William Henry Blore is a character from the 1939 mystery novel And Then There Were None. A former police detective turned private investigator, Mr Blore was invited to Soldier Island by U.N. Owen under the guise of keeping an eye of the other guests. While there, Blore, under the pseudonymm of Mr. Davis, is accused by Owen to have been responsible for the death of James Landor, an innocent man who was sent to prison after Blore presented perjured evidence in court in order to get a promotion.
Characteristics[]
Blore was described as a man of "a slightly military cast, with a moustache". He is known to be practical and careful, but has little-to-no imagination.
Role in the novel[]
This section contains spoilers
Before the events of the story, William Blore was once a detective sergeant of the Criminal Investigation Department of Scotland Yard, reportedly on the payroll by a well-known criminal gang. In order to get a promotion, Blore gave perjured evidence in court, resulting in a innocent man to be sent to prison for a bank robbery/murder he never committed, where he died in a year later. Blore soon left the Yard and established himself as a private detective based in Plymouth.
Blore was invited by a Mr. U.N. Owen to his house on Soldier Island, believing that one of his guests was attempting to steal his wife's jewels. When Blore meets with the other guests, he introduces himself as "Mr. Davis", an acquaintance of the Owens from South Africa.
He is the eighth (later revealed to be the seventh) person to be killed, after being struck on the head by a heavy marble clock shaped like a bear from Vera Claythorne's bedroom window.
In other media[]
Film[]
- In the 1945 film adaptation of the novel, Mr Blore's character and role in the story stays largely the same, with the ascendance of his "Mr. Davis" identity. Instead of being killed by a bear-shaped clock, Blore is killed after being crushed by stonework from the building.
- In the 1965 film, Ten Little Indians, Blore is accused of perjury and is later crushed by a large statue of a bear.
- In 1974's And Then There Were None, Blore's name is changed to Wilhelm Blore, a police official accused of perjury. He is killed by being pushed of a balcony.
- In the 1989 film, Ten Little Indians, William Blore is once again a police detective accused of perjury, resulting in a innocent man being sent to prison where he later died. In the film, Blore is killed after being stabbed with a knife in the chest, with a toy bear on top of him.
Television[]
- In the 2015 television miniseries, William Blore is invited by Mr. Owen to scout out the other guests. Unlike in the novel, where he simply gave a false testimony, Blore had violently beaten Landor to death in prison. Similar to the 1989 film, Blore is killed after being stabbed in the chest, with his body covered by a white bear rug.
Portrayals[]
- In the 1945 film, he was played by Roland Young.
- In the 1959 NBC television film, Det. William Henry Blore was played by James Berwick
- In the 1965 film, he was played by Stanley Holloway.
- In the 1974 film, Welhelm Blore was played by Gert Fröbe.
- In the 1989 film, he was played by Warren Berlinger.
- In the 2010 BBC Radio 4 audio play, Blore was voiced by Sam Dale.
- In the 2015 BBC miniseries, he was portrayed by Burn Gorman.