Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of

St Mary Mead St Mary Mead is a fictional village created by popular crime fiction author Dame Agatha Christie. The quaint, sleepy village was home to the renowned detective spinster Miss Marple. However, Christie first described a village of that name prio ...

and acts as an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

consulting

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

. Often characterised as an elderly

spinster Spinster or old maid is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term origin ...

, she is one of Christie's best-known characters and has been portrayed numerous times on screen. Her first appearance was in a short story published in ''

The Royal Magazine ''The Royal Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine that was published between 1898 and 1939. Its founder and publisher was Sir Arthur Pearson. ''The Royal Magazines first edition was published in November 1898. According to this i ...

'' in December 1927, "

The Tuesday Night Club ''The Thirteen Problems'' is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in June 1932Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First ...

", which later became the first chapter of ''

The Thirteen Problems ''The Thirteen Problems'' is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in June 1932Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First E ...

'' (1932). Her first appearance in a full-length novel was in ''

The Murder at the Vicarage ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' is a work of detective fiction by the British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edi ...

'' in 1930, and her last appearance was in ''

Sleeping Murder ''Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple's Last Case'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1976 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition ...

'' in 1976.

Origins

The character of Miss Marple is based on friends of Christie's step grandmother, Margaret Miller, née West. Christie attributed the inspiration for the character to multiple sources, stating that Miss Marple was "the sort of old lady who would have been rather like some of my step grandmother's

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

cronies – old ladies whom I have met in so many villages where I have gone to stay as a girl". Christie also used material from her fictional creation, spinster Caroline Sheppard, who appeared in ''

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'' is a detective novel by the British writer Agatha Christie, her third to feature Hercule Poirot as the lead detective. The novel was published in the UK in June 1926 by William Collins, Sons, having previously ...

''. When Michael Morton adapted the novel for the stage, he replaced the character of Caroline with a young girl. This change saddened Christie and she determined to give old maids a voice; thus, Miss Marple was born. It is popularly believed that Christie may have taken her iconic character's name from

Marple railway station Marple railway station serves the town of Marple, in Greater Manchester, England. It is a stop on the Hope Valley Line, sited south-east of Manchester Piccadilly. The station opened in 1865 by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway ...

, through which she passed, while a letter – ostensibly from Christie to a fan – appeared to prove that the name was inspired by a visit to a sale at Marple Hall in the same town, near her sister

Margaret Watts Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

' home at

Abney Hall Abney Hall is a Victorian house surrounded by a park in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, () built in 1847. It is a Grade II* listed building. History Early history The foundations of the hall were laid in 1842 on the site of Cheadle Gr ...

. The letter has been established as a fake as the auction had been held after the date of publication of the first Miss Marple story.

Character

The character of Jane Marple in the first Miss Marple book, ''

'', is quite different from how she appears in later books. This early version of Miss Marple is a gleeful gossip and not an especially nice woman. The residents of St. Mary Mead like her but are often tired of her nosy nature and the fact she seems to expect the worst of everyone. In later books, she becomes a kinder person. Miss Marple solves difficult crimes thanks to her shrewd intelligence, and St. Mary Mead, over her lifetime, has given her seemingly infinite examples of the negative side of human nature. Crimes always remind her of a previous incident, although acquaintances may be bored by analogies that often lead her to a deeper realisation about the true nature of a crime. She also has a remarkable ability to latch onto a casual comment and connect it to the case at hand. In several stories, she is able to rely on her acquaintance with Sir Henry Clithering, a retired

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the Metropolitan Police, for official information when required. Miss Marple never married and has no close living relatives. Her nephew, the "well-known author" Raymond West, appears in some stories, including ''

'', ''Sleeping Murder'', and ''Ingots of Gold'' (which also feature his wife, Joyce Lemprière). Raymond overestimates himself and underestimates his aunt's mental acuity. Miss Marple employs young women (including Clara, Emily, Alice, Esther, Gwenda, and Amy) from a nearby

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

, whom she trains for service as general housemaids after the retirement of her long-time maid-housekeeper, faithful Florence. She was briefly looked after by her irritating companion, Miss Knight. In her later years, companion Cherry Baker, first introduced in ''The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side'', lives with her. Miss Marple has never worked for her living and is of independent means, although she benefits in her old age from the financial support of her nephew, Raymond. She is not from the aristocracy or

landed gentry The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...

