A Mystery

Heathcliff remains a mystery from the moment he was introduced to the public in 1847 under Emily Bronte’s pseudonym “Ellis Bell.” What I mean is – his physical portrait/looks remain a mystery. His morality as well as his psyche are easily identified as that of the worst of mankind. (In the very last section of the Wuthering Heights published by Barnes & Noble Classics, it’s very interesting to read about the public’s reaction to Emily Bronte’s masterpiece, including those contemporaneous as well as those from later reviews. In addition, the introduction by Daphne Merkin sheds light on how those from Bronte’s time viewed it.)

Now, back to Heathcliff’s appearance. Throughout the novel, Heathcliff is repeatedly described as having a dark complexion. Here is Bronte’s own description of her character:

…dark almost as if it came from the devil” (Bronte 35).

He has dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair, and even dark aura. Other than descriptions like “dark-skinned gypsy,” “a little Lascar,” and having “thick brows,” there isn’t much known about Heathcliff. And as Emily Bronte leaves his parentage and origin up to our imagination, we are left with only little bits of clues as to who Heathcliff was and how he looked like. However, one thing is certain: Heathcliff is a mysterious character who looks different from the rest of the characters mentioned in the novel.

For more on how Heathcliff is described by Bronte, visit this page where some of her quotes are listed with the corresponding page numbers from the novel. The Reader’s Guide to Wuthering Heights offers other useful information as well – even the novel itself!

The classic continually intrigues readers across time and space, and there have been many movie and drama adaptations of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

So in this post, I will share the many different portraits of Heathcliff from those adaptations. Plus, I will share which Heathcliff I personally find most like Heathcliff as described by Bronte (and how I imagined him).

The Reader’s Guide to Wuthering Heights actually provides a list of the different Heathcliffs in films & television shows throughout time. Here they are, in chronological order:

Heathcliff Throughout the Years

• Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff (1939)

• Charlton Heston as Heathcliff (1950)

• Richard Todd as Heathcliff (1953)

• Richard Burton as Heathcliff (1958)

• Keith Michell as Heathcliff (1962)

• Ian McShane as Heathcliff (1967)

• Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff (1970)

• Ken Hutchison as Heathcliff (1978)

• Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff (1992)

• Robert Cavanah as Heathcliff (1998)

• Tom Hardy as Heathcliff (2009)

• James Howson as Heathcliff (2011)

Personal Favorite

These actors who played Heathcliff, from cinematic legends to newer actors, are all great as they deliver different interpretations of the antihero.

I’ve read and heard how much people l adore the performances delivered by Tom Hardy and Ralph Fiennes. No doubt, they are incredible! But I personally like Timothy Dalton’s Heathcliff the most. Here is a clip from YouTube showing Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff!

I wonder how Heathcliff will look like in future film/TV adaptations of Wuthering Heights! I’m sure there will be plenty more of the timeless classic. I do hope a director will attempt to portray Heathcliff as Indian, because descriptions like “dark-skinned gypsy,” and “a little Lascar,” to how Nelly tells Heathcliff to imagine himself as the son of a Chinese emperor and an Indian queen all hint some possible ties to India. Yet we’ve never seen an Indian Heathcliff!

Which Heathcliff is your favorite?

International Heathcliffs

There are many international adaptations/versions of Heathcliff. The ones that I could readily find were…

P.S. To read about my review of the novel, visit HERE.