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88-469: Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by Kenneth McMillan in David Lynch 's 1984 film Dune . Ian McNeice plays the role in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its sequel, 2003's Children of Dune . Harkonnen is portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel Dune: Part Two . Frank Herbert wanted a harsh-sounding name for

176-587: A "big film star" was already in line for the role. Annis had been recommended to Lynch because of her portrayal of Lillie Langtry in the 1978 series Lillie , for which she had won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress. Lynch and De Laurentiis persisted, insisting on a meeting and took the Concorde to London. Annis said, "I got the last train to London from Manchester after filming and I met David for an hour at 10 p.m. before getting

264-502: A 53rd precinct lieutenant on Kojak , Starsky & Hutch , The Rockford Files , Moonlighting , Lou Grant , Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote . Outside of his film and TV credits, McMillan also frequently performed on stage at the New York Shakespeare Festival . He acted in the original Broadway productions of Streamers and American Buffalo . He won an Obie for his performance in

352-710: A borough commander in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , but often was cast as characters such as a cowardly small town sheriff in Tobe Hooper 's 1979 TV mini-series Salem's Lot , a similar law enforcement officer in the 1987 Burt Reynolds film Malone , William Hurt 's bitter paraplegic father in Eyewitness , a wily safe cracker in The Pope of Greenwich Village , and a racist fire chief in Ragtime who

440-639: A full Reverend Mother from birth, is a grown woman in a child's body. Paul's Fremen seize control of Arrakis from Shaddam and the Harkonnens, and Paul accedes to the throne as Emperor after taking the Emperor's daughter as his wife. Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach, and eventually sets the Imperium on a course lasting thousands of years in the person of his son, Leto II . Much to the frustration of

528-456: A gentle woman, a solicitous mother and wife, and finally a docile and discreet companion in flight." Praising the work of costume designer Bob Ringwood , Ed Naha wrote, "In terms of sheer artistry, Lady Jessica's costumes deserve much applause. She wears a variety of shimmering gowns that are never anything less than ornate." Saskia Reeves played the role in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune . In her review of

616-571: A likely connection to the AIDS epidemic, which was a prevalent health crisis while the film was in production." Travis Johnson of Flicks.com.au noted that the Lynch film embraced "the archetype of the depraved gay sadist", which would not be acceptable in 2019. Asher-Perrin added, "Lynch also makes a point of connecting the Baron's desire for men to deviancy and violence, deliberately juxtaposing his assault of

704-525: A salesman, then as a section manager, and then a floor superintendent managing three floors. At age 30, McMillan decided to pursue an acting career, and took acting lessons from Uta Hagen and Irene Dailey . He was married to Kathryn McDonald (20 June 1969 – 8 January 1989) (his death) with whom he had one child, actress Alison McMillan. McMillan made his film debut at age 41 with a small role in Sidney Lumet 's police drama Serpico . The actor played

792-403: A second try. At this point, he drugs and rapes her. She exacts her retribution by infecting him with a rare, incurable disease that later causes his obesity. Mohiam's second child with the Baron is Jessica. In Dune: House Harkonnen , the deteriorating Baron at first walks with the assistance of a cane, then relies on belt-mounted suspensors to retain mobility. He consults numerous doctors in

880-570: A sleazy high roller gambler in " The Ledge ," a segment of the horror anthology film Cat's Eye . Yet he did sometimes get cast opposite the villain, playing Robert Duvall 's detective partner in True Confessions , a judge who must rule whether Richard Dreyfuss has the right to die in Whose Life Is It Anyway? , as well as a lead detective investigating a serial killer in the 1982 film The Clairvoyant . McMillan

968-508: A soldier and member of the Bene Gesserit. As such, the studio labeled this role a "warrior priestess", in contrast to the joking label of "space nun" that Villeneuve felt was implied by the book. Ferguson said of Jessica, "She's a mother, she's a concubine, she's a soldier." The Los Angeles Times wrote that Ferguson's Jessica "has a fierceness and a fighting prowess, along with her Bene Gesserit mental abilities, not always evident in

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1056-485: A talent for manipulating others and exploiting their weaknesses as well as a propensity for torture and blackmail. IGN describes the character as "cruel, sadistic, and hedonistic". Travis Johnson of Flicks.com.au says that Harkonnen is written as "a predatory homosexual given to pederasty and incest, an unrepentant rapist and murderer." The Baron's sexual preference for young men is implied in Dune and Children of Dune . It

1144-399: A two-year-old born as a fully aware Fremen Reverend Mother , who reveals that she is his granddaughter to him just before his death. His remaining heir Feyd-Rautha is killed in ritual combat by Paul Atreides. House Harkonnen as a political entity is left virtually defunct - permanently excluded from galactic power - though Harkonnen blood is technically ascendant since Imperial House Atreides

1232-447: A young man with a tender love-scene between Duke Leto and Lady Jessica Atreides." Ian McNeice plays the Baron in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune , and its sequel , 2003's Children of Dune . Asher-Perrin notes that the miniseries played down the negative aspects emphasized by the Lynch film, and writes, "[The Baron's] appearance was not altered to make him seem ill, he never physically attacks anyone, and

1320-491: Is "twisted" by the Fremen ritual and "takes on a chilling ruthlessness". Villeneuve said, "We see that there's a darkness, a very specific darkness in her eyes. Lady Jessica is one of the masterminds of Dune . She's trying to play her own agenda." The Washington Post wrote that Jessica "goes off the deep end" in pursuing her ambitions for Paul. The Telegraph praised a "tremendous, melodramatically on-target" Ferguson in

1408-453: Is Jessica. The Prelude to Dune series also follows Jessica and Leto's relationship from their first meeting through the birth (and subsequent kidnapping and return) of their son Paul. It is indicated that Jessica's choice to bear a son is partially due to her desire to help Leto overcome the devastating loss of his first son, Victor , by his concubine Kailea Vernius . The Caladan trilogy (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Anderson continues

1496-423: Is a survivor like her son Paul, and she has to strategize how to accomplish her ambition. It's a really beautiful and nicely complex character." Jessica becomes fixated with fulfilling the Fremen prophecy and installing Paul as their messiah. IGN wrote that Jessica steps "into an even more overtly villainous role" in the second film, with "her relationship with Paul becoming more antagonistic as she sets in motion

1584-469: Is already distrustful. The Atreides are soon attacked by Harkonnen forces, secretly supplemented by the seemingly unstoppable Imperial Sardaukar , as Yueh disables the protective shields around the Atreides palace on Arrakis. Yueh takes Leto prisoner as instructed, but provides him with a fake tooth filled with poisonous gas as a means to assassinate the Baron. De Vries kills Yueh, Leto and De Vries die from

1672-415: Is composed entirely of Vladimir Harkonnen's descendants. Alia had been born with her ancestral memories in the womb, a circumstance the Bene Gesserit refer to as Abomination , because in their experience it is inevitable that the individual will become possessed by the personality of one of their ancestors. In Children of Dune , Alia falls victim to this prediction when she shares control of her body with

1760-566: Is described as an exceedingly handsome man, possessing red hair and a near-perfect physique. The Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is instructed by the Sisterhood to collect his genetic material, through conception, for their breeding program. As the Baron's homosexuality is something of an open secret, Mohiam blackmails him into having sexual relations with her, and conceives his child. When that daughter proves genetically undesirable, Mohiam kills her and returns to Harkonnen for

1848-407: Is later notable as a marker of Jessica's bloodline. Novelist Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert's son and biographer, wrote that "Frank Herbert had modeled Lady Jessica Atreides after [his wife] Beverly Herbert, with her dignified, gentle ways of influence, and even her prescient abilities, which my mother actually possessed." Francesca Annis , who portrayed Jessica in the 1984 film Dune , said of

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1936-472: Is meant to be comeuppance for doing something reprehensible, a physical punishment meant to hurt his vanity by taking away the attractiveness he so prized in himself." Kenneth McMillan (actor) Kenneth McMillan (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 1989) was an American actor. McMillan was usually cast as gruff, hostile and unfriendly characters due to his rough image. However, he was sometimes cast in some lighter comic roles that highlighted his gentler side. He

