Professor Challenger
Encyclopedia
George Edward Challenger, better known as Professor Challenger, is a fictional character
in a series of science fiction
stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
. Unlike Conan Doyle's laid-back, analytic character, Sherlock Holmes
, Professor Challenger is an aggressive
, dominating figure.
He was also a pretentious and self-righteous scientific jack-of-all-trades. Although considered by Malone's editor, Mr McArdle, to be "just a homicidal megalomaniac with a turn for science", his ingenuity could be counted upon to solve any problem or get out of any unsavoury situation, and be sure to offend and insult several other people in the process. Challenger was, in many ways, rude, crude, and without social conscience or inhibition. Yet he was a man capable of great loyalty and his love of his wife was all encompassing.
Like Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger was based on a real person — in this case, a professor of physiology named William Rutherford, who had lectured at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied medicine there.
was the first person to portray Professor Challenger, dressing and making up as the professor for a photograph he wanted included in The Lost Worlds initial serialized publication in the Strand Magazine
. The editor refused, feeling that such hoaxes were potentially damaging. Hodder & Stoughton
had no such qualms and featured the image in the first book edition.
. Francis L. Sullivan
had the role of the professor in 1944 BBC
radio adaptations of The Lost World and The Poison Belt
. The latter was the only known dramatization of any of Doyle's own Challenger sequels until 2011. See below. Claude Rains
played him in The Lost World
s 1960 film version. in 1966, Basil Rathbone
played Professor Challenger in Dinosaurs!, a radio-style audio adaptation of The Lost World released on MGM/Leo the Lion Records C/CH-1016. In this version, the character of Lord John Roxton was not included.
in 1975, BBC Radio 4
broadcast The Lost World with Francis de Wolff
as Challenger, Gerald Harper
, Carol Boyd and Carleton Hobbs
.
John Rhys-Davies
was Challenger in the 1992 film
version and its sequel (from the same year), Return to the Lost World
.
Armin Shimerman
took the role in a radio-style audio cassette/compact disc adaptation from Alien Voices in 1997.
Patrick Bergin
played the angry professor in the 1998 film
version.
Peter McCauley
had the role of G.E. Challenger in the early 1999 cable-TV movie adaptation and the subsequent 1999-2002 television series.
A 2001 TV movie adaptation
with Bob Hoskins
portraying Professor Challenger. Airing in the UK in two parts over Christmas Day and Boxing Day
in 2001, it was the first British film adaptation. Directed by Christopher Hall and Tim Haines
, producers of the BBC
's dinosaur documentary Walking with Dinosaurs
, this BBC/A&E
version (like all the other films) adds a female member to the expedition; here, she's the ward of an unsympathetic Christian missionary.
In the 2005
film King of the Lost World
, by The Asylum
, Professor Challenger is remodelled as the United States Air Force
officer Lieutenant Challenger, and is portrayed by Bruce Boxleitner
.
In March 2011 the first ever BBC Radio adaptations of When the World Screamed and The Disintegration Machine were announced, with Bill Paterson
playing the professor in a specially commissioned series for BBC Radio 7. These were broadcast on 19 and 26 March, respectively.
On 20 and 27 March 2011, on the Classic Serial
programme strand, BBC Radio 4
broadcast a two-part adaptation of The Lost World dramatised by Chris Harrald, directed by Marilyn Imrie
and starring David Robb
as Challenger and Jamie Glover
as Roxton. In this version, Dr. Summerlee is now female, Dr. Diana Summerlee, played by Jasmine Hyde
.
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...
in a series of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
. Unlike Conan Doyle's laid-back, analytic character, Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, Professor Challenger is an aggressive
Aggressive
“Aggressive” is a New York-based Grammy award-winning music video and commercial directing team of Alex Topaller and Daniel Shapiro.Aggressive has been described by Movie Creation Mag as “having a fascination with the wonderful, in the likes of the surrealist Rafal Olbinski” and “tenacious about...
, dominating figure.
