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

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 → 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.

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.

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.

Hamilton Nash (aka The Continental Op) → Portrayed by James Coburn.
A master of deceit in the 36 short stories and two novels and the TV series The Dain Curse (Created by Dashiell Hammett).
•Short stories: 1923‑1927 •Novels: 1929  •TV series: 1978.

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.

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.

Frank and Joe Hardy (The Hardy Boys) → Portrayed by Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy
Teenage brothers and amateur detectives in a series of books and a TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (Created by Edward Stratemeyer).
•Books: 1929‑present •TV series: 1974‑1977.

Albert Campion → TV portrayal by Peter Davidson
An aristocrat in the early 20th century in several novels and the TV series Campion (Created by Margery Allingham).
•Novels: 1930‑1965 •TV series: 1989‑1990.

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.

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.

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.

Beverly Gray → No screen presence
A young woman solving mysteries in various venues Beverly Gray Mystery Stories (Written by Clair Blank).
•Novels: 1034‑1955.

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.

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 → 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 → 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.

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.

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.

Shell Scott → No screen presence
A 6-foot-2 ex-marine in several novels such as Case of the Vanishing Beauty (Created by Richard S. Prather).
•Novels: 1950‑1987.

Gil Jourdan along with partners Libellule and Crouton → No screen presence
A Belgian dectective handles various cases which sometimes took them to many countries in comics titled Tout Gil Jourdan (Created by Maurice Tillieux).
•Comics: 1956‑1989.

Sid Halley → Portray on TV by Mike Gwilym
Former British jump racing Champion Jockey in a TV series based on novels such as Whip Hand (Created by Dick Francis).
•Novels: 1965‑1995 •TV series: 1979.

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.

Francesca Victoria (image from a comic book cover) → No screen presence
A young, attractive and adventurous female private investigator in the popular Dutch comic book series Franka (Created by Henk Kuijpers).
•Comics: 1972‑now.

Amelia Peabody → No screen presence
A rich Egyptologist in the novels series including The Curse of the Pharaohs (Created by Elizabeth Peters).
•Novels: 1975‑2006.

Brother Cadfael → Portrayed by Derek Jacobi
An early 12th-century monk in the novel series and TV series Cadfael (Created by Ellis Peters also known as Edith Pargeter).
•Novels: 1977‑1994 •TV series: 1994‑1998.

James Hazell → Portrayed by Nicholas Ball.
A cockney private detective in the British TV drama Hazell (Created by Gordon Williams and Terry Venables).
•TV drama: 1978‑1979.

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.

Dirk Gently (real name is Svlad Cjelli) → Portrayed by several actors includingStephen Mangan in the 2010 TV series and show here.
a "holistic detective" and psychic in the book series and TV series Dirk Gently (Created by Douglas Adams).
•Books: 1987, 1988, 2002 •TV series: 2010‑ 2012, 2016.

Phryne Fisher → Portrayed by Essie Davis
A wealthy aristocrat in a series of novels the TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Created by Kerry Greenwood and others).
•Novels: 1989‑2008 •TV series: 2012‑.

Victoria "Vicki" Nelson → Portrayed by Christine Cox
Based on the Blood Books by Tanya Huff, a former Toronto Police Service officer in the Canadian TV series Blood Ties (Series created by Peter Mohan).
•Novels: 1991‑1997 •TV series: 2007.

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 → 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 → 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.

Cormoran Strike → Portrayed by Tom Burke
An ex-SIB investigator, and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan in the books and the TV series Strike (Created by J. K. Rowling).
•Novels: 2013‑2020 •TV series: 2017‑2020.