Remington Steele (character)

Remington Steele, as a character in the television series programme Remington Steele, is a fictitious male private investigator who, though he actually does not exist, has formed the basis of an identity assumed by a former white-collar confidence artist, acted out by Pierce Brosnan, who was quick to see through the elaborate ruse when he first encountered it. The man, whose mentor Daniel Chalmers called him "Harry," had tired of his games and was in need of a new identity to start over in a new line of work--maybe one that enabled him to earn an honest living for once in his life.

Before he was Remington Steele
The future Remington Steele was born illegitimately, and never saw his own birth certificate. Growing up in Ireland with few real friends, he learned to live by his wits on the other side of what he quickly came to see as unjust laws in which legal changes worked too slowly for his liking.

Protege of Daniel Chalmers
When he was a young man, the future Remington encountered a white-collar confidence artist named Daniel Chalmers, whom he did not know was his own father. This man, who called him "Harry," became his mentor and commenced to teach him some of the skills he needed to know in order to play white-collar confidence games against those whose riches and upper-class birth seemed so unearned as to offend both.

It is not known when, where, how, or why Chalmers and "Harry" became so outraged at the atrocities of South Africa's evil apartheid-tyrannised system that they decided to charge that government a heavy price if they ever gained the ability to do so. But they first gained that ability when, in an effort to raise capital for a foundering car company, automaker Gordon Hunter exhibited certain South African Royal Lavulite jewels that appeared to be on loan from the government. In reality, they had been stolen from that government.

First meeting with Laura Holt
It was in "Harry's" pursuit of the jewels, which, as shown in "License To Steele," a private investigator named Laura Holt had been assigned to guard, that the two met for the first time.

He becomes Remington Steele
Though he and Laura got off to a prickly start because Laura was initially so furious that a man whom she saw as having no scruples had assumed Remington Steele's identity, they proved also to make a good team despite some ups and downs.

The recovery of the jewels eventually resulted in Hunter, the automaker who had been exhibiting them, heading to prison--and "Harry," much to Laura's surprise, being left with nothing else to do except resume Remington Steele's identity.

Tax troubles
Persons who do not exist cannot pay taxes on any money or property, as they presumably do not have it to be charged tax on it. That fact, in the instalment "Steele Away With Me," made Internal Revenue Service investigator Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts) suspicious of Remington, and it was at the expense of her GS (government service) job that she worked out the arrangement by which his tax issues could be settled.

Citizen? Of where?
By no means were Remington's problems with the United States government fully solved when his tax bill was settled. There was still the matter of whether he was a citizen and, if so, of what nation.

Father found--and lost again!
In Ireland, where "Steeled With A Kiss" showed that Remington had become the heir of an expensive estate, Daniel Chalmers found him one last time. But by this time, Chalmers was dying and wanted to, before his death, confess to "Harry," aka Remington, that the two were dying father and soon-to-be-outraged son.

Once he got over his outrage, Remington finally asked his father, "What's my real name?" But by that time, Chalmers had died.

Remington Steele had lost his father a second time--and both times without even learning what his own real name had been or was meant to be!

johnathon a well known private investagator like remington steele. one day steele asked me find out he's name was. and he did what he asked for. johnathon then looked around for any clues that might involve it. and i found this name (hary chalmers) he reported back to laura holt about it then she told micheal murphy and mrs.fox and finaly steele he was pleased what hes real name was. after 2 years johnathon died of heart attack. laura and hary had a real marriage