, but is quite at home among them; as a

gentlewoman A gentlewoman (from the Latin ''gentilis'', belonging to a ''gens'', and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin ''generosus'' and ''generosa''. The closely related English word "gentr ...

, Miss Marple may thus be considered a female version of the

gentleman detective The gentleman detective is a type of fictional character. He (or she) has long been a staple of crime fiction, particularly in detective novels and short stories set in the United Kingdom in the Golden Age. While not necessarily aristocracy, the ...

, a staple of British detective fiction. She demonstrates a remarkably thorough education, including some art courses that involved the study of human anatomy using human cadavers. In ''

They Do It with Mirrors ''They Do It with Mirrors'' is a detective fiction novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1952 under the title of ''Murder with Mirrors'' and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 17 Novemb ...

'' (1952), it is revealed that Miss Marple grew up in a cathedral close, and that she studied at an Italian finishing school with American sisters Ruth Van Rydock and Caroline "Carrie" Louise Serrocold. While Miss Marple is described as "an old lady" in many of the stories, her age is rarely mentioned and is not consistently presented. In ''At Bertram's Hotel'', published in 1965, it is said she visited the hotel when she was 14 and almost 60 years have passed since then, implying that she is nearly 75 years old; but in ''4:50 from Paddington'', published almost a decade earlier in 1957, she says she will be "90 next year." Excluding ''Sleeping Murder'', 41 years passed between the first and last-written novels, and many characters grow and age. An example would be the Vicar's nephew: in ''The Murder at the Vicarage'', the Reverend Mr Clement's nephew Dennis is a teenager; in ''The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'', it is mentioned that the nephew is now an adult and has a successful career. The effects of ageing are seen on Miss Marple, such as needing a holiday after illness in ''

A Caribbean Mystery ''A Caribbean Mystery'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 16 November 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edi ...

'', but she is if anything more agile in ''

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

'', set only 16 months later. Miss Marple's background is described in some detail, albeit in glimpses across the novels and short stories in which she appears. She has a very large family, including a sister, the mother of Raymond, and Mabel Denham, a young woman who was accused of poisoning her husband, Geoffrey ('' The Thumb Mark of St. Peter'').

Bibliography

Agatha Christie wrote 12 novels and 20 short stories featuring Miss Marple.

Miss Marple series

# ''

'' (1930, Novel) # ''

The Body in the Library ''The Body in the Library'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in May of the same year. The US edition retailed at ...

'' (1942, Novel) # ''

The Moving Finger ''The Moving Finger'' is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the USA by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK e ...

'' (1943, Novel) # ''

A Murder Is Announced ''A Murder Is Announced'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1950 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in the same month. The UK edition sold for eight shillings an ...

'' (1950, Novel) # ''

'' (1952, Novel) – also published in the United States as ''Murder With Mirrors'' # ''

A Pocket Full of Rye A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'' (1953, Novel) # '' 4.50 from Paddington'' (1957, Novel) – also published in the United States as ''What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!'' # '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' (1962, Novel) # ''

'' (1964, Novel) # ''

At Bertram's Hotel ''At Bertram's Hotel'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 15 November 1965Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club: A Checklist of Fi ...

'' (1965, Novel) # ''

'' (1971, Novel) # ''

'' (1976, Novel) – published last but written and set in the 1940s.

Miss Marple short story collections

* ''

'' (1932, short story collection featuring Miss Marple, also published as ''The Tuesday Club Murders'') *''

The Regatta Mystery ''The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1939. The first edition retailed at $2.00. The stories feature, with one exception ("I ...

'' (1939, Collection) * ''

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories ''Three Blind Mice and Other Stories'' is a collection of short stories written by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1950. The first edition retailed at $2.50. Stories from the collection later appeared in ...

'' (1950, Collection) * ''

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding ''The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 24 October 1960.Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturg ...

