List of fictional Romans
This article is a list of fictional characters in written fiction and other forms of media set during the period of the Roman Republic and/or the Roman Empire. This list is subcategorised by the position of each character - whether they are actual Roman citizens, Roman provincials (non-Romans who were not actual slaves) or slaves.
Roman citizens
- Arcturus - a physician in the Roman army with the rank of centurion, and also the personal physician of Gnaeus Julius Agricola. He appears as the central character in a series of novels by Kelli Stanley.
- Ammonia - the promiscuous wife of Ludicrus Sextus in the British TV series Up Pompeii! and its spinoff film. She was portrayed by Elizabeth Larner in the original TV series and the spinoff Further Up Pompeii. In the 1971 film, she was portrayed by Barbara Murray.[1][2]
- Ascaris - a mute assassin responsible for the death of the lyre-player Maximus Pettulian, and later sent to murder The Doctor in the Doctor Who story The Romans. He was played by Barry Jackson.
- Aulus Paulinus - the weak and incompetent governor of Britain depicted by Jimmy Mulville in the TV series Chelmsford 123.[3]
- Legionary Baldricus - a Roman footsoldier and ancestor of Baldrick seen on Hadrian's Wall in Blackadder: Back & Forth. Like all Baldricks, he was portrayed by Tony Robinson.[4][5]
- Biggus Dickus - a Roman general who appeared in Monty Python's Life of Brian as a friend of Pontius Pilate. He was portrayed by Graham Chapman with a thick lisp.[6]
- Bilious - the name of two captains in the Roman army, both of them in works by writer Talbot Rothwell. The first, portrayed by David Davenport, was former bodyguard to Julius Caesar in Carry On Cleo.[7] The second, portrayed by Lance Percival, was a conspirator against Emperor Nero in the 1971 film Up Pompeii.[2]
- Centurion Blaccadicus - an ancestor of Edmund Blackadder serving on Hadrian's Wall in Blackadder: Back & Forth, who was forced into a fight against the Caledonians before he could be recalled to Rome. The outcome of the battle is unclear. Like all Blackadders, he was portrayed by Rowan Atkinson.[4][8]
- Centurion Britannus - one of the multiple versions of the superhero Captain Britain in the Marvel Comics universe, who dwells on a world where the Roman Empire is still active.[9] His secret identity was revealed in his debut appearance to have been Thracius Scipio Magnus, and was presumably killed alongside other members of the Captain Britain Corps in X-Men: Die by the Sword.
- Comicus - a stand-up philosopher from Vesuvius who was forced to leave Rome for Judaea after he insulted the Emperor Nero in History of the World, Part I. He was portrayed by Mel Brooks.[10][11]
- Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger - a fictional member of the Caecilius Metellus family in the SPQR novels by John Maddox Roberts. Decius has had various positions in Roman politics, but often finds himself working as an amateur detective.
- Erotica - the daughter of Ludicrus Sextus in the comedy series Up Pompeii! and its spinoff film. She was portrayed by Georgina Moon in the TV series and by Madeline Smith in the film adaptation.[2][12]
- Georgius - the fictional Consul of Roman Britain who appeared in Blackadder: Back & Forth. He appears to be an ancestor of George, although this is not made clear in the canon. He was played by Hugh Laurie.[4]
- Judah Ben Hur - a Jew who gains Roman citizenship in Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
- Lucius Andronicus - eldest son of Titus Andronicus in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, in which he becomes Emperor of Rome after assassinating Emperor Saturninus.[13]
- Ludicrus Sextus - an elderly senator of Pompeii featured in the British comedy series Up Pompeii!, and the spin-off film of the same name. He was portrayed by Max Adrian in the first series, then by Wallas Eaton in the second series, and finally by Sir Michael Hordern in the film adaptation.[2][14]
- Marcellus Gallio - a Roman tribune featured in The Robe. In the film, Gallio is sent to Judaea by a young Caligula to aid Pontius Pilate in the persecution of the Christians, only to become a Christian himself. He was played by Richard Burton.[15]
- Marcus Aleus - a DC Comics character who was a Roman centurion abducted by aliens, returning to Earth in the present day and becoming a superhero under the name of Alpha Centurion. In an alternate universe, he took Superman's position as the hero of Metropolis. In the main DC Universe, he worked alongside Superman, and was briefly employed by Lexcorp.
- Marcus Attilius - the fictional aquarius responsible for the maintenance of the Aqua Augusta in the Robert Harris novel Pompeii.[16]
- Marcus Cornelius Scipio - the main character in the Nova Roma series by John Maddox Roberts, set in an alternate world where Hannibal conquered Rome, and in which Scipio acts as a spy against the Carthaginian forces.
- Marcus Didius Falco - a "private informer" (i.e. private detective) in the Falco novels by Lindsey Davis. Not to be confused with the genuine Quintus Pompeius Falco or his family.
