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'{{for|the official position|Sheriff of Nottingham (position)}} The '''Sheriff of Nottingham''' is an important figure in the legend of [[Robin Hood]], an antagonist against Robin and his [[Merry Men]]. The holder of the office of [[Nottingham]]'s [[Sheriff]], it is his task to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes through [[Sherwood Forest]], or to keep them from [[poaching]] the King's [[deer]]. In some stories, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed as having a lecherous desire for Robin Hood's lady, [[Maid Marian]]. He is widely considered to be the principal villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing frequently, alongside such enemies of Robin Hood as Sir [[Guy of Gisbourne]] or [[John of England|Prince John]] (though rarely both). The legends are generally set far from Nottingham, one explanation being that a short-staffed King of England placed the Sheriff of Nottingham in charge of law enforcement for much of northern England. This is the case in the film ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'' in which the Sheriff's influence has grown so great he attempts to take control of the throne. In some versions, the Sheriff is more a cowardly schemer while his assistant, Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a more competent and determined physical threat to Robin. In other versions the Sheriff answers to Prince John who is the main villain. It has been suggested that the historical sheriff upon which the stories are based was [[William de Wendenal]], [[de Laci|Roger de Laci]], or [[William Brewer (justice)|William Brewer]]. == The Sheriff of Nottingham in modern fiction == In ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'', he is played by [[Alan Rickman]] as a dry cynical villain (with the first name of George) who takes people's livestock to try to meet his goals, after Robin Hood takes his horse. A similar characterisation to Rickman's was brought to television by [[Keith Allen]] in the [[BBC]] series ''[[Robin Hood (2006 TV series)|Robin Hood]]'', from 2006 who plays a [[psychopath]]: amoral and brutal, self-absorbed, but with a flippant sense of humour about his misdeeds. He successfully manipulates the other chief villain, Guy of Gisburne, by appealing to Guy’s twisted form of knightly morality. Guy’s flawed moral code is a foil to Sherrif’s utter lack of scruples. In the [[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Disney version of ''Robin Hood'']], the Sheriff is a fat gray wolf with a thick [[Southern United States]] dialect, voiced by [[Alabama]]-born comedian [[Pat Buttram]], best known for his role as [[Mr. Haney]] on ''[[Green Acres]]''. He was originally intended to be a stupid goat. The [[Richard Kluger]] novel ''The Sheriff of Nottingham'' gives a positive portrayal of the real-life 13th century sheriff [[Philip Marc|Philip Mark]] as a good man doing a thankless task. (The same sheriff appeared as a ruthless but camp despot in an episode of the ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' TV series.) The usual Sheriff in ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' was a cynical opportunist given to violent outbursts, played by [[Nickolas Grace]]. His name, Robert de Rainault, comes from [[Evelyn Charles Vivian]]'s retelling of the legend. The Sheriff of Nottingham is spoofed as Mervyn, "The Sheriff of Rottingham" (played by [[Roger Rees]]) in [[Mel Brooks]]' [[1993 in film|1993]] movie ''[[Robin Hood: Men in Tights]]''. The Sheriff was parodied in the children's television series ''[[Maid Marian and her Merry Men]]'' as a foolish schemer played by [[Tony Robinson]] with a [[goatee]]. The Sheriff is more sympathetically portrayed than usual by [[Robert Shaw (actor)|Robert Shaw]] in the 1976 film ''[[Robin and Marian]]''. Actor [[Russell Crowe]] will portray a more noble sheriff (named Robert Tornham) in the upcoming ''[[Nottingham (film)|Nottingham]]'' by [[Ridley Scott]] who disapproves of the actions of his corrupt king, with Robin Hood portrayed as being less virtuous. The Sheriff of Nottingham is an AI character in the computer game ''[[Stronghold (2001 video game)#First Combination Release - Stronghold Warchest|Stronghold: Warchest]]'' who can be challenged in skirmish play. Barry Nottingham is a character in [[Bedtime Stories (film)]] played by [[Richard Griffiths]]. His last name is a reference to the Sheriff of Nottingham, and in one of the stories told by [[Adam Sandler]], the version of Barry calls Adam Sandler's character "the Sheriff of Nottinghamia". == External links == * Full listings of previous Sheriffs at this Robin Hood website http://www.robinhood.info/ * {{imdb character|0003910}} * Nottingham City Council page on the sheriff's office [http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/sitemap/council_government_and_democracy/cs_nottingham_s_council_house/sheriffofnottingham.htm here] * A list of historical sheriffs can be seen on a Robin Hood research site [http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/kirk6479/mycustompage0035.htm here] [[Category:Film characters]] [[Category:History of Nottinghamshire]] [[Category:Local government in Nottinghamshire]] [[Category:Nottingham]] [[Category:Robin Hood characters]] [[Category:Disney's Robin Hood characters]] [[nl:Sheriff van Nottingham]] [[sv:Sheriffen av Nottingham]] [[fi:Nottinghamin sheriffi]] {{Robin Hood}}'