shocks Joey, and angers and disgusts Snake, who refuses to forgive him. Later, he pleads guilty and is charged with "criminal negligence causing death, criminal negligence causing injury times two, and drunk driving".
Wheels is released from prison and appears in the pilot of Degrassi: The Next Generation where he asks Lucy for forgiveness (this scene is shown in the Canadian version on CTV only, not in the American version shown on The N). Two years later, when Snake is battling leukaemia, Joey finally manages to reunite him with Wheels over a game of bowling, with the three, now balder and hopefully wiser, loudly sing "Everybody Wants Something" on the ride home in Joey's convertible.
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| Lucy Fernandez | Anais Granofsky | 1–5 |
| Lucy is portrayed as a wealthy rebel who seems to essentially live alone, her parents being shown as workaholics who are always out of town on business trips. The lack of attention from her parents causes her to act out recklessly, including shoplifting from department stores and throwing wild parties at her house. She becomes the target of a predator teacher, Mr. Colby, who touches her inappropriately, and whom she later reports to the authorities after he goes after Susie. Lucy is also the first of her grade to date older boys, including Paul, an 11th grader from Borden High School, whom she breaks up with after he tries to go "too far", and Paul's friend, Clutch, who she has an on-and-off relationship with. Lucy is also shown to be a budding filmmaker, shooting the music video for The Zit Remedy's "Everybody Wants Something", as well as the feminist horror film "It Creeps!". In Grade 11, she begins dating school president, Bronco, and in senior year, she runs for school president and wins. In School's Out, Lucy has graduated as the class valedictorian. However, tragedy strikes when an intoxicated Wheels gets behind the wheel of a car with Lucy and crashes into another vehicle, killing a child. The accident renders Lucy temporarily blind.
Lucy substantially recovers from her injuries. Her eyesight is restored (whether in one or both eyes is unclear) and, having completed extensive physical therapy, she is able to walk well with the use of a cane. She completes an honours bachelor's degree, a master's degree and most of the work toward a Ph.D. She appears in the series premiere of Degrassi: The Next Generation, in which she attends a joint reunion of her class and Joey's. A day before the reunion, Joey sells her a blue Volkswagen New Beetle in preparation for her relocation to New Mexico to run her company and complete her doctoral dissertation at the University of New Mexico. She also returns in the second season episode, "White Wedding" as one of Spike's bridesmaids for her wedding to their former classmate Snake.
- Lucy appeared in 62 episodes. She receives top billing in the episodes "A Helping Hand..." (2.2), "...He's Back" (2.12), "A Big Girl Now" (3.3), "Pa-arty!" (3.15), "It Creeps!!" (4.14) and "Body Politics" (5.5).
- Anais Granofsky reprises her role for 4 episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
- Anais Granofsky previously appeared as Karen for 6 episodes of The Kids of Degrassi Street.
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| Joey Jeremiah | Pat Mastroianni | 1–5 |
Joey is the class clown, known for his fedora, Hawaiian shirts and antics in class. He is best friends with Snake and Wheels and plays keyboards in the band The Zit Remedy (later known as The Zits). During the show, he struggles with his school work, having to repeat eighth grade, and is later diagnosed with the learning disability dysgraphia. Later seasons revolve around his on-again, off-again relationship with Caitlin Ryan.
- Joey appeared in 67 episodes. He receives top billing in the episodes "Great Expectations" (2.3), "Trust Me" (2.11), "Pass Tense" (2.13), "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" (3.5), "Bye-Bye Junior High" (3.16), "Everybody Wants Something" (4.5), "Testing One, Two, Three..." (4.13) and "One Last Dance" (5.13).
- Pat Mastroianni hosts the Degrassi Talks special on depression.
- Pat Mastroianni reprises his role for 87 episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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| Shane McKay | Bill Parrott | 1–4 |
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| Dwayne Myers | Darrin Brown | 2, 4–5 |
| Initially a one-off character who fights Joey in Junior High, he returns with two friends in Degrassi High, where he bullies Joey constantly. In Season 2 of Degrassi High, Dwayne discovers he has HIV after having sex with an infected girl, and after Joey beats him up in the bathroom during a fight, Dwayne begins to draw blood and tells Joey to get away. He later gives Joey the money to buy a car he wanted in exchange for telling nobody about his HIV-positive status. He begins to warm up to Joey during Season 2. Eventually, Dwayne reveals his HIV-positive status, which makes him an outcast just in time for the school dance, where he hides in the bathroom. Joey encourages Dwayne to just get out there; Tabi, one of his ex-cronies, asks him to dance.
