Fantômas · Character

Valgrand

A celebrated actor who flirts with baronnes, collects perfumed letters, and treats exhaustion as a joke — until the dressing-room door locks.

supporting

Also known as M. Valgrand, the admirable Valgrand

First appearance: i the genius of crime

As a supporting figure in Fantômas, Valgrand is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The actor present in the audience, enthusiastically commenting on Gurn as 'The Assassin' type.

In the storyThe Court of AssizeOpen this moment free

See Valgrand in The Court of Assize Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Valgrand holds court in his dressing-room after a performance, promising locks of his beard to the Baronne de Vibray and Simone Holbord, sighing about Love, and teasing his dresser Charlot about the violet-inked letters waiting in his pile. He is charming, vain, and entirely at ease in the theatrical world where appearance is profession. That ease is exactly what makes him useful to a criminal who needs a face, a voice, and a reputation that no one would question.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Valgrand sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Valgrand in i the genius of crime

Character Web

18 connections

A slice of how Valgrand sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Social
Friendship
Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Nobility and Victims
Protagonist
Investigators and Officials

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Lady Beltham’s d…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Lady Beltham
social · ambivalent
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same… How this plays out →
Charlot
friendship · positive
M. Gurn
rivalry · negative
M. Gurn
rivalry · negative
Lady Beltham
social · ambivalent
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same… How this plays out →
Charlot
friendship · positive
Charlot
friendship · positive
Lady Beltham
social · ambivalent
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same… How this plays out →

Lady Beltham
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same high-society circles.
Charlot
Charlot and Valgrand are friends or companions, often seen together in social or criminal contexts.
M. Gurn
M. Gurn and Valgrand are rivals, competing for influence or power in their social or criminal dealings.
M. Gurn
M. Gurn and Valgrand are rivals, competing for influence or power in their social or criminal dealings.
Lady Beltham
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same high-society circles.
Charlot
Charlot and Valgrand are friends or companions, often seen together in social or criminal contexts.
Charlot
Charlot and Valgrand are friends or companions, often seen together in social or criminal contexts.
Lady Beltham
Lady Beltham and Valgrand are frequent social acquaintances, likely moving in the same high-society circles.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Valgrand in i the genius of crime

In the story

Valgrand appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Court of Assize
The actor present in the audience, enthusiastically commenting on Gurn as 'The Assassin' type.
XXX: An Assignation
The celebrated actor who created the role of Gurn in the new play; he leaves for a late-night assignation near the prison on the night of Gurn's execution.
Fell Treachery
The actor impersonates Gurn at Lady Beltham's request, but is overcome by drowsiness and is mistakenly arrested by warders who believe him to be Gurn.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Valgrand unlock in the free preview.

See Valgrand in i the genius of crime

See Valgrand in The Court of Assize