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Thomas Hutter is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the silent expressionist horror film ''
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 Silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count ...
'' (1922) and other films based on it. He is a young man who works as a real estate agent and lives in the German city of Wisborg with his wife Ellen Hutter. The character was based on Jonathan Harker from the gothic horror novel ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...
'' (1897) by
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busin ...
. He is played by the actor
Gustav von Wangenheim Gustav von Wangenheim (born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von Wangenheim; 18 February 1895 – 5 August 1975) was a German nobleman, actor, screenwriter and director. Life Wangenheim was born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von W ...
in ''Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens'' (1922), by
Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...
(as Jonathan Harker) in ''
Nosferatu the Vampyre ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (german: Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, lit=Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night) is a 1979 horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. It is set primarily in 19th-century Wismar, Germany and Transylvania, and was conce ...
'' (1979),
Emrhys Cooper Emrhys Cooper (Born 14 February 1985) is a British actor, singer, dancer, and filmmaker, currently, the male lead role in the Emmy nominated StyleHaul Drama Series ''Vanity'' (2015) in which he stars alongside Denise Richards and Karrueche Tra ...
in ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'' (2023), and by the actor
Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in both the American and the British film industries. ...
in ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'' (2024).
Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...
plays a fictionalized version of von Wangenheim's portrayal in ''
Shadow of the Vampire ''Shadow of the Vampire'' is a 2000 independent meta period horror comedy film directed by E. Elias Merhige, written by Steven Katz, and starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe. It is a fictionalized account of the making of the classic ...
'' (2000).


Biography

Hutter, a real estate agent working for Knock, and his wife live a good life together in (the fictional) Wisborg. One day, Knock tells him to go to the Carpathian Mountains to visit Count Orlok and discuss buying a house. In truth, Orlok has brainwashed Knock, and is helping his master bring plagues to Wisborg. As Hutter begins to leave, Ellen says goodbye to him. In the mountains, despite warnings from the villagers, and having read the Book of Vampires about the vampire Nosferatu, Orlok's true identity, Hutter dismisses them all and continues his journey. Once at Orlok Castle, he is greeted by the Count, although he is concerned by the latter's strange behavior whenever there is blood present. The night after completing the purchase process, Orlok reveals his true nature and attempts to drain Hutter's blood. Due to Ellen's psychic connection with her husband, she senses him and walks over the balcony railing while she distracts Orlok, saving Hutter. However, this makes her feel sick and she passes out from it. That morning, Hutter goes to Orlok's crypt and finds the Count sleeping in a coffin. Horrified, he returns to his room and, at night, sees Orlok carrying coffins to go to Wisborg and discovers that the vampire has trapped him in the castle. Concerned for his wife, Hutter attempts to escape through his window using tied sheets but falls to the ground, losing consciousness. He is then nursed back to health by nearby villagers. Later, Hutter returns home and Ellen is delighted to see him, while Orlok, carrying his own coffin, walks through the house and sees them through the window. Orlok then plans to drain Ellen's blood. Due to Orlok's journey with his rats, Wisborg becomes infected with plagues and several people die in the process, leading the local authorities to declare a quarantine. Knowing that the vampire is responsible, Ellen reads the Book of the Vampire that her husband brought with him to find a way to defeat Orlok, and discovers that the Nosferatu can be defeated if a pure-hearted woman distracts him with beauty. As a result, Ellen willingly lets Orlok cast a spell on her, causing her to faint. Hutter then goes to ask Professor Bulwer to help his wife. At the same time, Orlok arrives at Hutter's house and drains Ellen's blood, forgetting about time in the process. As the sun rises, Orlok tries to escape, but is caught by the sunlight and evaporates into flames. Then Ellen wakes up and calls Hutter, and he arrives just in time for her to die in his arms.


Films

Thomas Hutter has been played by several actors in different film adaptations. *
Gustav von Wangenheim Gustav von Wangenheim (born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von Wangenheim; 18 February 1895 – 5 August 1975) was a German nobleman, actor, screenwriter and director. Life Wangenheim was born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von W ...
as ''Thomas Hutter'' in ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'' (1922). *
Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...
as ''Jonathan Harker'' in ''
Nosferatu the Vampyre ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (german: Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, lit=Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night) is a 1979 horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. It is set primarily in 19th-century Wismar, Germany and Transylvania, and was conce ...
'' (1979). Though Werner Herzog's version reverts to the novel's original names, the 1922 plot structure is retained. One exception is the ultimate fate of the character in the film's climax. *
Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...
as ''Gustav von Wangenheim'' in ''
Shadow of the Vampire ''Shadow of the Vampire'' is a 2000 independent meta period horror comedy film directed by E. Elias Merhige, written by Steven Katz, and starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe. It is a fictionalized account of the making of the classic ...
'' (2000). The film is a fictionalized portrayal of the filming of the original ''Nosferatu'', showing von Wangenheim filming scenes as the character Hutter. *
Emrhys Cooper Emrhys Cooper (Born 14 February 1985) is a British actor, singer, dancer, and filmmaker, currently, the male lead role in the Emmy nominated StyleHaul Drama Series ''Vanity'' (2015) in which he stars alongside Denise Richards and Karrueche Tra ...
as ''Thomas Hutter'' in ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'' (2023). *
Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in both the American and the British film industries. ...
as ''Thomas Hutter'' in ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'' (2024).


Differences from Jonathan Harker in the novel

* In the original novel Jonathan Harker is attacked by Dracula's three vampire brides while in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...
and later Dracula abandons Jonathan at his castle as a meal to these vampire women after leaving for London. In the 1922 film, since Orlok doesn't create other vampires, and exists alone at his castle, he is the one who attacks Thomas Hutter and drinks his blood, then simply abandons him alone at his castle after leaving for Wisborg. In the 2024 film, Hutter instead escapes from Orlok's dogs after a failed attempt at killing him. * In the 1922 film, Thomas Hutter is a weaker character than Jonathan Harker is in the original novel. Hutter doesn't play any role in killing Orlok, and fails to save his wife Ellen. While in the original novel, Jonathan Harker takes an active part in hunting Dracula, including chasing him back to Transylvania and finally killing him. Jonathan is the one who slits Dracula's throat with a knife, while another character, Quincey Morris, stabs Dracula in the heart. After the death of Dracula, Mina Harker is alive and saved from the vampire curse. In the 2024 film, Hutter takes a more proactive role in the plot alongside the other humans; Von Franz and Ellen instead trick Hutter into killing Knock so that Ellen can sacrifice herself.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutter, Thomas Fictional British people Fictional vampire hunters Film characters introduced in 1922 Nosferatu Fictional Christians Fictional real estate agents Male characters in film