Description
Edward Malone, the narrator of The Lost World, the novel in which Challenger first appeared, described his first meeting with the character:- His appearance made me gasp. I was prepared for something strange, but not for so overpowering a personality as this. It was his size, which took one's breath away-his size and his imposing presence. His head was enormous, the largest I have ever seen upon a human being. I am sure that his top hat, had I ventured to don it, would have slipped over me entirely and rested on my shoulders. He had the face and beard, which I associate with an Assyrian bull; the former florid, the latter so black as almost to have a suspicion of blue, spade-shaped and rippling down over his chest. The hair was peculiar, plastered down in front in a long, curving wisp over his massive forehead. The eyes were blue-grey under great black tufts, very clear, very critical, and very masterful. A huge spread of shoulders and a chest like a barrel were the other parts of him which appeared above the table, save for two enormous hands covered with long black hair. This and a bellowing, roaring, rumbling voice made up my first impression of the notorious Professor Challenger.
He was also a pretentious and self-righteous scientific jack-of-all-trades. Although considered by Malone's editor, Mr McArdle, to be "just a homicidal megalomaniac with a turn for science", his ingenuity could be counted upon to solve any problem or get out of any unsavoury situation, and be sure to offend and insult several other people in the process. Challenger was, in many ways, rude, crude, and without social conscience or inhibition. Yet he was a man capable of great loyalty and his love of his wife was all encompassing.
Like Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger was based on a real person — in this case, a professor of physiology named William Rutherford, who had lectured at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied medicine there.
Novels
- 1912 - The Lost World, which describes an expedition to a plateauPlateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
in South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
where prehistoric creatures including dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s still survive. - 1913 - The Poison BeltThe Poison BeltThe Poison Belt was the second story, a novella, that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Professor Challenger. Written in 1913, roughly a year before the outbreak of World War I, much of it takes place—rather oddly, given that it follows The Lost World, a story set in the jungle—in a room in...
, in which the earth passes through a cloud of poisonous ether. - 1926 - The Land of Mist, a story of the supernatural, reflecting the strong belief in Spiritualism Conan Doyle developed later in life.
Short stories
- 1928 - When the World ScreamedWhen the World ScreamedWhen the World Screamed was a story written about Professor Challenger by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was first published in Liberty Magazine, 25 February-3 March 1928.-Plot summary:...
, on Challenger's World EchinusEchinus (sea urchin)Echinus is a genus of sea urchins.-Species:Species in this genus include:* Echinus acutus de Lamarck, 1816* Echinus affinis Mortensen, 1903* Echinus alexandri Danielssen & Koren, 1883* Echinus elegans Düben & Koren, 1846...
theory. - 1929 - The Disintegration MachineThe Disintegration MachineThe Disintegration Machine is a very short story written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was first published in Strand Magazine in January 1929. The story centers around the discovery of a machine capable of disintegrating objects and reforming them as they were...
, concerning the potentially-dangerous new invention by a scientist named Theodore Nemor.
By other authors
- "The Footprints on the Ceiling": Jules Caister in his 1919 anthology of pastiches Rather Like. In the story, Edward Malone recounts how Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
was called upon to locate the vanished, seemingly kidnapped, Professor Challenger. The story has also been reprinted in the Ellery QueenEllery QueenEllery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by...
-edited anthology, The Misadventures of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
(1944). - Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds: Manly Wade WellmanManly Wade WellmanManly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective...
and Wade Wellman. A slightly anachronistic romp, in which Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Challenger oppose H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
' Martian hordesThe War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
and one of Holmes' old enemies. Holmes is the hero, but Challenger plays a major part. It is mentioned that Challenger helped Holmes solve the case of the giant rat of Sumatra. - Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
published in 1948 a mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Tezuka's manga, however, is a Lost World unlike any other. Not an adaptation, this is a complete re-imagining of the story. There have been several other comic adaptations of Professor Challenger's exploits, but not too many and none that were particularly widespread and well known. Most notable is the Dell ComicsDell ComicsDell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
adaptation of the 1960 movie versionThe Lost World (1960 film)The Lost World is a 1960 science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Irwin Allen...
of The Lost World, as an issue of their Four ColorFour ColorFour Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was a long-running American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962...
series. - Return to the Lost World: Nicholas Nye. A sequel set a year later than The Lost World, which almost ignores the dinosaurs in favour of a plot involving parapsychology, an extremely odd version of evolutionary theory, and ancient technology in the style of Chariots of the GodsChariots of the GodsChariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken...
. While Conan Doyle's Challenger is a foe of scientific fraud, this novel begins with him preparing a scientific fake. - Challenger, alongside Nikola TeslaNikola TeslaNikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, plays a major role in two of Ralph Vaughan's four Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
/H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
crossoversFictional crossoverA fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
, The Adventure of the Dreaming Detective (19921992 in literatureThe year 1992 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Ben Aaronovitch - Transit*Julia Álvarez - How the García Girls Lost Their Accents*Paul Auster - Leviathan*Iain Banks - The Crow Road...
) and Sherlock Holmes and the Terror Out of Time (20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
). - "Sherlock Holmes in the Lost World" (2008) by Martin Powell in anthology "Gaslight Grimoire", in which Challenger lost in the lost world and rescued by Sherlock Holmes. Challenger has a daughter who is also "Professor Challenger".
- Dinosaur Summer: Greg BearGreg BearGregory Dale Bear is an American science fiction and mainstream author. His work has covered themes of galactic conflict , artificial universes , consciousness and cultural practices , and accelerated evolution...
. Thirty years after Professor Challenger discovered Dinosaurs in Venezuela, Dinosaur Circuses have become popular and are slipping out of the spotlight. The one remaining dinosaur circus makes a bold move to return their dinosaurs to the Tepuye plateau. Challenger himself never appears, but the protagonist's son attended Challenger High School. In this sequel Professor Summerlee, Lord Roxton and the narrator Malone accompany Challenger on a journey to the moon, in a desperate bid to save the people of Ell Ka-Mar, who have crowned Challenger their king. - Challenger makes a guest appearance in the 3rd Plateau of Gilles DeleuzeGilles DeleuzeGilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
& Félix GuattariFélix GuattariPierre-Félix Guattari was a French militant, an institutional psychotherapist, philosopher, and semiotician; he founded both schizoanalysis and ecosophy...
's post-structuralist philosophical text A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and SchizophreniaA Thousand PlateausA Thousand Plateaus is the second book of Capitalism and Schizophrenia, the first being Anti-Oedipus. Written by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, it was translated into English by Brian Massumi...
, in which he gives a lecture. - Professor Challenger and his companions are said to play a role in the upcoming The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
series. According to writer Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Challenger had a lifelong friendship with the zoologist Dr. Dolittle. - The Gorilla ComicsGorilla ComicsGorilla Comics was a short-lived American comic book imprint launched in 2000 by creators Kurt Busiek, Tom Grummett, Stuart Immonen, Karl Kesel, Barry Kitson, George Pérez, Mark Waid, and Mike Wieringo...
series Section Zero, written by Karl KeselKarl KeselKarl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics...
, featured a scientific genius named Titania "Doc" Challenger, implied to be Professor Challenger's descendent. - Cult Holmes: The Lost World: In this BBC 7 Cult Holmes story, Holmes is investigating the damage done by Challenger in bringing dinosaurs over from the Plateau. Interestingly, Malone's account of events is referred to as if it had been the version of events in the BBC TV adaptationThe Lost World (2001 film)The Lost World is a 2001 adaptation of the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Stuart Orme and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It was filmed at various locations on the West Coast of New Zealand. The film was produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom and A&E in the United...
of The Lost World, rather than the novel. - In Los Sabios en Salamanca (The Sages in Salamanca), a Spanish short novel by Alberto López Aroca, included in the book "Los Espectros Conjurados" (ISBN 978-84-607-9866-8), Challenger and his friend Lord John RoxtonLord John RoxtonLord John Roxton is a supporting character in the Professor Challenger series of stories by Arthur Conan Doyle...
meet professor Abraham Van HelsingAbraham Van HelsingProfessor Abraham van Helsing is a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula.Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc." The character is best known as a...
(from Bram StokerBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
) in SalamancaSalamancaSalamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, and attend a meeting of the Sociedad Hermética Española (a Spanish esoteric society). In the story also appear other characters, as H.P. Lovecraft's Randolph CarterRandolph CarterRandolph Carter is a recurring protagonist in H. P. Lovecraft'sfiction and a thinly disguised alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The first tale in which Carter appears--"The Statement of Randolph Carter" --is based on one of Lovecraft's dreams....
, and Spanish writers Francisco de QuevedoFrancisco de QuevedoFrancisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, Quevedo was one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age. His style is characterized by what was called conceptismo...
and Diego de Torres VillarroelDiego de Torres VillarroelDiego de Torres Villarroel was a Spanish writer, poet, dramatist, doctor, mathematician, priest and professor of the University of Salamanca. His most famous work is his autobiography, Vida, ascendencia, nacimiento, crianza y aventuras del Doctor Don Diego de Torres Villarroel .-Life:Villarroel...
. - In the 1960 novel World of the Gods by Pel Torro (a psedonym of Lionel FanthorpeLionel FanthorpeThe Reverend Robert Lionel Fanthorpe is a British priest and entertainer, and has at various times worked as a journalist, teacher, television presenter, author and lecturer...
), a malevolent shapeshiftingShapeshiftingShapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
alien takes on the physical form of Professor Challenger, believing him to be a real-life Earth scientist, and is then forced to remain in this form for the rest of the novel. - The third book in the Iris WildthymeIris WildthymeIris Wildthyme is a fictional character created by writer Paul Magrs, who has appeared in short stories, novels and audio dramas from numerous publishers...
series by Obverse Books, Miss Wildthyme and Friends Investigate, begins with a novella entitled The Found World by Jim SmithJim Smith (Writer)James Edward Smith is a writer and critic best known for writing film and television criticism and directorial critical biographies - including studies of George Lucas, Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino...
, a pseudo-sequel to The Lost World featuring Challenger, Dr. John H. Watson and DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, among others. - The third supplement for the Forgotten FuturesForgotten FuturesForgotten Futures is a role-playing game created by Marcus Rowland to allow people to play in settings inspired by Victorian and Edwardian science fiction and fantasy...
role playing game is George E. Challenger's Mysterious World (1994), based on and including the Challenger novels and stories.
Portrayals
Sir Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
was the first person to portray Professor Challenger, dressing and making up as the professor for a photograph he wanted included in The Lost Worlds initial serialized publication in the Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
. The editor refused, feeling that such hoaxes were potentially damaging. Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
had no such qualms and featured the image in the first book edition.
- Wallace BeeryWallace BeeryWallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
played Challenger in the classic 1925 film version of
The Lost World (1925 film)
The Lost World is a 1925 silent film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel of the same name. The movie was produced by First National Pictures, a large Hollywood studio at the time, and stars Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger. This version was directed by Harry O...
.
Francis L. Sullivan
Francis Loftus Sullivan was an English film and stage actor. He attended Stonyhurst, the Jesuit public school in Lancashire, England whose alumni include Charles Laughton and Arthur Conan Doyle.A heavily built man with a striking double-chin and a deep voice, Sullivan made his acting debut at the...
had the role of the professor in 1944 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio adaptations of
The Poison Belt
The Poison Belt was the second story, a novella, that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Professor Challenger. Written in 1913, roughly a year before the outbreak of World War I, much of it takes place—rather oddly, given that it follows The Lost World, a story set in the jungle—in a room in...
. The latter was the only known dramatization of any of Doyle's own Challenger sequels until 2011. See below.
Claude Rains
Claude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
played him in
The Lost World (1960 film)
The Lost World is a 1960 science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Irwin Allen...
s 1960 film version.
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
played Professor Challenger in Dinosaurs!, a radio-style audio adaptation of The Lost World released on MGM/Leo the Lion Records C/CH-1016. In this version, the character of Lord John Roxton was not included.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcast The Lost World with Francis de Wolff
Francis de Wolff
Francis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
as Challenger, Gerald Harper
Gerald Harper
Gerald Harper is an actor, best known for his work on television, having played the title roles in Adam Adamant Lives! and Hadleigh ....
, Carol Boyd and Carleton Hobbs
Carleton Hobbs
Carleton Percy Hobbs was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations between 1952 and 1969, and also starred in the radio adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour.Hobbs was born in Farnborough, Hampshire, into a...
.
John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
was Challenger in the 1992 film
The Lost World (1992 film)
The Lost World is a 1992 film, based on the book of the same title by Arthur Conan Doyle.- Plot :It is approximately 1912. Junior reporter Edward Malone bungles into the office of Gazette editor McArdle looking for an adventurous assignment and is sent to interview Professor Challenger , whose...
version and its sequel (from the same year), Return to the Lost World
Return to the Lost World
Return to the Lost World is a 1992 film, a sequel to the film The Lost World, which was released the same year.-Plot:Belgian scientist Bertram Hammonds, along with Gomez, who survived being injured in the first film, arrives in the Lost World to drill for crude oil. He and his men begin capturing...
.
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman is an American actor. Shimerman is best known for playing the Ferengi bartender Quark in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kramer's caddy Stan on Seinfeld, voicing Dr. Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank series, and Andrew...
took the role in a radio-style audio cassette/compact disc adaptation from Alien Voices in 1997.
Patrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
played the angry professor in the 1998 film
The Lost World (1998 film)
The Lost World is a 1998 film, based on the book of the same title by Arthur Conan Doyle.- Plot :Mongolia, 1934.The researcher Maple White , together with his assistant Azbek , discovers an unknown world populated by dinosaurs, situated on a plateau in Mongolia...
version.
Peter McCauley
Peter McCauley is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in many television series and movies, mainly in his home country.- Career :...
had the role of G.E. Challenger in the early 1999 cable-TV movie adaptation and the subsequent 1999-2002 television series.
The Lost World (2001 film)
The Lost World is a 2001 adaptation of the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Stuart Orme and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It was filmed at various locations on the West Coast of New Zealand. The film was produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom and A&E in the United...
with Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
portraying Professor Challenger. Airing in the UK in two parts over Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
in 2001, it was the first British film adaptation. Directed by Christopher Hall and Tim Haines
Tim Haines
Tim Haines is a screenwriter, producer and director who is best known for his work on the BBC popular science shows Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts, and Walking with Monsters...
, producers of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's dinosaur documentary Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs is a six-part documentary television miniseries that was produced by BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the United Kingdom, in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2000, with Branagh's voice replaced with that...
, this BBC/A&E
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
version (like all the other films) adds a female member to the expedition; here, she's the ward of an unsympathetic Christian missionary.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film King of the Lost World
King of the Lost World
King of the Lost World is a 2005 film produced by The Asylum. The film is a very loose adaptation of The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but the film bears a closer resemblance to the remake of King Kong released in the same year, particularly as both center on a...
, by The Asylum
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.-History:The Asylum was founded...
, Professor Challenger is remodelled as the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officer Lieutenant Challenger, and is portrayed by Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce William Boxleitner is an American actor, and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King , and Babylon 5...
.
Bill Paterson
Bill Paterson is a Scottish stage, film and television actor.-Early years:Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Paterson spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice, before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama...
playing the professor in a specially commissioned series for BBC Radio 7. These were broadcast on 19 and 26 March, respectively.
Classic Serial
The Classic Serial is a strand on BBC Radio 4 in which classics of English literature are adapted into series of one-hour dramas. It is broadcast twice weekly on BBC Radio 4, first from 3:00-4:00pm on Sunday, then repeated on 9:00-10:00pm the next Saturday....
programme strand, BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcast a two-part adaptation of The Lost World dramatised by Chris Harrald, directed by Marilyn Imrie
Marilyn Imrie
Marilyn Elsie Imrie is a Scottish radio drama director and producer.Marilyn Imrie has worked in drama and broadcasting in Scotland and England for over thirty years as a producer and director, for BBC, ITV and the independent companies Absolutely, Bona Broadcasting, CBL, CIM, Kindle and Sweet Talk...
and starring David Robb
David Robb
David Robb is an English actor.Robb has starred in various British films and television shows, including films such as Swing Kids and Hellbound. He is well known for playing Germanicus in the famous 1976 BBC production of I, Claudius and as Robin Grant, one of the principal character in Thames...
as Challenger and Jamie Glover
Jamie Glover
Jamie Glover is an English actor, known for portraying Andrew Treneman in Waterloo Road.-Background:Born and raised in Barnes, London, Glover is the son of actors Julian Glover and Isla Blair...
as Roxton. In this version, Dr. Summerlee is now female, Dr. Diana Summerlee, played by Jasmine Hyde
Jasmine Hyde
Jasmine Hyde ia an English actress who appeared as the young Hilda Rumpole in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of "Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders". She has also appeared in other roles on stage and screen.-Radio:-Notes:...
.
External links
- An article on Conan Doyle's The Lost World - in easy-to-read HTML format.
- The Lost World
- "The Poison Belt"
- The Land of Mist
- "The Disintegration Machine"
- "When the World Screamed"