History Characters / ThePinkPanther

* KavorkaMan: With his average looks, staggering idiocy and borderline fatal clumsiness, one would be amazed that Clouseau can get one women to fall for him. Yet Clouseau has won the hearts of no less than three (Maria Gambrelli in ''A Shot in The Dark''[[note]]their relationship even produced a child[[/note]], [[SensualSlavs Olga Bariosova]] in ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'', [[SexySecretary Simone Legree]] in ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' and [[spoiler:Countess Chandra in ''Curse of The Pink Panther''.]]

%% Zero Context Example entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Please add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* BagofKidnapping: This happens to him in "G.I. Pink."

* AdaptationalIntelligence: The original Clouseau was wholly incompetent and when he did solve the crime usually only did so [[InspectorClueless by complete accident]]. This Clouseau, while still an inept buffoon, is capable of making logical deductions and in both films is able to solve the mystery before the climax.

* WalkingDisasterArea: Most of the films' humor comes from the hilarious amount of destruction and misfortune that Clouseau causes just by existing. In the second film of the original series, Dreyfus claims that with ten Clouseaus he could destroy the entire planet; this is ''not'' said as a compliment. In ''Strikes Again'', Dreyfus states that [[DeathRay the doomsday weapon]] he used to disintegrate the United Nations building and threaten the planet with is "a water pistol" next to Clouseau.

* WalkingDisasterArea: Most of the films' humor comes from the incredible amount destruction and misfortune that Clouseau causes entirely by accident. In the second film of the original series, Drefus claims that with ten Clouseaus he could destroy the entire planet. This is ''not'' said as a compliment. He also claims in one scene in ''Strikes Again'' that [[DeathRay the literal doomsday weapon]] he is standing right next to and that he just used to disintegrate the United Nations building and threaten the planet is "a water pistol" next to Clouseau.

* CharacterOutlivesActor: Starting with ''Trail''.

->Dubbed by: Creator/SergeSauvion (French, ''Son of the Pink Panther'')

[[folder:Regulars (7+ appearances)]]

->Played by: '''Creator/PeterSellers''' (most of the original series), Creator/AlanArkin (''Inspector Clouseau''), Daniel Peacock (''Trail''; flashbacks), [[spoiler:Creator/RogerMoore]] (''Curse''), Andy Scourfield (''Son''; ghost) Creator/SteveMartin (reboot films)

* IdiotHero: Very much the TropeCodifier.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In the reboot, Clouseau is portrayed as an insensitive lecher who blatantly stereotypes everyone he meets by nationality or race, and it's played for laughs. In the original series, Clouseau constantly refers to Cato in derogatory ways -- i.e., "Cato, my little yellow friend, I'm home!" -- and the PaperThinDisguise as an Asian that he wears in ''Revenge'' is similarly ridiculous, but that's more a case of ValuesDissonance (and, perhaps, Clouseau's general foolishness) than this trope.
* {{Pornstache}}: In all incarnations.

->Played by: Creator/HerbertLom (original series), Creator/KevinKline (2006 reboot), Creator/JohnCleese (2009 sequel)

* AdaptationalHeroism: While he is still portrayed as a {{Jerkass}}, in the Steve Martin films he lacks the AxCrazy tendencies from the Blake Edwards films and he never tries to kill Clouseau or becomes a criminal.

* DiabolicalMastermind: In ''Strikes Again''.

* DrivenToVillainy: He's a secondary villain in ''Shot'', ''Return'', and ''Curse'', and the BigBad in ''Strikes Again''.

[[folder:Recurring Characters [=(2-6 appearances)=]]]

[[folder:One-Shot Characters]]

''Clouseau and Dreyfus can be found under Regulars above.''
[[folder:Characters]]

* WalkingDisasterArea: Most of the films' humor comes from the incredible amount destruction and misfortune that Clouseau causes entirely by accident. In the second film of the original series, Drefus claims that with ten Clouseaus he could destroy the entire planet. This is ''not'' said as a compliment. He also claims in one scene "Revenge" that [[DeathRay the literal doomsday weapon]] he is standing right next to and that he just used to disintegrate the United Nations building and threaten the planet is "a water pistol" next to Clouseau.

* WalkingDisasterArea: Most of the films' humor comes from the incredible amount destruction and misfortune that Clouseau causes entirely by accident. In the second film of the original series, Drefus claims that with ten Clouseaus he could destroy the entire planet. This is ''not'' said as a compliment.

->Played by: Burt Kwouk

* NiceHat: Wears quite a few of them in the opening credits to ''Return of the Pink Panther''.

* LargeHam: Most of the time, owing to his need to command any important situation (and many unimportant ones). His grandiose gestures often backfire on him, though.
** He's even more of a ham when played by Steve Martin.
* LaResistance: He was in the French Resistance in World War II according to ''Strikes Again'', and there's a flashback to that time in ''Trail''. In trying to blow up a bridge the Germans were crossing, he instead wound up in yet another non-fatal explosion.
* {{Malaproper}} and PoirotSpeak - Clouseau's unique speech patterns stem from a combination of these tropes. His accent is so thick it verges on JustAStupidAccent in the 1970s entries, and this occasionally leads to him ''apparently'' saying one word while intending another, because other characters do not understand it. He sometimes swaps words or consonant sounds in a phrase as well: "a rit of fealous jage", "Sir Charles Phantom, the notorious Lytton", etc.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Subverted -- it's revealed in ''Revenge'' that most people think his success is due to this, rather than his actually being TheFool.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In the reboot, Clouseau is portrayed as an insensitive lecher who blatantly stereotypes everyone he meets by nationality or race, and it's played for laughs. In the original series, Clouseau constantly refers to Cato in derogatory ways -- i.e. "Cato, my little yellow friend, I'm home!" -- and the PaperThinDisguise as an Asian that he wears in ''Revenge'' is similarly ridiculous, but that's more a case of ValuesDissonance (and, perhaps, Clouseau's general foolishness) than this trope.

