Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus character
Victor Frankenstein recoiling from his creation
Created by	Mary Shelley
Portrayed by	Augustus Phillips Colin Clive Cedric Hardwicke Peter Cushing Ralph Bates Kenneth Branagh Benedict Cumberbatch Sting Jonny Lee Miller Alec Newman Samuel West Aden Young David Anders Harry Treadaway Helen McCrory Raul Julia James McAvoy Tim Curry Hunter Foster Oscar Isaac
Voiced by	Charlie Tahan Arthur Darvill
In-universe information
Nickname	Dr Frankenstein, Heinrich "Henry" von Frankenstein (1931 film), Mad scientist, The Modern Prometheus
Gender	Male
Occupation	Scientist
Family	Parents: Alphonse Frankenstein (father) Caroline Beaufort (mother) Siblings: Ernest Frankenstein (younger brother) William Frankenstein (youngest brother) Elizabeth Lavenza (adoptive sister) Descendants: Frankenstein's monster (creation) Frederick Frankenstein (grandson) Victoria Frankenstein (great-great-great granddaughter)
Spouse	Elizabeth Lavenza (adoptive sister/wife)
Religion	Christian (Roman Catholic)
Origin	Naples, Italy
Nationality	Swiss

Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character who first appeared as the titular main protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. He is a Swiss scientist (born in Naples, Italy) who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living things, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature (often referred to as Frankenstein's monster, or often colloquially referred to as simply "Frankenstein"). Victor later regrets meddling with nature through his creation, as he inadvertently endangers his own life and the lives of his family and friends when the creature seeks revenge against him. He is first introduced in the novel when he is seeking to catch the monster near the North Pole and is saved from near death by Robert Walton and his crew.

Some aspects of the character are believed to have been inspired by 17th-century alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel. Certainly, the author and people in her environment were aware of the experiment on electricity and dead tissues by Luigi Galvani and his nephew Giovanni Aldini and the work of Alessandro Volta at the University of Pavia.^{[citation needed]}