Sam Spade

Sam Spade
Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in the trailer for The Maltese Falcon
First appearanceThe Maltese Falcon
Last appearanceSpade and Archer
Created byDashiell Hammett[1]
Portrayed byRicardo Cortez
Humphrey Bogart
Edward G. Robinson
Howard Duff
Steve Dunne
Mike O'Malley
Tom Wilkinson
Michael Madsen
Clive Owen
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPrivate detective
SpouseUnnamed wife (deceased)
ChildrenSam Spade Jr. (son)
ReligionChristian
NationalityAmerican

Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett.[2]

The Maltese Falcon, first published as a serial in the pulp magazine Black Mask, is the only full-length novel by Hammett in which Spade appears. The character, however, is widely cited as a crystallizing figure in the development of hard-boiled private detective fiction—Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, for instance, was strongly influenced by Spade.

Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less-than-glamorous detective, The Continental Op. Spade combined several features of previous detectives, most notably his detached demeanor, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice.

  1. ^ Heitmann, Michael (2015). "Have You Seen Sam Spade?: How Literary Characters Are Denied Proper Copyright Protection". Student Works. 794 – via Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall.
  2. ^ Sparkes, Daryl (24 November 2020). "My favourite detective: Sam Spade, as hard as nails and the smartest guy in the room". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-02-11.