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| Jean Armand Duplessis, the Duke de Richleau | |
|---|---|
 The cover of the 1950 edition of The Second Seal, depicting the Duke de Richleau and his love interest, the archduchess Ilona Theresa. | |
| First appearance | The Forbidden Territory |
| Last appearance | Gateway to Hell |
| Created by | Dennis Wheatley |
| Portrayed by | Christopher Lee |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Occultist, adventurer, aristocrat |
| Nationality | Russian-French parentage, British resident |
The Duke De Richleau is a fictional character created by Dennis Wheatley who appeared in 11 novels published between 1933 and 1970.
Dennis Wheatley originally created the character for a murder mystery Three Inquisitive People, written and set in 1931 but which was not published until 1939.[1] The character first appeared in the novel The Forbidden Territory (1933), along with his friends Simon Aron, Richard Eaton and Rex Van Ryn, whom Wheatley dubbed ‘the modern musketeers’.[2] The friends were reunited in Wheatley’s best-selling novel of the occult The Devil Rides Out (1934).
His favoured form of transport is the powerful luxury vehicle the Hispano-Suiza.
- ^ Phil Baker, 2009, The Devil Is a Gentleman: The Life and Times of Dennis Wheatley, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, Dedalus, pp. 280–283 ISBN 978-1-903517-75-8.
- ^ Phil Baker, 2009, The Devil Is a Gentleman: The Life and Times of Dennis Wheatley, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, Dedalus, pp. 42–43 and 280 ISBN 978-1-903517-75-8.