Quasimodo

Quasimodo
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame character
Quasimodo by Luc-Olivier Merson (1889).
First appearanceThe Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1831)
Created byVictor Hugo
Portrayed byLon Chaney, Charles Laughton, Anthony Quinn, Mandy Patinkin
Voiced byTom Burlinson, Tom Hulce
In-universe information
NicknameThe Hunchback of Notre Dame
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationBell-ringer of Notre Dame cathedral
FamilyClaude Frollo (adoptive father)
ReligionCatholic
NationalityFrench Romani

Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday[1]) is a fictional character and the titular character of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback alongside several facial deformities and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death.

The role of Quasimodo has been played by many actors in film and stage adaptations, including Lon Chaney (1923), Charles Laughton (1939), Anthony Quinn (1956), and Anthony Hopkins (1982) as well as Tom Hulce in the 1996 Disney animated adaptation, Steve Lemme in the 2023 comedy Quasi, and most recently Angelo Del Vecchio in the Notre Dame de Paris revival. In 2010, a British researcher found evidence suggesting there was a real-life hunchbacked stone carver who worked at Notre Dame during the same period Victor Hugo was writing the novel and they may have even known each other.[2]

  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "quasimodo (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. ^ Collet-White, Mike (16 August 2010). "UK archivist says uncovers real-life Quasimodo". Reuters Life!. Retrieved August 14, 2021.