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The origins of renowned fictional detectives have intrigued not only fans of the genre but also the wider public. How do writers come up with the distinctive personalities and investigative methods of these fascinating characters?
As it turns out, many of these characters are inspired by real people or other fictional detectives. The list of 10 inspirations for renowned fictional detectives reveals the lasting fascination with the origins of these compelling crime solvers.
10. The Right Reverend Monsignor John O'Connor and Father Brown
Father Brown, the modest Catholic priest, uncovers the truth through his deep understanding of human nature, shaped by his Christian beliefs, as much as through his sharp detective skills. Since his debut in G. K. Chesterton's 1910 short story 'The Blue Cross,' he has remained a beloved figure. The character, originally appearing in several volumes by Chesterton, has featured in numerous films and TV shows, including the current BBC One series Father Brown, starring Mark Williams, now in its ninth season.
The inspiration for this lasting character came from the Right Reverend Monsignor John O'Connor (1870-1952), a man of the cloth. He imparted a lesson to G. K. Chesterton that the famous author would never forget. After a lively philosophical debate with two Cambridge University students, during which Chesterton was present, O'Connor retired for the night. The students then confessed that although O'Connor was undoubtedly a wise and brilliant man, his vocation likely made him somewhat 'insulated and naive.'
Chesterton found this opinion amusing, especially after being surprised by just how much O'Connor knew about 'certain perverted practices.' This knowledge came from O'Connor's role in hearing the confessions of those who had committed such acts. In O'Connor, Chesterton found the perfect inspiration for his own priest-detective, a character who would solve crimes using both rational detective skills and spiritual insight.
9. Dr. Joseph Bell and Sherlock Holmes
In an interview with The Strand magazine, where his famous detective stories were published from 1887 to 1927, as well as in radio broadcasts and his 1923 autobiography Memories and Adventures, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) discussed the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. During his time as a student, Doyle worked as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he was mentored by the surgeon Dr. Joseph Bell (1837-1911).
As Doyle observed Bell in action, he was struck by how the surgeon could deduce more about his patients through careful observation and questioning than Doyle had been able to uncover by speaking with them directly before their appointments. Inspired by Bell's methods, Doyle wrote, 'I used and amplified his methods when, later in life, I endeavored to create a scientific detective who solved cases through his own merit, not through the criminal's blunders.'
8. Jacques Hornais and Hercule Poirot
Philosophers caution against confusing correlation with causation. While coincidences can be fascinating, they do not establish proof. However, there may be a cause-and-effect connection in some cases, even if it cannot be conclusively demonstrated. In the case of Agatha Christie’s potential connection with Jacques Hornais (1857-1944), a Belgian gendarme whose real name was Hamoir, and the detective Hercule Poirot, the coincidences are striking. Both men were Belgian, both were detectives, and Hornais shares a remarkable resemblance to Poirot, whom Christie (1890-1976) describes as having a “stiff” posture and sporting a mustache.
There are even further indications that Christie may have based Poirot on Hornais. In her autobiography, the author herself reflects, 'We had quite a colony of Belgian refugees living in the parish of Tor. Why not make my detective a Belgian? I thought. There were all types of refugees. How about a refugee police officer? A retired police officer.' While definitive proof is lacking, the theory that the Belgian refugee police officer inspired Christie’s Belgian detective is intriguing enough to merit further exploration.
7. Eugène François Vidocq and C. Auguste Dupin
Although Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) lived a short life, he was both prolific and innovative, creating not only the modern psychological horror genre but also the amateur detective genre, which would influence the detective fiction that followed. His character, C. Auguste Dupin, first appeared in Poe’s 1841 short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and returned in two subsequent tales, “The Mystery of Marie Roget” and “The Purloined Letter.” As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle notes, 'There is no doubt that in the Dupin tales, Poe created the basic template for the detective stories of the future.' However, Doyle takes issue with Dupin’s somewhat flat, unremarkable character.
Poe’s inspiration came from Eugène François Vidocq (1775-1857), who lived in France during a time when neither France nor Britain had organized police forces or detectives. It wasn’t until the 1820s that the Sûreté, or 'French crime bureau,' was formed, and not until 1842 that London’s Metropolitan Police (also known as Scotland Yard) established its detective division. Lacking a law enforcement model, Poe based his detective Dupin on Vidocq, a former criminal mastermind who reinvented himself as a private detective after serving as the head of the Sûreté. As Doyle notes, Poe utilized 'the folly of the criminal [to] build up a scientific detective who solved cases on his own merits.'
A New York Times article highlights Vidocq’s contributions to criminology. Well ahead of his time, he explored fingerprinting, ballistics, blood testing, and the use of science in crime-solving long before these methods became standard in police work.
6. Jim Grant, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher, the central character in Lee Child’s thrillers, is inspired by a blend of influences, including Child himself. According to Bryan Curtis, Child (the pen name of Jim Grant) shares similarities with Reacher, such as being a former U.S. Army military police officer, drinking copious amounts of coffee daily, chain-smoking, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and remaining taciturn. Reacher also shares Child’s height of 'six-foot-five.' Additionally, Reacher’s physical appearance draws from former professional soccer player Lawrence Dallaglio, who stands at six-feet-four. With Dallaglio in mind, Child has described Reacher’s face as one that 'looked like it had been chipped out of rock by a sculptor who had ability but not much time.'
