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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/DjangoUnchained https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/southern_gentlreman_spencer_django_8158.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Now boy, ah say boy! Get us one of them captions over he-are. And a mint julep while you's at it.]]

The Southern Gentleman is the [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] to the SouthernBelle.

Common virtues: [[SharpDressedMan Well-dressed]], [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness well-spoken]] ([[SophisticatedAsHell even when swearing up a blue streak]]), [[TheCharmer charmin', suave and invariably polite to the opposite gender]].

Common vices: [[ValuesDissonance Racism]] (including, in the appropriate period, actual slaveholding), [[TheAlcoholic drinking]], smoking [[DistinguishedGentlemansPipe pipes]] and/or [[CigarChomper cigars]], [[TheGambler gambling]], {{pride}}.

Other attributes: [[FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit White suit of light material (especially in summer)]], corncob pipe that [[DistinguishedGentlemansPipe nevertheless manages to look dignified]], [[DrinkBasedCharacterization mint julep]].

Habitat: {{Romance novel}}s, [[TheWestern westerns]].

Notes: Subject to severe ValuesDissonance for modern audiences, as, depending on time period, he usually either owns slaves or is nostalgic for the era of slavery (even if he doesn't harbor any actual racist views, [[YeGoodeOldeDays the romanticism of the south's "golden age"]] is what matters).

Associated tropes: [[DeepSouth Dixie accent]], OfficerAndAGentleman. Villainous portrayals include FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit and VillainInAWhiteSuit, and may overlap with SouthernGothicSatan. May be AffablyEvil or FauxAffablyEvil as well, if the character is a villain.

Status: Nearly extinct. Some are still known to moonlight as {{simple country lawyer}}s or [[UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken fast food mascots]].

Compare and contrast TheFriendlyTexan.

