Bill Compton (vampire)
Encyclopedia
William Erasmus "Bill" Compton is a fictional character
from the The Southern Vampire Mysteries
/Sookie Stackhouse series by author Charlaine Harris
. He is a vampire and is introduced in the first novel in the series, Dead Until Dark, and has appeared in all of the novels since.
. He was a married farmer with three children (there is inconsistency in the storyline, with Bill telling Sookie that he had five living children with his wife in Dead Until Dark
). On November 20, 1868, some years after the war, he was made a vampire by Lorena, with whom he had a long and stormy relationship. Later in the book series, Bill discovers that he is related to the Bellefleur family in Bon Temps and secretly provides them with funds to aid in the repair of their ancestral home. The Bellefleurs, who do not know he is the source of the income, dislike him, though he briefly assisted Portia Bellefleur during her murder investigation in Living Dead in Dallas
.
In "Living Dead in Dallas" Bill's middle name is given as Thomas, rather than Erasmus.
, Bill is concerned about the power of Area Five sheriff Eric
over him and Sookie. He decides to apply for that area's investigator position and he gets it. It was revealed that Bill works for Queen Sophie-Anne and she has sent him to Bon Temps to seduce Sookie Stackhouse
and investigate her telepathic abilities.
Bill is also the creator of a valuable database in which all the vampires in North America are listed along with their significant information. Vampires from other areas of the world, such as Peru, have also provided information for this database. The database itself has been controversial because of potential security issues and is only available for purchase to other vampires. While most older vampires have good memories, Bill's ability to recall precise details, faces and conversations is reputed to be exceptional, even among other long-lived supernaturals.
In the first book, Dead Until Dark
, Bill has returned to his ancestral home in Bon Temps, which is separated from the Stackhouse home by the Bon Temps cemetery. After briefly meeting Sookie at her place of work, Merlotte's bar, Sookie saves Bill from being "drained" by the Rattrays, a husband and wife who sell vampire blood for profit. Bill later saves Sookie by giving her his blood when the Rattrays seek revenge. They subsequently embark on Sookie's first serious romantic relationship. Sookie has to endure a fair amount of dislike from the Bon Temps locals, who dislike Bill because he is a vampire.
Sookie and Bill's relationship falls apart when Bill is called back to his maker, Lorena, who entraps him in Mississippi to gain control of a project on which Bill is working for Sophie-Anne. After being rescued by Sookie and Eric, an injured Bill drains and rapes Sookie in the trunk of the getaway vehicle. Their relationship ends, and is dealt a further and final blow in Definitely Dead
when Eric discovers and immediately discloses to Sookie that Bill came to Bon Temps on a mission to secure her telepathic abilities for use by Louisiana's vampire Queen.
Bill continues to appear in the novels however his relationship with Sookie is not romantic in nature, and by the events of Dead Reckoning
he has become a trusted friend.
In the third book, Club Dead
, Lorena is introduced as Bill's maker and sire. They were lovers since Bill became a vampire and they had an intense relationship. They broke up eighty years ago. In this novel, Bill tells Sookie that he had gone to Jackson
because Lorena had called him and he was obeying her summons. Before leaving, he tells Sookie that if he has not returned or been heard from in eight weeks, she should go to Eric and place herself under his protection. According to Bill, Lorena ordered him to leave Sookie and threatened to kill her. While Bill is with Lorena, it is revealed by Eric and Pam that he had contacted them and told them he was leaving Sookie and he wanted to make financial arrangements for her care.
Following his broken relationship with Sookie, Bill briefly dated a real estate agent named Selah Pumfrey. Bill makes it obvious that he still carries a torch for Sookie and continues to try to be involved in her life, he uses Selah to try and make Sookie jealous, therefore objectifying both Sookie and Selah.
Bill's "sister" who looks like his former human wife, was turned by Lorena Ball in an attempt to placate Bill after he was caught staring fondly at Judith. Reunited only recently by Sookie's interference in Dead In The Family in order to save him from silver-poisoning, Judith and Bill's affair only lasted one book, as she has recently left Bon Temps in "Dead Reckoning." Not knowing Judith was standing within earshot in the treeline behind Sookie's house, Bill tells Sookie that Judith is obsessed with him and although he had hoped to return her love he does not. A dignified Judith reacts and vampires out of his life, for now. Bill then confesses he felt obligated to have sex with Judith after his healing but he yet again expresses his feelings for Sookie, continuing the cycle of obsessive love in the Ball family.
Bill's wife and mother of his two children.
, an HBO series based on the books, this character is played by British actor Stephen Moyer
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the The Southern Vampire Mysteries
The Southern Vampire Mysteries
The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris that were first published in 2001 and now serve as the source material for the HBO television series True Blood...
/Sookie Stackhouse series by author Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children...
. He is a vampire and is introduced in the first novel in the series, Dead Until Dark, and has appeared in all of the novels since.
Human life
In the book series, Bill was born on April 9, 1840. He lived in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and fought for the South during the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was a married farmer with three children (there is inconsistency in the storyline, with Bill telling Sookie that he had five living children with his wife in Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.-Setting:Dead Until Dark, like the rest of the series to which it belongs, is narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the small fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is...
). On November 20, 1868, some years after the war, he was made a vampire by Lorena, with whom he had a long and stormy relationship. Later in the book series, Bill discovers that he is related to the Bellefleur family in Bon Temps and secretly provides them with funds to aid in the repair of their ancestral home. The Bellefleurs, who do not know he is the source of the income, dislike him, though he briefly assisted Portia Bellefleur during her murder investigation in Living Dead in Dallas
Living Dead in Dallas
Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This second novel follows the adventures of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse of Bon Temps, Louisiana, as she is employed by Dallas vampires to use her telepathy to help find their lost companion...
