John Michael "J.D." Dorian, M.D. is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama Scrubs, played by Zach Braff. He is the narrator and main character of the series. He provides voice-over to the series which fills the roles of his internal thoughts and an overall narration in the show, often linking the story arcs in each episode thematically.

J.D. has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two season 8 episodes, "My Absence," in which he is only heard through a cellphone, and "My Full Moon".

Braff was a regular cast member for the first eight seasons, and appeared in six episodes of season nine to help transition the series into its new format. For his portrayal of the character, Braff was nominated for a 2005 Emmy Award and received three consecutive Golden Globe nominations in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

J.D.'s name is based on that of Dr. Jonathan Doris, a college friend of series creator Bill Lawrence. Doris serves as medical advisor on the show. According to Zach Braff, he feels that after seven years, there is not much of J.D.'s personality left to be explored, except for his relationship with Turk, while Lawrence has stated that the seventh season was to show J.D. finally growing up, in order to satisfy many fans who did not want to see him stay the same. However, Braff also says that J.D. has gradually evolved over the series, but at the same time cannot evolve too much, as they need to "[give] the fans what they want, which is to see the characters be themselves."

Jerome David "J. D." Salinger ( /ˈsælɪndʒər/ SAL-in-jər; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author, best known for his only novel, The Catcher in the Rye (1951), and his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980.

Raised in Manhattan, Salinger began writing short stories while in secondary school, and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. Salinger published his first stories in Story magazine which was started by Whit Burnett. In 1948 he published the critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker magazine, which became home to much of his later work. In 1951 Salinger released his novel The Catcher in the Rye, an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential, especially among adolescent readers. The novel remains widely read and controversial, selling around 250,000 copies a year.

Zachary I. "Zach" Braff (born April 6, 1975) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.

In 2004, Braff made his directorial debut with Garden State. Braff returned to his home state New Jersey to shoot the film, which was produced for $2.5 million. The film made over $35 million at the box office and was praised by critics. Braff wrote the film, starred in it, and compiled the soundtrack record. He won numerous awards for his directing work, and also won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album in 2005.

Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey. His mother, Anne Brodzinsky (born Anne Hutchinson Maynard), is a clinical psychologist, and his father, Harold Irwin "Hal" Braff, is a trial attorney and sociology professor. His parents divorced and re-married others during Braff's childhood. One of his siblings, Joshua, is an author. Braff's father was born into a Jewish family, and Braff's mother, originally a Protestant, converted to Judaism before marrying his father (through his mother's New England ancestors, Braff is a distant cousin of politician Mitt Romney). Braff was raised in Conservative Judaism, and has said that he is "not a huge organized religion guy".

Donald Adeosun Faison (pronounced /feɪˈzɒn/; born June 22, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC (formerly NBC) comedy-drama Scrubs (2001–2010) as a leading role, and as Murray in the film Clueless (1995) playing a minor role (reprised in the subsequent television series of the same name). His most recent project is a starring role in the TV Land original situation comedy, The Exes.

Faison has also co-starred in the films Remember the Titans (2000), Uptown Girls (2003), Something New (2006), Next Day Air (2009), and Skyline (2010).

Faison was born in Harlem, New York, the son of Shirley, a talent agent, and Donald Faison, a building manager. His parents were active with the National Black Theatre in Harlem.

Before his debut on Scrubs and "Clueless", Faison appeared in a 1991 commercial for Folgers Coffee at the age of 17, in which he played the younger brother of a soldier returning from war. He then became famous for his role as "Murray Lawrence Duvall" in the film Clueless, the 1995 movie, and its subsequent television series, which ran from 1996 to 1999. In 1995, he also appeared in Waiting to Exhale as "Tarik", the son of Loretta Devine's character, "Gloria." He was featured in New Jersey Drive. He also starred in Big Fat Liar alongside Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes. He had a recurring role as, "Tracy," on Felicity, appeared in Remember the Titans, as the running back-turned-linebacker Petey Jones, and provided voice work for various characters in the MTV animated series Clone High. He had minor roles in the sitcoms Sister Sister and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and in the film Josie and the Pussycats. In 2005, Faison produced one episode of MTV's Punk'd involving his Scrubs co-star Zach Braff. He has also appeared in the music videos for Brandy's "Sittin' Up In My Room", Fall Out Boy's cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It," and Gavin Degraw's "Chariot."