Larry Daley

Larry Daley is the main protagonist of the first three Night at the Museum films and a supporting character of Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. 
He is based on the character Hector from the original Night at the Museum children's book by Milan Trenc.
==Overview==
===Night at the Museum===
Larry started off as a man who had trouble finding work, his inventing career did not take off for a while so he decided to work at the Museum of Natural History as a night guard. When he found out that everything came to life, he wanted to quit the job. But then he realized that he needed to protect the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, or else anything in the museum would turn to dust if it had managed to get outside and didn't return at sunrise. 
When Larry tells Cecil about how Dexter tore up his instructions, Cecil advises him to study history to prepare himself for his nightly duties. He also learns history from a museum docent, Rebecca Hutman, who is writing a dissertation on Sacagawea, but does not feel as if she knows enough about her subject. Later on, he told Rebecca truth about Museum, but she didn't believed him and thought that he mocked her and the museum.
Later, the tablet got stolen by Cecil and two other night guards, so Larry and the other members of the museum set out to retrieve it. They ended up getting the tablet and restoring it to it's rightful spot in the museum.
Rebecca sees the exhibits return to the museum before sunrise and realizes that Larry was telling the truth; he introduces her to Sacagawea. Dr. McPhee fires Larry again after seeing news reports of the strange events around the museum – such as cave paintings in the museum's subway station, dinosaur footprints in Central Park, and cavemen sightings. However, upon seeing how much these events raised attendance, he thinks better of it and gives Larry his job back. Larry, Nick, and the exhibits celebrate the following night and throw a huge party for everyone. 
===Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ===
Three years after the events of the first film, Larry now runs his own company Daley Devices in which he invented the 'Glow-in-the-DarkFlashlight', 'Super Big Dog Bone' and the 'Unloseable Key Ring'. He goes and visits the museum, discovering that most of the exhibits will be moved to the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian Institution, replaced with holographic information providers. The Tablet of Ahkmenrah is to remain in the museum, leaving most of the exhibits without the ability to come to life at night once they get shipped out. After the exhibits are moved, Larry receives a phone call from Jedediah, who informs him that Dexter the monkey stole the tablet and took it to the Smithsonian, bringing every exhibit in it to life.
Larry travels to Washington, DC, navigating his way to the archives with the help from his son Nick, while posing as a night guard. Larry finds his friends trapped in their shipping container, under attack from Ahkmenrah's evil older brother, Kahmunrah. After accidentally running out of time, the tablet actives, bringing the exhibits in the Smithsonian to life for the first time (not counting any from the Natural Museum of History) and defeated him with help from his friends, General Custer and Amelia Earhart.
Amelia flies Larry and the New York exhibits back home. Even though Larry does love Amelia, they both know that she has to leave, knowing that she will become dust if she doesn't leave and reach the Smithsonian in time. However, the two share a final kiss before she takes off.
Later Larry sells his company, donating the money to the museum to 'renovate' it and keep it open later into the nightly hours. Leaving the exhibits to remain, they are now capable of moving around and about at night under the presence of being animatronics or hired re-enactors. Larry is rehired as a night guard and aids a woman named Tess, who resembles Amelia, during the debut of the museum's new extension of visiting hours.
===Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb===
In beginning of third film, Larry, who is also the head of the Night Program, has a Planetarium exhibit grand opening, which is being spectated by Dr. McPhee. But the grand opening goes haywire, creating trouble with his job and McPhee getting fired. Everyone later calms down, uncertain of what happened until they look at the Tablet and notice the corrosion. He comes home to find a wild party taking place in his apartment with Nick, acting as the DJ. As they talk after everyone leaves, his son tells Larry he does not want to go to college but instead wants to take a year off. 
On his quest to find answers, Larry discovers a picture of the boy and his father during the Ahkmenrah's expedition. He learns that the boy is C.J. Fredericks, better known to Larry as Cecil Fredericks, the former museum security guard that tried to steal the Tablet for himself. Larry explains to Cecil what's happening, and he recalls hearing "The end will come". He suggests that they find Ahkmenrah's parents, who are all the way in the British Museum of Natural History in London. Larry later goes to McPhee and convinces him to call the British Museum to allow Larry to travel there with Ahkmenrah, using the excuse of transferring an exhibit over.
Larry with his son and the exhibits come to London. Later on in London, Nick tells Larry he wants to be a DJ in Ibiza, an island off the coast of Spain. Larry is incredulous and even asks Nick if he even knows how to speak Spanish, which Nick doesn't.
They meet the security guard of that museum, Tilly, an obese but cheerful young lady who is eccentric and thinks being an American security guard would be cooler than where she's at. Since the Tablet now brings the British exhibits to life, the gang first encounters a triceratops skeleton that chases after them. They are saved by Sir Lancelot, who punches the triceratops in the nose.
The gang finds the tombs of Ahkmenrah's parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret. Merenkahre is at first hesitant to reveal the truth behind the Tablet, but he eventually admits that it was a gift made for his son when he was a baby. It needs moonlight to retain its magic. Then, Lancelot reveals his true intention to steal the Tablet as he holds Nick with a knife to his neck. Larry surrenders the Tablet, and Lancelot runs off with it to find Guinevere and win her over. The Tablet continues to corrode, causing Teddy's arms to freeze up and Ahkmenrah begins to age.