2024-571: Is memorably told off by the New York City police commissioner, played by James Cagney . In 1985, he portrayed New York City's newly appointed police commissioner in the short-lived television crime drama Our Family Honor . He portrayed the grotesquely obese and gleefully psychotic Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune , the pathetic drunken pop of Aidan Quinn in Reckless and as Cressner,

2112-454: Is noted, however, that he "once permitted himself to be seduced" by a Bene Gesserit in the liaison which produced his secret daughter. As Dune begins, a longstanding feud exists between the Harkonnens of Giedi Prime and the Atreides of Caladan . The Baron's intent to exterminate the Atreides line seems close to fruition, as Duke Leto Atreides is lured to the desert planet Arrakis on

2200-540: Is officially Siridar (planetary governor) Baron. Vladimir Harkonnen is the direct-line male descendant of the Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen who was banished for cowardice after the Battle of Corrin . The return of House Harkonnen to power generally is ascribed to adroit manipulation of the whale fur market and later consolidation with melange wealth from Arrakis . The character is usually described as

2288-445: Is portrayed by Kenneth McMillan in David Lynch 's 1984 film . The obese and disheveled Baron is overtly unstable, and covered in oozing pustules . William Hughes of The A.V. Club deemed McMillan's facial prosthetics "very memorable". Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com wrote that "Lynch's attempt is infamous for really leaning on [the] codified aspects of the Baron, to the point where his sore-ridden appearance has been called out as

2376-524: Is possessed. When Alia instructs Duncan to make her mother disappear, Duncan kidnaps her on the orders of the Preacher , a mysterious desert figure that some suspect is Paul Atreides, who disappeared into the desert. Duncan takes her to Salusa Secundus , the home of exiled House Corrino and the previous Emperor Shaddam IV. The Preacher has told Jessica, through Duncan, to train the pupil she finds there: Prince Farad'n , Shaddam's grandson. She trains him in

2464-543: Is somewhat intrigued by the potential she sees in the 15-year-old boy. Still, an Atreides daughter is a crucial part of the Bene Gesserit breeding program to eventually produce a super-being they call the Kwisatz Haderach . Previously managed by House Atreides ' longtime enemies, the Harkonnens , Arrakis is an inhospitable desert planet plagued by giant sandworms , and the only known source of melange ,

2552-782: Is the Bene Gesserit concubine to the Duke Leto Atreides , and mother to his young son and heir Paul . Leto has been granted control of the lucrative planetary fief of Arrakis , and is moving his entire household there from his ocean homeworld of Caladan . Jessica's mentor and former instructor, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam , is still furious over Jessica's past insubordination—she had been instructed to bear only daughters but, out of love for Leto, she instead intentionally conceived Paul; Mohiam

2640-603: The Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses) in Dune , Lady Jessica dies in the year 10,256 A.G. after 102 years of life. In the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson , it is revealed that Mohiam is Jessica's biological mother. According to the authors, this fact was pulled directly from Frank Herbert's working notes for

2728-519: The Off-Broadway play Weekends Like Other People . McMillan died of liver disease at age 56. Lady Jessica Lady Jessica is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert . A main character in the 1963–65 novel Dune , Jessica also plays an important role in the later installment Children of Dune (1976). The events surrounding Jessica's conception, her birth and her early years with Leto are chronicled in

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2816-485: The prequel trilogies Prelude to Dune (1999–2001) and Caladan (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007). Lady Jessica was portrayed by Francesca Annis in the 1984 David Lynch film Dune . Saskia Reeves played

2904-423: The "maternal grandfather who cannot be named"—the Baron himself. Over the next two years, Harkonnen learns that his nephews Glossu Rabban and Feyd-Rautha are conspiring against him to usurp his throne. He lets them continue to do so, reasoning that they have to somehow learn to organize a conspiracy. As punishment for a failed assassination attempt against him, Harkonnen forces Feyd to single-handedly slaughter all

2992-453: The 2000 miniseries, Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com wrote that Reeves "embodies everything that you would expect from Lady Jessica in both bearing and commanding presence." Reeves's real-life pregnancy forced producers to recast the role with Alice Krige for the 2003 sequel miniseries, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune . Laura Fries of Variety noted, "it's Susan Sarandon [as Farad'n 's mother Wensicia] and Alice Krige who steal

