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Harry Callahan -

Clint Eastwood as inspector Harry Callahan in 'Dirty Harry' (1971) set the style for a whole genre of police films. The character, a San Francisco police detective, appeared in four sequels: 'Magnum Force' (1973), 'The Enforcer' (1976), 'Sudden Impact' (1983), and 'The Dead Pool' (1988).

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John Shaft -

Private detective John Shaft, portrayed by Richard Roundtree, made his first screen appearance in 'Shaft' (1971), which ushered in the blaxploitation film genre and gave a whole new meaning to the phrase film noir.

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Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle -

The 'French Connection' (1971) introduced cinema audiences to Gene Hackman's detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. He popped up again in the sequel, 'French Connection II' (1975).

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Sam Spade -

Humphrey Bogart appeared as private investigator Sam Spade in the classic film noir 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941). Spade was created by famed crime writer Dashiell Hammett. 'The Maltese Falcon' marked the directorial debut of John Huston.

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Sherlock Holmes -

English actor Basil Rathbone is often cited by movie critics as the quintessential Sherlock Holmes. 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1939) marked the first of 14 films starring Rathbone as the famous sleuth, made between 1939 and 1946. Interestingly, Guinness World Records notes Sherlock Holmes as the most portrayed literary human character in film and television.

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Jacques Clouseau -

One of cinema's most recognized comedy characters, inept and incompetent inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté fumbled his way onto the big screen in 'The Pink Panther' (1963), and detective movies were never the same again. Peter Sellers made the chaotic but clever character his, and appeared as Clouseau in four subsequent movies.

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Virgil Tibbs -

Made during the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, 'In the Heat of the Night' (1967) stars Rod Steiger as a small town Mississippi police chief and Sidney Poitier as a detective from Philadelphia. Besides working as a crime thriller, the movie examines the broader issue of race relations and how in fact two individuals can cross the racial divide and work together for a common cause, in this case to solve a murder.

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Philip Marlowe -

Philip Marlowe is up there with Sam Spade as two of the most famous fictional private detectives in cinema history—and Humphrey Bogart is responsible for providing their most celebrated portrayals on the big screen. In 'The Big Sleep' (1946), directed by Howard Hawks, Bogie plays Philip Marlowe opposite Lauren Bacall in an unqualified masterpiece.

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David Mills -

New on the job, detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) joins forces with detective lieutenant William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) in tracking down a particularly deranged but highly intelligent serial killer in David Fincher's compelling crime drama 'Seven' (1995). The film's climax is one of the most shocking in recent cinema history.

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J. J. "Jake" Gittes -

Jack Nicholson turns in a sterling performance as private investigator J. J. "Jake" Gittes in Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown' (1974). Along the way he falls for Evelyn (Faye Dunaway), the woman who hired him, and gets his nose slashed.

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Frank Bullitt -

'Bullitt' (1968) is chiefly remembered for its seminal car chase through the streets of San Francisco, a sequence that set the bar for all future four-wheel run-afters. At the wheel of the Mustang is detective lieutenant Frank Bullitt, memorably portrayed by an in-form Steve McQueen.

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Jeff Bailey -

Robert Mitchum was known for playing a slew of Hollywood hoodlums, but in 'Out of the Past' (1947) he keeps more or less on the right side of the law as private investigator Jeff Bailey. But all is not what it seems: Bailey was previously known as Jeff Markham. What's going on? Directed by Jacques Tourneur and costarring Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas, 'Out of the Past' is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential of all films noir.

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Theo Kojak -

Theo Kojak was known as the "lollipop cop' for his penchant for sweet candy. Telly Savalas brought the tough New York detective to life in the hit television series 'Kojak' (1973–1978).

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Frank Columbo -

Iconic homicide detective Frank Columbo is known for his trademark rumpled beige raincoat, unassuming demeanor, and rarely lit cigar. Peter Falk played him faultlessly in the classic television series 'Columbo,' which originally ran on NBC from 1971 to 1978. Incidentally, the 1971 episode 'Murder by the Book' was directed by a young Steven Spielberg.

