Tom Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. The series of five novels based around Ripley's exploits is collectively called "the Ripliad."^{[1][dead link]}

In the novels[link]

Highsmith introduced Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) as a young man making a meager living off his "talents": forgery, impersonation, and lying. The novel reveals that he was orphaned at age five when his parents drowned in Boston Harbor, and was raised in Boston by his aunt Dottie, a cold, stingy woman who repeatedly mocked him as a "sissy". As a teenager, he attempted unsuccessfully to run away from his aunt's home to New York City, before finally moving there at 20.

In The Talented Mr. Ripley, he is paid to go to Italy by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf to convince his son Dickie (a half-remembered acquaintance) to return to New York and join the family business. Ripley befriends the younger Greenleaf and quickly finds himself infatuated with the rich young man's indulgent, carefree lifestyle; he also becomes obsessed with Greenleaf himself. He eventually murders Greenleaf after the playboy tires of him and spurns his friendship. He then assumes Greenleaf's identity, forging the signatures on his monthly remittances from a trust fund. He rents an apartment in Italy and enjoys the good life, as well as the feeling of pretending to be someone other than himself. He does the latter to perfection, imitating Greenleaf to the point that he virtually becomes him. Eventually, however, this charade gets him in trouble whenever he is confronted by people who know both him and Greenleaf, particularly Greenleaf's suspicious friend, Freddie Miles, whom Ripley eventually murders. Ripley ultimately forges Greenleaf's will, leaving himself the dead man's inheritance. The novel ends with Ripley, having narrowly evaded capture, sailing to Greece and rejoicing in his new-found wealth. However, the book's final passages hint that he will pay for his freedom with a lifetime of paranoia, as he wonders whether "he was going to see policemen waiting for him on every pier that he ever approached".

As revealed in the sequel, Ripley Under Ground (1970), set six years later, Ripley eventually settles down into a life of leisure in Belle Ombre, an estate on the outskirts of the fictional village of Villeperce-sur-Seine, which is stated as being "some forty miles south of Orly",^[2] "some twelve miles" from Fontainebleau,^[3] and "seven kilometres" from Moret.^[4] By now, he has added to his fortunes by marrying Héloise Plïsson, a rich socialite who has suspicions about how he makes his money, but prefers not to know. He avoids direct involvement in crime as much as possible in order to preserve his somewhat shady reputation, but he still occasionally finds himself involved in criminal enterprises, often aided by Reeves Minot, a small-time fence. Ripley's criminal exploits include a long-running art forgery scam (introduced in Ripley Under Ground and consistently mentioned in later books), an entanglement with the Mafia (in Ripley's Game), and several murders. While he comes perilously close to being caught several times, he is never arrested for any of his crimes.

Characterization[link]

Highsmith characterizes Ripley as a "suave, agreeable and utterly amoral" con artist and serial killer who always evades justice. Film critic Roger Ebert describes Ripley as "charming, literate, and a monster".^[5] Book magazine ranks Ripley #60 on its list of the 100 Best Characters in Fiction since 1900.^[6]

Ripley is epicurean and sophisticated, living a life of leisure in rural France. He spends most of his time gardening, painting or studying languages. This is financed by a stolen inheritance, a small income from the Buckmaster Gallery and his wife's allowance from her wealthy father. He is polite and friendly, and when the Pritchards appear in Ripley Under Water, their poor taste and manners immediately offend him.

Sexuality[link]

While Highsmith never explicitly portrays Ripley as gay or bisexual, certain passages in the Ripley novels imply that he harbors some unacknowledged attraction towards men. In The Talented Mr. Ripley, he is deeply infatuated with Dickie Greenleaf, and is jealous of Dickie's girlfriend Marge to the point that he fantasizes about Dickie rejecting and hitting her. He is also afraid that others will think he is gay, and jokes that he wants to give up both men and women because he can't decide which he likes more.^[7]

In Ripley Under Ground, he recalls "turning green" during his wedding, and going impotent with laughter while having sex with Heloise during their honeymoon. He also reflects that they have sex infrequently, and that constant sexual demands on her part "would really have turned him off, maybe at once and permanently."^[8]

The Boy Who Followed Ripley, meanwhile, has been cited as portraying a homoerotic subtext between Ripley and the novel's supporting protagonist, Frank Pierson; Frank sleeps in Ripley's bed without changing the sheets, and speaks of his happiness at being at Belle Ombre with "the words of a lover".^[8]

Highsmith herself was ambivalent about the subject of Ripley's sexuality. "I don't think Ripley is gay," she said in a 1988 interview with Sight & Sound. "He appreciates good looks in other men, that's true. But he's married in later books. I'm not saying he's very strong in the sex department. But he makes it in bed with his wife." ^[9]

Psychopathy[link]

