Fagin

Fagin
Fagin in a watercolour by 'Kyd' (1889)
Created by	Charles Dickens
Portrayed by	Lon Chaney (1922) Ivan Berlyn (1922) Irving Pichel (1933) Alec Guinness (1948) Max Adrian (1962) Ron Moody (1960, 1968, 1983, 1984) Clive Revill (1963) Roy Hudd (1977) Roy Dotrice (1978) David Swift (1980) George C. Scott (1982) Jonathan Pryce (1994) Richard Dreyfuss (1997) Robert Lindsay (1997) Gary Farmer (2003) Ben Kingsley (2005) Timothy Spall (2007) Russ Abbott (2010/11) Noah Berry (2011) Rowan Atkinson (2009, 2010) Omid Djalili (2009) Griff Rhys-Jones (2009) Neil Morrissey (2011/12) Harry Moore (2012) Anton Lesser (2015) Michael Caine (2021) Christopher Eccleston (2022) Elio El Hajj (2022) Raul Esparza (2023) Gavin Lee (2023) David Thewlis (2023)
Voiced by	Dom DeLuise
In-universe information
Nickname	The Old Man The Old One[1]
Gender	Male
Occupation	Criminal pickpocket
Nationality	English

Fagin /ˈfeɪɡɪn/ is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel Oliver Twist. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates among them) whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities, in exchange for shelter. A distinguishing trait is his constant and insincere use of the phrase "my dear" when addressing others. At the time of the novel, he is said by another character, Monks, to have already made criminals out of "scores" of children. Nancy, who is the lover of Bill Sikes (the novel's lead villain), is confirmed to be Fagin's former pupil.

Fagin is a confessed miser who, despite the wealth that he has acquired, does very little to improve the squalid lives of the children he guards, or his own. In the second chapter of his appearance, it is shown (when talking to himself) that he cares less for their welfare, than that they do not "peach" (inform) on him and the other children. Still darker sides to the character's nature are shown when he beats the Artful Dodger for not bringing Oliver back; in his attempted beating of Oliver for trying to escape; and in his own involvement with various plots and schemes throughout the story. He indirectly but intentionally causes the death of Nancy by falsely informing Sikes that she had betrayed him, when in reality she had shielded Sikes from the law, whereupon Sikes kills her. Near the end of the book, Fagin is captured and sentenced to be hanged, in a chapter that portrays him as pitiable in his anguish.

In popular culture, Fagin (or at least his name) is used in comparison with adults who use children for illegal activities.