Jean Passepartout () is a fictional character in

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

's novel '' Around the World in Eighty Days'', published in 1873. He is the French valet of the novel's English main character, Phileas Fogg. His surname translates literally to "goes everywhere", but “passepartout” is also an idiom meaning "

skeleton key A skeleton key (also known as a passkey) is a type of master keying, master key in which the serrated edge has been removed in such a way that it can open numerous Lock and key, locks, most commonly the warded lock. The term derives from th ...

" in French. It can also be understood as a play on the English word ''

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

''—or its French equivalent .

Fictional biography

At the beginning of the novel, Passepartout has just been hired by Phileas Fogg after Fogg's previous valet failed to meet his exacting standards on 2 October 1872 at twenty eight minutes past eight. Passepartout, who has lived an irregular and well-travelled life, is looking forward to a restful employment, as Fogg is known for his regular habits which never take him farther afield than the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...

. On Passepartout's first day at work, Fogg makes a bet with his friends at the Club that he can circumnavigate the world within 80 days and Passepartout is obliged to accompany him. In addition to the wager, the valet has an additional incentive to complete the journey quickly: he left a

gaslight Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly ...

burning in his room and the resulting expense of wasted gas will be docked from his salary. During the journey, Passepartout plays a needed role in Fogg's adventures, such as rescuing a young woman named

Aouda Aouda (औद / ''Auda''), a character in ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' by Jules Verne, is an Indian princess accompanied by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. The daughter of a Bombay Parsi merchant, she was married against her will to the ...

from a forced

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and becoming a friend of Fix, a police detective who suspects Fogg of robbing a bank. Passepartout learns of Fix's suspicions, but keeps them to himself as he believes Fogg already has enough to worry about concerning his wager, and comes to suspect Fogg may possibly have committed the crime considering the extraordinary spending his master does through the trip's more desperate moments. Due to his silence, however, Fogg and Fix never have a chance to discuss the case in neutral territory, and Fix arrests Fogg as soon as they return to England. This critically delays Fogg before he is exonerated and the company arrives in London, seemingly too late and leaving Passepartout in almost suicidal despair at his foolishness. The next day home, Aouda proposes to Fogg to help him in his hard life ahead. While searching for a minister to marry the couple, Passepartout discovers that the date is one day earlier than he thought, due to the party having traveled east across the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

. Once Fogg learns of the error, he dashes to the Reform Club and arrives just in time to win the bet. Fogg marries Aouda, with Passepartout giving away the bride, and divides the net proceeds from the journey between Passepartout and Fix - but not without deducting the cost of the gaslight use from Passepartout's share. The character Passepartout serves several purposes in the narrative - as a point-of-view character for Verne's French readers and as

comic relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

, both in his reactions to the strange places and events he encounters, and in a tendency to get trapped, abducted, or, on at least one occasion, left behind.

Other appearances

* In

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...

's 1973 novel ''

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg ''The Other Log of Phileas Fogg'' is a science fiction novel written by American author Philip José Farmer in 1973. Reviving the Phileas Fogg character created by Jules Verne, the novel has also been classified as steampunk and a parallel no ...

'', Passepartout is merely a code-name. Like Phileas Fogg, Passepartout is actually an agent of the Eridanians, a race of aliens hiding on Earth and opposed to the Capellans, whose servants include

Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; also known as Prince Dakkar) is a character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction books, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (1870) and '' The Mysterious Is ...

and

Professor Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...

. * In

Kevin J. Anderson Kevin James Anderson (born March 27, 1962) is an American science fiction author. He has written spin-off novels for ''Star Wars'', '' StarCraft'', ''Titan A.E.'' and ''The X-Files'', and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the ''Dune'' pr ...

's 2002 novel '' Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius'', he is one of the officials captured by Robur during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, along with

and

Cyrus Smith Cyrus Smith (named Cyrus Harding in some English translations) is one of the protagonists of Jules Verne's 1875 novel '' The Mysterious Island''. He is an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is a very skilled man and a fi ...

In other media

Film

* In the 1919 film version, ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'', Passepartout was played by

Eugen Rex Eugen Rex (8 July 1884 – 21 February 1943) was a German actor. Rex was a member of the Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party ...

. * In the 1956 film version, ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'', Passepartout was played by the actor

Cantinflas Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is well ...

. * In the more loosely adapted 2004 film version, ''

'', Passepartout was a Chinese fugitive whose real name is Lau Xing, who took the name to avoid custody by British authorities. He was played by

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

Television

* In the 1972

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

, he was voiced by

Ross Higgins Ross Higgins (14 June 1930 – 7 October 2016) was an Australian vaudevillian, character actor, television host, comedian, singer and voice actor. He was best known for his role as Ted Bullpitt in the 1980s television situation comedy seri ...

. This version had a pet

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

named Toto. * In the 1981 animated adaptation, ''

Around the World with Willy Fog ''Around the World with Willy Fog'' () is a Spanish animated television adaptation of the 1873 novel '' Around the World in Eighty Days'' by Jules Verne. It was produced by Spanish studio BRB Internacional and Televisión Española, with animat ...

'', which depicts the cast as

anthropomorphic animals Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

, Passepartout is renamed Rigadon (although he is named Passepartout in some translations), and emphasis is placed on his background as a former circus performer, hence, his desire to get away from a lifestyle that involves much travel. This adaptation also graces Rigadon with a companion in the form of Tico, his circus partner, offering the character someone he can interact with on his own level. Rigadon was voiced by

Cam Clarke Cam Clarke is an American voice actor, known for his work in animation, video games, and commercials. Among his notable roles are Leonardo and Rocksteady in the 1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series, Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 ...

in the dubbed English version of the series. * In the 1989 television mini-series, ''

'', the role is played by

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...

. * In ''

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne ''The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne'' is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on CBC in Canada from June to December 2000, lasting for one season. The show is a fictionalized telling of the life of French author Jules Vern ...

'' he is played by Michel Courtemanche. * In the 2008 ''Rocket! Take Us to the Moon. New

From the Earth to the Moon ''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' () is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an en ...

'' animated series. Jean Passepartout was subtly implied to have a son, whom he put under the care of Phileas and Aouda Fogg. His son is the lead character of the series, with the future Japanese girl Matogawa Eri as both his co-star and love interest. Jean Passepartout was voiced by Watanabe Kazushige (渡辺一茂), while his son was voiced by Sakai Chika (酒井智加). * In the 2021 television series, from PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, he is played by

Ibrahim Koma Ibrahim Koma (born 5 November 1987) is a French actor. He began his career as a child actor in the film ''We Need a Holiday'' (2002) and the soap opera ''Sous le soleil'' (2002–2008). He has since starred in the films ''Asphalt Playground'' (20 ...

Video games

* In the 2014 '' 80 Days'' game based on the book, Passepartout is the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...

, accompanying Phileas Fogg around the world in a text based world, designed around a branching plot format. * In the VR game "Walkabout Mini Golf", a DLC level is based on the book, where in the hard version of the level, the player plays as Passepartout collecting various items for Phileas Fogg.

References

* "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne . {{DEFAULTSORT:Passepartout, Jean Around the World in Eighty Days characters Literary characters introduced in 1873 Fictional servants Fictional valets Fictional French people in literature Sidekicks in literature Male characters in literature es:Passepartout (La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días)