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Famous Private Detectives in
Novels, Movies, and Television--

Including P.I.s and sleuths,
with information and images

(not including mutant, alien or sci-fi/fantasy beings)

 

    page guide    quicklist

 


Detective in Movies, Sorted by Earliest Year

C. Auguste Dupin; private detective
C. Auguste Dupin → No screen presence
An upper class gentleman appearing in stories by such as The Murders in the Rue Morgue (Created by Edgar Allan Poe).
Novels: 1841,1842, 1844.
Sherlock Holmes-1; private detective
Sherlock Holmes-1 → Portrayed in the 1983 movie by Ian Richardson
A renowned detective in four novels, 56 short stories, and many movies including The Hound of the Baskervilles (Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
Novels: 1887‑1915 Short stories: 1891‑1927  Movies: many  TV series: many.
Arsène Lupin; private detective
Arsène Lupin → Portrayed by Georges Descrières
Gentleman thief and master of disguise in books, stage, comics, numerous movies, and several TV series including the French show Arsène Lupin (Created by Mauraice Leblanc ).
Books: 1907‑2012 Movies: 1908‑2011  TV series: 1971‑2007.
Joseph Rouletabille; private detective
Joseph Rouletabille → Portrayed in the 1949 French movie by Serge Reggiani
A journalist in several movies and a novel series starting with The Mystery of th Yellow Room (Created by Gaston Leroux).
Novels: 1907‑1923 Movies: 1913‑2005  TV series: 1965‑1966.
Boston Blackie; private detective
Boston Blackie → Portrayed by Chester Morris
A reformed jewel thief in movies such as Meet Boston Blackie (Written by Jack Boyle).
Movie: 1918‑1949.
Bulldog Drummond; private detective
Bulldog Drummond → Portrayed by Ronald Coleman
A gentleman adventurer in novels, short stories, and several movies including Calling Bulldog Drummond (Created by H. C. McNeile).
Novels: 1920‑1969 Short stories: 1937  Movies: 1922‑1969.
Hercule Poirot; private detective
Hercule Poirot → Portrayed in the British TV series by David Suchet
A dignified and meticulous Belgian detective in novels, short stories, movies and TV including Agatha Christie's Poirot (Created by Agatha Christie).
Novels: 1926‑1975 Movies: 1931‑1986  TV series: 1989‑2013.
Philo Vance; private detective
Philo Vance → Portrayed in the 1933 movie by William Powell
An aristocrat of unusual culture and brilliance in novels and movies including The Kennel Murde Case (Created by S. S. Van Dine).
Novels:1926‑1939 Movies: 1929‑1947.
Sarah Keate; private detective
Sarah Keate → Portrayed by Ann Sheridan and others
A nurse in novels and movies such as The Patient in Room 18 (Created by Mignon Eberhart).
Novels: 1929‑1932 Movies: 1935‑1938.

