A friar, or occasionally fray, is a member of one of the mendicant orders. "Fray" is sometimes used in former Spanish colonies such as the Philippines or the American Southwest as a title, such as in Fray Juan de Torquemada.

Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion. Whereas monks live in a self-sufficient community, friars work among laypeople and are supported by donations or other charitable support. A monk or nun makes their vows and commits to a particular community in a particular place. A friar in making vows commits to a community spread across a wider geographical area known as a province, and so they will typically move around, spending time in different houses of the community within his province.

In English the name Friar is probably derived from the French word frère ("brother" in English), as French was still widely used in official circles in England during the 13th century when the great orders of friars started. The French word frère in turn comes from the Latin word frater (brother), which is widely used in the Latin New Testament to refer to members of the Christian community.

Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; April 7, 1771–November 11, 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an “inspirational practicioner of popular insurrection”. Pezza figures prominently in folk lore and fiction. He appears in several works of Alexandre Dumas, including The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-hermine in the Age of Napoleon, not published until 2007 and in Washington Irving's short story "The Inn at Terracina".

The nickname "Fra Diavolo" came about due to an old Itrano custom: Until early in the twentieth century Itrani boys and girls who had recently recovered from serious illnesses were dressed as monks on the second Sunday after Easter, for a procession in honor of St. Francis of Paola, the patron of sick children. On one of these solemn occasions little Michele, who was apparently a handful to begin with, proved so naughty that someone called him “Fra Diavolo” which stuck.

Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; c. 1395 – February 18, 1455) was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare and perfect talent".

He was known to contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John of Fiesole) and Fra Giovanni Angelico (Angelic Brother John). In modern Italian he is called il Beato Angelico (Blessed Angelic One); the common English name Fra Angelico means "Angelic Brother."

In 1982 Pope John Paul II conferred beatification, in recognition of the holiness of his life, thereby making the title of "Blessed" official. Fiesole is sometimes misinterpreted as being part of his formal name, but it was merely the name of the town where he took his vows as a Dominican friar, and was used by contemporaries to separate him from other Fra Giovannis. He is listed in the Roman Martyrology as Beatus Ioannes Faesulanus, cognomento Angelicus—"Blessed Giovanni of Fiesole, nicknamed Angelico".

Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico:

Fra Angelico was born Guido di Pietro at Rupecanina in the Tuscan area of Mugello near Fiesole towards the end of the 14th century. Nothing is known of his parents. He was baptized Guido or Guidolino. The earliest recorded document concerning Fra Angelico dates from October 17, 1417 when he joined a religious confraternity at the Carmine Church, still under the name of Guido di Pietro. This record also reveals that he was already a painter, a fact that is subsequently confirmed by two records of payment to Guido di Pietro in January and February 1418 for work done in the church of Santo Stefano del Ponte. The first record of Angelico as a friar dates from 1423, when he is first referred to as Fra Giovanni, following the custom of those entering a religious order of taking a new name. He was a member of the Dominican community at Fiesole. Fra, an abbreviation of frate (from the Latin frater), is a conventional title for a friar or brother.

Sanja Doležal (born May 9, 1963 in Zagreb) is a Croatian singer and television host.

She is best known as the singer in the band Novi fosili, between 1984 and the 1990s.

She hosted several shows on Croatian national television HRT^[which?] before starting her own daily talk show simply called Sanja on newly founded commercial television RTL Televizija. Sanja ran from May 3, 2004 until Summer 2006, when it was cancelled. It discussed various topics from everyday life and its guests were both celebrities and "regular" people.

In 2010, she appeared in Ples sa zvijezdama, the Croatian version of Dancing with the Stars.

Kristian Valen (born 13 October 1974) is a comedian, actor, singer and songwriter originally from Stavanger, Norway. Known for comedic impressions, Valen has also pursued a serious music career; his pop music album Listen When Alone was released internationally in Europe and Asia. Valen was asked by Katherine Jackson to perform his hit song “Still Here” at the Jackson Family Foundation’s Forever Michael: A Celebration of an Icon, the one year Michael Jackson memorial show held in 2010 at Beverly Hilton Hotel the home of the Golden Globes in Los Angeles.

Son of Inge Valen (a football (soccer) player for the team Viking FK), Valen was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a famous sportsman. However, Valen left the world of football when he was 16 and wound up hosting a popular radio show in his native city of Stavanger, Norway. His quick wit and popular on-air impersonations led Valen to the world of comedy.^{[citation needed]}

Valen has created several extremely successful live shows, including Fartøy Valen (SS Valen), Et Musikalsk Kaos (Musical Chaos), and Raskere enn sitt eget beste (Faster than His Own Good). The shows have to date net Valen an estimated US$40 million in ticket sales. His three hit TV series Valen TV, Valen & De and Valen`s Frokost TV aired on national Norwegian broadcaster TV Norge, and topped the ratings. TV Norge. He has been voted “Entertainer of the Year” by viewers of Norway’s TV2 and the “Årets TV-ansikt” (“This Year's TV-face”) by the readers of magazine Se & Hør (See & Hear).