Martin is the elected chief of the Amity Police Department and a lifelong resident of the small resort town. He is a pragmatic man of limited ambitions who frequently compromises to keep the peace and protect the town's economy. A poor swimmer who dislikes the ocean, he is forced to balance the safety of Amity's citizens against the intense pressure to keep the lucrative tourist beaches open.

Matt is a wealthy, educated ichthyologist from a nearby oceanographic institute. As a summer tourist who grew up vacationing in towns like Amity, he represents a world of privilege that contrasts with the working-class locals. He is deeply fascinated by sharks and insists on studying the great white scientifically, often clashing with the locals' practical and fearful approaches to the ocean.

Ellen is Martin's wife, originally hailing from a wealthy background of summer tourists before settling in Amity at age 21. She feels alienated from the local community and yearns for the affluent, ambitious life she left behind. Her lingering dissatisfaction and desire to reconnect with her past create a quiet but persistent strain in her marriage.

Quint is an enigmatic, laconic local fisherman with a reputation as a hard, seaworn man. He operates outside of environmental laws and social conventions, viewing the ocean as a domain to be conquered. He charges exorbitant rates for his services and views hunting the massive fish not as a public service, but as a deeply personal, elemental challenge.

Larry is the charming and popular mayor of Amity, skilled at managing both local residents and wealthy summer tourists. Behind his pleasant exterior, he is heavily invested in keeping property prices high and tourism booming to cover his mounting debts. His desperate need to maintain the town's economic facade drives him to demand the beaches remain open despite the danger.

A massive great white shark that arrives in the cold waters off the coast of Amity. Operating purely on predatory instinct, it lacks malice but causes absolute devastation to the town's people and economy. It serves as an uncontrollable force of nature, completely indifferent to the economic anxieties and interpersonal dramas of the humans it hunts.

Harry is the editor of the local newspaper in Amity. He operates within a delicate balance of reporting the news and appeasing the local business owners who fund his publication. Though he initially works to suppress news of the attacks, he eventually becomes a crucial ally in investigating the mayor's hidden financial troubles.

Len is a relatively new patrolman on the Amity police force who usually works the quiet night shift. He is the first official to receive the missing person report for Chrissie Watkins and frequently assists his chief in managing the chaotic aftermath of the shark attacks on the beaches.

Chrissie is a young woman vacationing in Amity. Her late-night decision to go skinny-dipping in the ocean sets off the inciting incident of the narrative, as she becomes the great white shark's first victim and forces the town to confront the deadly threat in its waters.

Tom is a young man visiting Amity who spends a drunken evening on the beach with Chrissie Watkins. He awakes to find her missing and, fearing an accident, reports her disappearance to the authorities, unknowingly alerting the town to the shark's arrival.

Jack is a resident or property owner in Amity who hosts Tom and Chrissie. When Tom informs him that Chrissie is missing, Jack takes responsibility and officially contacts the local police to report the incident.

Carl is the coroner for Amity. He is hesitant to officially attribute the early deaths to a shark attack on paper, well aware that such news could severely damage the town's vital summer tourism trade.

Ben is a local fisherman hired by the town to catch the shark early in the crisis. His damaged boat and sudden disappearance serve as a grim warning about the immense size and power of the predator lurking off the coast.

Minnie is the postmistress of Amity, known for her stern religious views and clear distinction between locals and tourists. She views the shark attacks not as a natural disaster, but as a divine punishment directed at the town's moral failings.

Paul is the owner of the local deli in Amity. He represents the desperation of the town's small business owners, openly supporting the reopening of the beaches and later profiting from the tourists who come to sightsee following the shark attacks.

Bob is a reporter for WNBC-TV News who arrives in Amity to cover the shark attacks. He captures the morbid fascination of the national media, prioritizing dramatic footage and spectacular danger over the safety of the local community.

Tino is a mobster who has been secretly buying up cheap land around Amity. He is the shadowy figure controlling Mayor Vaughan, holding the mayor's debt and silently pressuring him to keep the town's economy running at all costs.

Sean is one of Martin and Ellen's three sons. He experiences the town's underlying cruelty firsthand when an anonymous individual brutally murders his cat as a threat directed at his father.