List Of House Of Cards Trilogy Characters
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This article is about characters in the ''House of Cards'' trilogy other than
Francis Urquhart Francis Ewan Urquhart is a fictional character created by British politician and author Michael Dobbs. Urquhart is the main character in Dobbs's ''House of Cards'' trilogy of novels and television series: ''House of Cards'' (1990), ''To Play t ...
. The trilogy consists of three separate four part serials, ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
'', ''
To Play the King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
'' and '' The Final Cut'', all based on identically-titled novels by
Michael Dobbs Michael John Dobbs, Baron Dobbs (born 14 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician and author, best known for his ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Early life and education Michael Dobbs was born on 14 November 1948 in Cheshunt, Hertfordsh ...
.


Elizabeth Urquhart

Elizabeth Urquhart (
Diane Fletcher Diane Fletcher (born 17 April 1944) is an English actress. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1966. Fletcher was born in Derby, England. She played Nancy in ''Fairly Secret Army'', and has appeared in other popular British t ...
) (created Countess Urquhart after her husband's death), is
Francis Urquhart Francis Ewan Urquhart is a fictional character created by British politician and author Michael Dobbs. Urquhart is the main character in Dobbs's ''House of Cards'' trilogy of novels and television series: ''House of Cards'' (1990), ''To Play t ...
's wife. She appears to have a great deal of power over her husband, and often identifies his powers and abilities, or persuades him to use a given situation to his advantage. When
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Henry Collingridge overlooks Francis for a
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
promotion, it is Elizabeth who encourages Francis to plot to remove Collingridge and take office himself. In series one episode two, she also suggests Francis begin an affair with Mattie Storin so that he may further secure her trust and loyalty, and thus better use his position to feed information to her, thereby influencing her articles. It is implied in the first installment of the trilogy that it is her idea, not Francis', to murder Roger O'Neill, a colleague whom Francis had been using to his advantage. Unlike her husband, who clearly feels remorse after killing, she is cold and callous, and does not seem to have a problem with arranging murders to suit their purposes. However, she appears to truly love her husband and kills him to spare him the disgrace of exposure, resignation, trial, life imprisonment, and eternal historical damnation. In the TV version of '' The Final Cut,'' she has Francis murdered to secure their legacies and her pension. Before he dies, she, her right eye spattered with his blood, lovingly holds him in her arms and assures him: "Francis... my dear... you're safe now. It was the only way, my darling. You do understand?" Likewise, Urquhart's love for Elizabeth is shown by his last word, a gurgled, deathlike "Elizabeth". In the first book, she is called Miranda.


Tim Stamper, MP

Tim Stamper (
Colin Jeavons Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor. Career Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unkno ...
) is one of Francis Urquhart's closest friends and aides. In the first series, he is a Junior Whip to Urquhart as
Chief Whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom ...
; in the second series, he is Chief Whip and later
Chairman of the Conservative Party The chairman of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is responsible for party administration and overseeing the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, formerly Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in government, the offic ...
. Stamper did not appear in the ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
'' novel on which the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
series was based, though the series' author,
Michael Dobbs Michael John Dobbs, Baron Dobbs (born 14 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician and author, best known for his ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Early life and education Michael Dobbs was born on 14 November 1948 in Cheshunt, Hertfordsh ...
, introduced him in its sequel, ''
To Play the King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
'' (1993). In the first instalment of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy, Stamper is an Urquhart loyalist and like Urquhart is described as being on the "hard right" of the Conservative Party. By ''To Play the King,'' however, he is embittered and feels that his loyalty and efforts are unappreciated when he is passed over for
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
in a cabinet reshuffle despite Urquhart's promise of the appointment (ironically, Collingridge's refusal to appoint Urquhart to the Home Office had previously incited Urquhart to engineer his downfall). As a result, Stamper decides to release to the police a tape incriminating Urquhart in the murders of Mattie Storin and Roger O'Neill. When Urquhart becomes aware of these plans, he has Corder murder Stamper and Sarah Harding, one of his own personal aides to whom Stamper had given a copy of the tape, with car bombs. Stamper appeared to have unfortunate delusions of grandeur; his plan was to force Urqhuart's resignation and replace him as Prime Minister, albeit with a deal of sadness at having to do it. He stated that all he ever wished to do was to serve Urquhart, and it is clear from both ''House of Cards'' and parts of ''To Play the King'' that Stamper would have been loyal to Urquhart until the end. However it is Urquhart's cruel acts of throwing Stamper's loyalty back into his face that drove the latter to try and ruin his old master.


