In Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, what is the name of the U.S. president?

In Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, the U.S. president is Merkin Muffley.

Peter Sellers plays President Muffley as a restrained and diplomatic leader trying to contain the nuclear crisis caused by General Jack D. Ripper. Sellers also plays the title character and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, making the film famous for his multiple performances.

Muffley’s calm manner contrasts with the aggressive military thinking of General Buck Turgidson, played by George C. Scott. Much of the film’s dark comedy comes from the president’s attempts to apply rational diplomacy to an absurd chain of command and an uncontrollable doomsday scenario.

Merkin Muffley is sometimes confused with Dr. Strangelove because both are played by Sellers. They are separate characters: Muffley is the American president, while Strangelove is a former Nazi scientist serving as a presidential adviser. The film was released in 1964.