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!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Guin Rhineford from ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', a [[FeudalFuture literal]] Southern Aristocrat with a penchant for fine white suits and luxury airships. The trope is somewhat played with in that he's a) AmbiguouslyBrown and b) [[spoiler:one of only seven canonically LGBT characters in all of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' (the others being Tieria Erde, Alejandro Conner and Ribbons Almark of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'''s Angelo Sauper, and Yamagi Gilmerton and Norba Shino of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'')]], two things which almost certainly wouldn't fly in the Old South, as opposed to the post-apocalyptic future South.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* [[Characters/MarvelComicsGambit Gambit]] from the ''ComicBook/XMen'' books counts as this. His dark past aside, he has a very genial personality, especially towards women, he dresses well and he's from TheBigEasy. Fits in with him also being a GentlemanThief and a LovableRogue.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* "Big Daddy" La Bouff from ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' is something of a {{reconstruction}} of one. While he may be a sugar baron and one of the richest men in New Orleans, he's nothing short of a gentleman and treats anybody who works for him [[NiceToTheWaiter with the utmost respect]]. He is nothing but courteous and kind to Tiana the whole time.
* Lotso, the [[LivingToys Lots-o-Huggin' Bear]] from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', as voiced by Kentucky native Creator/NedBeatty.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' (being set during the Antebellum South) features two particularly vicious [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructions]]: Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett and Calvin J. Candie. Both are plantation owners and slavers, and DeliberateValuesDissonance is in full effect with their monstrously brutal treatment of slaves.
** Big Daddy (pictured above) is seen having young girls whipped for [[FelonyMisdemeanor accidentally breaking eggs]], and heads a gang of proto-Klansmen called the Regulators. Also, he's [[Series/MiamiVice Don Johnson in a white suit]].
** Candie (Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio) manages to be even worse: his hobbies include the study of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology the racist pseudo-science of phrenology]] and forcing his slaves to fight each other to the death in "mandingo" fights for his amusement. His civility is an act, as he is nowhere near as cultured or intelligent as [[WickedPretentious he believes himself to be]]. We also see him [[spoiler:having a slave unwilling to fight torn apart by hungry dogs]].
* Like Hatfield, Sergeant Beaufort in ''Film/FortApache'' is a "fallen" example. A former Confederate officer, he enlisted in the U.S. Cavalry as a private after the Civil War. While not exactly conforming to the stereotype visually -- he is played by Pedro Armendáriz -- he is easily the most polished of the regiment's non-coms (some of whom had been officers in the Union army).
* ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'': Rhett Butler is the TropeMaker, but also a subversion, just as Scarlett O'Hara does for the SouthernBelle trope. The whole point of the character was that he wasn't exactly a gentleman.
** Ashley Wilkes, the other object of Scarlett's affection, is a more conventional example of the trope.
%%* Many of the characters in ''Film/TheGreenMile'' fall under this trope.
* ''Film/TheGreatLocomotiveChase'': Union spy Andrews is a well-dressed Kentuckian (although, historically, he had a lower-class background) who is extremely courteous and sympathetic to friends and enemies alike even when it isn't required for him to keep his cover.
* In ''Film/GunFury'', Frank Slayton used to be an officer in the Army of Northern Virginia, and still fancies himself as a southern gentleman. However, he becomes increasingly paranoid and murders three of his own gang for various real and imagined offenses.
* Buck Cantrell from the Bette Davis film ''Film/{{Jezebel}}'' is a classic example. Amongst other attributes, he is a skilled duellist and Julie attempts to goad him into fighting a duel against Pres, the suitor who spurned her.
* Creator/LionelBarrymore plays one in ''Film/TheLittleColonel'', which is set in the 1870s. He's a GrumpyOldMan nostalgic for the Old South and full of hatred for "Yankees". Then Creator/ShirleyTemple comes along and cheers him up.
* Lots of this is lampshaded throughout ''Film/{{Maverick}}''.
* Jeff Custer (full name Jefferson) from Hitchcock's ''Film/{{Mr and Mrs Smith|1941}}''.
* ''Literature/MurderInCowetaCounty:'' Sheriff Lamar Potts is a blue-collar version of the trope, being a dutiful, well-spoken man who is always polite and courteous toward women, doesn't gloat about his victories and cares deeply about justice.
* One of Walter's daydream personas in ''Film/TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty1947'' is that of a riverboat gambler. Not the most respectable profession, perhaps, but in his manners and appearance, he's a true gentleman.
