Page for the fictional characters of Fort Boyard (French version).
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Père Fouras
Père Fouras
Played by: Michel Scourneau (1990), Yann Le Gac (1991-2001 / again since 2003), Didier Hervé (2002)
The old and wise master of Fort Boyard who dresses in white (or very light pink) robes. Contestants must solve his riddles to get a key. In recent years he has taken a more central and antagonistic role.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the latest seasons, he's presented in the plot as the main antagonist: the man who created the game in order to prevent the contestants from "stealing" his money (it's worth noting here that the aforementioned contestants play for charitable associations). Of course, he's still fair-play enough to create games that are winnable, and to reward the winners.
- Ascended Extra: While he's always been one of the symbols of the Fort, he used to be a mere trialmaster in earlier seasons, appearing two or three times an episode to ask a riddle. Later seasons turned him into the master of the Fort and the closest thing the game has for an antagonist, giving him plenty more appearances, as he is the one giving each new trials and presiding the challenges with the Masters of Darkness.
- Cool Key: The keys he has are equipped with a float. In case a candidate fails to solve his riddle, he can decide to either put the key back in his cabinet or throw it at sea for another contestant to get (usually the best swimmer of the group, for obvious reasons).
- Cool Old Guy: A wise and funny old man looking like a wizard and asking clever riddles.
- Leitmotif: "Man of the Tower"
, composed by Paul Koulak. - Long-Lived: Said to have been born in 1815 in his backstory.
- Mage Tower: Until 2011, Fort Boyard's lookout tower was his lair, and it was filled with Alchemy tools.
- Rambling Old Man Monologue: Gets into these sometimes. For instance, it can happen when a contestant quickly figures out the answer to a riddle of his, leaving him dumbfounded and a bit frustrated.
- Riddle Me This: Contestants can gain a key if they solve his riddles.
- Troll: He also sometimes enjoys trolling the contestants.
- Wizard Beard: He doesn't have magic powers per se, but that's the idea.
The Dwarves
Passe-Partout, Passe-Temps and Passe-Muraille
Left to right: Passe-Partout, Passe-Muraille and Passe-Temps
Played by: André Bouchet (Passe-Partout, since 1990), Alain Prévost (Passe-Temps, 1990-2009), Anthony Laborde (Passe-Muraille, since 2004)
Dwarves who are in charge of guiding the contestants through the Fort. Passe-Muraille was introduced in 2004. Passe-Temps was discontinued in 2010 after the actor was laid off.
- Character Tics: When asked how many keys have been won by the contestants, Passe-Partout won't speak the number out, instead making it with his hands.
- Clock King: Passe-Temps warned the contestants about the remaining limited time they have to get enough keys, and he held the hourglass during Père Fouras' riddles.
- Little People Are Surreal: Their basic function outside of guiding the contestants. They are The Voiceless because of this trope as well.
- Meaningful Name: "Passe-Partout" means "Master Key". He is in charge of keeping the keys that the candidates win.
- Power Trio: They were a trio between 2004 and 2009. Then the Passe-Temps actor was laid off in 2010, leading to...
- Those Two Guys:
- Passe-Partout and Passe-Temps between 1990 and 2003.
- Since the actor playing Passe-Temps was fired in 2010, there's no Power Trio anymore and Passe-Partout and Passe-Muraille fit this again.
- The Voiceless: They never talk onscreen. Because of this, though, they also appear in non-French versions of the show, resulting in an unexpected international fame.
Felindra
Felindra
Played by: Monique Angeon (1991-1997 / 1999-2005 / again since 2007), Kareen Le Portier (2006)
Fort Boyard's tamer of tigers, and the one in charge of activating the "tiger head" mechanism that grants access to the Fort's treasure.
- Animal Motifs: She's in charge of the Fort's tigers (many things in the Fort are tiger-themed) and has tiger symbols on some of her outfits.
- The Beastmaster: She tames tigers. When the time comes, she orders them to evacuate the treasure room so the contestants will be able to try completing the final challenge to win the treasure safely. Of course if contestants end up trapped in the treasure room (which very rarely happens, but still), she'll make sure the tigers (who get unleashed in the room again once time runs out) do no harm to said contestant.
- Meaningful Name: Felindra, as in "feline", which is appropriate for a tiger tamer.
La Boule
La Boule
Played by: Yves Marchesseau (1994-2013)
A bald, burly, rotund and red-faced guy who was tasked to hit the gong for every major phase of the show. He also imprisoned the contestants who lose challenges in cells. The character was discontinued in 2014 due to the actor's health problems and eventual passing.
- Big Fun: A fat guy who did some funny antics.
- The Jailer: He imprisoned contestants who lose challenges in cells of the Fort.
- Meaningful Name: The French expression "avoir la boule à zéro" means "being bald" ("à zéro" wasn't used however), and he happened to be bald.
- Robinsonade: In his backstory, he was a former docker/sailor who got stranded on the Fort after a storm. He was regularly seen handling materials and navigation instruments to build a boat.
- Tattoo as Character Type: He was a stranded sailor in his backstory, and he had a heart pierced by an arrow tattooed on his left arm.
- Wardens Are Evil: He roughed up the contestants a bit when putting them in cells.