'' (1960, Collection) * ''

Double Sin and Other Stories ''Double Sin and Other Stories'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1961 and retailed for $3.50. The collection contains eight short stories and was not published i ...

'' (1961, Collection) * ''

Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories ''Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in October 1979 retailing at £4.50. It was the last Christie book to be published un ...

'' (short stories collected posthumously, also published as ''Miss Marple's Final Cases'', but only six of the eight stories actually feature Miss Marple) (written between 1939 and 1954, published 1979) * ''Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories'', published 1985, includes 20 from 4 sets: ''

'', ''

'', and ''

''. Miss Marple also appears in "Greenshaw's Folly", a short story included as part of the Poirot collection ''

'' (1960). Four stories in the ''

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753. ...

'' collection (1950) feature Miss Marple: "Strange Jest", "Tape-Measure Murder", "The Case of the Caretaker", and "The Case of the Perfect Maid". The Autograph edition of ''Miss Marple's Final Cases'' includes the eight in the original plus "Greenshaw's Folly".

Continuations not by Christie

* ''Marple: Twelve New Stories'', collection with stories written by

Naomi Alderman Naomi Alderman (born 1974) is an English novelist, Game design, game writer, and television executive producer. She is best known for her speculative science fiction novel ''The Power (Alderman novel), The Power'', which won the Women's Prize f ...

Leigh Bardugo Leigh Bardugo (; born April 6, 1975) is an American fantasy author. She is best known for her young adult Grishaverse novels, which include the '' Shadow and Bone'' trilogy and the ''Six of Crows'' and '' King of Scars'' duologies. She also rec ...

Alyssa Cole Alyssa Cole (born August 12, 1982) is an American author of historical, science fiction, and contemporary romance novels. Her stories include diverse casts of characters with a variety of professions, from Civil War spies to modern day epidemiolo ...

, Lucy Foley,

Elly Griffiths Domenica de Rosa (born 17 August 1963, in London), known by her pen name Elly Griffiths, is a British crime novelist. She has written three series as Griffiths, one featuring Ruth Galloway, one featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and Ma ...

Natalie Haynes Natalie Louise Haynes (born 1974) is an English writer, broadcaster, Classics, classicist, and comedian. Early life Haynes was born in Birmingham, where she attended the private King Edward VI High School for Girls. She grew up in Bournville. ...

, Jean Kwok,

Val McDermid Valarie McDermid (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and his collaborators in the police department. Her work is considered to be part of a sub-genre k ...

Karen M. McManus Karen M. McManus (born 1969) is an American author of young adult fiction. She is most known for her first novel, ''One of Us Is Lying'', which spent more than five years on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, as well as its sequels '' One ...

, Dreda Say Mitchell,

Kate Mosse Katherine Louise Mosse (born 1961) is a British novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and broadcaster. She is best known for her 2005 novel ''Labyrinth'', which has been translated into more than 37 languages. She co-founded in 1996 th ...

, and

Ruth Ware Ruth Warburton (born 1977), known by the alias Ruth Ware, is a British psychological thriller author. Her novels include ''In a Dark, Dark Wood'' (2015), ''The Woman in Cabin 10'' (2016), ''The Lying Game'' (2017), ''The Death of Mrs Westaway'' ( ...

(published 2022)

Books about Miss Marple

* ''The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple'' – a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

by Anne Hart * ''Agatha Christie's Marple: Expert on Wickedness'' – by Mark Aldridge

Stage

A stage adaptation of ''Murder at the Vicarage'', by Moie Charles and Barbara Toy, was first seen at

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

on 17 October 1949; it was directed by

Reginald Tate Reginald Tate (13 December 1896 – 23 August 1955) was an English actor and a veteran of many roles on stage, in films and on television. He is remembered best as the first actor to play the television science-fiction character Professor ...

