Walter Curnow
Encyclopedia
Walter Curnow is a fictional book
character
.
He appears in the book and movie versions of 2010: Odyssey Two
which is part of the Space Odyssey series. There, he is the American engineer who designed Discovery and was helping to build Discovery II to go back to Jupiter
. When the joint Soviet-American mission on the Leonov was planned instead, