| Gay Stanhope Falcon/Gay Laurence/Tom Laurence/Michael "Mike" Waring | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Falcon's Prey |
| Created by | Drexel Drake (Michael Waring) Michael Arlen (Gay Falcon) |
| Portrayed by | George Sanders (film) Tom Conway (film) Barry Kroeger (radio) James Meighan (radio) Les Tremayne (radio) Les Damon (radio) George Petrie (radio) John Calvert (film) Charles McGraw (television) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Private detective |
| Nationality | British |
The Falcon is the nickname for two fictional detectives. Drexel Drake (real name Charles H. Huff) created Michael Waring, alias the Falcon, a freelance investigator and troubleshooter, in his 1936 novel, The Falcon's Prey. It was followed by two more novels – The Falcon Cuts In, 1937, and The Falcon Meets a Lady, 1938 – and a 1938 short story. Michael Arlen created Gay Stanhope Falcon in 1940. This Falcon made his first appearance in Arlen's short story "Gay Falcon" (aka "A Man Called Falcon"), which was originally published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine. The story opens with the words "Now of this man who called himself Gay Falcon many tales are told, and this is one of them." Arlen's Falcon is characterized as a freelance adventurer and troubleshooter – a man who makes his living "keeping his mouth shut and engaging in dangerous enterprises."