.
In "Living Dead in Dallas" Bill's middle name is given as Thomas, rather than Erasmus.
Work and position within vampire hierarchy
At the end of the first novel, Dead Until DarkDead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.-Setting:Dead Until Dark, like the rest of the series to which it belongs, is narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the small fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is...
, Bill is concerned about the power of Area Five sheriff Eric
Eric Northman
Eric Northman is a fictional character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of eleven books written by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire, slightly over one thousand years old, and is first introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark and appears in all...
over him and Sookie. He decides to apply for that area's investigator position and he gets it. It was revealed that Bill works for Queen Sophie-Anne and she has sent him to Bon Temps to seduce Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie Stackhouse is the fictional protagonist and narrating voice of Charlaine Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the television adaptation, HBO's True Blood.-Biography:...
and investigate her telepathic abilities.
Bill is also the creator of a valuable database in which all the vampires in North America are listed along with their significant information. Vampires from other areas of the world, such as Peru, have also provided information for this database. The database itself has been controversial because of potential security issues and is only available for purchase to other vampires. While most older vampires have good memories, Bill's ability to recall precise details, faces and conversations is reputed to be exceptional, even among other long-lived supernaturals.
Romantic relationships
- Sookie StackhouseSookie StackhouseSookie Stackhouse is the fictional protagonist and narrating voice of Charlaine Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the television adaptation, HBO's True Blood.-Biography:...
In the first book, Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.-Setting:Dead Until Dark, like the rest of the series to which it belongs, is narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the small fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is...
, Bill has returned to his ancestral home in Bon Temps, which is separated from the Stackhouse home by the Bon Temps cemetery. After briefly meeting Sookie at her place of work, Merlotte's bar, Sookie saves Bill from being "drained" by the Rattrays, a husband and wife who sell vampire blood for profit. Bill later saves Sookie by giving her his blood when the Rattrays seek revenge. They subsequently embark on Sookie's first serious romantic relationship. Sookie has to endure a fair amount of dislike from the Bon Temps locals, who dislike Bill because he is a vampire.
Sookie and Bill's relationship falls apart when Bill is called back to his maker, Lorena, who entraps him in Mississippi to gain control of a project on which Bill is working for Sophie-Anne. After being rescued by Sookie and Eric, an injured Bill drains and rapes Sookie in the trunk of the getaway vehicle. Their relationship ends, and is dealt a further and final blow in Definitely Dead
Definitely Dead
Definitely Dead is the sixth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Plot summary:After surviving a Were attack while attending a play in Shreveport with her new boyfriend John Quinn, Sookie Stackhouse goes to New Orleans to sort out the affairs of her cousin Hadley, a...
when Eric discovers and immediately discloses to Sookie that Bill came to Bon Temps on a mission to secure her telepathic abilities for use by Louisiana's vampire Queen.
Bill continues to appear in the novels however his relationship with Sookie is not romantic in nature, and by the events of Dead Reckoning
Dead Reckoning (novel)
Dead Reckoning is the eleventh book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released on May 3, 2011. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.-Plot:...
he has become a trusted friend.
- Lorena Ball
In the third book, Club Dead
Club Dead
Club Dead is the third book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2003. In Club Dead, Sookie's boyfriend Bill disappears while working on a secret project, and Sookie heads out to Jackson, Mississippi in hopes of retrieving him alive...
, Lorena is introduced as Bill's maker and sire. They were lovers since Bill became a vampire and they had an intense relationship. They broke up eighty years ago. In this novel, Bill tells Sookie that he had gone to Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
because Lorena had called him and he was obeying her summons. Before leaving, he tells Sookie that if he has not returned or been heard from in eight weeks, she should go to Eric and place herself under his protection. According to Bill, Lorena ordered him to leave Sookie and threatened to kill her. While Bill is with Lorena, it is revealed by Eric and Pam that he had contacted them and told them he was leaving Sookie and he wanted to make financial arrangements for her care.
- Selah Pumfrey
Following his broken relationship with Sookie, Bill briefly dated a real estate agent named Selah Pumfrey. Bill makes it obvious that he still carries a torch for Sookie and continues to try to be involved in her life, he uses Selah to try and make Sookie jealous, therefore objectifying both Sookie and Selah.
- Judith Vardamon
Bill's "sister" who looks like his former human wife, was turned by Lorena Ball in an attempt to placate Bill after he was caught staring fondly at Judith. Reunited only recently by Sookie's interference in Dead In The Family in order to save him from silver-poisoning, Judith and Bill's affair only lasted one book, as she has recently left Bon Temps in "Dead Reckoning." Not knowing Judith was standing within earshot in the treeline behind Sookie's house, Bill tells Sookie that Judith is obsessed with him and although he had hoped to return her love he does not. A dignified Judith reacts and vampires out of his life, for now. Bill then confesses he felt obligated to have sex with Judith after his healing but he yet again expresses his feelings for Sookie, continuing the cycle of obsessive love in the Ball family.
- Caroline Compton
Bill's wife and mother of his two children.
Television portrayal
In True BloodTrue Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
, an HBO series based on the books, this character is played by British actor Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer is an English actor who has starred as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series True Blood since 2008.-Early life and career:Moyer was born in Brentwood, Essex...
.