In the horror comedy ‘Renfield,’ Nicolas Cage stars as the one and only Dracula. Nicholas Hoult plays Renfield, the most miserable employee to the most demanding boss ever. After reaching his saturation point, he finds life outside servitude. Unlike Dracula, Renfield is very much a fictional creation of Bram Stoker.

After recently appearing in ‘The Menu,’ Nicholas Hoult now stars as a critical character in the lore of ‘Dracula.’ Renfield, like Dracula, is very much Bram Stoker’s literary creation. Similar to Dracula, there have been different interpretations of the character. Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal is a never-seen-before comedic take on the classic character.

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Origins Of The Character

Created by Bram Stoker for his novel ‘Dracula,’ Renfield appeared as an asylum patient in Bram Stoker’s novel, ‘Dracula.’ Most of the information about the character comes from Dr. John Seward. He describes the 59-year-old patient as a man with immense physical strength and unparalleled intellect.

The character is a “zoophagous maniac” and suffers from occasional bouts of melancholy in the novel. His delusions lead him to consume living creatures for a prolonged life. Count Dracula promises Renfield eternal life in exchange for his lifetime of loyalty. However, Dracula kills Renfield after he tells Mina Harker to escape from the Count.

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Actors Who Have Played Renfield On-Screen

The first version of the character appears in the 1922 silent film ‘Nosferatu.’ In his unofficial adaptation of Dracula, the character is renamed Knock (played by Alexander Granach). The first official portrayal of the character was in the 1931 film ‘Dracula.’ Played by Dwight Frye, Renfield is a real estate agent sent to Transylvania instead of Jonathan Harker.

German actor Klaus Kinski played the character as a mute in the 1970 film ‘Count Dracula.’ Tom Waits plays another version of the character in ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula.’ Believing his master would grant the gift of immortality to Mina Harker, he asks her to stay away from the Count.

More recently, Renfield was played by Mark Gatiss in the Netflix miniseries ‘Dracula.’ Named Frank Renfield, the character was depicted as Count Dracula’s lawyer in modern Britain. Nicholas Hoult is the latest actor to take on the role.

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