, starred the 35-year-old

Barbara Mullen Barbara Mullen (9 June 19149 March 1979) was an American-born actress well known in the United Kingdom for playing the part of Janet McPherson, the housekeeper in ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook''. Although the role of Janet brought her fame in later ye ...

as Miss Marple, and after touring, reached the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

in London's West End on 14 December. Having run till late March 1950, it then went on tour again. In July 1974, Mullen (by then 60) returned to the role in another national tour of the same play, culminating 12 months later when the show opened at London's

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

on 28 July 1975. At the end of March 1976, the Miss Marple role was taken over by

Avril Angers Florence Avril Angers (18 April 1918 – 9 November 2005) was an English stand-up comedian and actress. In 2005 ''The Daily Telegraph'' described her as "one of the most zestful, charming and reliable character comediennes in the postwar Lon ...

, after which the production transferred to the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre in Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. From 1989 until 2023 the theatre hosted the long running play '' The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by aut ...

on 5 July. The role then passed to

Muriel Pavlow Muriel Lilian Pavlow (27 June 1921 – 19 January 2019) was a British actress. Her mother was French and her father Russian. Early life Muriel was born in Lewisham, south-east London, to Boris Pavlov, a Russian émigré and salesman, and his ...

in June 1977 and to Gabrielle Hamilton late the following year; the production finally closed in October 1979. On 21 September 1977, while ''Murder at the Vicarage'' was still running at the Fortune, a stage adaptation by Leslie Darbon of ''A Murder Is Announced'' opened at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

, with

Dulcie Gray Dulcie Winifred Catherine Savage Denison (''née'' Bailey; 20 November 1915 – 15 November 2011), known professionally as Dulcie Gray, was a British actress, mystery writer and lepidopterist. While at drama school in the late 1930s she met a ...

as Miss Marple. The show ran to the end of September 1978 and then toured.

Films

Margaret Rutherford

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Rutherford came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 f ...

played Miss Marple in four films directed by

George Pollock Field Marshal Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet, (4 June 1786 – 6 October 1872) was a British Indian Army officer. He first saw action at the Battle of Deeg and at the Siege of Bhurtpore during the Second Anglo-Maratha War before taking part ...

between 1961 and 1964. These were successful light comedies, but Christie herself was disappointed with them. Nevertheless, Agatha Christie dedicated the novel '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' to Rutherford. Rutherford presented the character as a bold and eccentric old lady, different from the prim and birdlike character Christie created in her novels. As penned by Christie, Miss Marple has never worked for a living, but the character as portrayed by Margaret Rutherford briefly works undercover as a cook-housekeeper, a stage actress, a sailor, and criminal reformer, and is offered the chance to run a riding establishment-cum-hotel. Her education and genteel background are hinted at when she mentions her awards at marksmanship (and demonstrates her shooting prowess), dancing, fencing, and equestrianism, although these hints are played for comedic value. ''

Murder, She Said ''Murder She said'' is a British 1961 comedy-murder mystery film directed by George Pollock, based on the 1957 novel '' 4.50 from Paddington'' by Agatha Christie. The production stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, along with Arthur Kenned ...

'' (1961) was the first of the four British MGM productions starring Rutherford. This film was based on the 1957 novel ''4:50 from Paddington'' (U.S. title, ''What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!''), and the changes made in the plot were typical of the series. In the film, Mrs. McGillicuddy is cut from the plot. Miss Marple herself sees an apparent murder committed on a train running alongside hers. Actress

Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series '' Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number of ...

, who played Marple in the 1984–1992 television adaptations, has a role as a housekeeper in this movie. ''

Murder at the Gallop ''Murder at the Gallop'' (1963) is the second of four Miss Marple films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on the 1953 novel ''After the Funeral'' by Agatha Christie, with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Charles "Bud" Tingwell a ...

'' (1963), based on the 1953

Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by the English writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is Christie's most famous and longest-running character, appearing in 33 novels, two plays (''Black Coffee (play), Black Coffee'' and '' ...

novel, ''

After the Funeral ''After the Funeral'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in March 1953 under the title of ''Funerals are Fatal'' and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 18 May of the same ye ...

'' (in this film, she is identified as Miss JTV Marple, though there was no indication as to what the extra initials might stand for). '' Murder Most Foul'' (1964), based on the 1952 Poirot novel ''

Mrs McGinty's Dead ''Mrs McGinty's Dead'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 March the same year.Chris Peers, Ralph ...

