Hercule Poirot came to be because of an argument that Agatha Christie had with her sister. And today, we’re going to meet some of them.

In fact, we might say that there isn’t one Hercule Poirot, but many, jostling for position on page and screen. There were entire decades of the twentieth century where Poirot barely appeared on screen at all. The cinematic success and beloved television adaptations are a relatively recent phenomenon. Even in print there are all sorts of inconsistencies in his portrayal, and at times even his creator seemed less than enthusiastic about his little grey cells. The beloved Belgian detective made his first appearance in The Mysterious Affair At Styles a hundred years ago, and today it seems impossible to remember a time when he wasn’t a ubiquitous part of pop culture.īut Agatha Christie’s sleuth, for all that he is obsessed with neatness and order, isn’t a straightforward character. (Oh, and you may be surprised to see David Suchet in one of them!)įor more movie and television show recommendations, visit the page on my site: TV and Movies.Caroline: There aren’t many characters who are recognisable just from a silhouette, but Hercule Poirot is one of them. I was going to write entries about each of Peter Ustinov’s Hercule Poirot movies and started that with an entry about his portrayal of Hercule in Evil Under the Sun ( “Evil Under the Sun” – Poirot Comes to Life in Peter Ustinov’s 1982 Portrayal), but instead I’ve decided to simply list the movies and tell you that they are definitely a change of pace from the David Suchet’s Hercule Poirot movies. The sets were realistic-looking, right down to the smallest details. The costume department seemed to almost have themes for the different movies. These movies spared no expense > the movies were filmed in the locations in which the Agatha Christie novels were set: movie #1 – Egypt, movie #2 – Mallorca and Spain, movies #3 & 4 – England, movie #5 – Mexico, and movie #6 – Israel, Italy, and England.īesides the wonderful actor, Peter Ustinov, these six movies featured top-notch, big name guest stars of the times: Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Mia Farrow, James Mason, Roddy McDowell, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud, the list simply goes on and on.

Peter Ustinov starred in six Hercule Poirot movies: It doesn’t get much better than that! But if you’re in the mood to experience a different take on Poirot, be sure to check out Peter Ustinov’s portrayal.

This generation is familiar with David Suchet’s excellent portrayal of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Move over David Suchet! Peter Ustinov also starred in a series of movies based on Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mysteries.

Inspector poirot