- Marcus Flavius Aquila - the protagonist of the 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, who journeys beyond Hadrian's Wall into Scotland to retrieve the lost eagle of the Legio IX Hispana.[17] He was portrayed by Anthony Higgins in the 1977 TV adaptation and by Channing Tatum in the 2011 film adaptation.[18]
- Marcus Vindictus - a general in the Roman army in History of the World, Part I who had arrived back in Rome after a victory over the Spartans at Crete (first mentioned comically as "the cretins at Sparta"). He was portrayed by Shecky Greene.[10]
- Marcus Vinicius - the male lead of the 1951 epic, Quo Vadis. Vinicius was a Roman commander who fought against the Christians on behalf of Nero, only to fall in love with a Christian woman. He was played by Robert Taylor.[19]
- Messala - A character in Ben-Hur. Judah Ben Hur's former best friend. A Roman nobleman and the son of a tax collector, Messala becomes Judah's enemy after he and Judah have a falling out. He has been portrayed by Francis X. Bushman (1925), Stephen Boyd (1959), Stephen Campbell Moore (2010), Toby Kebbell (2016), and was voiced by Duncan Frasier in the 2003 animated film.
- Miriam - a Vestal virgin who lived in Nero-era Rome in History of the World, Part I, and fled to Judaea with Comicus. She was portrayed by Mary-Margaret Humes.[10][20]
- Nausius - the effeminate son of Ludicrus Sextus and Ammonia in the TV series Up Pompeii! and its 1971 film adaptation. In the original TV series and the spinoff Further Up Pompeii, he was portrayed by Kerry Gardner. In the 1971 film, he was portrayed by Royce Mills.[2][21]
- Empress Nympho - the fictional wife of Emperor Nero in History of the World, Part I. Her name is a reference to her apparent Nymphomania. She was portrayed by Madeline Kahn.[10][22]
- Prosperus Maximus - the fictional Consul of Pompeii who appeared in the 1971 film Up Pompeii, but not the original TV series. Prosperus is the ringleader of an attempt to assassinate Emperor Nero whilst in Pompeii, although his plan suffers several fallbacks caused by the slave Lurcio. He was played by Bill Fraser.[2]
- Quintus Dias - a centurion serving with the Legio IX Hispana at Inchtuthil during the events of the 2010 film Centurion. He was portrayed by Michael Fassbender.[23]
- Saturninus - the fictional Emperor of Rome in the William Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, in which he is assassinated by Titus' son, Lucius Andronicus.[13]
- Swiftus Lazarus - a theatrical agent who appeared in History of the World, Part I, and accompanied Comicus when he fled to Judaea. He was played by Ron Carey.[10][24]
- Titus Andronicus - the titular character in William Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus, in which he is announced as the next Emperor of Rome, and swears a vendetta against the Goths during his transition from general to Emperor.[13] In the 1999 film Titus, he was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins.[25]
Roman provincials
- Arbaces - a scheming Egyptian who acts as the priest of the Temple of Isis at Pompeii in The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Asterix - a Gaulish warrior in the Asterix comics by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. While his village is strictly speaking the one place in Gaul that still resist the Empire, he accepts provincial status when convenient, as in Asterix at the Olympic Games.
- Badvoc - the cunning and scheming chieftain of the Trinovantes in the TV series Chelmsford 123, in which he was portrayed by Rory McGrath.[3]
- Brian Cohen of Nazareth - the titular character in the controversial film Monty Python's Life of Brian, who was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth at the time of Jesus Christ, and was later executed by Crucifixion. He was portrayed by Graham Chapman.[6]
- Calenus - the Egyptian flamen of the Cult of Isis in Pompeii in The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Cottia - the Iceni-descended love-interest of Marcus Flavius Aquila in The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.[17]
- Etain - a warrior of the Brigantes seeking revenge against the Romans for killing her family in the 2010 film Centurion. She was played by Olga Kurylenko.[23]
- General Maximus Decimus Meridius - the main character of the film Gladiator. A Hispano-Roman general serving in Germania who is sold into slavery. His home is near Emerita Augusta in Lusitania. He was portrayed by Russell Crowe.
- Gorlacon - the Chief of the Picts in the 2010 film Centurion. He was portrayed by Ulrich Thomsen.[23]
- Isoricus - the fictional leader of a band of Cilician pirates in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus. He is voiced by Jimmy Helms.
- Judith Iscariot - a member of the anti-Roman People's Front of Judaea and the love-interest of Brian Cohen of Nazareth in Monty Python's Life of Brian, in which she was portrayed by Sue Jones-Davies.[6]
- Lygia - one of the protagonists of the 1951 film Quo Vadis, and the object of the affections of Marcus Vinicius (see above). Lygia is the adopted daughter of a retired Roman general, and is persecuted by Nero for her Christian beliefs. She was played by Deborah Kerr.[19]
- Marcus Britannicus - a comic-book hero who was a native Briton who served in the Roman auxilia in life, but returned to fight in the modern-day (the 1960s) as a ghost.[27] He is not to be confused with Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, the son of Claudius who shares his surname with this character.
- Morticcus - ruler of the Catuvellauni and ally of Boudica in the TV series Warrior Queen. He was portrayed by Tony Haygarth.