The gang races to find Lancelot, but are cornered by lion statues. Larry distracts them with a flashlight due to Jedediah's suggestion, relating it to the cat videos that he and Octavius watched. Tilly then locks Larry and Laaa in the security room. There, Larry starts to think about his relationship with Nick. Laaa points to his head and Larry thinks he means he needs to open his mind to Nick's interests, but Laaa just smashes the glass with his head and breaks Larry out.
Larry and the gang chase Lancelot through the theater to the roof where he takes a torch and the Tablet. Larry follows him and corners Lancelot on the roof. However, the Tablet's magic is now almost completely gone. Teddy, Attila, Sacajawea, Ahkmenrah, Dexter, Jed and Octavius all freeze up. Larry convinces Lancelot to give him back to Tablet to save his friends. He lets the moonlight hit it, restoring the Tablet's golden look and bringing everyone back to life.
Teddy Roosevelt and the others New York exhibits decide that Ahkmenrah (with the Tablet) should stay with his parents, even if they do not become alive again. Larry unwillingly accepts their decision and before returning home, he tells Tilly that her boring job will become the greatest the next night. After that, the return in New York, he spends the last sunset with his friends as he and Nick both go their own ways.
Three years later, a British History event is happening at the Museum of Natural History. Tilly shows up to McPhee's office with a box. McPhee says that Larry helped him return to his position as director and that he went back to school, got his degree and became a teacher. Tilly revealed the truth to McPhee about the Tablet and the magic abilities because Larry told her to do so and that McPhee can be trusted. She brings McPhee to show all the exhibits coming to life, including some new light displays and the exhibits play music and party together. Outside, Larry watches and smiles.
===Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again ===
Larry Daley is let down when another guard runs away because the exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History managed to scare him off. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Sacagawea think that Larry should give his son the position. Larry isn't sure about this idea but eventually he agrees. Larry talks to his son about the idea before telling Erica, leading to Nick working at the Museum.
Larry then is seen at the Museum in Tokyo, showing the place through call with Nick, but not long before mentioning to lock the basement.
===Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (The Video Game)===
====Wii/PC/Xbox 360====
To be written.
====DS Port====
To be written.
==Trivia==
* In the original draft of the first film's script:https://natmsearch.neocities.org/scripts/night_at_the_museum_first_draft_courier_new.pdf
** Larry's surname is instead Johnson.
** Instead of regularly attempting and failing different business enterprises, he is an unfulfilled author struggling to complete his novel due to being highly unremarkable and lacking "magic".
** He is a fan of the author John Cheever, particularly his novel The Wapshot Chronicle.
** Larry and Pete are from Passaic, New Jersey, and moved to Brooklynn.
* He has a father named Milton.Larry: "I am Larry, son of Milton. And this is my son, Nick. And we hail from Brooklyn. Well, I do. I mean, he comes out and stays with me on Wednesdays and every other weekend. That was the custody agreement that we had." (Night at the Museum)
* In the Junior Novelization of the second movie, Larry has learned to speak Capuchin,Battle of the Smithsonian Junior Novelization allowing him to fluently understand both Dexter and Able. It is inferred that Dexter taught him.
** This is also stated on Larry's card, which is apart of the McDonald's 2009 toy line based off of the second movie.Larry's info card from the McDonald's toy line
** Along with this fact, Larry uses this to help Dexter and Able with their family troubles, seeing as the pair are brothers in the Novelization.
* In the Junior Novelization of the third movie, Larry is shown to know how to wrestle. On page 54, he performs an old wrestling move that he had remembered from high school to avoid a Greek statue. After this happened, it's revealed that Larry had wrestled 148 (his weight in pounds) in high school and placed third place in the 'Kings County regionals'.Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Junior Novelization on the Internet Archives
* In the third film, Larry mentions he is half Irish and half Jewish, like his actor Ben Stiller.
*Larry lived in Brooklyn in first film, but moved to Manhattan by the third.Ahkmenrah: "The Guardian of Brooklyn."
Larry: "Yes. Well, I actually live in Manhattan now."
Ahkmenrah: "I know, but it doesn't sound as cool." (Secret of the Tomb)
*At the beginning of the third film, Nick mentions that Larry didn't go to college until at the end of that film when he received his degree. 
**In the video game adaptation of the second film, Larry mentioned passing his GED and graduating from Brooklyn Community College.
*In all versions of the video game except the Nintendo DS version (which lacks voice acting entirely), Larry is voiced by Ben Stiller.
==Gallery==
Check out Larry Daley/Gallery for his gallery page.
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Main Characters
Category:Night Guards
Category:Humans
Category:Heroes
Category:Museum of Natural History
Category:Museum of Natural History personnel
Category:Night at the Museum
Category:Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Category:Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Category:Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
Category:Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Videogame)
Category:Night at the Museum:Battle of the Smithsonian