Maîtres du Temps
Les Maîtres du Temps ("The Masters of Time")
Played by: Various crew members (since 1995)
This mysterious order of tiger mask-wearing individuals is tasked to confront contestants in short tapletop game-like challenges, usually in the second phase of the show. If contestants win said challenges, it increases the time they can spend in the treasure room in the show's climax.
- Animal Motifs: Tigers, as with many things in Fort Boyard.
- Badass Armfold: Their default stance when waiting for the contestants to challenge them.
- Dark Is Not Evil: They wear intimidating tiger masks and contestants confront them in the dark corners of the Fort's underground parts, but they mean no harm.
- The Faceless: Their faces are never seen.
- Game of Nim: One of their most well known challenges is this.
- Samus Is a Girl: Some of them are played by female performers, despite "Maître" being a masculine French word.
- Sudden Name Change: Sometimes they are renamed, as "Maîtres des Jeux" ("Masters of the Games") and "Maitres des Ténèbres" ("Masters of Darkness"), but it doesn't stick.
Blanche
Blanche / La Juge Blanche / Princesse Blanche
Played by: Louise-Marie Hustings (2011), Raphaëlle Lenoble (2012), Delphine Wespiser (since 2013)
A mysterious princess living in her own dimension within the Fort, and the complete opposite of her twin sister Rouge.
- Cain and Abel: Blanche is Abel, Rouge is Cain. Rouge tried to fight her sister for the throne of the Fort but lost and ended up being locked up.
- Ethereal White Dress: She's fully dressed in white, and (in her backstory) she's been cursed to be trapped forever in a timeless dimension where everything is white.
- Extreme Close-Up: The Judgement sequence likes to have close-ups of Blanche's eyes or mouth.
- Gratuitous Latin: "Dura Lex Sed Lex", emblazoned above her room. It means, "The law is tough, but it's the law." Doubles as her Pre-Mortem One-Liner, delivered right before a contestant who failed her challenge is sent to jail.
- The High Queen: Her whole theming, though she can't reign over the Fort since she's imprisoned in a timeless dimension.
- Ms. Fanservice: Since 2013 she's played by the winner of Miss France 2012, and her white outfits have grown more generous to the eye over the seasons, specially in the bust section.
- Pure Is Not Good: She is said to be pure (or purer than her sister), but the narration also heavily implies that she is either a case of Good Is Not Nice or Above Good and Evil. Not to mention she has a snake motif.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blanche is the blue oni to Rouge's red. She has a white and icy blue color scheme, is presenting herself as a severe but fair judge, stays calm and polite toward the contestants, and presides over challenges requiring either luck or dexterity.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Blanche is a graceful ruler, wears white robes and is the purer of the two. Rouge is said to be evil, dresses like a fighter in black and red clothes and wields a bow.
- Snakes Are Sexy: She's regularly seen with a (real) albino pet snake in her hands or as ornament around her arms.
- White Void Room: The throne room where she challenges the candidates is bathed in white light with no walls visible, since it's a timeless dimension in her backstory.
Rouge
Rouge
Played by: Delphine Wespiser (since 2015)
The twin sister of Blanche. She lost a trial to become queen of the Fort to her sister, and she is imprisoned in "The Cage" ever since.
- Arrowgram: This is how she signals the start of her (out-of-chrono) challenge, by shooting an arrow on fire with a scroll on the next cell door.
- Cain and Abel: Rouge is Cain, Blanche is Abel. Rouge tried to fight her sister for the throne of the Fort but lost and ended up being locked up.
- Expy: Between her bow, her braid and her clothes, she inevitably brings to mind Katniss Everdeen.
- Friend to All Children: Yep, her, of all people, in order to humanize her and make her seem less like an outright villain. During the 2018 season, she "adopted" a bunch of kids who also happen to be professional athletes to serve as her champions during her challenges. They have a much better record than her previous champions.
- Ms. Fanservice: Just like her sister, she's played by Miss France 2012, and she's got some nicely revealing outfits, specially in the bust section.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Red and black is the dominant color theme of Rouge and her minions, the Boo family, and they are the Fort inhabitants most hostile toward the contestants.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: She has red eyes, and she is one of the most antagonistic persons in the Fort.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Rouge is the red oni to Blanche's blue. Her color scheme is black and flame red, and she's the most hot-headed of the two, having been imprisoned in the Cage for trying to take over the Fort and usurp her sister. She's brash and arrogant when facing the contestants, and she presides over challenges demanding strength and athleticism to win.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Blanche is a graceful ruler, wears white robes and is the purer of the two. Rouge is said to be evil, dresses like a fighter in black and red clothes and wields a bow.
Magik
Magik
Played by: Magloire (since 2019)
One of the latest additions to the Fort, Magik is a genie that was found by Passe-Muraille after his lamp drifted from the Middle East all the way to the Fort. Père Fouras has him used in the "Fakir" challenge.
- Big Fun: He's overweight and makes funny antics.
- Genie in a Bottle: He comes out of a lamp. Once he was freed by Passe-Muraille rubbing his lamp, he pledged obedience to Père Fouras in gratitude, and offers him an Elixir of Youth (or a haircut). Instead, Père Fouras asks Magik to protect a key in a challenge, "The Fakir".
- Our Genies Are Different: His powers are a bit... rusted.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Magik's eyes glow red at the end of his introduction, to remind us he isn't a nice genie.