''. ''

Murder Ahoy! ''Murder Ahoy!'' is a 1964 British film directed by George Pollock, based on elements from Agatha Christie's 1952 novel '' They Do It With Mirrors'' on a mostly original screenplay adaptation by David Pursall and Jack Seddon. This was the four ...

'' (1964). The last film is not based on any Christie work but displays a few plot elements from ''They Do It With Mirrors'' (viz., the ship is used as a reform school for wayward boys and one of the teachers uses them as a crime force), as well as similarities to ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The play opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemi ...

''. The music to all four films was composed and conducted by

Ron Goodwin Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 19258 January 2003) was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included ''Where Eagles Dare'', ''Battle ...

. The same theme is used on all four films with slight variations in each. The score was written within a couple of weeks by Goodwin who was approached by Pollock after Pollock had heard about him from

Stanley Black Stanley Black OBE (14 June 1913 – 27 November 2002) was an English bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist. He wrote and arranged many film scores, recording prolifically for the Decca label (including their subsidiaries ''Lond ...

. Black had worked with Pollock on ''Stranger in Town'' in 1957 and had previously hired Goodwin as his orchestrator. Rutherford, who was 68 years old when the first film was shot in February 1961, insisted that she wear her own clothes during the filming of the movie, as well as having her husband,

Stringer Davis James Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis (4 June 1899 – 29 August 1973), was an English character actor on the stage and in films, and a British army officer who served in both world wars. He was married to actress Marg ...

, appear alongside her as the character Mr Stringer. The Rutherford films are frequently repeated on television in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and in that country Miss Marple is generally identified with Rutherford's quirky portrayal. Rutherford also appeared briefly as Miss Marple in the parodic Hercule Poirot adventure ''

The Alphabet Murders ''The Alphabet Murders'' (also known as ''ABC Murders'') is a 1965 British detective film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tony Randall, Anita Ekberg and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1936 novel '' The A.B.C. Murders'' by Agatha Chr ...

'' (1965).

Angela Lansbury

In 1980,

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...

played Miss Marple in ''

The Mirror Crack'd ''The Mirror Crack'd'' is a 1980 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton from a screenplay by Jonathan Hales and Barry Sandler, based on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' (1962). It stars Angel ...

'' (EMI, directed by

Guy Hamilton Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films. Early life Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, son of ...

), based on Christie's 1962 novel. The film featured an all-star cast that included

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress whose long career has included multilingual roles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German films. Geraldine is a daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of his eigh ...

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

, and

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired actress and painter. Her contributions to cinema have been honored with two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and a s ...

. Edward Fox appeared as Inspector Craddock, who did Miss Marple's legwork. Lansbury's Marple was a crisp, intelligent woman who moved stiffly and spoke in clipped tones. Unlike most incarnations of Miss Marple, this one smoked cigarettes. Lansbury was later cast as

Jessica Fletcher Jessica Beatrice "J. B." Fletcher () is a fictional detective and writer and the main character and protagonist of the American television series ''Murder, She Wrote''. Portrayed by award-winning actress Angela Lansbury, Fletcher is a best-sel ...

in ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', a similar role.

Ita Ever

In 1983,

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

stage and film actress,

Ita Ever Ita Ever (born Ilse Ever; 1 April 1931 – 9 August 2023) was an Estonian film, radio, theatre, and television actress. She has been described as a Grand Old Lady of Estonian theatre. Ever began her career in 1953 as a stage actress, and appea ...

, starred in the

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

Mosfilm Mosfilm (, ''Mosfil’m'' , initialism and portmanteau of Moscow Films) is a film studio in Moscow which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's fi ...

adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, ''

'' (using the Russian edition's translated title, ''The Secret of the Blackbirds''), as the character of Miss Marple. Ever has also portrayed the character of Miss Marple in the

Eesti Televisioon Eesti Televisioon (ETV) () is an Estonian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Estonian Public Broadcasting. It made its first broadcast on 19 July 1955. History Eesti Televisioon (''Estonian Television'') was launched on ...