* PutOnABus: He's put on one halfway through ''Trail''. [[spoiler: ''Curse'' reveals that he was wooed by the jewel's new "owner", did a FaceHeelTurn, and got MagicPlasticSurgery to resemble -- and be played by -- Roger Moore and live with her undisturbed.]]

[[folder: Regulars (7+ appearances)]]

* HeelFaceTurn: He's recovered his sanity at the beginning of ''Strikes Again'', although he quickly loses it, and again at the beginning of ''Revenge''. Perhaps the [[spoiler: work of the machine]] was undone with [[spoiler: its destruction]], as he, once he has recovered his sanity, actually manages to get his old job back again in ''Revenge''.

* KarmaHoudini: Dreyfus kills several people in his attempts to kill Clouseau, including disintegrating the UN building and attempting to destroy England, yet two movies later, ''Trail'', he is Commissioner again and no one talks about it (this is either a PlotHole or just NegativeContinuity).

[[folder:Recurring Characters (2-6 appearances)]]

! The Original Films

!! '''Inspector Jacques Clouseau'''

-->'''Charles''': [Clouseau] was a fool but he epitomized the 11th Commandment.
-->'''Marie Jouvet''': The 11th Commandment?
-->'''Charles''': "Thou shalt not give up".

* KavorkaMan: With his average looks, staggering idiocy and borderline fatal clumsiness, one would be amazed that Clouseau can get one women to fall for him. Yet Clouseau has won the hearts of no less than three (Maria Gambrelli in ''A Shot in The Dark''[[note]]their relationship even produced a child[[/note]], [[SensualSlavs Olga Bariosova]] in ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'', [[SexySecretary Simone Legree]] in ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' and [[spoiler:Countess Chandra in ''Curse of The Pink Panther'']].

!! Cato Fong

!! Commissioner (later Chief Inspector before Clouseau) Charles [=LaRousse=] Dreyfus

!! The Pink Panther

!! The Inspector

[[folder: Recurring Characters (2-6 appearances)]]

!! Sir Charles Lytton/The Phantom

!! Simone Clouseau (later Lady Lytton)

!! George Lytton

-> Played by: Creator/RobertWagner
-> Debut: ''The Pink Panther'' (1963)

Sir Charles Lytton's feisty American nephew.

-> Played by: Creator/ElkeSommer (''A Shot in the Dark''), Claudia Cardinale (''Son of...'')
-> Debut: ''A Shot in the Dark'' (1964)

* BetaCouple: With [[spoiler: Charles Dreyfus]] in ''Son''.

-> Played by: Graham Stark
-> Debut: ''A Shot in the Dark'' (1964)

-> Played by: Andre Maranne
-> Debut: ''A Shot in the Dark'' (1964)

-> Played by: Graham Stark (''Revenge of...'' and ''Son of...''), Harvey Korman (''Strikes Again'' [unused scenes], ''Trail of...'' and ''Curse of...'')
-> Debut: Officially, ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' (1978)

-> Played by: Ed Parker (voiced by Robert Rietty in ''Curse of...'')
-> Debut: ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' (1978)

[[folder: One-Shot Characters]]

!! Princess Dahla

!! Lady Claudine Litton

!! Simone Legree

!! Philippe Douvier

!! Marie Jouvet

!! Detective Sergeant Clifton Sleigh
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/liveactioncliftonsleigh3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The world's greatest detective... or so we're told.]]

!! Countess Chandra

The pre-credits sequence of ''Curse'' reveals that this Spanish health spa owner hired a professional thief to steal the Pink Panther from Lugash. When Clouseau arrived at her villa in Valencia, just as the thief was presenting it to her and negotiating the fee, she killed the thief, and aimed her gun at Clouseau...and one year later, she is terribly concerned when she learns that Clifton Sleigh is headed her way.

* TheVamp: She turns her wiles on [[spoiler: Inspector Clouseau...''successfully'']].

!! Gendarme Jacques Gambrelli/Clouseau, Jr.[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacquesgambrelli_1.jpg]]

* LamarckWasRight: While he's not as arrogant as his father, he's definitely inherited his clumsiness and nonstandard pronunciations...but also his resilience and determination. "That felt ''good''!" (a line from ''Strikes Again'') is practically his catchphrase.

! The Reboot

!! Gilbert Ponton

!! '''Inspector Jacques Clouseau''' (becomes '''Chief Inspector''' after Dreyfus)

* {{Determinator}}: If there is one thing you can commend Clouseau for, it's that he never quits until he gets his man. Sir Charles himself sites this as the true key to Clouseau's success (as he certainly didn't believe it was Clouseau's brain) in ''Trail''.

-->''"Well, until we meet again and the case is sol-ved!"''

* LaResistance: He participated in the French Resistance in World War II according to ''Strikes Again'', and there's a flashback to that time in ''Trail''. In trying to blow up a bridge the Germans were crossing, he instead wound up in yet another non-fatal explosion.

* {{Cuckold}}: The spends the first film completely oblivious that his wife is having an affair with the very jewel thief he's pursuing. From ''A Shot in the Dark'' onward he's single.

->Played by: Creator/DavidNiven (''The Pink Panther'', ''Trail of...'', and ''Curse of...'', albeit dubbed by Rich Little in the latter two), Creator/ChristopherPlummer (''The Return of...'')