Hercule Poirot

A PORTRAIT OF HERCULE POIROT

 

THE BIRTH OF HERCULE POIROT

 "Hercule Poirot was created in 1916 as the detective star of agatha Christie's first novel "The Mysterious Affair in Styles."

Hercule Poirot on the stamp

But this book was published only in 1920. Later he appeared in thirty - three novels and sixty - five detective stories.

Together with Poirot was created also his friend  Arthur Hasting and later also George, Ariadne Oliver (the mystery writer) and Detective Inspector Japp and many others.

Agatha Christie wrote a paragraph in her Autobiography  which is related to the time when she was thinking what her detective should be like:

Hercule Poirot

"Why not make my detective a Belgian? I thought. There were all types of refugees. How about a refugee police officer. Not too young a one. What a mistake I have made there. The result is that my fictional detective must really be over a hundred by now.

Anyway, I settled on a Belgian detective. I allowed  him slowly to grow into his part. He should have been an inspector, so that he would have a certain knowledge of crime. He would be meticulous, very tidy, I thought myself as I cleared away a good many untidy odds and ends in my bedroom. A tidy little man, always arranging things, liking things square instead of round.

The cover of first Hercule Poirot book

And he should be very brainy - he should have little gray cells of the mind - that was a good phrase: I must remember that - yes, he would have little grey cells. He would have rather a grand name - one of those names that Sherlock Holmes and his family had. Who was it his brother had been? Mycroft Holmes.

How about calling my little man Hercules? He would be a small man - Hercules: a good name. His last name was more difficult. I don't know why I settled on the name Poirot, whether it just came into my head or whether I saw it in some newspaper or written on something - anyway it came. I t went well not with Hercules but Hercule - Hercule Poirot. That was all right - settled, thank goodness."


PORTRAIT OF HERCULE POIROT

 "He was hardly more than five feet four inches... His head was exactly the shape of the egg... His moustache was very stiff and military."

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in Murder in Mesopotamia (2000)

 

Here is how Hastings first described Poirot in The Mysterious Affair at Styles:

"He was hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound."
 

THE MANY FACES OF HERCULE POIROT ON TV & SCREEN

 "David Suchet is most famous of the role of Hercule Poirot."

 

Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978)

The first one to play was Austin Trevor as Hercule Poirot. We could see him in three movies; Alibi (1931), Black Coffe (1931) and Lord Edgware Dies (1934).

The second one  was Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot  in a movie The Alphabet Murders (1966).

Then there was an excellent performance of Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Peter Ustinov is next as Hercule Poirot in 5 films and one movie. Movie Death on the Nile (1978) is by my opinion excellent. Also films as Evil Under the Sun (1982), Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Dead Man's Folly (1986), Murder in Three Acts (1986) and Appointment with Death (1988).  

Most famous is  David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, he can see him in many tv-films as well as tv-series. Some titles;  Peril at End House (1990), The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1990),  The ABC Murders (1992), Death in the Clouds (1992), Hercule Poirot's Christmas (1995), Hickory Dickory Dock (1995), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (2000), Murder in Mesopotamia (2001), Evil Under the Sun (2001).

 

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Movies: Murder She Said (1962)