Toby Gard created Lara Croft, the protagonist of the Tomb Raider video-game series.
Gard was a designer and artist at Core Design when the original Tomb Raider was developed. He conceived Lara as an athletic, capable adventurer whose identity and movement would distinguish the game from other action titles. The character was initially developed under the name Laura Cruz before becoming Lara Croft.
Gard worked on the original game but left Core Design after its release. He later returned to the franchise as a consultant for Tomb Raider: Legend. Other creators contributed writing, programming, art, music, and later versions of Lara, but Toby Gard is credited with creating the character herself.