(ETV) series ''Miss Marple Stories'' in 1990, and onstage at the

Tallinn City Theatre Tallinn City Theatre () is a repertory theatre located in the medieval old town of Tallinn, Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from ...

in a production of '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' in 2005.

Future works

In October 2024, it was revealed that

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, which has produced the

films with

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

, plans to adapt more of Christie's work, including unspecified Miss Marple titles.

Television

The first on-screen portrayal of Miss Marple was by British actress and singer

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

, playing her in a 1956 episode of the American series ''Goodyear TV Playhouse'' based on ''A Murder Is Announced'', the 1950 Christie novel. In 1970, the character of Miss Marple was portrayed by in a West German television adaptation of ''The Murder at the Vicarage ''(''Mord im Pfarrhaus'').

Helen Hayes

American stage and screen actress,

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

, portrayed Miss Marple in two American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

s near the end of her decades-long acting career, both for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

: ''

'' (1983) and ''

Murder with Mirrors ''Murder with Mirrors'' is a 1985 British-American television film starring Helen Hayes (in her final film role) and Bette Davis. It is based on Agatha Christie's novel '' They Do It with Mirrors'', using the novel's American title. The novel has ...

'' (1985).

Sue Grafton Sue Taylor Grafton (April 24, 1940 – December 28, 2017) was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" ('' "A" Is for Alibi'', etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the ...

contributed to the screenplay of the former. Hayes's Marple was benign and chirpy. She had earlier appeared in a television film adaptation of the non-Marple Christie story, ''Murder Is Easy'', playing an elderly lady somewhat similar to Miss Marple.

Joan Hickson

From 1984 to 1992, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

adapted all of the original Miss Marple novels as a series titled ''Miss Marple''.

played the lead role. In the 1940s, she had appeared on stage in an Agatha Christie play ''

Appointment with Death ''Appointment with Death'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retai ...

'', seen by Christie, who wrote in a note to her, "I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple". Hickson portrayed a maid in the 1937 film '' Love from a Stranger'', which starred Ann Harding and Basil Rathbone, another Agatha Christie play adaptation. As well as portraying Miss Marple on television, Hickson narrated Miss Marple stories for audio books. In the "Binge!" article of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' Issue #1343–1344 (26 December 2014 – 3 January 2015), the writers picked Hickson as "Best Marple" in the "Hercule Poirot & Miss Marple" timeline. Listing of the TV series featuring Joan Hickson: * ''

'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1986) – BAFTA nomination * ''

'' (1987) * ''

'' (1987) – BAFTA nomination * '' 4.50 from Paddington'' (1987) * ''

'' (1989) * ''

They Do It With Mirrors ''They Do It with Mirrors'' is a detective fiction novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1952 under the title of ''Murder with Mirrors'' and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 17 Novemb ...

'' (1991) * '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' (1992)

Geraldine McEwan (2004–2008)/Julia McKenzie (2009–2013)

Beginning in 2004,

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

broadcast a series of adaptations of Agatha Christie's books under the title ''Agatha Christie's Marple'', usually referred to as ''Marple.''

Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...

starred in the first three series.

Julia McKenzie Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie (born 17 February 1941) is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFT ...

took over the role in the fourth season. The adaptations change the plots and characters of the original books (e.g. incorporating lesbian affairs, changing the identities of some killers, renaming or removing significant characters, and even using stories from other books in which Miss Marple did not originally feature). In the Geraldine McEwan series, it is revealed that when she was young (portrayed by

Julie Cox Julie Cox is an English actress. She played Princess Irulan in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' and its 2003 sequel, ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune''. She also played The Childlike Empress in '' The Neverendi ...

in a flashback), Miss Marple had an affair with a married soldier, Captain Ainsworth, who was killed in action in World War I, in December 1915. It is also said (in ''

'') that she served as an ambulance driver during World War I. Listing of the TV series featuring Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie: * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2004) * '' 4.50 from Paddington'' (2004) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

By the Pricking of My Thumbs ''By the Pricking of My Thumbs'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1968Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of F ...

