Zorro
Zorro, Spanish for fox, is the name used by a fictional character, a Mexican-era California masked hero and master swordsman of the Old West.In the stories, his real name is Don Diego De La Vega who fights for the people against the corrupt tyranny of Governor Montero where he proves to be much too foxlike and cunning for the bumbling authorities to catch.
Zorro first made his appearance in a novel, The Curse of Capistrano, by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. He soon becomes a regular character in numerous pulp fiction magazines.
The character has been also adapted for numerous movies, the most famous of which include:
- The Mark of Zorro (1920), starring Douglas Fairbanks
- The Mark of Zorro (1940), starring Tyrone Power
- The Mask of Zorro (1998), starring Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego De La Vega and Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta, a misfit outlaw who is groomed to become the next Zorro.
There were also numerous television shows with the best known one being one shown in the 1950s staring Guy Williams.
The character has also been adapted for comic books and comic strips. The most notable character whose creation was highly influenced by Zorro is Batman, created by Bob Kane in the 1930s.
Links:
