Professor Challenger
| Professor Doctor Challenger | |
|---|---|
| The Lost World character | |
Professor Challenger (seated) as illustrated by Harry Rountree in Arthur Conan Doyle's novella The Poison Belt in The Strand Magazine | |
| Created by | Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Portrayed by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | Scottish |
George Edward Challenger is a fictional character in a series of fantasy and science fiction stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Unlike Doyle's self-controlled, analytical character, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger is an aggressive, hot-tempered, dominating figure.
Like Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger was based on a real person—in this case, two people: an explorer named Percy Fawcett, who was Doyle's friend; and a professor of physiology named William Rutherford, who had lectured at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied medicine there.