Hercule Poirot: Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective

An introduction to Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s fictional Belgian detective. I explore his Belgian origins, curious expressions, fictional life, and famous screen portrayals.

Hercule Poirot is one of the most convincingly Belgian characters in fiction. His police record, his refugee’s arrival in England, his pride in his home country – it all reads like the work of someone who knew the country well. I was surprised to find that she didn’t. When Agatha Christie sat down in 1916 to write Poirot into her novels, she had never set foot in Belgium. She wouldn’t go for another four decades – and when she finally did, it was for a reason nobody could have predicted in 1916.

Hercule Poirot is an intriguing addition to my Famous Belgians series precisely because of this: he’s a case study in how little a country sometimes has to do with the character the world associates with it. Created by an English novelist who built his nationality almost entirely from people she’d met a few streets from home, he went on to become one of the most recognisable detectives in the world. This is thanks to the moustache, the meticulous habits, the reliance on his “little grey cells” and more. Let’s start with the moment he was invented, and how a war 200 kilometres away brought Belgium to Christie’s doorstep instead of the other way around.

1. A detective built from refugees, not research

In August 1914, Agatha Christie was living in Torquay, Devon, where Belgian refugees had arrived following the German invasion of Belgium. She never travelled to meet Poirot’s homeland before inventing him – she didn’t need to. The country came to her, in the form of hundreds of displaced Belgian families rehoused along the English coast. In her autobiography, she recalled the idea that grew out of watching them:

“Why not make my detective a Belgian?”

She imagined a retired Belgian police officer who had become a refugee in England, and that was largely as far as her research went. Christie’s own travels up to that point had taken her to France and the Channel Islands, not to the country she was about to make her detective’s home.

Poirot is introduced in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, living among Belgian refugees in the English countryside. He is no longer a serving police officer, but his previous experience with the Belgian police gives him the skills and reputation to establish himself as a private detective. His background reflects a real historical event: the displacement of over a million Belgian civilians during the First World War – one of the largest single refugee movements Britain had ever seen.

2. A birthplace nobody has ever proven

Where was Poirot born? The short answer is Belgium, somewhere. But his exact birthplace and date are not firmly established in Christie’s books, which is fitting for a detective invented from a distance rather than first-hand knowledge.

Christie was deliberately vague about Poirot’s early life. One clue appears in The Big Four (1927), when Poirot and Hastings visit a secluded villa in the Ardennes near Spa, Belgium. The setting is associated with Poirot’s family home, but it doesn’t establish a precise birth date or prove he was born in Spa itself.

A different tradition identifies the village of Ellezelles as Poirot’s birthplace. The village has embraced the detective as one of its own, with memorials and a Poirot-themed trail (more on that below). It’s a local commemorative tradition rather than a fact from the novels.

Rather than pin down a precise birth date, it’s more accurate to say Christie left his origins deliberately hazy. This is appropriate for a character she built more from imagination than geography.

3. What makes Poirot so recognisably Belgian?

Poirot’s Belgian identity is more than a label. Christie repeatedly uses his nationality to distinguish him from English characters, often through humour, cultural misunderstandings, and his own pride in his country, which makes it all the more striking that she was inventing that pride from a distance.

His appearance and meticulousness

Poirot is short, with an egg-shaped head, a carefully waxed moustache and immaculate clothing. Captain Hastings describes him as exceptionally tidy and dignified. Christie uses these traits both for comedy and to express his preference for order and method.

His professional background

Poirot frequently refers to his former career in the Belgian police. His experience gives him confidence in his methods, and he is particularly proud of his reputation as a detective.

His continental outlook

Poirot often sees himself as a European among the English. His French-influenced speech and mannerisms make him seem foreign to many of the people he encounters. He can be exasperated by English habits, while also enjoying the comforts and conventions of his adopted country.

An important qualification: Poirot is a fictional character created by an English author who, at the time, had never visited his homeland. His quirks are literary characterisation, not a reliable portrait of Belgian people generally.

4. Poirot’s Belgian expressions and distinctive speech

One of Poirot’s most recognisable features is his distinctive English, shaped by French expressions and unusual turns of phrase. Christie uses his speech to convey his foreign origins, his vanity and his comic timing.

Here are some expressions and recurring phrases associated with him:

• “Mon ami” – “My friend”, often used when addressing Hastings.
• “Mais oui” – “But yes” or simply “of course”.
• “Eh bien” – “Well then…”
• “C’est vrai” – “It is true.”
• “Voilà!” – “There it is!” or “There you have it!”
• “The little grey cells” – Poirot’s celebrated metaphor for the mental processes he uses to solve crimes.
• “Order and method”- His insistence on a systematic, organised approach.

The French expressions above are not exclusively Belgian. French is one of Belgium’s official languages, and Poirot’s speech is part of Christie’s broader characterisation of a continental European living in Britain.