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Jim Rockford -

'The Rockford Files' (1974–1980) stars James Garner as Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, who operates out of a trailer located in a parking lot near the beach in Malibu. The television series originally ran from 1974 to 1980.

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Jessica Fletcher -

'Murder, She Wrote' is one of the most successful and longest-running television shows in small screen history. It stars Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series originally ran from 1984 to 1996, after which four television films were released between 1997 and 2003.

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John Klute - 'Klute,' released in 1971, stars Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, who portrays the titular character John Klute, a detective on the trail of a missing person who's assisted by a call girl, Bree Daniels (Fonda).

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Will Dormer -

'Insomnia' (2002) stars Al Pacino as Will Dormer, a homicide detective who ends up accidentally killing his partner while running down a suspect. Dormer, wracked by guilt, is plagued by insomnia, which is exacerbated by the perpetual daylight of an Alaskan summer. Meanwhile, suspect Walter Finch (Robin Williams) is still out there.

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Wendell "Bud" White -

'L.A. Confidential' (1997) is set in Los Angeles in 1953 and pays homage to the cop pictures of that era. One of the characters is plainclothes officer Wendell "Bud" White, played by Russell Crowe. He becomes embroiled in police corruption and a call girl, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), while investigating a series of brutal murders.

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Hank Quinlan -

Regarded by many as Orson Welles' last great movie, a 'Touch of Evil' (1958) sees Welles in the director's chair and as the seedy and immoral plainclothes police captain Hank Quinlan.

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Endeavor Morse -

English actor John Thaw was perfectly cast as the cerebral but often cynical detective chief inspector Morse in the acclaimed British television drama series 'Inspector Morse' (1987–2000).

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Jane Tennison -

Before 'The Queen' (2006), there was detective chief inspector Jane Tennison from the British television series 'Prime Suspect' (1991–2006). Helen Mirren was widely praised for her role as Tennison, who rises to the rank of detective superintendent while confronting institutionalized sexism within the police force.

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Harry Angel -

In 'Angel Heart' (1987), New York City private investigator Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) ends up in New Orleans on a missing persons case... and comes face to face with the devil himself, a being called Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro).

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Lew Harper -

Paul Newman's Los Angeles-based private investigator Lew Harper made his appearance in 'Harper' (1966) and again in 1975's 'The Drowning Pool.' Costarring in 'Harper' is Lauren Bacall.

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Dave Bannion -

Made in 1953, 'The Big Heat' stars Glenn Ford as homicide detective sergeant Dave Bannion, who bravely takes on a crime syndicate that controls his city. Fritz Lang directed the movie, which is notorious for the scene where Lee Marvin's thug Vince Stone throws a pot of hot coffee in the face of Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame).

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Detective Sergeant Johnson -

Never given a first name, detective sergeant Johnson (Sean Connery) kills suspected child molester Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen) while interrogating him. 'The Offence' (1973) attempts to rationalize the detective's actions and his motives for doing so in one of the most underrated performances of Connery's career.

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Tony Rome -

Miami-based private investigator Tony Rome is hired by a wealthy heiress to retrieve a valuable piece of jewelry, which leads him into a world of hot water. Frank Sinatra stars as the titular character in this film, made in 1967. He revived the character the following year in 'Lady in Cement.'

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Mike Hammer -

Stacey Keach suitably looked the part in raincoat and trilby as Mike Hammer, the private eye created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane, in the television series 'Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer' (1984–1987).

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Hercule Poirot -

Author Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot has made numerous film and television appearances over the years. But it is English actor David Suchet's interpretation of the fictional Belgian detective that's generally regarded as the most authentic. Suchet played the obsessive-compulsive sleuth to great acclaim in the British television series 'Agatha Christie's Poirot' (1989–2013).

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Jules Maigret -

Fictional French detective Jules Maigret was created in 1931 by Belgian writer Georges Simenon. Among the actors to portray the commissaire is French actor Jean Gabin in 'Maigret et l'affaire Saint-Fiacre' (1959). In all, Gabin played Maigret in three films. 

Sources: (The New York Times) (Guinness World Records) (Slate) (Roger Ebert) 

See also: European cinema's esteemed classic movie stars

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