Margaret "Peggy" Gallagher
Peggy Gallagher is Frank Gallagher's mother and the paternal grandmother of the Gallagher siblings. Louise Fletcher plays her, and the Gallagher kids call her "Grammy". Peggy had four sons: Frank, Jerry, Clayton, and Wyatt. She was with an unnamed man. Frank always tells stories about how his parents were abusive and favored his brothers. They apparently treated them better.
When Shameless starts, Peggy is in prison for blowing up a meth lab. She killed two people. She is released for health reasons. She arrives at the Gallagher house and causes chaos. Peggy reveals she has terminal cancer. In the end, Sheila Jackson smothers her with a pillow. Peggy asked her to do it. Peggy is one of the Shameless characters who doesn't have a UK equivalent.
Francis "Frank" Gallagher
Frank Gallagher is the head of the Gallagher Family and plays a major role throughout Shameless. William H. Macy plays him. He is the father of Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. He is not Ian's biological father, though. Frank also has a daughter named Sammi with Queenie Slott. He kept her a secret for years. He later needs a liver transplant. He is a dysfunctional alcoholic who spends his time getting drunk at The Alibi Room or coming up with schemes to buy more alcohol.
Frank is not a good father. He often neglects his children and is incompetent. He puts his kids in danger. Because of this, his children kick him out of the house a lot. They shun him off and on. He is diagnosed with dementia near the end of the series. Frank dies of COVID-19 in the Shameless series finale.
Virginia "Ginger" Gallagher
Ginger Gallagher is Frank's aunt. She is the sister of Frank's father and the Gallagher siblings' grandfather, Mr. Gallagher. Ginger died of a cocaine overdose 12 years before Shameless starts. Frank never told his family or the police. He buried her in the Gallagher's backyard. Ginger owned the house. He wanted to keep the house and her social security checks.
When the state comes looking for Ginger, the Gallaghers use a senile elderly woman. They got her from the senior home where Veronica works. They make her pretend to be Ginger. This is to keep the house. In the end, Ginger is declared legally dead. The family used a fake body that Fiona stole from the nursing home. Ginger was probably just like Frank, since she died of a drug overdose.
Patrick Gallagher
Patrick Gallagher is Frank's cousin. Brent Sexton plays him. Patrick appears in two seasons: Season 3 and Season 6. He gets into many arguments with Fiona about the Gallagher home. He even tricks her into giving him ownership. This makes him the Gallagher's landlord.
Patrick is just as bad as Frank with money. He takes out a big loan on the Gallagher's house. He has no intention of paying it back. Patrick has two sons: Desmond and Warren. The rest of the family hates Patrick. This is because he outsmarted them with Ginger's will. He grants himself ownership of her house, where the Gallagher's live.
