Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett.
| Sam Spade | |
|---|---|
Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in the trailer for The Maltese Falcon | |
| First appearance | The Maltese Falcon |
| Last appearance | Spade and Archer |
| Created by | Dashiell Hammett |
| Portrayed by | Ricardo Cortez Humphrey Bogart Edward G. Robinson Howard Duff Steve Dunne Mike O'Malley Tom Wilkinson Michael Madsen Clive Owen |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Private detective |
| Spouse | Unnamed wife (deceased) |
| Children | Sam Spade Jr. (son) |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
The Maltese Falcon, first published as a serial in the pulp magazine Black Mask, is the only full-length novel by Hammett in which Spade appears. The character, however, is widely cited as a crystallizing figure in the development of hard-boiled private detective fiction—Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, for instance, was strongly influenced by Spade.
Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less-than-glamorous detective, The Continental Op. Spade combined several features of previous detectives, most notably his detached demeanor, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice.