Gentleman thief

In the Victorian vernacular, a gentleman thief is a particularly well-behaving and apparently well bred thief. A "gentleman" is usually, but not always, a man with an inherited title of nobility and inherited wealth, who need not work for a living. Such a man steals not in order to gain material wealth, but for adventure; he acts without malice. Gentlemen thieves rarely bother with anonymity or force, as they rely on their charm and good looks to steal the most unobtainable objects — sometimes for their own support, but also for the thrill of the act itself.

In popular culture

Raffles, the gentleman thief, as portrayed by David Niven.

Notable gentlemen thieves in popular culture are Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar, Thomas Crown from The Thomas Crown Affair, John Robie in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, E. W. Hornung's A. J. Raffles or Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin and his Japanese grandson Lupin the Third, first appearing in the comics by Monkey Punch. All are superb at stealing while maintaining a sophisticated front. Raffles steals mostly when he is especially "hard-up", in need of money. On the other hand, Lupin steals more from the rich who don't appreciate art or their treasures and redistributes it (not unlike a modern Robin Hood).

In real life

Christophe Rocancourt is a modern-day, real-life example of the gentleman thief.

External links

• TV Tropes
• The Saint and Leslie Charteris