| Atticus Finch | |
|---|---|
 Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film adaptation | |
| First appearance | To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) |
| Last appearance | Go Set a Watchman (2015) |
| Created by | Harper Lee |
| Portrayed by | Gregory Peck (1962) Jeff Daniels (2018–19, 2021) Ed Harris (2019–20) Greg Kinnear (2020) Rhys Ifans (2020) Richard Thomas (2020) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Member of the Alabama Legislature |
| Family | John Hale "Jack" Finch (brother) Alexandra Finch Hancock (sister) Caroline Finch (sister) |
| Spouse | Jean Graham Finch (deceased) |
| Children | Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch Jean Louise "Scout" Finch |
| Relatives | Henry Hancock (nephew) Francis Hancock (great-nephew) Edgar (cousin) Joshua (cousin) |
| Nationality | American |
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Atticus Finch is a fictional character and the protagonist of Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird. A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel Go Set a Watchman, written in the mid-1950s but not published until 2015. Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. He represents the African-American man Tom Robinson in his trial where he is charged with rape of Mayella Ewell. Through his unwavering dedication to upholding justice and fighting for what is right, Atticus becomes an iconic symbol of moral integrity and justice.[1] Lee based the character on her own father, Amasa Coleman Lee, an Alabama lawyer, who, like Atticus, represented black defendants in a highly publicized criminal trial.[2] Book magazine's list of The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900 names Finch as the seventh best fictional character of 20th-century literature.[3][4] In 2003, the American Film Institute voted Atticus Finch, as portrayed in an Academy Award-winning performance by Gregory Peck in the 1962 film adaptation, as the greatest hero of all American cinema.[5] In the 2018 Broadway stage play adapted by Aaron Sorkin, Finch has been portrayed by various actors including Jeff Daniels, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Rhys Ifans, and Richard Thomas.
- ^ "Characters Embodying the Mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird". Characters Embodying the Mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ Boston, Talmage (June 2010). "Who was Atticus Finch?" (PDF). Texas Bar Journal. 73 (6): 484–485. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Book Magazine's The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900". InfoPlease.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ Book Magazine, March/April 2002 (March 2002). "100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900". Talk of the Nation. NPR. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link] - ^ "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains" (PDF). afi.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-21.