I don't have a recommendation for a character LCD, but I can recommend an AWESOME miniature graphic LCD. It's the Optrex DMF-50834NFJ-SEB. It's a 119x73 pixel display, about 1.5"x2.5", with built-in EL backlight. Has excellent contrast, is sunlight-readable, and is only about 6mm thick. LCD supply voltage is built-in - requires only a 3v supply. Draws 10ma in operational mode. Can be put in sleep mode. EL backlight adds about 25ma. This display was a godsend to me when I designed a miniature environmental monitor (see it at the following link):
http://www.swri.org/4org/d10/...onitor.htm

The LCD has at least one built-in font (I can't remember how many). I made my own. This is a great general-purpose display. It has a control register and a data register that I simply memory-mapped.