Ripley is portrayed as devoid of conscience; in The Boy Who Followed Ripley, he admits that he has never been seriously troubled by guilt. Though he sometimes feels "regret" about his earliest murders — he considers the murder of Dickie Greenleaf "a youthful, dreadful mistake", and that of Freddie Miles "stupid" and "unnecessary" — he can't remember the number of his victims.^[8] He has his own code of ethics; in Ripley's Game, Highsmith writes that Ripley detests murder unless it is "absolutely necessary".^[10] He has typically been regarded as "cultivated," a "dapper sociopath", and as an "agreeable and urbane psychopath."^[11]

Not all critics label Ripley "amoral" or a "psychopath," however. Grey Gowrie writes, "He is not amoral (which is how he describes his wife Heloise) because he is aware of his own immorality and harbours a detached interest in the morality and the ethical behaviours of others. But the finger of guilt only lightly brushes his shoulders. It caresses him almost. He is not psychopathic for he is able to imagine the lives and feelings of others."^[12]

Victims[link]

Across the five books, Ripley commits homicide nine times, and indirectly causes an additional four deaths.

Adaptations[link]

Highsmith's first three Ripley novels have all been adapted into films. The Talented Mr. Ripley was filmed as Purple Noon (fr: Plein Soleil) in 1960, starring Alain Delon as Ripley, and under its original title in 1999, starring Matt Damon. Ripley Under Ground was adapted to film in 2005, starring Barry Pepper. Ripley's Game was filmed in 1977 as The American Friend, starring Dennis Hopper, and under its original title in 2002, starring John Malkovich.

The Ripley novels have also been adapted for television and radio. The Talented Mr. Ripley was adapted for a January 1956 episode of the anthology television series Studio One,^[13] and Jonathan Kent played Ripley in a 1982 episode of The South Bank Show titled "Patricia Highsmith: A Gift for Murder", dramatizing segments of Ripley Under Ground.^[14][15] In 2009, BBC Radio 4 adapted the complete Ripliad with Ian Hart as Ripley.^[16]

Of the Ripley portrayals that Highsmith saw in her lifetime, she praised Delon's performance in Purple Noon as "excellent"^[17] and described Jonathan Kent as "perfect."^[15] She initially disliked Hopper's Ripley in The American Friend but changed her mind after seeing the film a second time, feeling that he had captured the essence of the character.^[18][19]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Schenkar, Joan. The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith. St. Martin's Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-312-30375-4

John Malkovich
John Malkovich, August 2009
Born	John Gavin Malkovich (1953-12-09) December 9, 1953 (age 58) Christopher, Illinois, US
Residence	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Education	Benton Consolidated High School
Alma mater	Illinois State University
Occupation	Actor, film producer/director, fashion designer
Years active	1984–present
Home town	Benton, Illinois
Spouse	Glenne Headly (1982–88) Nicoletta Peyran (1989–present)
Children	2
Parents	Daniel Leon Malkovich, Joe Anne (née Choisser)
Awards	National Board of Review Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award

John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award nominations. He has also appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Empire of the Sun, The Killing Fields, Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice and Men, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, and Red. He will produce the film version of the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Early life[link]

Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois. His paternal grandparents were Croats, natives of Ozalj in Croatia.^[1][2][3][4] His mother was of Scottish and German ancestry.^[5] He grew up in Benton, Illinois, in a large house on South Main Street. His father, Daniel Leon Malkovich, was a state conservation director and publisher of Outdoor Illinois, a conservation magazine. His mother, Joe Anne (née Choisser), owned the Benton Evening News (a local newspaper in Benton, Il.), as well as Outdoor Illinois.^[6][7][8] Malkovich attended Logan Grade School,^{[citation needed]} Webster Junior High, and Benton Consolidated High School, in Benton, Illinois. During his high school years, he appeared in various plays and the musical, Carousel. He was also a member of a folk/rock musical trio, and was a member of a local summer theater/comedy project in Benton in 1972, where he co-starred in Jean-Claude van Itallie's America Hurrah. Upon graduation from high school, he entered Eastern Illinois University, and then transferred to Illinois State University, where he majored in theatre.^[9]

Career[link]

In 1976, Malkovich, along with Joan Allen, Gary Sinise, and Glenne Headly, became a charter member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.^[6] He moved to New York City in 1980 to appear in a Steppenwolf production of the Sam Shepard play True West, for which he won an Obie Award.^[10][11] Malkovich then directed a Steppenwolf co-production, the 1984 revival of Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead, for which he received a second Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award.^[10] His Broadway debut that year was as Biff in Death of a Salesman, alongside Dustin Hoffman as Willy. Malkovich won an Emmy Award^[12] for this role when the play was adapted for television by CBS in 1985.

One of the actor's first forays into film was as an extra alongside Allen, Terry Kinney, George Wendt, and Laurie Metcalf in Robert Altman's 1978 film A Wedding. He made his feature film debut in 1984, as Sally Field's blind boarder Mr. Will in Places in the Heart; for his portrayal of Mr. Will, Malkovich received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also portrayed Al Rockoff in The Killing Fields. He continued to have steady work in films such as Empire of the Sun, directed by Steven Spielberg, and the 1987 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. A few years later, Malkovich became a star when he portrayed the sinister and sensual Valmont in the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons. He later reprised this role for the music video of "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox.

