Sam Spade

E92486

Sam Spade is a hard-boiled private detective and the iconic protagonist of Dashiell Hammett’s novel "The Maltese Falcon," widely regarded as a defining figure in American noir fiction.

Aliases (1)
  • Spade & Archer detective agency ×1

Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
hard-boiled detective
literary character
private detective
appearsIn The Maltese Falcon
associatedWith Brigid O’Shaughnessy
Casper Gutman
Effie Perine
Joel Cairo
basedIn San Francisco
characteristic cynical
morally ambiguous
observant
resourceful
tough
countryOfOrigin United States
creator Dashiell Hammett
culturalStatus iconic noir detective
employer Spade & Archer detective agency
fictionalUniverse The Maltese Falcon universe
firstAppearance The Maltese Falcon (novel)
firstAppearanceDate 1930
firstPublicationMedium novel
gender male
genre hardboiled fiction
noir fiction
hasAdaptation The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
hasPartner Miles Archer
hasRadioSeries The Adventures of Sam Spade
influenced Mike Hammer
Philip Marlowe
later noir detectives
languageOfWorkOrName English
literaryMovement American hardboiled school
medium film
literature
radio
narrativeRole protagonist
notableFor defining the hardboiled private eye archetype
notableWork The Maltese Falcon
occupation investigator
private detective
portrayedBy Humphrey Bogart
Ricardo Cortez
Warren William
radioPortrayalBy Howard Duff
Steve Dunne
settingOfActivity San Francisco

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
character
Sam Spade ("Spade & Archer detective agency")
employer
Humphrey Bogart
portrayedCharacter
Humphrey Bogart
portrays

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