- Olinthus - a native of Nazareth who travels to Pompeii to promote Christianity in The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Senna Pod - a British cavewoman, and wife of Hengist Pod in the film Carry On Cleo, in which she survives being eaten by a Brontosaurus that killed her mother, and later escapes enslavement by the Romans, unlike her husband. She was portrayed by Sheila Hancock.[7]
- Tamora - Queen of the Goths in the William Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, in which she is taken prisoner by Titus, forcibly married to Emperor Saturninus and later assassinated by Titus.[13] In the 1999 film adaptation, she was portrayed by Jessica Lange.[25]
Roman slaves
- Demetrius - a Greek slave who was bought by Marcellius Gallio in The Robe, and later joined the Christian movement when in Judaea. His faith was later tested in the sequel film Demetrius and the Gladiators. In both films, he was played by Victor Mature.[15][28]
- Delos - a galley slave who befriends and then is forced into combat with the captive Ian Chesterton in the Doctor Who story The Romans. He was played by Peter Diamond, who was also the fight arranger on this and several other Doctor Who stories.
- Esca Mac Cunoval - a warrior of the Brigantes who was sold into slavery at Calleva Atrebatum for showing cowardice during a gladiatorial battle, and later purchased by Marcus Flavius Aquila in The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.[17] He was portrayed by Christian Rodska in the 1977 TV adaptation and by Jamie Bell in the 2011 film adaptation.[29]
- Glaucus - a Greek slave from Athens who resided in Pompeii and converted to Christianity in the 1834 novel The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Hengist Pod - a slave captured during Caesar's expedition to Britain in Carry On Cleo, only to become the personal bodyguard of Julius Caesar. He was portrayed by Kenneth Connor.[7]
- Horsa - a British hunter in Carry On Cleo captured by the Romans during Caesar's expedition to Britain who eventually escaped and fled back to Britain. He was portrayed by Jim Dale.[7]
- Josephus - a streetwise slave from Ethiopia who fled to Judaea with Comicus after displeasing Emperor Nero in History of the World, Part I. His name is a comic reference to the real-life Jewish historian Josephus. He was portrayed by Gregory Hines.[10]
- Lurcio - the main protagonist of the comedy series Up Pompeii!, who was a slave to Ludicrus Sextus in pre-eruption Pompeii. He was portrayed in all mediums by Frankie Howerd.[2][30]
- Marcipor - a house slave to Uncle Aquila on his estate in Calleva Atrebatum in The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.[17]
- Nydia - a blind flower-girl from Thessaly who resided in Pompeii with her sadistic masters Burbo and Stratonice, and was aided by the slave Glaucus in The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Palene - the fictional lover of Spartacus in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus, who was captured in Thrace with Spartacus and forced to work in the kitchens of the gladiator school in Capua. She was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones.
- Phillida - a slave recruited as a dancing-girl in Pompeii during the events of The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.[26]
- Pseudolus - the protagonist of the farcical Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum who wiles his way to freedom through a series of improbable schemes. He was portrayed by Zero Mostel in both the original Broadway run and the film adaptation.
- Scrubba - a slave to Ludicrus Sextus who appeared in the 1971 film Up Pompeii, but not in the original TV series. Scrubba's background is unknown, but she is portrayed as a servant in the kitchens who held amorous feelings towards Lurcio. She was portrayed by Adrienne Posta.[2]
- Sassticca - a kitchen slave working on the estate of Uncle Aquila in The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.[17]
- Sollius - The Slave Detective, hero of a long series of detective stories by Wallace Nichols.
- Stephanos - a Greek slave in the service of Uncle Aquila in The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.[17]
- Varinia - The fictional wife of Spartacus in the Stanley Kubrick film Spartacus, portrayed by Jean Simmons, and by Rhona Mitra in the 2004 film adaptation.[31]
References
- Ammonia (Character)
- Up Pompeii (1971) Dir: Bob Kellett
- Chelmsford 123 - 4oD - Channel 4
- Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999) Dir: Paul Weiland
- Baldrick (Character)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Dir: Terry Jones
- Carry On Cleo (1964) Dir: Gerald Thomas
- Edmund Blackadder (Character)
- Excalibur vol. 1 #24 (1990)
- History of the World, Part I (1981) Dir: Mel Brooks
- Comicus (Character)
- Erotica (Character)
- William Shakespeare (c.1590s) The Most Lamentable Roman Tragedy of Titus Andronicus.
- Ludicrus Sextus (Character)
- The Robe (1953) Dir: Henry Koster
- Harris, R. (2003) Pompeii: A Novel London: Arrow Books
- Sutcliff, R. (1954) The Eagle of the Ninth Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Marcus Flavius Aquila (Character)
- Quo Vadis (1951) Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
- Miriam (Character)
- Nausius (Character)
- Empress Nympho (Character)
- Centurion (2010) Dir: Neil Marshall
- Swiftus (Character)
- Titus (1999) Dir: Julie Taymor
- Bulwer-Lytton, E. (1834) The Last Days of Pompeii
- Marcus Britannicus
- Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) Dir: Delmer Daves
- The Eagle of the Ninth (2011) Dir: Kevin Macdonald
- Lurcio (Character)
- Varinia (Character)
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