3080-481: The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen" to the villainous Lannister family of George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Emmet Asher-Perrin suggests that "what makes the Baron truly monstrous [is] the fact that he spends all of his time plotting murder, sowing discord, and destroying populations of people to get his way". Hughes writes that the evil Harkonnen is "specifically designed to make

3168-480: The Baron in a sensory deprivation tank for a prolonged period; the Baron's memories of his former life return. The reincarnated Baron is soon haunted by the voice of Alia in his mind; the source of this inner Alia is never explained. In 1975, Orson Welles agreed to play the Baron in Alejandro Jodorowsky 's ultimately unsuccessful adaptation . The film's concept art by Jean "Moebius" Giraud depicts

3256-460: The Baron". William Hughes of The A.V. Club calls the Baron "one of the most iconically awful villains in all of science fiction". Stuart Conover of ScienceFiction.com describes him as "one of the most insidious villains". Maude Campbell of Popular Mechanics writes that the Baron is "one of the most evil characters ever put to paper (including Darth Vader )", and Jon Michaud of The New Yorker compares "Herbert's scheming, backstabbing villain,

3344-401: The Baron, as well as Feyd-Rautha and Rabban, in multiple drag appearances. In the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune , the director discussed the casting: Orson Welles had a bad reputation ... they said that he liked to drink and eat ... and then he did not finish the movies, he was moody. But I said, "No, Orson Welles is a genius, he is the one." ... Therefore, I sent a secretary to ask... in all

3432-502: The Bene Gesserit spice agony that transforms an acolyte into a full Reverend Mother. Jessica is also revealed to be the secret daughter of the Baron Harkonnen himself. Paul soon molds the Fremen into a massive army with which he hopes to retake the planet from Imperial rule. The Fremen have their own "wild" Reverend Mothers, women who undergo their own version of the spice agony to awaken their Other Memory . Jessica undergoes

3520-479: The Bene Gesserit way, and at the end of Children of Dune , he becomes Ghanima's concubine and Leto's Royal Scribe. Jessica is quoted via epigraph in Heretics of Dune (1984): When strangers meet, great allowance should be made for differences of custom and training. — The Lady Jessica, from Wisdom of Arrakis In Chapterhouse: Dune (1986) it is noted that she "lived out her years on Caladan." According to

3608-519: The Bene Gesserit, they do not control Paul, and the events of the coming millennia leave Jessica noteworthy as a figure of history who committed a great wrong (according to the Bene Gesserit); in the coming centuries, for a Bene Gesserit to choose her love over the instructions of her order is known as "the Jessica crime." By the time of Dune Messiah (1969), Jessica has returned to Caladan,

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3696-410: The Emperor's intervention was part of his plan. The Imperial forces fall prey to a surprise attack by the Fremen, who let a sandstorm short out the force field shields of the transport ships, and then disable them with projectile weapons, subsequently mounting a mass assault using sandworms as siege-breakers. Their enemies are left trapped on the planet, outnumbered by the many tribes and outgunned by

3784-542: The all-night train back to Manchester." During filming in Mexico, Annis burned off her eyebrows, eyelashes and the front of her hair in an oven explosion, which makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi fixed for filming. She said that the Reverend Mothers being bald in the film was an unrelated creative decision by Lynch. Richard Corliss of Time praised "the lustrous Francesca Annis ... who whispers her lines with

3872-438: The ancestral home of the Atreides. She has also, by some accounts, returned to the Sisterhood following the death of her Duke, and while she cannot influence Paul, she does act as distant counselor. It is also implied that she and Atreides Weapons Master Gurney Halleck have become lovers. In Children of Dune (1976), Jessica returns to Dune to inspect Paul's children, Leto II and Ghanima , to see if they can be returned to

3960-490: The antagonistic family opposing House Atreides in Dune . He came across the name " Härkönen " in a California telephone book and thought that it sounded "Soviet", though it is in fact Finnish. In earlier drafts of Dune , the character was called "Valdemar Hoskanner". Herbert's "Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses)" in Dune says of Harkonnen (in part): VLADIMIR HARKONNEN (10,110–10,193) Commonly referred to as Baron Harkonnen, his title

