Father Damien "Demis" Karras, SJ, is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...

from the 1971 novel ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

'', its 1983 sequel ''

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Aviazione Legionaria, Italian air force during the Spanish Civil War * A legion is the regional unit of the Italian carabinieri * Spanish Legion, ...

'', one of the main protagonists in the 1973 film ''

'', and a supporting character in ''

The Exorcist III ''The Exorcist III'' is a 1990 American supernatural psychological horror film written for the screen and directed by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1983 novel '' Legion''. It is the third installment in ''The Exorcist'' film series and t ...

'', the 1990 film adaptation of ''Legion''. He is portrayed by American playwright and stage actor Jason Miller.

Appearances

''The Exorcist''

William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel ''The Exorcist (novel), The Exorcist'' and for his screenplay for The Exorcist, the 1973 film adaptat ...

's 1971 novel, Father Damien Karras was one of the priests who exorcises the demon from young

Regan MacNeil Regan Teresa MacNeil (born April 6, 1959) is a fictional character in the 1971 novel '' The Exorcist'' and one of the supporting characters in its 1973 film adaptation and the 1977 film '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'', while being one of the mai ...

. He is a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

suffering a crisis of faith. He searches for proof to lead an exorcism, yet during his investigation he comes to realize that there is no better way for God to prove His own existence than to reveal the foul presence of a demon; in God's perspective, He appeared not to waste His time on a skeptic, but instead to aid the callings of Father Lankester Merrin to rescue the child victim. During the exorcism, the demon frequently brings up the subject of Karras's mother's death and how he wasn't there to see her die, which seems to trouble Karras emotionally. Karras dies by throwing himself down a flight of stairs in order to purge the demon from his own body after having coaxed it out of Regan's.

''Legion''

In the 1983 sequel, it is revealed that after the demon departed, another evil spirit invaded Karras's body. Karras was found wandering and amnesiac, and was placed in the care of a mental hospital near

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

While incarcerated there, the spirit suppresses Karras's personality and makes forays into the bodies of other patients in order to commit a series of ritual murders.

Adaptations

In the films ''The Exorcist'' and ''

'', he is played by Jason Miller (who was in fact educated at the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

was up for the part of Karras before

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his ...

was hired by Blatty. According to ''The Exorcist'' director

William Friedkin William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in doc ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

also wanted to portray Karras.William Friedkin, director of THE EXORCIST at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival.
on

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Friedkin then spotted Miller following a performance of Miller's play ''

That Championship Season ''That Championship Season'' is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play. Plot synopsis The setting is 1972 at the Coach's home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ...

'' in New York. Even though Miller had never acted in movies, Keach's contract was bought out by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

and Miller was signed. Karras is voiced by

Robert Glenister Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in the crime drama series '' Hustle'' (2004–2012) and Nicholas Blake in the spy drama series '' Spooks'' (2 ...

in the 2014

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

dramatization.

In popular culture

Percival Everett Percival Leonard Everett II (born December 22, 1956) is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Distinguished professor, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. He has described himself as "pathologicall ...

's '' Dr. No'', an atheistic priest named Damien Karras appears in four chapters in two parts. He assists Wala Kitu and Eigen Vector with nothing before double-crossing them and getting shot to death by the villain, John Milton Bradley Sill.

, '' Dr. No: A Novel'', ''A distinction between names and other words'', ch. 5

, '' Dr. No: A Novel'', ''Chasing two rabbits'', ch. 1-3Shekf Awareness book reviews
"Father Damien Karras (from

's ''

'') enters the story" John Ward, the main protagonist of '' Faith: The Unholy Trinity'' is inspired by Karras and his appearance is based on Jason Miller’s portrayal of the character in the 1973 adaptation.

References