Carl Denham

Carl Denham
King Kong character
Denham (left) as portrayed by Jack Black in the 2005 film
First appearance	King Kong (1933 film)
Last appearance	King Kong (2005 film)
Created by	Edgar Wallace Merian C. Cooper
Portrayed by	Robert Armstrong (1933) Jack Black (2005)
Information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	Film director
Nationality	American

Carl Denham is a fictional character in the films King Kong and Son of Kong (both released in 1933), as well as in the 2005 remake of King Kong, and a 2004 illustrated-novel titled Kong: King of Skull Island. The role was played by Robert Armstrong in the 1933 films and by Jack Black in the 2005 remake. Denham's function in the story is to initiate the action by bringing the characters to Skull Island, where they encounter the giant beast Kong. Denham then brings Kong to New York City to put him on display as entertainment, but he escapes and rampages through the city.

The original Denham was based on Merian C. Cooper, creator of King Kong; both were brave men of action who made names for themselves filming nature footage in the most dangerous of territories. In some ways, Denham's travels in King Kong match the move that Cooper made when he shifted from documentary filming to narrative storytelling. While bold and willing to take risks, the original Denham is honest, putting his people in danger but never asking more of them than he does of himself. In Son of Kong, he shows great remorse for what he has done and sorrow at the loss of Kong.

In the 2005 remake, Denham is less sympathetic and more devious; characterized as a con artist willing to lie, steal, and cheat to get his film made. For example, he essentially steals his company's resources to move his filming location to the mysterious Skull Island. Also, after making an inspirational eulogy to a colleague killed by Skull Island natives, Denham repeats the same eulogy for his cameraman Herb, killed later on by a Venatosaurus. Denham still has moments of courage and loyalty, however, and appears to show genuine affection for his friends (i.e. his assistant Preston, Jack Driscoll, and Herb). Like in the original, he shows remorse for Kong's death at the end, although it's unclear whether that remorse is due to care for the ape or distress at the destruction of his career, though it is possible it was due to both reasons.

Jack Black, who played Denham's 2005 incarnation, found the character to be comparable to Orson Welles in that he will not compromise on how he sees the end result; he based his performance on Welles, even sporting a haircut based on that of the young filmmaker.