Every Hercule Poirot Movie Actor, Ranked By Faithfulness To Agatha Christie's Books

Published Nov 9, 2026, 10:00 AM EST Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X. A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Book to movie adaptations are one of the most longstanding traditions in Hollywood history. Ever since the very beginnings of the film industry, books have been adapted into movies by filmmakers eager to recreate the success of their literary counterparts on the big screen. This remains true even in 2026, with the most recent example being Verity, which proved, predictably, to be a big hit at the box office. Verity is one of many Colleen Hoover novels to be made into films, and she’s not the first author to be the subject of several adaptations. There are, of course, the likes of J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter), Ian Fleming (James Bond), and Agatha Christie (Poirot, Miss Marple, etc.). The latter’s works in particular have been the subjects of countless adaptations; as of 2026, there have been over fifty official feature films made based off of Christie’s work, and that doesn’t include the many television series that have been made as well. The majority of these Agatha Christie adaptations have come with the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as the central protagonist. Poirot, a character first created for the novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles (written in 1916 and published in 1920), has had over a dozen film adaptations over the years. The first of these came with actor Austin Trevor playing the sleuth in two 1931 films, Alibi and Black Coffee. Since then, nearly twenty actors have gone on to play Poirot. Some, like Trevor, have appeared in several films, while others have portrayed the character only once (and not always in a direct adaptation of Christie’s work, as is the case with Tom Petrone). Some of these actors are incredibly faithful to the novels; Peter Ustinov, for example, captured the essence of Poirot well. At the same time, some adaptations and actors have taken more liberties with the source material, opting for an original take (that hasn’t always come off). 13 Tom Petrone Actor Tom Petrone played Hercule Poirot in just one film — 2008's Doing Agatha. Unlike many of the names on this list, Petrone isn’t starring as Poirot in a direct adaptation. Instead, Doing Agatha is a film that, as the title suggests, focuses on the author behind the character, rather than the character himself. Doing Agatha follows Christie as she navigates a chaotic production of her iconic play The Mousetrap. Therefore, Petrone’s brief portrayal of Poirot is more of a meta take than a typical adaptation of the character. Yet, many of the classic Poirot elements are still present: he’s eccentric, confident, and exceptional at solving a mystery. However, at the same time, Poirot isn’t in this movie at great length, and the scenes he is in aren’t enough to flesh out his full character, making this the least faithful actor adaptation of the detective. 12 Hugh Laurie Hugh Laurie is arguably best known for playing Gregory House in the aptly titled medical drama series House. He’s also appeared in a number of beloved films and shows, including Sense and Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, and Spice World. It’s the latter that gives Laurie the opportunity to play the iconic character of Hercule Poirot. Spice World is, as the title suggests, a film that focuses on the British pop girl group the Spice Girls. All members of the group appeared in the film, which was inspired by The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. One might be wondering, then, how Poirot comes into a story like this. The answer is that Laurie appears in a dream sequence, and one in which he plays Poirot investigating a murder. In this scene, Baby Spice is there, holding a gun and ammunition, but Poirot doesn’t even begin to suspect her of murder (which is the film’s way of telling the audience that the Spice Girls could get away with anything). In the books, Poirot is described as a chubby, short man, neither of which applies to Hugh Laurie. As a result, physically, Laurie isn’t the most faithful of adaptations. Additionally, his appearance as Poirot is used for comedic purposes only, so he doesn’t get a chance to show off the character’s classic personality or iconic traits. Yet, he does sport Poirot’s iconic mustache, which is something. 11 Dudley Jones Another comedy film featuring Hercule Poirot is The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It, which debuted in 1977. The film, which was co-written by and stars John Cleese, is a comedic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson. Once again, then, the question of how Poirot fits into a story like this, one centered on a completely different fictional detective, comes into play. The answer is relatively simple, though. Cleese plays a heightened, ridiculous version of Holmes, and both of these traits also apply to the world that the film exists in. As a result, this opens the door for some creative liberties for the sake of comedy, with one sequence showing Holmes going to a party that is attended by a number of fictional detectives, including Poirot and Columbo. Dudley Jones is the actor playing Poirot in this film, and once again, his screen time is limited. However, interestingly, Jones is able to capture many of the detective’s distinctive mannerisms, the same of which can’t be said about some of the other actors playing Poirot in a small role. That being said, this is yet again a relatively unfaithful adaptation, with the comedic tone being the core reason behind this. 10 James Coco James Coco doesn’t play Hercule Poirot by name, but he does play a character called Milo Perrier, who is a clear parody of the Christie’s detective, and, therefore, belongs on this list. Coco appears as Perrier, or Poirot, in 1976's Murder by Death, and captures the detective’s confidence (sometimes arrogance) well. However, Coco abandons many other elements of the character in service of the parody, making this another actor with an adaptation that takes plenty of liberties. 9 Anthony O’Donnell In 2004, the BBC released the film Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures, which serves as a biography of sorts for the famous author. However, where there’s Christie, there’s usually Poirot, and that’s what happens in this adaptation. The film explores Christie’s infamous disappearance, and subsequent reappearance, which has been the subject of much speculation in the years since. Interestingly, Welsh actor Anthony O’Donnell plays two characters in the made-for-television film: DCC William Kenward, the detective in charge of Christie’s disappearance, and Hercule Poirot himself. This allows Poirot, arguably Christie’s most famous creation, to be a part of her real life story, even if he himself is fictional. O’Donnell captures the general essence of the character well, for which he deserves great credit. That being said, this is a story firmly centered on Agatha Christie, so he doesn’t get much of a chance to shine. 8 Ian Holm One of the most famous actors on this list, Ian Holm played Hercule Poirot briefly in Murder by the Book in 1986. This is another film that focuses on Agatha Christie herself rather than the fictional characters she created, but Poirot does find a way to sneak into the story. Despite a relatively brief appearance, Holm portrays a memorable version of Poirot, leading many to wish that he would have had another opportunity to play the character in his career. Holm brings a sizable screen presence to his Poirot, and has the intelligence and charm so strongly associated with the character. 7 Tony Randall An earlier adaptation of Christie’s work is The Alphabet Murders, which released in 1965. Tony Randall plays Poirot in this film, but the script takes considerable liberties with the detective. For one, many of his quirks, like his confidence, accent, and appearance, are often played for laughs, which Christie’s books never do. Yet, Randall does play Poirot with an exceptional amount of eccentricity, which is exactly what’s needed to bring a character like this to life. 6 Austin Trevor The aforementioned Austin Trevor was the very first actor to play Hercule Poirot on screen, taking on the role in three films: Alibi (1931), Black Coffee (1931) and Lord Edgware Dies (1934). Trevor deserves praise for his performance, which helped to establish Poirot as a character made for the big screen, even if there are many changes from the book. Trevor lacks the traditional appearance of Poirot, for example, as he’s a relatively tall and skinny man. At the same time, this version also lacks Poirot’s famous mustache, which makes him feel considerably less like the character from the books. 5 Alfred Molina Alfred Molina took on the role of Poirot in the television film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express in 2001. Molina’s adaptation is much more faithful than Trevor’s, however, as the actor has the traditional appearance of Poirot, equipped with an instantly recognizable mustache. Molina also captures Poirot’s intelligence incredibly well, showing him to be a very capable detective, but this is undercut by the changes made to the story as a whole, as the film is set in the modern day, as opposed to the early 20th century. 4 Kenneth Branagh Kenneth Branagh was the last actor to play Poirot on the big screen, and he did so in three films: Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and A Haunting in Venice. The first two are relatively straightforward adaptions of the books, but the third takes more creative liberties. Yet, throughout all three, Branagh’s portrayal of the character remains largely faithful to the source material. This version of Poirot is arrogant, intelligent, and has all the idiosyncratic qualities that the character normally has (and he even has a comically large mustache as well). The only major change that Branagh makes is that his version of Poirot is relatively tall and lean, going against the stockier build that the detective is known for in the novels.