Patrick Harper

Patrick Harper is the deuteragonist of the Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell and their television adaptations.
He was portrayed by Daragh O'Malley.
==Novels==
Despite being a loyal Irish Catholic, Patrick Harper enlisted in the British army, become a rifleman in the 95th. Although he was bitter towards the English, he came to respect his company commander Captain Murray and served in the action at Copenhagen in 1807. Early in the Peninsular War, Harper was among the group of riflemen cut off during the retreat to Corunna and stranded in Spain under the command of Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, the battalion quartermaster. Harper distrusted Sharpe, coming to blows with him during an attempt at mutiny, but slowly accepted his command. When Sergeant Williams, the only NCO in the group, was killed during a French attack, Sharpe tried to make Harper his replacement. Harper refused, not wanting a position of authority among the English, but was convinced to accept the rank by the Spanish Major Blas Vivar. He and Sharpe soon became firm friends with Harper fiercely loyal to his new officer, helping him track down the deserter John Williamson who had once been a fellow troublemaker.
Harper and the others were attached first to the engineer Captain Michael Hogan and then to the South Essex Regiment. After fending off a French attack at Vadelacasa, Sharpe was given a brevet rank of captain as company commander of the Light Company, with Harper as his sergeant. Together, they captured a French eagle standard at Talavera, with Harper saving Sharpe's life in the aftermath by bayoneting the treacherous Lieutenant Christian Gibbons as he tried to kill him. They fought together at Bussaco, Barossa and Fuentes de Onoro among others.
During the siege of Badajoz, Sharpe was replaced as company commander by Captain Rymer and Harper found himself subordinate to Sharpe's old enemy, the psychotic sadist Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, who framed Harper for theft, resulting in him being flogged and stripped of rank. He and Sharpe led an assault on the breach at Badajoz, regaining their ranks and also exposing Hakeswill. During the incident, Harper rescued a Spanish girl, Isabella, from the rampaging British soldiers and she became his wife.
As the war continued, Harper was promoted to regimental sergeant major during the Pyrenees campaign and joined Sharpe in travelling to England to gain new recruits. When Sharpe was assigned to lead a group of riflemen from the 60th to scout out Bordeaux, Harper stowed away on their ship to accompany him. With the war nearing its end, Harper sought to leave the army and arranged to be made Sharpe's servant so he could return to England with him. As a result, he was on hand to assist Sharpe and Captain William Frederickson when they were framed for the theft of the Emperor's treasure, joining them on a trip to Naples to expose the real thief, Major Pierre Ducos. Afterwards, he was personally discharged by Lord Wellington.
When Sharpe returned to action during the Waterloo campaign, Harper accompanied him as an armed civilian, helping to turn back the French columns. He reunited with Sharpe around five years later to travel to Peru to search for Vivar, who had gone missing. Harper was frustrated that, having survived the war without a scratch, he picked up his first injury in an exchange of fire with some thieves. After rescuing Vivar and seeing a plan to install Napoleon in South America come to nothing, Harper returned to his family in Ireland.
==Television==
Rifleman Harper was a sharp-shooter and Chosen Man in the 95th Rifles, serving in Spain. He had a difficult first meeting with his new commander Lieutenant Sharpe which saw them come to blows. Even though Sharpe saved him from a charge, Harper considered him incompetent and planned to kill him, but was beaten by him in a fist fight. The two slowly began to trust each other as they worked with Major Vivar and the guerilla leader Teresa Moreno to stage a symbolic victory at Santiago, with Harper being made a sergeant by Sharpe prior to the attack.
Harper joined Sharpe in being attached to the South Essex during the Talavera campaign, becoming sergeant of their light company under Sharpe, and saved Sharpe's life by killing Lieutenant Berry when he attacked Sharpe during a night patrol. He was framed for theft by Hakeswill during the siege of Badajoz but received an apology from Colonel Windham afterwards. Not long after, his Spanish girlfriend Ramona Gonzales became pregnant. She gave birth to a son, Patrick Harper Jr, while Harper was away with Sharpe exposing Ducos' plan to frame him for the murder of La Marques de Sabada.
Harper again saved Sharpe's life by killing the insane guerilla El Casco. During the encounter with the ruthless French officer Brigadier-General Loup, Harper and his men became trapped in Loup's fortress. They managed to turn the tables by feigning death but Harper was unable to stop Rifleman Perkins being killed by the traitor Guardsman O'Rourke, who he killed in turn. He was reluctant to marry Ramona and return to Ireland with her, fearing she wouldn't be accepted, causing bitterness between them. Sharpe enlisted the help of Father Curtis, who led Harper to believe he was dying so he would marry Ramona.
He was made a sergeant major shortly before accompanying Sharpe to England to expose an illegal crimping operation. Harper and Ramona still had their difficulties but Harper came to her rescue when she was assaulted by Sergeant Pope. He suffered a beating in the process but later killed Pope in a duel after he was exposed as a traitor. He helped Sharpe and Frederickson expose Major Ducos, then accompanied Sharpe to Yorkshire to join the Scarsdale Yeomanry, exposing the tactics of the ruthless businessman Sir Willoughby Parfitt.
Harper returned to Ireland after the incident although he joined Sharpe at Waterloo as a civilian, catching a glimpse of Napoleon during the French retreat. Two years later, he was employed by the Duke of Wellington as a spy in India, during a rebellion led by the young ruler Kandhe Rao and the renegade British officer William Dodd. Harper was reunited with Sharpe as they went undercover to ruin Dodd's plans to blow up a British assault. The two prepared to return home but became caught up in the drug-dealing operation of Count Dragomirov and led a native village and a small number of troops in resisting and ultimately defeating Dragomirov and his men.
Category:Book Heroes
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Military
Category:Right-Hand
Category:Loyal
Category:Sidekicks
Category:Spouses
Category:Parents
Category:Fighters
Category:Successful
Category:Supporters
Category:Vengeful
Category:Protectors
Category:Rescuers
Category:Pragmatists
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Reluctant Heroes