Poirot's Profile

Vitals

AGE: Unknown at death (learn more about his age)

BORN: Belgium

DIED: Styles Court, Essex, England

MARITAL STATUS: Never married, was passionately attached to Countess Vera Rosakoff

OCCUPATION: Private Detective, based in London, England

RESIDENCE: 28 Whitehaven Mansions, London (56B in the TV series)

TELEPHONE: Trafalgar 8137

VALET: George

SECRETARY: Felicity Lemon

LAWYERS: McNeil and Hodgson, London

Allies

Captain Arthur Hastings

Inspector James Japp

Ariadne Oliver

Colonel Johnny Race

Superintendent Battle

Superintendent Bert Spence

Mr. Goby

Joseph Aarons

Mr. Satterthwaite

Dr. John Stillingfleet

Colin Lamb

Achille Poirot

Quotes

"I do not approve of murder."

"I belong to the world."

"It is the brain, the little gray cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within--not without."

"I can assure you, mademoiselle, that where money is concerned I am strictly a man of business."

"I cannot, truly I cannot, sit in a chair all day reflecting how truly admirable I am."

"I, who have undoubtedly the finest brain in Europe at present, can afford to be magnanimous!"

"It is my weakness, it has always been my weakness, to desire to show off."

"Mon ami, what will you? You fix upon me a look of doglike devotion and demand of me a pronouncement a la Sherlock Holmes!"

"It would be most unwise on your part to attempt to silence me as you silenced M. Ackroyd. That kind of business does not succeed against Hercule Poirot, you understand."

"If one partakes of the five o'clock, one does not approach the dinner with the proper quality of expectant gastric juices. And the dinner, let us remember, is the supreme meal of the day!"

"It shows you, Madame, the dangers of conversation. It is a profound belief of mine that if you can induce a person to talk to you for long enough, on any subject whatever, sooner or later they will give themselves away."

"You have the mistaken idea implanted in your head that a detective is necessarily a man who puts on a false beard and hides behind a pillar! The false beard, it is vieux jeu, and shadowing is only done by the lowest branch of my profession. The Hercule Poirots, my friend, need only to sit back in a chair and think."

"Eh bien, since you are too stupid to guess, I will tell you. I am human, am I not? I can be the machine if it is necessary. I can lie back and think. I can solve the problems so. But I am human, I tell you. And the problems concern human beings."

Description

He stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall, has green eyes, and an egg-shaped head (which he perches to one side). He has the blackest of hair (he is known to use dye), and his black waxed moustache is perfection. His friend Hastings wrote that Poirot had a limp when he walked. He always wears patent leather shoes and is always neatly dressed with the finest of clothing.

The famous sleuth loves the finer things of life and luxury, including exotic drinks (he loves sirop de cassis), exotic locales, excellent served food, the theatre and other arts, and very comfortable hotel rooms. He loves the indoors and avoids extreme weather whenever possible. Poirot loathes dirt and disarray, and favors order, method, and symmetry (Whitehaven Mansions is symmetrical, his eggs for breakfast always need to be the same size, and even the books on his bookshelf are arranged by height!).

He finds English habits and humor incomprehensible. However, Poirot has an excellent command of the English language and at times uses his "foreignness" as an advantage. He has a big ego, and always takes for granted that everyone recognizes his name. He doesn't take just any case that comes his way, however, and he freely admits that he's fond of money. He even has a chauffeur, a young man who earns a "handsome salary", who drives Poirot's Messarro Gratz, a large and expensive luxury car. Poirot is kind and courteous to those who are not criminals, and is especially sympathetic to young ladies (when talking to them, he refers to himself as "Papa Poirot"). Poirot is known to also be impatient, opinionated, and direct with others.

The Belgian detective states the greatest tool for crime solving is the mind, thanks to the "little grey cells". He prefers to sit quietly and think when he solves crimes, for he believes all crimes are psychological and having clues is not everything. Although his belief is that crime is not solved on evidence alone, he's not above snooping into others' personal things (much to the chagrin of his friend Hastings): he has been known to listen at doors, hide behind curtains, and even dig in womens' underwear drawers.