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Simon Templar; private detective
Simon Templar (known as The Saint) → Portrayed by Roger Moore in the TV series
A British amateur detective portrayed in books, radio, movies and TV by various actors over many years; for example, in the TV series The Saint (Originally created by Leslie Charteris).
Books: 1928‑1963 Movies: 1938‑1943  Radio: 1944‑1951  Comics: 1948‑1961.
Ellery Queen; private detective
Ellery Queen → Portrayed in the 1975 TV series by Jim Hutton
A mystery writer and editor of a magazine in novels, movies, and several TV series including The Adventures of Ellery Queen (Ghost writers as Ellery Queen).
Novels: 1929‑71 TV series:1950‑1956, 1975‑1976  Movies: 1940‑1942.
Nancy Drew; private detective
Nancy Drew → Portrayed by various actors over the years including Sophia Lillis in the 2019 film as seen in image.
A young high school graduate in many books, a TV series and several movies including the 2019 movie Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (Many writers under the ghost name Carolyn Keene ).
Novels: 1930‑2003 TV series: 1997, 1995, 2019  Movies: 1938‑1939, 2002.
Miss Marple; private detective
Miss Marple → Portrayed in movies by Margaret Rutherford
An old spinster is of independent means in a novels series, movies and TV series including 4.50 from Paddington (Created by Agatha Christie).
Novels: 1930‑1976 Movies: 1961‑1964  TV series: 1984‑1992, 2004‑2013.
Sam Spade; private detective
Sam Spade → Portrayed in the 1941 movie by Humphrey Bogart
A hard and shifty P.I. in a novel, short stories, and movies, including The Maltese Falcon (Created by Dashiell Hammett).
Novel: 1930 Short stories: 1932  Movies: 1931‑1978.
Hildegarde Withers; private detective
Hildegarde Withers → Portrayed by Edna May Oliver and later others.
Spinster school teacher and amateur detective who collaborates, and frequently butts heads, with Inspector Oscar Piper in a series of novels and movies such as Murder on the Blackboard (Created by Stuart Palmer).
Novels: 1932‑1969 Movies: 1932‑1972.
Paul Drake; private detective
Paul Drake → Portrayed by William Hopper
The private detective working for Parry Mason Perry Mason (Created by Erle Stanley Gardner).
Novels: 1933‑1973 Movies: 1934‑1940  TV series: 1985‑1995, 2020.
Nick and Nora Charles; private detective
Nick and Nora Charles → Movie portrayal of Nick by William Powell
An alcoholic former private detective and a wealthy heiress in the novel and several movie adaptations such as The Thin Man (Created by Dashiell Hammett).
Novel: 1934 Movies: 1934‑1947  TV series: 1957‑1959.
Nero Wolfe; private detective
Nero Wolfe → Portrayed in the 2001 TV series by Maury Chaykin
An armchair detective in novels, short stories, movies, radio, and several TV series including A Nero Wolfe Mystery (Created by Rex Stout).
Novels: 1934‑1985 Movies: 1936, 1937  TV series: 1981, 2001‑2003.
Jack Casey; private detective
Jack Casey → Portrayed by Richard Carlye
A photographer who helps the police solve crimes in books, movies, radio, and the TV series Casey, Crime Photographer (Created by George Harmon Coxe).
Books: 1942‑1964 Movies: 1936, 1938  TV series: 1951‑1952.

 

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Lemmy Caution; private detective
Lemmy Caution → Portrayed by Eddie Constantine
Witty, crafty womanizing private detective in the book series and French movies such as La môme vert de gris (Created by Peter Cheyney).
Books: 1936‑1945 Movies: 1953‑1991.
Duncan Maclain; private detective
Duncan Maclain → Portrayed by Edward Arnold.
A blind detective with a seeing-eye dog in the novel series of the detective and movies such as Eyes in the Night (Created by Baynard Kendrick).
Books: 1937‑1961 Movies: 1942, 1945.
Sexton Blake; private detective
Sexton Blake → Portrayed by Laurence Stanley Payne
A bargain basement Sherlock Holmes solving mysteries of all manner. Sexton Blake (Written by Harry Blyth (using the pseudonym Hal Meredeth)).
Comic strips: 1939‑1979 Silent movies: 1909‑1928  Movies: 1935‑1945  TV series 1967‑1971.
Nick Carter; private detective
Nick Carter → Portrayed by Walter Pidgeon
In the movie Nick Carter, Master Detective, based on the long-running radio series of the same name. Nick Carter, Master Detective (Movie script written by Bertram Millhauser).
Movie: 1939 Radio series: 1943‑1945.
Philip Marlowe; private detective
Philip Marlowe → Portrayed in the 1978 movie by Robert Mitchum
A wisecracking, hard-drinking, tough P.I. in novels, TV series, and movies including The Big Sleep (Created by Raymond Chandler).
Novels: 1939‑1989 Movies: 1942‑1978  TV series: 1959‑1960, 1983‑1986.
Michael Shayne; private detective
Michael Shayne → Portrayed in the movies by Lloyd Noland
Detective in old style, gathering suspects in one place and naming the murderer, in a series of books, TV series, and several movies such as Michael Shayne, Private Detective (Created by Brett Halliday).
Books: 1939‑1958 Movies: 1940‑1946  TV series: 1960‑1961.
Gay Falcon; private detective
Gay Falcon (and many aliases) → Portrayed by George Sanders, then his brother Tom Conway
A suave English gentleman detective solving mysteries in various venues, such as The Gay Falcon (Created by Michael Arlen).
Movies: 1941‑1949 TV: 1954‑1955.
Dick Barton; private detective
Dick Barton → Portrayed by Tony Vogel
An ex-Commando who solved all sorts of crimes in the radio series, movies and the TV series Dick Barton: Special Agent (Produced by Raymond Raikes and others).
Radio series: 1946‑1951 Movies: 1948, 1949, 1950  TV series: 1979.
Mike Hammer; private detective
Mike Hammer → Portrayed on TV by Stacy Keach
A P.I. who doesn't shy away from violence in the series of novels, movies, and several TV series such as Mike Hammer, ;Private Eye (Created by Mickey Spillaine).
Novels: 1947‑2014 Movies: 1952‑2003  TV series: 1958‑1960, 1984‑1998.
Lew Archer; private detective
Lew Archer (renamed to Harper in movies) → Portrayed by Paul Newman
An often world-weary P.I. working in Southern California in books, a TV series and movies such as Harper (Book written by Ross MacDonald).
Books: 1949‑1976 TV series: 1975  Movies: 1966, 1974, 1975.