In 1990 he recited, in Croatian, verses of Croatian national anthem Lijepa naša domovino (Our Beautiful Homeland) in Nenad Bach's song "Can We Go Higher?".^[13]

Malkovich starred in the 1992 film adaptation of John Steinbeck's award-winning novella Of Mice and Men as Lennie alongside Gary Sinise as George. In 1994, he was nominated for another Oscar, in the same category, for In the Line of Fire. Though he played the title role in the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich, he played a slight variation of himself, as indicated by the character's middle name of "Horatio". Malkovich has a cameo in the movie Adaptation.—also written by Kaufman—appearing as himself during the filming of Being John Malkovich. The Dancer Upstairs, Malkovich's directorial film debut, was released in 2002. Recent film roles include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Beowulf, Burn After Reading, Changeling, Red and Secretariat.

Malkovich has hosted three episodes of the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live. The first occasion was in January 1989 with musical guest Anita Baker; the second in October 1993 with musical guest Billy Joel (and special appearance by former cast member Jan Hooks); and the third was in December 2008 with musical guest T.I. with Swizz Beatz (and special appearances by Justin Timberlake, Molly Sims, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler).

In keeping with his renaissance-man image, he created his own fashion company, Mrs. Mudd, in 2002 in a partnership with Italian businessman Francesco Rulli. The company released its John Malkovich menswear collection, "Uncle Kimono," in 2003^[14] and its second clothing line, "Technobohemian," in 2010.^[15] Malkovich designed the outfits himself.^[16]

In a 2008 interview on College Hour, Malkovich revealed that he has been discussing making a motion picture adaptation of the Arnon Grünberg novel The History of My Baldness.^[17]

In November 2009, Malkovich appeared in an advertisement for Nespresso with fellow actor George Clooney. He portrayed Quentin Turnbull in the film adaption of Jonah Hex.^[18]

In 2011, Malkovich directed Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter in the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.^[19][20]

In 2008, Malkovich portrayed the story of Jack Unterweger in a performance for one actor, two sopranos, and period orchestra entitled Seduction and Despair, which premiered at Barnum Hall in Santa Monica, CA.^[21] A fully staged version of the production, entitled The Infernal Comedy premiered in Vienna in July 2009. The show has since been performed in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 throughout Europe, North America and South America^[22].

Malkovich is known for his distinctive voice, which The Guardian describes as "a reedy, faintly orgasmic drawl".^[23]

Personal life and political views[link]

Interview at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Malkovich was married to actress Glenne Headly from 1982 to 1988. They divorced after Malkovich became involved with Michelle Pfeiffer, his co-star in Dangerous Liaisons.^[11] He later met his long-term partner Nicoletta Peyran on the set of The Sheltering Sky where she was the second assistant director, in 1989. They have two children; Amandine (born 1990) and Loewy (born 1992).

Malkovich is fluent in French, and for nearly 10 years lived and worked in a theater in Southern France. He and his family left France in a dispute over taxes in 2003,^[11][24] and since then he has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[25] In a 2008 interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, Malkovich said he had just spent five weeks that summer living in France.

Malkovich lost millions^[26] to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme when it collapsed in 2008.^[27]

Malkovich stated in a 2011 interview that "I’m not a political person actually, and I don’t have an ideology." He also said that he hadn't voted since George McGovern lost his presidential run in 1972.^[28] According to actor William Hootkins, who worked with Malkovich in BBC Television's Rocket to the Moon, Malkovich is "so right-wing you have to wonder if he's kidding."^[11]

When asked in an interview by the Toronto Star whether it was necessary to have spiritual beliefs to portray a spiritual character, he said "No, I'd say not...I'm an atheist. I wouldn't say I'm without spiritual belief particularly, or rather, specifically. Maybe I'm agnostic, but I'm not quite sure there's some great creator somehow controlling everything and giving us free will. I don't know; it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me."^[29]

In a 2002 appearance at the Cambridge Union Society, when asked whom he would most like to "fight to the death", Malkovich replied that he would "rather just shoot" journalist Robert Fisk and British MP George Galloway.^[30] Both Fisk and Galloway reacted with outrage.^[31][32]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Director[link]

• Johnny Loves Bobby (1989)
• Strap-Hanging (1999)
• The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
• Hideous Man (2002)
• Blazing Satchels (2008)
• Lady Behave

Writer[link]

• Hideous Man (2002)

Producer[link]

• The Accidental Tourist (1988) (executive producer)
• Ghost World (2001)
• The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
• The Libertine (2004)
• Kill the Poor (2006)
• Art School Confidential (2006)
• Juno (2007)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Malkovich

• John Malkovich at the Internet Movie Database
• John Malkovich at the Internet Broadway Database
• John Malkovich at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• John Malkovich on Charlie Rose
• "John Malkovich" in conversation with Jim Sharman at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney Festival, January 2011
• Works by or about John Malkovich in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• John Malkovich collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• How We Met: John Malkovich & Bella Freud – brief 2008 interview in The Independent
• John Malkovich in Mexico
• John Malkovich at Emmys.com