| Jean Valjean | |
|---|---|
| Les Misérables character | |
 Jean Valjean disguised as Monsieur Madeleine. Illustration by Gustave Brion. | |
| Created by | Victor Hugo |
| Portrayed by | Gabriel Gabrio Harry Baur Fredric March Michael Rennie Richard Jordan Jean Gabin Colm Wilkinson Normie Rowe Gary Morris Dave Willetts Liam Neeson Gerard Depardieu Hugh Jackman Dominic West Alfie Boe John Owen-Jones Ramin Karimloo Robert Marien Alexander Gemignani Simon Gleeson Killian Donnelly Kyle Jean-Baptiste Drew Sarich Simon Bowman Jon Robyns Josh Piterman Nick Cartell Dudu Fisher Milan van Waardenburg |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Jean Valjean |
| Alias |
|
| Nickname | Monsieur Leblanc |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
|
| Family |
|
| Children | Cosette (surrogate daughter) |
| Relatives | Unnamed brother-in-law |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 1769 |
| Death | 1833 (aged 64) |
Jean Valjean (French: [ʒɑ̃ val.ʒɑ̃]) is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister's starving children and attempting to escape from prison. Valjean is also known in the novel as Monsieur Madeleine, Ultime Fauchelevent (once called Tranchelevent by Monsieur Gillenormand), Monsieur Leblanc, and Urbain Fabre.
Jean Valjean and police Inspector Javert, who repeatedly encounters Valjean and attempts to return him to prison, have become archetypes in literary culture.