A. J. Raffles (character)

This article is about the character created by E. W. Hornung. Not to be confused with John C. Raffles, an English gentleman-thief in German-language pulp fiction.
A. J. Raffles
Raffles (right) lock-picking with Bunny's assistance, by John H. Bacon (1898)
First appearance"The Ides of March" (1898)
Created byE. W. Hornung
Portrayed byAnthony Valentine
Jeremy Clyde
David Niven and others
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationGentleman thief
"Amateur" cricketer
NationalityBritish

Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmes – he is a "gentleman thief", living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket as a gentleman (or "amateur") for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the "Amateur Cracksman" and often, at first, differentiates between him and the "professors" – professional criminals from the lower classes.

As Holmes has Dr. Watson to chronicle his adventures, Raffles has Harry "Bunny" Manders – a former schoolmate saved from disgrace by Raffles, whom Raffles persuaded to accompany him on a burglary. Raffles is an expert thief and like Holmes, he is a master of disguise. Raffles's adventures have been adapted across various media, the character played by a number of popular actors including John Barrymore and David Niven.