Carmichael Clarke

Sir Carmichael “Car” Clarke was ABC's third victim in the novel The A.B.C. Murders. A rich old man living in Churston with a cancer-stricken wife, Sir Carmichael is childless.

Portrayals
In the film adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders in Series 2 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot, Sir Carmichael Clarke was the third murder victim but he was not seen onscreen.

In the anime show ABC Murders, NHK's adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders, the portrayal of Sir Carmichael Clarke was close to that in the original book. He is also a famous and wealthy doctor and had amassed a large collection of Chinese artwork which could be seen in the house. Sir Carmichael is only seen in a flashback where his butler discovered his body.

In the MGM adaptation The Alphabet Murders (1965), the character of Sir Carmichael Clarke is played by Cyril Luckham. Here he is a wealthy shipping tycoon who lives in London (all the action in this show is set in London). Poirot calls on him to warn him that his life is in danger but he does not believe him. Later, Clarke catches his wife Lady Diane having an affair with Dr Duncan Doncaster. His wife taunts him, saying that there is a lot about his family he doesn't know about. For example, his step brother Franklin Clarke is gambling away the family fortune at a night club. Sir Carmichael goes to the night club to see what is going on, he finds Franklin gambling. He is remonstrating his errant brother when he is shot and killed by a poison dart fired from an air gun. In this adaptation, Sir Carmichael did not have a secretary.

In the 2018 The ABC Murders miniseries, Carmichael Clarke was portrayed by Christopher Villiers.