In the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon, what is Sam Spade’s profession?

In the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade’s profession is private detective.

Humphrey Bogart plays Spade, a San Francisco investigator whose partner is murdered after a woman calling herself Ruth Wonderly hires the agency. The case expands into a hunt for a valuable statuette, bringing Spade into conflict with several competing criminals.

John Huston directed the film and wrote its screenplay from Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel. The movie is widely regarded as a foundational film noir, although its plot also follows the conventions of a hard-boiled detective mystery.

Spade is not a police officer or government investigator. He runs a private detective agency with Miles Archer, and the story repeatedly contrasts his professional independence with the police department’s official investigation. The film’s cast includes Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook Jr.