5. Was Poirot fond of Belgian food?

Food is a recurring pleasure in Poirot’s life. He is a man who appreciates good cooking, attractive presentation, and the comforts of a well-ordered life. His tastes are often associated with continental cuisine, and he is particularly attentive to meals and their details.

6. What did Poirot wear?

Poirot’s appearance is central to his character:

• A carefully waxed, elaborate moustache.
• Immaculately groomed hair and clothing.
• Formal suits and waistcoats, often with a polished, continental style.
• A preference for neatness, symmetry and personal comfort.

His first description in The Mysterious Affair at Styles emphasises his short stature, egg-shaped head, military-looking moustache and extraordinary neatness.

His clothing is not simply decorative. It reinforces his conviction that order should prevail in all things, from his wardrobe to his crime-solving methods.

7. Poirot’s literary career: from 1920 to 1975

I have to admit I am not a huge Agatha Christie fan. However, I have read four of her books over the years, namely The ABC Murders, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, and the The Mysterious Affair at Styles. All four of them feature Poirot.

Poirot’s first published appearance is in The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), where Christie introduced him as a former Belgian police officer living in England. Christie’s final Poirot novel Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case (1975) was published shortly before her death. It returns Poirot and Hastings to Styles, the setting of their first case.

In between, Hercule Poirot became one of Christie’s most frequently used characters, appearing in novels, short stories and stage and screen adaptations. The commonly cited count is 33 novels, alongside more than 50 short stories. The short stories were subsequently collected into several volumes, so totals can vary depending on whether a source counts individual stories, collections or later authorised continuations.

Christie continued writing Poirot stories for decades, but his publication history was not strictly chronological.

The final Poirot novel published during her lifetime was Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case in 1975. Christie had written it much earlier, during the Second World War, and kept it in reserve.

And yes, Poirot died, in Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. The novel is unusual because it was written decades before its publication, and Christie intended it as a definitive ending for her famous detective. It also gives Captain Hastings a central role in the closing chapter of their long partnership. This makes Poirot one of the rare major fictional detectives whose creator deliberately wrote a final death for him.

8. Who has played Hercule Poirot?

Poirot has been played by dozens of actors across stage, film, television and radio. The following are some of the most notable portrayals.

Charles Laughton (1928) was the first actor to portray Poirot, in the West End play Alibi, adapted from The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Austin Trevor (1931-1934) was the first actor to play Poirot on screen, appearing in Alibi, Black Coffee and Lord Edgware Dies. He was clean-shaven, unlike the famous moustached detective described by Christie.

Albert Finney (1974) starred in Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express. His performance earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Christie particularly valued Poirot’s magnificent moustache, which she felt the film did not fully capture.

Peter Ustinov (1978-1988) played Poirot in three theatrical films and three television films, bringing a warmer, more relaxed comic style to the detective.

David Suchet (1989-2013) portrayed Poirot in 70 television adaptations over 13 series. Suchet researched the character’s habits and mannerisms in detail, making his performance a defining portrayal for many viewers.

Kenneth Branagh (2017-2023) starred as Poirot in and directed Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022) and A Haunting in Venice (2023).

Other notable portrayals include Tony Randall in The Alphabet Murders (1965), Alfred Molina in the 2001 television adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, and John Malkovich in the BBC adaptation of The ABC Murders (2018).

9. The Belgian village that claims Hercule Poirot

The Walloon village of Ellezelles has embraced Poirot as a local celebrity, with a tradition holding that he was born there, and commemorative references for visitors to find. It’s a nice irony: the village has done more to physically place Poirot in Belgium than his own creator ever did before writing him.

The interesting point is the distinction between literary fact and local heritage. Christie never provided a definitive birth certificate for her detective, but Ellezelles has turned the association into a genuine tourism attraction, arguably knowing more about where Poirot “came from” than Christie herself ever committed to paper.

10. Christie eventually visited Belgium

Hercule Poirot may never have existed, but his Belgian identity has become part of one of the most enduring characters in detective fiction. From his origins as a refugee in England to his final case at Styles, Agatha Christie’s little detective has entertained generations of readers and viewers; despite being built almost entirely from her imagination and a handful of refugees she once knew in Devon.

The story does eventually come full circle. Decades after inventing him, in the 1960s, Christie travelled to Belgium with her husband Max Mallowan. She paid a visit to a museum named after her own detective. The country that had existed only in her imagination for over forty years finally got to welcome, in person, the woman who invented it.

Further information

• Agatha Christie’s official website: The primary starting point for Poirot’s biography, his creation, character traits and screen portrayals.
• University of Delaware’s Poirot exhibition: Additional material on the detective’s screen history and adaptations.

P.S. Check out another famous fictional Belgian detective!

Denzil Walton

I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.