* Hatfield from ''Film/{{Stagecoach}}'' is a [[ImpoverishedPatrician down-on-his-luck]] example. After the end of the Confederacy he went west and makes a living as a gambler, but recognizing Mrs. Malory as the daughter of his late commanding officer, he immediately starts to fuss over her. In a slight deconstruction of the trope, he is very class-conscious and thus his courtesy to women emphatically does not extend to Dallas (implied to be a prostitute). He also has a marked difference of opinion with Doc Boone, a veteran of the Union Army, as to how the, um, late unpleasantness should be referred to.
* ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'' brings us "The Captain," who is this trope made flesh, right down to the mint julep. He's described as "the last great man of tobacco."
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Holliday John Henry Holliday]], better known as Doc Holliday from ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' and other films. Also a real-life example.
* A modern and heroic example is [[GentlemanDetective Benoit Blanc]] from ''Film/KnivesOut'' and ''Film/GlassOnion''. He has the (possibly [[PlayingUpTheStereotype embellished]]) accent, the stylish dress, and the charm and politeness, but without the associated prejudices.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Folklore]]
* In a lot of black southern folk tales, especially from closer to the time of slavery, the Devil often takes the form of one of these guys. For obvious reasons, considering they were usually also the cruel masters under whom slaves suffered.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/AuntieMame'', Mame's husband Beauregard Burnside, as the name suggests, is a filthy rich oil tycoon from Georgia.
* Several, most notably Colonel Sherburn, in ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn''.
* Drake Morrell from Creator/LouisLAmour's ''Bendigo Shafter''.
* ''Literature/TheCasterChronicles'': Macon is a kind-hearted, immaculately dressed man who is quite courteous and eloquent, both when he wants to be friendly and when he's being snarky to his enemies.
* Quincey Morris in ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' is one of Lucy Westenra's suitors and a very [[TheFriendlyTexan Friendly Texan]]. Even after Lucy turns down his proposal Quincey remains on friendly terms with Arthur Holmwood (who she agreed to marry).
* Several patriarchs from the upper-class Sartoris family from the works of Creator/WilliamFaulkner. While there is much to admire about these men, they are still clearly presented by Faulkner as racist and, often, lost in the past.
* Atticus Finch of ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' fame is a SimpleCountryLawyer and a shining example of this trope. Unfortunately, ''Literature/GoSetAWatchman'' reveals that he does have the racist views common to this trope -- though that book appears to take place in an AlternateContinuity, being an early draft of ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' that Harper Lee considerably changed before it became the finished product.
* Creator/OHenry was very fond of depicting this type. Notably, in "The Duplicity of Hargraves," the eponymous actor makes a study of Major Pendleton Talbot, a real, stereotypical Southern gentleman (whose characteristics, including literally every one of them listed above (except the corn-cob pipe, for which he substitutes a clay) are specifically cited) in order to caricature him on-stage as "Colonel Calhoun."
* ''Literature/HolmesOnTheRange'': Julius Horatio Riggs from the short story "Bad News" is a well-dressed man with a thick Southern accent and a gracious, good-humored manner. The "Southern" part outweighs the "gentleman", though, as his demeanor can quickly get colder (although still relatively civil) toward anyone who disagrees with his politics, which includes sitting around a saloon with a Confederate flag proudly displayed in it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Lucas Buck masquerades as one in ''Series/AmericanGothic1995''.
* In ''Series/BostonLegal'', the prosecuting attorney who argues against Alan Shore when he visits New Orleans.
* Blanche's father, who was known as 'Big Daddy', on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls''. Interestingly enough, one episode reveals that he had a long-term relationship with a black woman.
* Occasionally, on ''Series/GoodEats'', if the recipe has definite Southern roots (fried catfish, for example), Alton Brown will dress and speak like one of these, an AffectionateParody of Col. Sanders. (Brown is, of course, from Georgia -- and despite his studied [[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents neutral "General American" newscaster accent]], he comes from true old Southern stock -- "Ma Mae" Skelton, who appeared in his original biscuits episode, was his actual grandmother, and his recipe is an updated version of hers -- and all its culinary traditions.)
* The ''Series/KirbyBuckets'' episode "Kirby to the Max" has Kirby go to a maximum-security Saturday detention program run by a Southern Gentleman known only as "the Colonel". Turns out, the Colonel is actually a FauxAffablyEvil CorruptCorporateExecutive in a [[VIllainInAWhiteSuite white suit]] who forces students to compete in the "Tickle Pit", a for-profit underground fight club where people have to tickle each other until one of them laughs. If you lose, you instantly become less respected amongst your peers, while if you win, you're stuck competing in the pit until you lose. This makes the Colonel easily the most evil character on the entire show.
