The Third Man characters

Also known as Buck Dexter

Appears from the start

An English writer of inexpensive Western adventures who travels to divided, postwar Vienna after receiving an offer of work from his old school friend Harry Lime. Loyal and impulsive, he arrives expecting Harry's help and instead finds himself attending Harry's funeral.

Appears from the start

A British military policeman in occupied Vienna and the narrator of Martins's story. Patient, skeptical, and familiar with the city's black market, he has been investigating Harry Lime and does not share Martins's sentimental view of his old friend.

Appears from the start

Rollo Martins's charismatic friend from school, now living in Vienna and involved in postwar business. His invitation brings Martins to the city, but Martins is told on arrival that Lime has just been killed in a street accident.

First appears in chapter 2

Calloway's good-natured sergeant, who enjoys Martins's Western novels and helps manage the writer during the investigation. His enthusiasm for the books makes him more sympathetic to Martins than their literary reputation might warrant.

First appears in chapter 4

A cultivated associate of Harry Lime who says he witnessed Lime's fatal accident. His polished account is meant to settle what happened, though his involvement in the confused scene makes him one of the people Martins questions.

First appears in chapter 5

An actress in Vienna and Harry Lime's lover. Her papers leave her vulnerable to the occupying authorities, and her grief is complicated by dependence on arrangements Harry made for her. She shares Martins's reluctance to accept the police account of him.

First appears in chapter 6

A physician associated with Harry Lime who supports the official account of the street accident and death. His professional status lends weight to the story, making the discrepancies Martins uncovers more troubling.

First appears in chapter 6

The porter at Harry Lime's apartment building, who watched the aftermath of the supposed accident. He remembers details that do not match the other witnesses' story, including the presence of an additional man.