Lynn Aloysius Belvedere is a fictional character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel ''Belvedere'', and later adapted for film and television.

Novel

''Belvedere'' was written in 1947 by Gwen Davenport, and concerns an English housekeeper who goes to work for a dysfunctional American family to obtain material for a best-selling book.

In other media

Film

Three films featured the character, starring

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

as Lynn Belvedere: * '' Sitting Pretty'' (1948), for which Webb received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor. * ''

Mr. Belvedere Goes to College ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. The screenplay written by Mary Loos, Mary C. McCall, Jr., and Richard Sale was based on characters created by Gwen Davenport. It follows on from '' Sitti ...

'' (1949) * '' Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell'' (1951) Harry and Tacey King hire Lynn Belvedere sight unseen as a nanny for their three young rambunctious boys, believing that "Lynn" is a woman. They are surprised that Lynn is a dapper older gentleman who has many skills and achievements. Belvedere declares that he detests children, but he quickly wins over the boys. Harry, however, is annoyed by Belvedere's superior attitude. After a number of misunderstandings and scandals, Belvedere writes a best-selling novel that exposes the secrets of the local residents. Subsequently, he goes to college to complete a four-year degree in one year, and explores the phenomenon of growing old.

Television

Multiple attempts failed to bring the character to television; three pilots based on the Belvedere character were made, with

Reginald Gardiner William Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980) was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television. Early years Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Katz, ...

in 1956,

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's '' Dud ...

in 1959, and

Victor Buono Victor Charles Buono (February 3, 1938January 1, 1982) was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series ''Batman (TV series), Batman'' (1966–1968) and musician ...

in 1965. A successful television series first aired on ABC in 1985, with Christopher Hewett in the role. In the series, Lynn Belvedere is hired by George ( Bob Uecker) and Marsha Owens (

Ilene Graff Ilene Susan Graff (born February 28, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Life and career The Queens, New York native began her professional career as a teenager when she performed as a background singer and commercial actress while attendi ...

) as a housekeeper for their three children. They are surprised that Lynn is a dapper older gentleman. The three children are: oldest son Kevin ( Rob Stone), daughter Heather (

Tracy Wells Tracy Wells (born Tracy Anne Brockstein; March 13, 1971 in Encino, California) is an American actress. Wells is best known for playing Heather Owens on the ABC sitcom ''Mr. Belvedere'' (1985–1990). She won the Young Artist Award in the "Best ...

) and youngest child Wesley (

Brice Beckham James Brice Beckham (born February 11, 1976) is an American actor most famous for his role as Wesley T. Owens in the television sitcom ''Mr. Belvedere'' and for his role as Corey in '' I Hate My 30's''. He lives in Los Angeles and is a member of ...

). Wesley in particular develops a very close relationship with Mr. Belvedere. Being a cultured man with many skills and achievements (having even once worked for

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

), he also comes to serve as some sort of a "counselor" to the Owens clan, helping them solve their dilemmas and stay out of mischief. Each episode ends with Mr. Belvedere writing in his journal, recounting the events of the day (which is heard by the audience via his narration) with the Owens family and what he got out of it in terms of a lesson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belvedere Characters in British novels of the 20th century Comedy film characters Comedy television characters Fictional butlers Literary characters introduced in 1947 Fictional English people