Porthos

Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844), '' Twenty Years After'' (1845), and '' The Vicomte de Bragelonne'' (1847-1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, Athos and Aramis, are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan. Porthos is a highly fictionalized version of the historical musketeer Isaac de Porthau.

Name

In ''The Three Musketeers'', his family name is du Vallon. In ''Twenty Years After'', having made a financially advantageous marriage, his surname is du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds. He eventually earns the title of Baron. His real first name is never given; "Porthos" is a nom de guerre, assumed upon joining the Musketeers.

Personality

Porthos, honest and slightly gullible, is the extrovert of the group, enjoying wine, women and song. Though he is often seen as the comic relief, he is also extremely dedicated and loyal toward his friends and fellow Musketeers and stands out for his physical strength and size. His eating abilities even impress King Louis XIV during a banquet at Fontainebleau. As the story advances, he looks more and more like a giant, and his death is that of a titan.

At the time of ''The Three Musketeers'' (ca. 1627), he apparently has few lands or other resources to draw from. He is finally able to extract sufficient funds from an elderly lawyer's somewhat younger wife (whom he was romancing and later married) to equip himself for the Siege of La Rochelle.

The fictional Porthos is very loosely based on the historical musketeer Isaac de Porthau.

Film and television

Actors who have played Porthos on screen include:
* Jack Chagnon, in ''The Three Musketeers: Parts I and II'' (1911)
*Edward Kenny, in ''The Three Musketeers '' (1916)
* Charles Martinelli, in ''Les trois mousquetaires'' (1921)
* George Siegmann, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (1921)
*Tiny Sandford, in '' The Iron Mask'' (1929)
*Moroni Olsen, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (1935) and ''At Sword's Point'' (1952)
* Alan Hale, Sr. in '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939)
*Gig Young, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (1948)
* John Colicos, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (TV movie) (1960)
* Frank Finlay, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (1973), '' The Four Musketeers'' (1974), and '' The Return of the Musketeers'' (1989)
*Alan Hale, Jr., in ''The Fifth Musketeer'' (1979)
*Valentin Smirnitsky, in ''D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (1978) and its sequels (1992, 1993)
*Oliver Platt, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (1993)
*Raoul Billerey, in ''La Fille de d'Artagnan'' (1994)
*Rex Ryon, in an early 1998 film of ''The Man in the Iron Mask''
*Gérard Depardieu, in '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1998)
* Steve Speirs, in ''The Musketeer'' (2001)
* Anthony Strachan, in '' Young Blades'' (unaired TV series pilot) (2001)
*John Rhys-Davies, in two episodes of ''The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne'' (2000) and ''La Femme Musketeer'' (TV movie) (2003)
*Joe Jonas, in ''The Three Musketeers'' (''Disney'' TV series ''JONAS'')
* Ray Stevenson in ''The Three Musketeers'' (2011)
*David Ogden Stiers in '' Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers'' (2012)
* Howard Charles in '' The Musketeers'' (TV series) (2014–2016)

References

{{The Three Musketeers

Literary characters introduced in 1844
Alexandre Dumas characters
Characters in The Three Musketeers
Cultural depictions of French men
Fictional French people
Adventure film characters
Fictional fencers
Fictional swordfighters
Fictional barons and baronesses