Patricia Highsmith created the fictional character Tom Ripley; he appears in her series of crime novels. Tom Ripley first appeared in the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955. The sequels in the “Ripliad” include, Ripley Under Ground (1970), Ripley’s Game (1974), The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980), and Ripley Under Water (1991).
Tom Ripley has also appeared on-screen. He has been portrayed by Alain Delon, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, and most recently,
Matt Damon. Patricia Highsmith describes Ripley as a "suave, agreeable and utterly amoral" con artist who always gets away with his crimes. Film critic Roger Ebert describes the on-screen Ripley as "charming, literate, and a monster." Ripley is a character who is devoid of conscience and can easily beat his victims to death. It is not known if he is gay or bisexual, but has some degree of attraction toward men. Book magazine ranked Ripley as #60 on its 100 Best Characters in Fiction list.