4048-575: The baron mesmerizing to watch no matter how odiously he behaves". Austin Jones of Paste writes, "McNeice commands his role as Baron Harkonnen, capturing the vile indulgence and vanity of a feudal lord". Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel Dune: Part Two . Skarsgård called the role "small but important", and noted, "I had seven hours in make-up every day because I had to be really fat." Villeneuve said: As much as I deeply love

4136-462: The book, I felt that the baron was flirting very often with caricature. And I tried to bring him a bit more dimension. That's why I brought in Stellan. Stellan has something in the eyes. You feel that there's someone thinking, thinking, thinking—that has tension and is calculating inside, deep in the eyes. I can testify, it can be quite frightening. A line of Dune action figures from toy company LJN

4224-420: The book. He said, "Femininity is there in the book, but I thought it should be up front. I said , 'We need to make sure that Lady Jessica is not an expensive extra.' She's such a beautiful and complex character." Ferguson said that while Villeneuve respected Herbert's characterization in the book, Villeneuve's modifications had helped improve the quality of female characters by expanding the role of Lady Jessica as

4312-484: The boys back into House Harkonnen, and Feyd becomes his designated heir. The Baron's most prominent political rival is Duke Leto Atreides. The Harkonnens and the Atreides have been bitter enemies for millennia, since the Battle of Corrin that ended the Butlerian Jihad . When Emperor Shaddam IV orchestrates a plot to destroy the "Red Duke" Leto, the Baron eagerly lends his aid. The young Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

4400-491: The character she played in the Mission: Impossible franchise, and she did not want to be typecast as a "strong female character". However, she was convinced after hearing Villeneuve's ideas and reading the book, saying she enjoyed the "simplicity of wanting to save something you have created and all of these shades". Villeneuve was intent on increasing the prominence of the female characters and themes from

4488-447: The character, "I see her as sort of a supreme matriarch ... She's a mother, a guardian, a guide and an almost mystical figure". Michel Chion wrote, "In the novel, [Jessica] is a pitiless, resolute woman with an influential voice. She is also the book's second most important character, present in a great many scenes narrated from her point of view. She does not hesitate to reprimand, advise and toughen her son." As Dune begins, Jessica

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4576-540: The control of the Sisterhood. Leto notes the identity of Jessica's birth mother: Tanidia Nerus . Realizing that Alia is fully possessed, Jessica survives an assassination attempt by Alia and flees to the desert once more, taking refuge with Fremen leader (and old friend) Stilgar in Sietch Tabr . A civil war has divided Arrakis, with Fremen revolting against the transformation of the desert started by Pardot Kynes . Alia's husband, Duncan Idaho , also realizes that Alia

4664-418: The cure, but soon discovers that there is none. The Baron, Duke Leto, and Jessica are unaware that Jessica is secretly the Baron's daughter, or that he has even fathered one. In the year 10,176, the Baron's grandson Paul is born to Leto and Jessica. In Hunters of Dune (2006), the continuation of the original series by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the Baron is resurrected as a ghola (5,029 years after

4752-542: The death of Alia) by the Lost Tleilaxu Uxtal , acting on orders from the Face Dancer Khrone . Khrone intends to use the Baron ghola to manipulate a ghola of Paul Atreides, named Paolo . Khrone tries various torture techniques for three years to awaken the 12-year-old Baron's genetic memories; these methods fail due to the Baron's sadomasochistic nature. Khrone is successful when he imprisons

4840-538: The desert. Thanks to supplies left by Yueh, Paul and Lady Jessica escape into the desert and find refuge with the native Fremen . They take advantage of the legends planted there by the Bene Gesserit's Missionaria Protectiva , which practices religious engineering. Jessica casts Paul as the Lisan al'Gaib , the messiah , and herself as the Reverend Mother who shall bring him, even though she has not yet experienced

4928-464: The ego-memory of the Baron Harkonnen, and eventually falls under his power. Alia eventually commits suicide , realizing that Harkonnen's consciousness has surpassed her abilities to contain him. In the Prelude to Dune prequel series by Brian Herbert and Anderson, it is established that Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the son and heir of Dmitri Harkonnen and his wife Victoria. Harkonnen's father had been