 

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 Feluda; private detective
Feluda (aka Prodosh Chandra Mitra) → Portrayed in 1974 movie by Soumitra Chatterjee
An Indian detective of Bengali origin in novels and movies such as Sonar Kella (Created by Satyajit Ray).
Novels: 1966‑1997 Movies: 1974‑2014.
John Shaft; private detective
John Shaft → Portrayed by Richard Roundtree
A black P.I. in the style of James Bond in three movies beginning with Shaft (Screenplay by Ernest Tidyman).
Movies: 1971, 1972, 1973.
 Spenser; private detective
Spenser → Portrayed by in the TV series Robert Urich
A smart-mouthed tough P.I. in novels, movies and the TV series Spenser: For Hire (Created by Robert B. Parker).
Novels: 1973‑2014 TV series: 1985‑1988  Movies: 1999, 2000, 2001.
Matt Helm; private detective
Matt Helm (not like the book or movie versions) → Portrayed by Anthony Franciosa
Retired spy, now a private detective in the TV series Matt Helm (Developed by Sam Rolfe).
TV series: 1975‑1976.
Matthew Scudder; private detective
Matthew Scudder → Portrayed in the movie by Liam Neeson
An alcoholic ex-cop in the several novels including A Walk Among the Tombstones (Created by Lawrence Block).
Novels: 1976‑2019 Movie: 2014.
William of Baskerville; private detective
William of Baskerville (Italian name is Guglielmo da Baskerville) → Portrayed in the miniseries by John Turturro and Sean Connery in the movie.
An enlightened friar in 1337 investigates a series of mysterious deaths at an abbey in The Name of the Rose (The miniseries created by Giacomo Battiato and based on the novel by Umberto Eco).
Novel: 1980 Movie: 1986  TV miniseries: 2019.
V. I. Warshawski; private detective
V. I. Warshawski → Portrayed in the movie by Kathleen Turner
A lean and athletic female P.I. appearing novels, short stories, and the movie V.I. Warshawski (Created by Sara Paretsky).
Novels: 1982‑2013 Movie: 1991.
Dave Robicheaux; private detective
Dave Robicheaux → Portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones
Former New Orleans officer and recovering alcoholic in the book series and two movies including The Electric Mist (Created by James Lee Burke).
Books: 1987‑2013 Movies: 1996, 2009.
Easy (Ezikeil) Rawlins; private detective
Easy (Ezikeil) Rawlins → Portayed by Denzel Washington
A World War II veteran. Based on the novel. Devil in a Blue Dress (Created by Walter Mosley).
Novel: 1990 Movie: 1995.
Byomkesh Bakshi; private detective
Byomkesh Bakshi → Portrayed by Rajit Kapur
An Indian-Bengali fictional detective and refers to himself as a truth-seeker or Satyanweshi in the TV series Byomkesh Bakshi (Created by Basu Chatterjee).
TV series: 1993‑1997 Movie: 2015.