'' (2006) * ''

The Sittaford Mystery ''The Sittaford Mystery'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1931 under the title of ''The Murder at Hazelmoor'' and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 7 S ...

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

Ordeal by Innocence ''Ordeal by Innocence'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 November 1958 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retai ...

'' (2007) * ''

Towards Zero ''Towards Zero'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in June 1944 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in July of the same year. The first US edition of the novel retailed a ...

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

Murder Is Easy ''Murder Is Easy'' is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1939, and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in September the same year under the title ''Easy to Kill''. Christie ...

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? ''Why Didn't They Ask Evans?'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in September 1934 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1935 under the title of '' ...

'' (2011) * ''

The Pale Horse ''The Pale Horse'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1961,Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of ...

'' (2010) * ''

The Secret of Chimneys ''The Secret of Chimneys'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by The Bodley Head in June 1925 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. It introduces the characters ...

'' (2010) * '' The Blue Geranium'' (2010) * '' The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' (2011) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

Greenshaw's Folly ''The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 24 October 1960.Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturg ...

'' (2013) * '' Endless Night'' (2013) In 2015, CBS planned a "much younger" version of the character, a granddaughter who takes over a California bookstore. In 2018, Miss Marple was portrayed by

Yunjin Kim Yunjin Kim (; born November 7, 1973) is a South Korean and American actress. She is best known for her role as North Korean spy Bang-Hee in the South Korean film '' Shiri'' (1999) and Sun-Hwa Kwon on the American television series '' Lost'' (200 ...

in the South Korean television series '' Ms. Ma, Nemesis''.

Anime

From 2004 to 2005, Japanese TV network

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

produced a 39 episode

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series titled ''Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple'', which features both Miss Marple and

. Miss Marple's voice is provided by

Kaoru Yachigusa was a Japanese people, Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957, she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the revue, she was active in film, television, and Dubbing (filmmaking), narration. She famously quit part ...

. Episodes adapted both short stories and novels. The anime series dramatised the following Miss Marple stories: * " Strange Jest" (EP 3) * " The Case of the Perfect Maid" (EP 4) * " The Tape-Measure Murder" (EP 13) * " Ingots of Gold" (EP 14) * " The Blue Geranium" (EP 15) * '' 4.50 from Paddington'' (EP 21–24) * " Motive versus Opportunity" (EP 27) * ''

'' (EP 30–33)

Radio

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television and film actress. Whitfield's big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme ...

starred as Miss Marple in

Michael Bakewell Michael John Bakewell (7 June 1931 – 11 July 2023) was a British radio and television producer. Early life and career Michael John Bakewell was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, on 7 June 1931. His childhood was spent in Sutton Coldf ...

adaptations In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

of all twelve novels, broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

between 1993 and 2001. Three short stories with Whitfield ("Tape-Measure Murder", "The Case of the Perfect Maid" and "Sanctuary") were later broadcast under the collective title ''Miss Marple's Final Cases'' weekly 16 – 30 September 2015.

Other appearances

Marple was highlighted in volume 20 of the ''

Case Closed ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 10 ...

'' manga's edition of "Gosho Aoyama's Mystery Library", a section of the graphic novels (usually the last page) where the author introduces a different detective (or occasionally, a villain) from mystery literature, television, or other media. In the 1976

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

spoof ''

Murder by Death ''Murder by Death'' is a 1976 American comedy mystery film directed by Robert Moore and written by Neil Simon. The film stars Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, M ...

'', Miss Marple is parodied as "Miss Marbles" by

Elsa Lanchester Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was a British actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.Obituary '' Variety'', 31 December 1986. Lanchester studied dance as a child and after the First World ...

References

External links

Miss Marple
at the official Agatha Christie website
Miss Marple
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marple, Miss Miss Marple characters Book series introduced in 1930 British novels adapted into films British novels adapted into plays Characters in British novels of the 20th century Characters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Detective television series Agatha Christie characters Female characters in literature Fictional amateur detectives Fictional British detectives Literary characters introduced in 1927 Fictional English people Novel series British novels adapted for radio British novels adapted into television shows Fictional female amateur detectives