Ivan Voitski, known affectionately as Uncle Vanya, is a 47-year-old man who has spent the last 25 years diligently managing his niece Sonia's rural estate. Once cheerful and hardworking, he has recently fallen into a deep depression, resenting the sacrifices he made to support his brother-in-law's academic career. His keen intellect now manifests as sharp cynicism and biting commentary on those around him.

Alexander Serebrakoff is a recently retired academic who has relocated to his late first wife's rural estate due to financial constraints. Accustomed to the reverence of city life, he expects the entire household to conform to his erratic schedule. He suffers greatly from chronic pain and the ailments of old age, frequently taking his misery out on those trying to help him.

Helena is Serebrakoff's beautiful, young second wife who has accompanied him into his rural retirement. Educated in music in St. Petersburg, she finds herself profoundly bored, idle, and unhappy in the isolated countryside. Despite her misery, she attempts to maintain peace within the volatile household and tries to be a supportive companion to her family members.

Michael Astroff is the local countryside doctor who is physically and psychologically exhausted by his grueling profession. To cope with the trauma of his work, he has grown increasingly cynical and frequently turns to alcohol. He is a passionate environmentalist who finds his only real solace in caring for the local forests and mapping the region's ecological decline.

Sonia is Serebrakoff's 16-year-old daughter and the legal owner of the estate. Plain-featured but widely recognized as noble and kind-hearted, she works diligently to manage the property and maintain order amid the chaos of her family's arrival. She relies on her deep religious faith and strong work ethic to endure her difficult circumstances and unrequited desires.

Marina is the elderly nurse of the household who represents the comforting, traditional order of the estate. She is deeply unsettled by the erratic schedules imposed by Serebrakoff's arrival but remains a soothing, maternal presence for everyone in the family, regardless of their behavior.

Telegin, affectionately nicknamed Waffles due to his pockmarked skin, is an impoverished former landowner who lives at the estate. He is a deeply emotional and sentimental man who continues to financially support the wife who abandoned him immediately after their wedding. He often plays the guitar to ease the tension in the house.

Mme. Voitskaya is Ivan Voitski's mother and Serebrakoff's former mother-in-law. She is a deeply intellectual woman obsessed with political pamphlets and the emancipation of women. She remains entirely blind to Serebrakoff's flaws, preferring to idolize his academic persona rather than acknowledge her own son's suffering.