* A couple of times, ''Series/TheNightlyShow'' has poked fun at this trope. When discussing Mississippi's attempts to maintain a ban on gay adoption, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKv7DIFVdgM Beechum Grady]] (played by Rory Albanese) personifies this role during an interview in which he explains Mississippi's [[NostalgiaFilter "pro-yesterday"]] policies. This is later extended in a different segment about a [[http://www.cc.com/full-episodes/iukkmb/the-nightly-show-with-larry-wilmore-december-14--2015---confederate-christmas-card---ted-cruz-season-2-ep-02037 state senator's Christmas cards featuring the Confederate flag]] that features an entire table full of Southern Gentlemen (including one who doesn't seem to realize slavery's been abolished) going over Christmas card designs that all feature Confederate flags, with Mike Yard playing the OnlySaneMan at the table.
* ''Series/ThePeripheral2022'': Corbell Pickett, [[SmallTownTyrant the drug lord who controls the small town of Clanton]], very much ''wants'' to be this, always being immaculately groomed (including, naturally, elaborate cowboy boots) and usually speaking in a friendly, fatherly tone. None of this changes the fact that [[FauxAffablyEvil he's a sadistic killer]] who is happy to [[DeadGuyOnDisplay crucify his enemies]] and [[BadBoss mutilate his own men in public]].
* Creator/DonJohnson plays one of these as "Sir" in ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017''. The photo above is ''not'' from that role, as he appears to have a penchant for this type.
* ''Series/{{Sharpe}}'': Captain Leroy in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'' is an unusual example, being an American Loyalist fighting for Britain in the Napoleonic Wars. His family made its money on "slaves, cotton and molasses". The working-class Sharpe calls him out on the first of these near the end of the episode.
* The ''Series/SportsNight'' episode "Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee" includes two characters discussing that this trope as it relates to the Confederate flag and the history of the south. When Isaac points out to Danny that their CEO, Luther Sachs, is a southerner who likes to consider ''himself'' a Southern Gentleman. As Isaac puts it, "the difference, Danny, is all the difference"; the implication being that Sachs confuses his [[NouveauRiche own wealth and elitism]] with the class and personal nobility that is associated with the trope.
* [[TheMcCoy Dr Leonard McCoy]] from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. JerkWithAHeartOfGold, genuinely compassionate and dedicated to his role as a healer, but also considerably more prejudiced than the other crew members, especially towards [[VitriolicBestBuds Spock]] and Vulcans in general. Played with when one considers that Spock gives back as good as he gets, [=McCoy=] engineered [[TakeAThirdOption a way out for Spock]] when Spock was double-crossed by T'Pring in ''Amok Time'', and the two of them would willingly sacrifice their lives for each other. Spock even goes so far as to leave his ''katra'' in [=McCoy=] when he dies at the end of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' even though Scotty was also available.
** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' brings us Captain Gabriel Lorca, who is a considerably nastier take on the trope, as a domineering and manipulative officer only interested in what people can do to help him achieve his goals.
* Asmodeus, one of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Princes of Hell]] in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', likes to evoke the image. He wears [[VillainInAWhiteSuit an entirely white suit]], has a well-trimmed beard, and speaks with a sophisticated southern accent. Dean refers to him as Evil Colonel Sanders.
* Bill Compton from ''Series/TrueBlood'' is a variation, he's probably the most polite vampire ever.
* Yancy Derringer, the gambler-hero of the western ''Series/YancyDerringer''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Satirised in Music/TomLehrer's "I Wanna Go Back To Dixie", from ''Music/SongsByTomLehrer'', where the phrase refers to the Ku Klux Klan:
--> I wanna talk with southern gentlemen\\
And put my white sheet on again,\\
I ain't seen one good lynchin' in years!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppetry]]
* The [[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Southern_Colonel Southern Colonel]] from ''Franchise/TheMuppets''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Senator Beauregard Claghorn of Charleston, South Carolina from ''Radio/TheFredAllenShow''; the character who would be the inspiration for WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn. Most of Foghorn Leghorn's catchphrases (Like "That's a joke, son") originated with Senator Claghorn.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Edward Rutledge of South Carolina in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix''. His refined mannerisms are a veneer over his iron control of the Southern delegations, and he forces the removal of the Declaration of Independence's anti-slavery clause after singing the damning "Molasses to Rum," where he [[JerkassHasAPoint correctly]] points out that ''Northerners'' are the ones sailing the slave ships.
* Big Daddy for ''Theatre/CatOnAHotTinRoof''. Dignified, chivalrous, and autocratic.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/AfterTheEndAPostApocalypticAmerica'', the evolution of this trope, combined with a dash of [[FutureImperfect misremembered history]], has led to the rise of a new [[KnightInShiningArmor knightly warrior elite]] in the post-apocalyptic American Southeast.