5016-534: The events that will lead to his accepting the role of [messiah] and challenging the Emperor". While Jessica is depicted in "ornate and ceremonial" costumes as the concubine of Duke Leto in the first film, she wears ritual garments and her face is covered in tattoos in the aftermath of her transformation into the Fremen Reverend Mother in Part Two . Villeneuve explained, "She's trying to play on

5104-543: The expanse of time between the Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen , up to and including his future instrument Dr. Yueh, all of whom are ultimately no help. To conceal this debilitation, he pretends that his obesity is due to intentional overindulgence, lest the Landsraad remove him from power. When he determines that Mohiam inflicted him with the disease, he attempts to coerce her into revealing

5192-420: The female slaves who serve as Feyd's lovers. He explains that Feyd has to learn the price of failure. The Baron's plan to assure Feyd's power is to install him as ruler of Arrakis after a period of tyrannical misrule by Rabban, making Feyd appear to be the savior of the people. However, a crisis on Arrakis begins when the mysterious Muad'Dib emerges as a leader of the native Fremen tribes, uniting them against

5280-453: The first film, describing her chemistry with costar Timothée Chalamet , who portrays Paul, as "devotional, bordering on incestuous". Empire praised her "wrenching performance" as Jessica waits for Paul to complete Mohiam's test. IGN wrote of Part Two , "That Jessica has any sympathy from the audience—despite being a eugenicist and megalomaniac who usurped the religious leadership of an indigenous culture so her son could claim dominion of

5368-408: The gas, but Harkonnen survives. The Baron then manipulates Hawat into his service, by convincing Hawat that Jessica was the traitor and using Hawat's desire for revenge on her and the Emperor as motivation to assist House Harkonnen. Jessica flees into the desert with her and Leto's son Paul Atreides , and both are presumed dead. Paul's prescience helps him determine the identity of Jessica's father,

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5456-524: The gastronomic restaurants in Paris: "Where does Orson Welles eat?" And we discover a restaurant and then he was eating ... I speak with all the respect, because was for me [he] was an idol. He say, "I don't want to do it. I don't want any more." I say to him, "I will propose something." If you do the picture, even if we pay what you want as an actor, I will hire the chef of this restaurant and you will eat, as here, every day. And he say, "I do it." Baron Harkonnen

5544-591: The head of House Harkonnen and ruled the planet Giedi Prime. Trained since youth as a possible successor, Vladimir had been eventually chosen over his half-brother Abulurd , namesake of the original. Unhappy with his brother's doings, Abulurd eventually marries Emmi Rabban and renounces the family name and his rights to the title. Under the name Abulurd Rabban, he reigns as governor of the secondary Harkonnen planet Lankiveil . Abulurd and his wife have two sons: Glossu Rabban, later nicknamed "Beast Rabban" after he murders his own father, and Feyd-Rautha. Vladimir later adopts

5632-417: The main antagonist of the novel. Herbert writes in Dune that the Baron possesses a " basso voice" and is so "grossly and immensely fat" that he requires anti-gravity devices known as suspensors to support his weight. He is one of the wealthiest members of the Landsraad and a bitter rival of Leto Atreides , and the Baron's "legendary evil and intellect" are unmatched by anyone else from House Harkonnen. In

5720-486: The miniseries paid more attention to the fact that the Baron was a rapist, his preference for men being incidental." He praises McNeice as a standout among the cast, writing that he "manages to make the Baron Harkonnen—easily one of the most despicable characters in science fiction literature—every bit as conniving and vicious as he needs to be...and every bit as fascinating. McNeice has a superb sense of how to make

5808-468: The noble Atreides family seem that extra bit more dignified and pure". Jesse Schedeen of IGN agrees that the Baron is "as cruel and vindictive as Leto is noble and just." Hughes says that Herbert "successfully made [the Baron] so vampirically vile that he casts a (sometimes literal) shadow over the entire series." Sandy Schaefer of Screen Rant calls the Baron "a deliciously despicable antagonist". While

5896-518: The novel suggests that the Baron's obesity might be the result of a genetic disease, the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson explains that Harkonnen was once a fit, attractive but vain man who is given the incurable disease intentionally by the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam after he drugs and rapes her. Asher-Perrin suggests that in this narrative, "The Baron's corpulence