In crafting Reacher’s persona, Child drew inspiration from various sources, including stories of the knight-errant, the mysterious stranger, the Japanese ronin myth, and Robin Hood, a type of 'character he says, that, 'forced out of Europe as Europe became more densely populated and more civilized,' migrated to the American frontier.
5. Dave Toschi, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, and Frank Bullitt
Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971) and Steve McQueen’s Lieutenant Frank Bullitt in Bullitt (1968) are both inspired by the real-life San Francisco Police Inspector David Toschi (1931-2018). According to Kevin Fagan, Toschi’s signature style of bow ties, sharp trench coats, and the quick-draw holster for his .38-caliber pistol caught the attention of Steve McQueen (1930-1980), who modeled his Bullitt character after the dapper detective. Additionally, Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry was also 'partially inspired by him.'
Eastwood secured the role of Harry Callahan after Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) and Paul Newman (1925-2008), the original choices, turned it down. Sinatra couldn’t take the role due to a tendon injury that made it painful to hold a gun, while Newman declined because of 'objections to its politics.' Ironically, Toschi himself considered Eastwood an unlikely choice. Despite Eastwood’s fame, Toschi remarked that his detective seemed like 'an almost shy person [dressed in] faded jeans, a T-shirt, [and] white tennis shoes.'
4. Porfiry Petrovich, Father Brown, and Columbo
Originally, Bing Crosby (1903-1977) was intended to play the disheveled, one-eyed, cigar-smoking detective in the wrinkled trench coat. However, the role of Frank Columbo went to Peter Falk (1927-2011), after William Link (1933-2020) and Richard Levinson (1934-1987), the creators of the character, could not secure Crosby. Falk’s portrayal of the seemingly scatterbrained but brilliant inspector created one of Hollywood’s most iconic detectives. Link and Levinson based Columbo’s character on both Porfiry Petrovich and Father Brown.
Having been childhood friends, Link and Levinson shared a deep interest in detective stories and mysteries. They were avid readers of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1866), from which they drew inspiration for the character of Porfiry Petrovich. They also admired G. K. Chesterton's works, particularly Father Brown, which influenced the creation of Columbo's humble demeanor and his talent for blending in with a crowd, making him seem insignificant even though he was anything but. As Shaun Curran observes in his article on BBC Culture, Columbo's trademark lies in his distinctive posture, exaggerated hand gestures, and his seemingly forgetful nature—leaving a room only to return with 'just one more thing' on his mind.
3. James Bond and Thomas Magnum
Agent 007, or James Bond, is the epitome of a British spy. Whether portrayed by Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig, this suave and sophisticated agent, created by Ian Fleming (1908-1964), is famous worldwide. It’s no surprise, then, that when the creative minds behind Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV were designing his character, they originally intended to make him a Bond-like figure.
However, the creative team eventually agreed to Tom Selleck's suggestion to present Magnum as a more relatable, down-to-earth character—an ordinary man with a charismatic edge and a signature mustache. As Dana Sivan notes, Selleck’s mustache became iconic and was even inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame.
2. William Oliver Wallace and Jonathan Creek
David Renwick's Jonathan Creek, a magician's assistant who helps design tricks for the magician who performs them, also steps in as an amateur detective. Creek's character is largely inspired by William Oliver Wallace (1929-2009), a magician who went by the name Ali Bongo. Known for his flamboyant personality, Wallace was the perfect choice to serve as the magic consultant for the show.
Wallace's fascination with magic began at age five, as an article in The Guardian highlights. After a time in the Royal Army Pay Corps where he co-wrote and performed in Naafi shows, Wallace was confident he had the necessary skills and experiences to thrive in the entertainment industry. He went on to form the Medway Magic Society under the stage name Ali Bongo, initially performing dialogue-based acts before transitioning to pantomime. Eventually, his profound knowledge of magic earned him the role of chief consultant for Thames TV’s Magic Box by David Noxon.
1. Inspector Clouseau, Lt. Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, Porfiry Petrovich, and Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk, from the TV series Monk, draws inspiration from a variety of fictional detectives, more so than most of his counterparts. Initially, the character of Monk was inspired by the bumbling Inspector Clouseau of Pink Panther fame. However, the true inspiration came from an ABC executive who wanted a show featuring a character similar to Clouseau. Co-creator David Hoberman developed the idea of a highly intelligent investigator who, on top of facing personal struggles, also dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition Hoberman himself experienced. Although not officially diagnosed, Hoberman mentioned that Monk’s quirks, like walking on cracks or touching poles, mirrored his own compulsions.
Monk's character is also influenced by iconic detectives such as Sherlock Holmes and Columbo, as noted by Alessandra Stanley. She argues that Monk's relationship with his brother Ambrose mirrors the dynamic between Holmes and his more intelligent sibling Mycroft. Furthermore, both Monk and Columbo share a trait in which their humble and unassuming appearances mislead suspects, as was the case with Columbo’s coarse accent and modest demeanor that tricked wealthy criminals into underestimating him. Stanley also points out that both Monk and Columbo reflect the influence of Fyodor Dostoevsky's polite, methodical investigator, Porfiry Petrovich.