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| Kathleen Mead | Rebecca Haines | 1–5 |
| Kathleen was introduced as a secondary character who disapproved of school president Stephanie and her provocative wardrobe but eventually went on to have a much greater role in the series. She acted as the sour, troubled foil to Caitlin throughout much of the series, often seen competing with her for grades. In season two, we are introduced to Kathleen's alcoholic mother whose behaviour is severely affecting her daughter. Kathleen invites Caitlin, Nancy and Tim to her house to prepare for a quiz show appearance and is humiliated to find her mother at home and noticeably intoxicated. In a later episode from the third season, Kathleen invites Melanie, her best friend throughout much of the series, to her house to work on a science project. Her mother is, again, drinking heavily and Melanie learns about Kathleen's burgeoning problem with anorexia nervosa when she sneaks a peek in her personal diary. Melanie takes pity on Kathleen believing that her eating disorder is stemming from her problems at home. She confronts Kathleen and tells her to get help. Kathleen is furious that her secret is out, but that day passes out in the middle of the school hallway.
Kathleen eventually does get counseling, but her problems continue into high school. Kathleen begins dating a boy named Scott Smith. He turns out to be an overly possessive boyfriend and physically assaults Kathleen during a quarrel. Kathleen eventually involves the police and frees herself from Scott.
Kathleen seemed to have conservative political and social views. Throughout the series she seemed to have homophobic views, is against sex before marriage and is critical of animal rights activism. Her sober presence made her unpopular with many of her peers. Although Kathleen often seemed conservative and uptight, she also showed a rebellious side. In junior high, she and Melanie get Joey Jeremiah to sell them drugs. Joey actually just gave them vitamin pills, and when the girls found out, they were infuriated. In high school, she found marijuana joints hidden in the tampon dispenser in the girls' washroom. She hides them in her purse and takes them to Diana Economopoulos' birthday sleepover party. She offers them to the other girls, and everyone except Caitlin smokes it. Kathleen makes fun of Caitlin when she refuses to try it.
In Degrassi: The Next Generation deleted scenes, Kathleen is shown being jealous of Caitlin's success after high school.
- Kathleen appeared in 54 episodes. She receives top billing in the episodes "Bottled Up" (2.7), "Food for Thought" (3.9) and "Nobody's Perfect" (4.6).
- Rebecca Haines hosts the Degrassi Talks special on abuse. During the episode, Haines reveals that she herself was a victim of sexual abuse, and talking to one of the teens for the show inspired her to get counseling of her own.
- Rebecca Haines reprises her role for 1 episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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| Erica & Heather Farrell | Angela & Maureen Deiseach | 1–5 |
- Erica and Heather appear in 65 episodes. They receive top billing in the episodes "Sealed with a Kiss" (2.8), "Star-Crossed" (3.8), "A New Start" (4.1–4.2), "Just Friends" (4.7) and "Natural Attraction" (4.12).
- Angela and Maureen Deiseach reprise their roles for 1 episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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| Archie "Snake" Simpson | Stefan Brogren | 1–5 |
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| Michelle Accette | Maureen McKay | 2–5 |
- Michelle appeared in 57 episodes. She receives top billing in the episodes "Black & White" (3.14), "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" (4.3) and "Sixteen" (4.9–4.10).
- Maureen McKay appears as a background extra throughout the first season.
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| Diana Economopoulos | Chrissa Erodotou | 2–5 |
- Diana appeared in 44 episodes. She receives top billing in the episode "Little White Lies" (4.8).
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| Liz O'Rourke | Cathy Keenan | 2–5 |
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| Alex Yankou | John Ioannou | 1–5 |
- Alex appeared in 57 episodes. He receives top billing in the episode "The All Nighter" (5.7).
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| Basil "Bronco" Davis | L. Dean Ifill | 4–5 |
- Bronco appeared in 23 episodes. He receives top billing in the episode "Extracurricular Activities" (5.9).
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| Claude Tanner | David Armin-Parcells | 4–5 |
- Claude appeared in 21 episodes. He receives top billing in the episode "Showtime" (5.10).
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