Claire Beauchamp (who adopts the surnames Randall, Fraser, and Grey at various times) is a fictional character in the ''Outlander'' series of multi-genre novels by American author

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...

, and its television adaptation. In the series, Claire is a married

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

nurse visiting Scotland who finds herself transported from 1945 back to 1743. There she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

warrior Jamie Fraser. Smart, stubborn and willful, Claire uses her wits, practical medical skills and knowledge of the future to survive in the 18th century. Claire is portrayed by Irish actress Caitríona Balfe in the Starz television series '' Outlander''. Balfe won a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television in 2015 and 2016, and a

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress in 2016. She also received nominations for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The award honors the best performance by an actress in a drama television series. ...

in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Character

When visiting Scotland, married

nurse Claire Randall is transported through time from 1945 back to 1743. There she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing

warrior Jamie Fraser. In the following novels, after the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden, Claire travels back to her time where she spends 20 years with her former husband Frank Randall, becoming a medical doctor and a surgeon, and raising her and Jamie's daughter Brianna. Finally, having discovered that Jamie survived the Battle of Culloden, she returns to 18th century Scotland and reunites with

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

. The couple settles in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, and is soon joined by their daughter Brianna as well as many Scottish settlers. Gabaldon originally intended ''Outlander'' to be straight historical fiction, but after a few days of writing Claire she realized that the character did not behave like an 18th century woman. Gabaldon eventually leaned into the modern approach to Claire, which prompted the introduction of

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

. Claire is often described as stubborn and impatient, and she refuses to conform to the 18th century societal expectations of women. Practicing medicine and putting to use her 20th century medical knowledge leads to numerous accusations of witchcraft, including a witch trial.

''Outlander'' novels

* '' Outlander'' (1991) * '' Dragonfly in Amber'' (1992) * '' Voyager'' (1994) * ''

Drums of Autumn ''Drums of Autumn'' is the fourth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books cont ...

'' (1997) * '' The Fiery Cross'' (2001) * ''

A Breath of Snow and Ashes ''A Breath of Snow and Ashes'' is the sixth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the ...

'' (2005) * ''

An Echo in the Bone ''An Echo in the Bone'' is the seventh book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books ...

'' (2009) * ''

Written in My Own Heart's Blood ''Written in My Own Heart's Blood'' is the eighth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser ...

'' (2014) * ''Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone'' (2021)

Television series

Claire is portrayed by Irish actress Caitríona Balfe in the Starz television series '' Outlander''.

Awards and nominations

Balfe won a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television in 2015 and 2016, and a

for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress in 2016. She also received nominations for the

in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Claire Characters in American novels of the 20th century Characters in American novels of the 21st century Female characters in television Fictional Christians Fictional female doctors Fictional nurses Fictional people from the 20th-century Fictional surgeons Literary characters introduced in 1991 Television characters introduced in 2014 Orphan characters in literature Outlander (franchise) Time travelers Atheism in television Christianity in television