Who played Hercule Poirot in the ITV series from 1989 to 2013?

David Suchet played Hercule Poirot in the ITV series that ran from 1989 to 2013. Titled Agatha Christie's Poirot, the programme followed the Belgian detective through 13 series and 70 episodes.

Suchet's performance became one of the most acclaimed portrayals of Poirot on screen. He studied Christie's descriptions and habits closely, including Poirot's meticulous dress, highly groomed moustache, formal manners and reliance on what he called his “little grey cells.”

The early episodes often adapted short stories in roughly 50-minute formats, while later productions usually expanded major novels into feature-length television films. Recurring actors included Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon and Philip Jackson as Inspector Japp.

The series concluded with “Curtain: Poirot's Last Case,” based on Christie's final Poirot novel. Kenneth Branagh, Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney also played Poirot in other productions, but none played the title role in this ITV television series.