5984-404: The novel, the Baron feigns outrage over losing control of Arrakis to Leto, but is actually conspiring to use the situation as an opportunity to destroy House Atreides once and for all. William Hughes of The A.V. Club describes the Baron as "a decadent, monstrous gasbag of depravity and evil". As ruthless and cruel as he is intelligent and cunning, the Baron is "crafty and power-hungry" and has

6072-426: The novel." IGN explained that in the first film, Jessica is simultaneously driven by a need to protect the son she loves and "a desire to facilitate his rise to power", describing her as "a cunning manipulator who has been training Paul in the superhuman abilities of her order against their wishes, and grooming him for a dark destiny that the young Atreides spends much of the two films hoping to avoid." Discussing

6160-415: The original Dune series. In the storyline, Mohiam blackmails the homosexual Baron Harkonnen into a sexual encounter. When the first daughter she conceives proves genetically undesirable, she is forced to return. At this point the Baron drugs and viciously rapes Mohiam, and in retribution she secretly infects him with the disease that will later leave him horribly obese. The daughter born of this second union

6248-601: The pretense of taking over the valuable melange operation there. The Baron has an agent in the Atreides household: Leto's own physician, the trusted Suk doctor Wellington Yueh . Though Suk Imperial Conditioning supposedly makes the subject incapable of inflicting harm, the Baron's twisted Mentat Piter De Vries has managed to break it using the threat of interminable torture on Yueh's captive wife Wanna . Harkonnen also distracts Leto's Mentat Thufir Hawat from discovering Yueh by guiding Hawat toward another suspect: Leto's Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica , of whom Hawat

6336-413: The recast, "While it's hard not to miss Reeves's elegance, there is an otherworldliness to Krige that suits a Bene Gesserit 'witch' superbly." Rebecca Ferguson portrayed Jessica in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel , Dune: Part Two . The films adapt the 1965 novel in two parts. Ferguson was initially dismissive of the role, as she felt it was too similar to Ilsa Faust ,

6424-472: The ritual of spice agony and replaces the dying Fremen Reverend Mother. But Jessica is pregnant during the ordeal, exposing the fetus to the same awakening of ancestral ego-memories. A child born this way is called an Abomination by the Bene Gesserit, because experiencing this heightened awareness before they have formed a personality of their own makes them vulnerable to eventually being overtaken by one of their ancestral personalities. Jessica's daughter Alia ,

6512-422: The role in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune , which was subsequently portrayed by Alice Krige in the 2003 sequel, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune . Rebecca Ferguson portrayed Jessica in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film adaptation and its 2024 sequel . Jessica is described in Dune as having "hair like shaded bronze ... and green eyes" as well as an "oval face." This shape

6600-514: The rule of the Harkonnens. Eventually, a series of Fremen victories against Beast Rabban threaten to disrupt the trade of the spice, inciting the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV to intervene personally, leading several legions of Sardaukar. After the emperor's arrival on Arrakis, both Corrino and Harkonnen are shocked to learn that rather than a native Fremen warlord, their opponent Muad'Dib is the still-living Paul Atreides, and

6688-403: The sandworms. The Harkonnens' past ruthlessness further causes the enraged Fremen to give them little to no quarter. Over the course of the battle their entire army is exterminated. The Harkonnen leadership are also all killed in the course of this battle. Rabban dies first, in the early stages of the battle. Baron Harkonnen himself is poisoned with a gom jabbar by Paul's sister Alia Atreides ,

6776-634: The second film, Villeneuve said, "Lady Jessica kind of disappears in the second part of the book, and I made sure as I was writing the screenplay to do the opposite, to make sure that she will be active, to bring her back to the front of the story." Ferguson said of Jessica in Part Two , "She's a mom protecting and training someone, something. I say something because she knows [she's dealing with] an entity bigger than themselves. When Paul starts going off, she begins losing power, and it puts her on an unpredicted journey to discover who we are in response to other people." Villeneuve explained, "She lost everything. She

