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Quiz about Famous Detectives
Quiz about Famous Detectives

Famous Detectives Trivia Quiz


How many of these detectives can you recall from the movies, television or books?

A multiple-choice quiz by heavensarrow. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
heavensarrow
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
288,635
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
4626
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Montgomery1 (8/10), Guest 65 (7/10), Guest 67 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Abe Vigoda played a detective on a television series in the 1970s called "Barney Miller". What was his character's last name which was a little unusual? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What actor played the main detective character on a series in the 1970s named "Baretta" and was also a child actor in "The Little Rascals"? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which actor played a bald headed, lollipop loving detective from the New York City Police Department in a series called "Kojak" in the 1970s? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. James Garner played a private investigator on a television series in the 1970s. His character used to work on the Los Angeles Police force. Noah Beery and Joe Santos were also in this series. What was the name of the series? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What brilliant London-based detective, famous for his intellectual prowess and his skillful use of "deductive reasoning" was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Agatha Christie's first novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" was published in 1920 and introduced this long-running character detective who appeared in 30 of Christie's novels and 50 short stories. Can you name him? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This fictional detective is the author of the books in which he appears. The most famous part of his books, the "Challenge to the Reader", was a single page near the end of the book declaring that the reader had seen all the same clues he had, and that only one solution was possible. Can you name him? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which detective was a new character created specifically by Dashiell Hammett for "The Maltese Falcon". He is known for his cold detachment, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. Can you name him? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Sidney Poitier played an African-American detective asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town. This movie came out in 1967 and would later have a series starring Carroll O'Connor. Can you name the movie? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which detective with his rumpled overcoat, stubby cigar, tousled hair and most often confused attitude drove around in his old Peugeot and solved crimes. This was a television series from 1971-1978 and the character's name is the same as the series. What is the name of this odd looking detective? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Montgomery1: 8/10
Mar 24 2024 : Guest 65: 7/10
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 67: 9/10
Mar 15 2024 : pehinhota: 10/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 70: 10/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 12: 10/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 174: 8/10
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 86: 7/10
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 142: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Abe Vigoda played a detective on a television series in the 1970s called "Barney Miller". What was his character's last name which was a little unusual?

Answer: Fish

Yes, it was Fish and he played the dour faced, slouchy detective. Hal Linden was the Captain of the precinct. Max Gail was Wojo, Ron Glass played Detective Harris and Steve Landesberg played Detective Dietrich. It was a great series running from 1975-1982.
2. What actor played the main detective character on a series in the 1970s named "Baretta" and was also a child actor in "The Little Rascals"?

Answer: Robert Blake

Blake had turned down the role for Little Joe on the television series 'Bonanza' in 1959. In "Little Rascals" Robert Blake played Mickey from 1939-1944.
3. Which actor played a bald headed, lollipop loving detective from the New York City Police Department in a series called "Kojak" in the 1970s?

Answer: Telly Savalas

Kojak's character went around saying "Who loves ya baby?" all the time. The series aired from 1973-1978 on CBS.
4. James Garner played a private investigator on a television series in the 1970s. His character used to work on the Los Angeles Police force. Noah Beery and Joe Santos were also in this series. What was the name of the series?

Answer: The Rockford Files

James played Jim Rockford and he lived in a trailer on the beach in Malibu. He was pretty much playing himself, an easy going guy caught in oddball situations brought on by loony clients or by his former ex-con friends. Stephen J. Cannell wrote this series that ran from 1974-1980.
5. What brilliant London-based detective, famous for his intellectual prowess and his skillful use of "deductive reasoning" was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

Answer: Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories that featured Holmes. He was brilliant and along with his good friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, they would solve some amazing crimes!
6. Agatha Christie's first novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" was published in 1920 and introduced this long-running character detective who appeared in 30 of Christie's novels and 50 short stories. Can you name him?

Answer: Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie and appeared in 33 novels and 54 short stories.What is interesting to note is that by 1930, Agatha Christie found Poirot "insufferable" and by 1960, she felt that he was a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep". She knew the public loved him though, so kept his character.
7. This fictional detective is the author of the books in which he appears. The most famous part of his books, the "Challenge to the Reader", was a single page near the end of the book declaring that the reader had seen all the same clues he had, and that only one solution was possible. Can you name him?

Answer: Ellery Queen

Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York, Daniel (David) Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee (Manford Lepofsky).
Under their collective pseudonym, the cousins won the Grand Master Award for achievements in the field of the mystery story by the Mystery Writers of America in 1961.
8. Which detective was a new character created specifically by Dashiell Hammett for "The Maltese Falcon". He is known for his cold detachment, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. Can you name him?

Answer: Sam Spade

Most people recall his character associated with actor Humphrey Bogart, who played Spade in the third and most famous film version of "The Maltese Falcon". Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less than glamorous detective, The Continental Op. The novel was written in 1930.
9. Sidney Poitier played an African-American detective asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town. This movie came out in 1967 and would later have a series starring Carroll O'Connor. Can you name the movie?

Answer: In the Heat of the Night

One of the best films of all time, a Best Picture Oscar winner, and a highly deserved one at that. The performances are top rate and both Poitier and Steiger were nominated for Best Actor, with the Oscar actually going home to Steiger (the film won four other Oscars as well).

The Poitier-Steiger pairing is one of the most potent in film history, and their slowly growing friendship is one of the most touching. A must see.
10. Which detective with his rumpled overcoat, stubby cigar, tousled hair and most often confused attitude drove around in his old Peugeot and solved crimes. This was a television series from 1971-1978 and the character's name is the same as the series. What is the name of this odd looking detective?

Answer: Columbo

"Columbo" was a popular detective series featuring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo. He was great acting confused but he was acutely aware. Columbo would often bumble about, interfering with the activities of the uniformed police and gathering what seem to be the most unimportant clues, but all the while he constantly pestered the person he had pegged as his central suspect.

He was a lovable character.
Source: Author heavensarrow

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor JuniorTheJaws before going online.
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