* Sinclair from ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', one of the [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Voices With An Internet Connection]] who helps you throughout the game. Atlas from the [[VideoGame/BioShock first game]] was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally meant to be one]], but they decided to make him Irish instead.
* Wainwright Jakobs from ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' plays this trope straight and goes against it in several ways. On the one hand, he speaks with a strong Southern accent (despite being from an alien planet), wears a light grey suit that looks like a white suit, runs a family business, and cares about tradition in both behavior and the guns he makes. On the other hand, Wainwright is not big on adventure and excitement, is a terrible shot, is eco-conscious, cares a lot about the well-being of his employees, and (most damning of all) is gay and dating a black guy.
* Captain Keyes from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', though not explicitly said to be from the Southern United States, he fits this trope in his accent and manner of speaking.
* Frank "Hitman" Hennessy from ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'' is a friendly smooth sweet-talker and notorious for enjoying Charlene 'Raven' Higgens' company a tad too much for Ron "Raider" Higgens, her husband's liking.
* In ''VideoGame/LANoire'', Dr. Harlan Fontaine speaks with a noticeable Southern accent and is a polite, sophisticated, highly respected member of society. [[spoiler: He's actually a FauxAffablyEvil VillainWithGoodPublicity who's part of a BigBadDuumvirate.]]
* ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'': Remy Duvall, the leader of the [[TheKlan Southern Union]], has a public persona as a businessman and radio host. On his program, [[FauxAffablyEvil he comes across as a charming and avuncular fellow]], if you ignore his blatant racism and classism. As the player tears down his criminal empire, [[VillainousBreakdown the gentleman act goes out the window]] and he reveals himself to be a vicious madman.
* John Marston of ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', despite being a former outlaw, can actually fit into this trope, with the clothing being the only other concern (in which case, you could put him in the gambler outfit or the duster).
* Arcturus Mengsk of ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' is portrayed as one, with him going so far as to wear clothes resembling a CSA general's outfit. Ironically, the corrupt government he overthrows (only to replace as equally-corrupt) is called the Confederacy, and its flag looks exactly like you'd think.
** Mengsk's right-hand man and former Confederate general, Edmund Duke, also has a touch of this trope.
* Clem from ''VideoGame/TheSuffering''.
* Calm, polite, multiple [=PhD=]-having Engineer from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Colonel Sassacre of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', as a Creator/MarkTwain {{Expy}}, fits this trope.
* John Henry Hunter of ''Webcomic/NextTownOver'' [[http://www.nexttownover.net/?p=55 certainly has the trappings]] of this trope.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* In his "Groundhog Day Explained" video, WebVideo/CGPGrey tells about Georgia's resident groundhog seasonal predictor "General Beauregard Lee, who one must assume has stylish facial hair and fans himself on the veranda of his plantation home while drinking mint julep and pining for the day when the South will rise again."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': [[Characters/HazbinHotelAlastor Alastor]] is from New Orleans, Louisiana and is quite perky and polite, albeit an evil serial killer. He even wears a fashionable suit and offers to make everyone jambalaya.
* Gilbert Dauterieve, Bill's cousin on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is a parody, with the added twist of being AmbiguouslyGay. Modeled on Creator/TennesseeWilliams.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
** WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn is a parody of such.
** Colonel Shuffle from the shorts "Mississippi Hare" and "Dog Gone South". "Ah, magnolia!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E18HomerVsTheEighteenthAmendment Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment]]", a Southern gentlemen requests bootleg mint juleps at Moe's Speakeasy.
** The unnamed Southern Colonel, the last person challenged to a duel by a cocky Homer in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E5EIEIAnnoyedGrunt E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)]]".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sanders Colonel Sanders]] cultivated a Southern Gentleman persona for the latter part of his life, and this image now adorns [[UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken KFC]] materials all over the place.
* You'd be hard-pressed to find a version that's more recognizable or admirable than Samuel Clemens, better known as Creator/MarkTwain.
* During UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, one Union general invoked this trope to protect his written orders from spies: he sealed them in a fancy envelope, daubed them with perfume, and had them signed by a female hand. His orders were reportedly never intercepted, because he'd guessed correctly that no southern gentleman would ''dare'' be so uncouth as to open, never mind ''read'', a lady's love-letter.
[[/folder]]
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