Persuasion's Sir Walter Elliot was a vain and pretentious buffoon. Jane Austen showed how he squandered the Elliot fortune to prop up his vanity and extravagant lifestyle. Nothing penetrated his thick cocoon of self-absorption, not his dead wife's common sense, his destitute situation, or the sound advice of Mrs. Russell, a family friend and Anne Elliot's mentor. After years of profligate spending, the baronet was forced to rent out Kellynch Hall and hire rooms in Bath, a once fashionable city that had faded in popularity with the Ton. In moving to Bath instead of London, Sir Walter opted to become a glittering fish in a dull, invalid-riddled pond. By renting out his ancestral home, he proved to the world that he did not deserve the respect he felt was his by birthright.
Which actor portrayed Sir Walter Elliot best?
Corin Redgrave, Persuasion 1995
Anthony Head, Persuasion 2007