6864-409: The shields of the Atreides fortress and delivers a drugged Leto to the Baron, but also provides Leto with a false tooth filled with poison gas. Leto bites down on the tooth in the Baron's presence, but the gas only manages to kill Leto and the Baron's twisted Mentat, Piter De Vries . Jessica is drugged, bound and gagged to prevent her using her powers. The Baron orders that she and Paul be disposed of in

6952-442: The story of Leto and Jessica's relationship and Paul's early years before the events of Dune . Lady Jessica was portrayed by Francesca Annis in the 1984 David Lynch film Dune . Annis said that when her agent first called her to say that Lynch and producer Dino De Laurentiis were interested in her for a part in Dune , she declined a meeting because she was working on a television series in northern England and had heard that

7040-499: The symbolism that was put in the prophecy. She's supposed to be the mother of the messiah, so I wanted to bring the idea that she was like the Pope of the Reverend Mothers on Arrakis. There's some kind of madness in writing elements of the prophecies on her face. Frankly, I think when you drink the worm poison, it affects your sanity—and the same with Paul. I like the idea that we feel she's going too far." The Guardian wrote that Jessica

7128-423: The thunder as opposing matriarchs of the great royal houses. Although the two never catfight, their ongoing struggle to rule the Dune dynasty gives this mini a real kick." Observing that Sarandon and Krige were "clearly relishing their roles", Fries added that "Sarandon makes a formidable enemy, while Krige, traditionally cast as the villain, proves she can work both sides of the moral fence." Asher-Perrin noted of

7216-464: The universe almost purely out of her own vanity—all comes down to Ferguson imbuing her with inner life and dimension that makes us feel like we understand her even when the script doesn't actually give us every detail about her motivations." Villeneuve said, "I'm looking forward for the world to see what Rebecca has accomplished. She's not afraid to go very far away. She's a force that I can count on." A line of Dune action figures from toy company LJN

7304-402: The urgency of erotic revelation. In those moments when Annis is onscreen, Dune finds the emotional center that has eluded it in its parade of rococo decor and austere special effects. She reminds us of what movies can achieve when they have a heart as well as a mind." Michel Chion described the depiction of Jessica in the film as a "radical reversal" from the novel, writing that "Jessica becomes

7392-484: The valuable drug at the center of the galactic empire's economy. Leto suspects treachery on the part of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV , but cannot refuse the assignment. Soon the Baron Harkonnen launches an attack, his forces secretly bolstered by Shaddam's fierce Sardaukar warriors and aided by Leto's own trusted Suk doctor , Wellington Yueh . Coerced by the Baron to save his wife from torture, Yueh disables

7480-658: Was also adept at comedy, giving performances as a baseball club manager in Blue Skies Again , Meg Ryan 's corrupt security guard captain dad in Armed and Dangerous and a dotty senile veterinarian in Three Fugitives . McMillan had a recurring role in 1977–78 as Valerie Harper 's irate boss Jack Doyle on the TV sitcom Rhoda . Among the TV shows McMillan did guest spots on are Dark Shadows , Ryan's Hope , as

7568-511: Was perhaps best known as Jack Doyle in Rhoda (1977–1978), and as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in David Lynch 's Dune . McMillan was born in Brooklyn , New York, the son of Margaret and Harry McMillan, a truck driver. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts . Prior to becoming an actor, McMillan was employed at Gimbels Department Store first as

7656-557: Was released to lackluster sales in 1984. Styled after David Lynch's film, the collection featured a figure of Baron Harkonnen, as well as other characters. In 2006, SOTA Toys produced a Baron Harkonnen action figure for their "Now Playing Presents" line. H. R. Giger 's Harkonnen Chair is a chair originally designed by the artist as set dressing for an unrealized 1970s adaptation of Dune by Alejandro Jodorowsky . Thomas West of Screen Rant writes that "there are few science fiction villains quite as compelling and darkly charismatic as

7744-538: Was released to lackluster sales in 1984. Styled after David Lynch's film, the collection featured figures of various characters. A figure of Lady Jessica previewed in LJN's catalog was never produced. In 2020, Funko produced a Lady Jessica figure as part of their POP! Television line. It is a 4.5-inch (11 cm) vinyl figure in the Japanese chibi style, depicting Jessica in a glow-in-the-dark yellow outfit styled after

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