Mattie Storin

Mattie Storin (
Susannah Harker Susannah Harker (born 26 April 1965) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. She was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 1990 for her role as Mattie Storin in ''House of Cards''. She played Jane Bennet in the 1995 TV adaptation of ''Pr ...
) is a journalist for the fictional ''Chronicle'', who becomes romantically involved with Francis Urquhart. He acts as an anonymous source for many of her stories, using her to discredit his rivals in the press. Their relationship, of which Urquhart's wife is aware, is paternal as well as sexual; she calls him "Daddy", and is attracted to him in part because he is old enough to be her father. By the end of ''House of Cards'', Urquhart decides he can no longer trust her, and throws her off the fictitious roof garden of the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
. Michael Dobbs chose the character's name based on
Matthew V. Storin Matthew Victor Storin (born December 24, 1942) is an American journalist who served as editor of ''The Boston Globe'' from 1993 to 2001. Biography Career Storin was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, and earned a degree in sociology ...
, a male journalist, who was a colleague of Dobbs' at ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' in the 1970s and later became editor of ''The Globe'' (1993–2001). In the original novel, Urquhart and Mattie are not romantically involved and he does not kill her.


Lord Billsborough

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
Theodore "Teddy" Billsborough (
Nicholas Selby Nicholas Selby (born James Ivor Selby, 13 September 1925 – 14 September 2010) was a British film, television and theatre actor. He appeared in more than one hundred television dramas on the BBC and ITV during the course of his career, includi ...
; named "Williams" in the novel) is the Chairman of the Conservative Party, acting as an unofficial right hand to Henry Collingridge. He is a skilled insider politician, but too old to run for a leadership. Well known for his political impartiality, Billsborough is Michael Samuels' mentor. Urquhart uses Billsborough as a scapegoat for his various leaks, hinting to Mattie Storin that he is undermining Collingridge so Samuels can run for leader in the near future. Collingridge finally fires Billsborough after Urquhart names him as the traitor.


Michael Samuels, MP

Michael Samuels (
Damien Thomas Damien Thomas (born 1942 or 1943) is a British actor noted for his roles in British films and television, such as his role as Father Martin Alvito in the 1980 hit miniseries ''Shōgun'' and as Richard Mason in the 1983 BBC production of ''Jane ...
) is the Environment Secretary, aligned with the "
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
" faction. Young, smart and attractive, Urquhart dislikes him owing to his fast rise in the party and his Jewish background. Samuels is a frontrunner and ultimately Urquhart's chief rival for the Conservative leadership when Collingridge resigns. However, he lost the election when an anonymous source (secretly Urquhart) leaks that Samuels, whilst at university, was near to the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
and supported denuclearization and
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...
.


Corder

Corder (
Nick Brimble Nicholas Brimble (born 22 July 1944) is an English actor whose long career has spanned theatre, television, film, and voice work. Early life Brimble was born in Bristol. His father was a schoolteacher who was also a keen amateur actor, an activ ...
) serves as Francis Urquhart's bodyguard and is responsible for most of the assassinations carried out on Urquhart's behalf. He appears to feel no compassion for the people he kills. It is implied in ''
To Play The King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
'' that Corder is having an affair with Mrs Urquhart. Corder is responsible for the assassinations of Tim Stamper and Sarah Harding, two people who had originally been Prime Minister Urquhart's most loyal supporters but who had decided to expose him with a tape implicating him in the murders of Mattie Storin and Roger O'Neill. (Corder has their cars rigged with bombs, killing them both). Stamper wants Urquhart removed so he can replace him, while Harding is genuinely horrified that her boss and lover committed murder to take the leadership. At the unveiling of
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
's statue, Corder has Urquhart and Evanghelos Passolides killed by a sniper on a balcony above
Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...
, just after the memorial is honoured with the song "
God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national anthem, national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in ...
". Passolides was investigating the deaths of his brothers, Georgios and Euripides, whom Urquhart murdered on his tour of duty in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in 1956.


Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding (
Kitty Aldridge Kitty Aldridge (born 9 May 1962) is a British actress and writer. Life and career Aldridge was born in Bahrain. After training as an actress at the Drama Centre London, Aldridge went on to work in film, theatre and television as an actress for ...
) is appointed Francis Urquhart's media adviser in ''
To Play The King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
''. A former Cambridge academic and journalist ("Did you write in ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'' that 'Francis Urquhart is like the shark: he has to keep moving forwards to stay alive'?" Francis asks.). She then went on to work for a polling company before becoming the Prime Minister's "slave", his political adviser. After being made partially aware of Urquhart's involvement with Mattie Storin, she becomes Urquhart's lover, despite being married, and then starts to become obsessed with him. As Urquhart wins his tussle against the king, Sarah becomes more aware of some of the dubious aspects of Urquhart's administration, and Stamper makes her aware of his involvement in Mattie Storin's death. Corder assassinates her via a car bomb on the day after the election, on her way to meet one of the king's advisers in order, it is implied, to hand over a tape which implicates Urquhart in Mattie Storin's death. In the novel, her character is very different, and her name is Sally Quinn.


The King

The King (
Michael Kitchen Michael Roy Kitchen (born 31 October 1948) is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in the ITV drama ''Foyle's War'', which comprised eight series betwee ...
) is Urquhart's antagonist in ''
To Play The King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
''. Having recently succeeded his mother as monarch, he is determined to play a more active role in government, but Urquhart thwarts the new king's initial attempts. As his and Urquhart's relationship deteriorates, the King starts to raise issues against government policy, causing the government to lose popularity. As Urquhart faces re-election, the King organises a nationwide tour to highlight the issue of homelessness. He is humiliated in a dirty trick, and Urquhart wins re-election, much to the king's displeasure. After his re-election, Urquhart demands the King's
abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...
. Although the King cautions Urquhart that he will continue to fight his policies, he concedes and steps down from the throne, and is succeeded by his teenage son. In the novel, it is the king who decides to abdicate, against Urquhart's wishes and plans.


Sir Bruce Bullerby

Sir Bruce Bullerby (
David Ryall David John Ryall
Retrieved 28 December 2014 (5 January 1935 – 25 December 201 ...
), known as the pit bull, is proprietor and editor-in-chief of ''The Clarion'', a UK
tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...
, who appears in ''
To Play The King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. Th ...
'' and '' The Final Cut''. It is evident that Sir Bruce gained his knighthood for vigorously supporting the Government's policies ("The pit bull has bitten quite a few legs in the cause", says Stamper) but his support wavers when the king raises issues of compassion, and then when Makepeace makes his bid for the leadership. Urquhart blackmails Bullerby with compromising photographs, and he tries (and fails) to bribe Bullerby with an implied offer of a peerage. He does not appear in any of the novels.


Tom Makepeace, MP

Tom Makepeace ( Paul Freeman) served under Francis Urquhart as
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and
Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
, then as
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. He and Urquhart frequently clashed over Europe and various domestic policies. Following a major dispute with Urquhart over Urquhart's proposal of a single language for Europe, Makepeace was fired from the Cabinet. He was offered the post of
Secretary of State for Education The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. ...
(seen as a traditional "dumping ground" post) but declined it. Enraged, he resigns from the Cabinet and attacks Urquhart repeatedly from the opposition benches. Makepeace challenged the Prime Minister for the leadership of the Conservative Party. He failed to win the first ballot but managed to force a second one, and planned to use recently obtained evidence of Urquhart's criminal activities to undermine his position. However, Urquhart was killed before the second ballot, thus enabling Makepeace to win the election unopposed. In the book, Makepeace does not challenge Urquhart for the leadership but instead leads a popular movement to undermine the prime minister and his leadership. He is present when Urquhart is shot but does not win the Premiership after being tainted by his association with Passolides. The Premiership goes to Maxwell Stanbrook, the Environment Secretary.


Henry Collingridge, MP

Henry "Hal" Collingridge ( David Lyon) succeeds
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
as Prime Minister in ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
''. Collingridge is portrayed as being a decent man and a passive, indecisive leader who relies heavily on the support of his
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
Ministers and trusted cronies like Francis Urquhart and Lord "Teddy" Billsborough. At the start of the novel (and TV adaptation) he has just led his party to victory in a general election (albeit with a very reduced majority). In his first reshuffle he makes the decision not to make any changes to the government, arguing that a massive shake-up could be misconstrued as panic. A furious Urquhart is therefore passed over for promotion, so begins plotting his revenge. Collingridge's brief time in office proves difficult for him thanks to Urquhart, who embarrasses his boss by leaking delicate information to the press and one of the Labour Party
backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
s, Stephen Kendrick. He then fabricates a scandal concerning Collingridge's alcoholic brother and
insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...
, which forces the prime minister to resign after a short period in office, never once suspecting Urquhart's betrayal. He is succeeded by Urquhart, whom, in a final twist of irony, Collingridge offers to support.