 

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Alex Cross; private detective
Alex Cross → Portrayed by Morgan Freeman
Even tempered psychologist and former FBI agent in several books and movies such as Along Came a Spider (Created by James Patterson).
Books: 1993‑2014 Movies: 1997, 2001.
Jesse Stone; private detective
Jesse Stone → Portrayed by Tom Selleck
Former baseball shortstop and homicide detective in the book series and several movies, such as Benefit of the Doubt (Created by Robert B. Parker).
Books: 1997‑2015 Movies: 2005‑2012.
Elona Holmes; private detective
Elona Holmes → Portrayed by Millie "Bobby" Brown
The sister of Sherlock Holmes in the book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries and the movie Enola Holmes (Created by Nancy Springer).
Book series: 2006‑2010 Movie: 2020.
Sherlock Holmes-2; private detective
Sherlock Holmes-2 → Portrayed in the 2009 movie by Robert Downey Jr.
A renowned detective in a series of novels and adaptations on stage and radio, in TV series, and movies, including Sherlock Holmes  (Directed by Guy Ritchie).
Movie: 2009.

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;

First earliest date

on each page

 1 1841  (The Murders in the Rue Morgue)
 2 1928  (The Saint)
 3 1936  (La môme vert de gris)
 4 1966  (Sonar Kella)
 5 1993  (Along Came a Spider)

    close quicklist

Detective in Movies Sorted

by Earliest Year

#  YearTitle
1.  1841 (The Murders in the Rue Morgue)
2.  1887 (The Hound of the Baskervilles)
3.  1907 (Arsène Lupin)
4.  1907 (The Mystery of th Yellow Room)
5.  1918 (Meet Boston Blackie)
6.  1920 (Calling Bulldog Drummond)
7.  1926 (Agatha Christie's Poirot)
8.  1926 (The Kennel Murde Case)
9.  1928 (The Patient in Room 18)
10.  1928 (The Saint)
11.  1929 (The Adventures of Ellery Queen)
12.  1930 (Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase)
13.  1930 (4.50 from Paddington)
14.  1930 (The Maltese Falcon)
15.  1932 (Murder on the Blackboard)
16.  1933 (Perry Mason)
17.  1934 (The Thin Man)
18.  1934 (A Nero Wolfe Mystery)
19.  1936 (Casey, Crime Photographer)
20.  1936 (La môme vert de gris)
21.  1937 (Eyes in the Night)
22.  1939 (Sexton Blake)
23.  1939 (Nick Carter, Master Detective)
24.  1939 (The Big Sleep)
25.  1939 (Michael Shayne, Private Detective)
26.  1941 (The Gay Falcon)
27.  1946 (Dick Barton: Special Agent)
28.  1947 (Mike Hammer, ;Private Eye)
29.  1949 (Harper)
30.  1966 (Sonar Kella)
31.  1971 (Shaft)
32.  1973 (Spenser: For Hire)
33.  1975 (Matt Helm)
34.  1976 (A Walk Among the Tombstones)
35.  1980 (The Name of the Rose)
36.  1982 (V.I. Warshawski)
37.  1987 (The Electric Mist)
38.  1990 (Devil in a Blue Dress)
39.  1993 (Byomkesh Bakshi)
40.  1993 (Along Came a Spider)
41.  1997 (Benefit of the Doubt)
42.  2006 (Enola Holmes)
43.  2009 (Sherlock Holmes )

 


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