Patrick Woolton, MP

Patrick Woolton (
Malcolm Tierney Malcolm Tierney (25 February 1938 – 18 February 2013) was an English actor who appeared in many film and television roles. Early life Tierney's father, Ernest, was a boilermaker and trained draughtsman, from Warrington, who worked at Blackpoo ...
) is a minor character in the first installment. He serves as
Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
under Henry Collingridge. In ''House of Cards'', Urquhart describes Woolton as "'a lout, a lecher, an anti-Semite, a racist, and a bully'", but adds that he is "more intelligent than he seems" and should not be underestimated.'' House of Cards'' (1990), series 1, episode 1 Woolton makes two unsuccessful bids for the leadership of the Conservative Party. In the first contest, he loses to Collingridge; in the second, Urquhart anonymously blackmails Woolton into withdrawing by sending him an audio cassette of him having loud sex with Penny Guy, Roger O'Neill's assistant and mistress. Woolton vows that he will be back but is absent from the later sequels.


Geoffrey Booza-Pitt, MP

Geoffrey Booza-Pitt (
Nickolas Grace Nickolas Andrew Halliwell Grace (born 21 November 1947) is an English actor known for his roles on television, including Anthony Blanche in the acclaimed ITV adaptation of ''Brideshead Revisited'', and the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1980s seri ...
) is a lesser member of Urquhart's
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
(mentioned at one stage as
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...
) in '' The Final Cut''. He is something of a "character", cheerfully upper-class with a slightly eccentric sense of humour, notable for wearing colourful waistcoats and bow ties. Urquhart promotes him to
Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
as an insult to the departing Tom Makepeace. He is an Urquhart loyalist, and in any case lacks the credibility to be a rival, and his popular image as an amiable buffoon humiliates his predecessor. He has a reputation as Urquhart's "glove-puppet" (as Tom Makepeace calls him in his statement of resignation) and is consequently nicknamed "
Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...
" by both the Opposition and other Members of the
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
and Parliamentary Party. Before his appointment, Booza-Pitt is forced to admit to an extra-marital affair by Urquhart and, while no action is taken immediately, is made to sign a corresponding statement of resignation which Urquhart keeps in his desk as leverage against him. When Urquhart's position becomes increasingly untenable during Makepeace's leadership challenge, Booza-Pitt attempts to resign on his own terms, hoping to create the perception that he is taking a principled stand against the prime minister, but is presumably disgraced when Urquhart publishes his earlier resignation letter instead. The Booza-Pitt of the book is similar to the TV version in many respects. However, he is Transport Secretary to start with and later Home Secretary, and has an affair with his Party constituency Chairman's wife. His political career survives under Urquhart's successor, Maxwell Stanbrook.


Claire Carlsen, MP

Claire Carlsen (
Isla Blair Isla Blair Glover (born 29 September 1944) is a British actress and singer. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''. Early life and education Isla Blair w ...
) is a
backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
whose ability and intelligence prompts Urquhart to appoint her
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister The Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister is a Parliamentary Private Secretary serving the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of the office is widely viewed as the Prime Minister's "eyes and ears" on the backbenche ...
, even though he knows she is having an affair with his rival, Tom Makepeace. Her sexual and professional relationship with Makepeace gives her the role of double agent: telling many genuine, and sometimes damaging, facts about Makepeace to Urquhart, while at the same time relating Urquhart's cold, evil traits and weaknesses to Makepeace. In the end, she tries to help Makepeace destroy Urquhart, by fraudulently acquiring a paper documenting Lieutenant Francis Urquhart's killing of Evanghelos Passolides' two brothers in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in 1956, but Makepeace rejects her help, as he already has the documents. Makepeace shuts her out of his new government, declaring that she is "pure poison" because she is too closely associated with the discredited Urquhart. Claire is less duplicitous in the novel and, after Urquhart's death, is made a minister.


Maxwell Stanbrook, MP

In the novel ''The Final Cut'', Max Stanbrook is a Minister in Francis Urquhart's government whom Urquhart promoted to Environment Secretary after the Prime Minister sacks Annita Burke. Stanbrook is put in charge of preventing the construction of the Thatcher statue by Urquhart. When Stanbrook can't find a reason to stop its construction, Urquhart gives him a lecture about following orders. He is later revealed to be Jewish and of dubious parentage. After Urquhart is killed, it is Stanbrook who prevails over harsh candidates like Arthur Bollingroke to become Prime Minister. Stanbrook (thanks to Urquhart's death, which granted a sympathy vote) wins a landslide majority in Parliament. He does not appear in the TV version.


References

{{House of Cards
Characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...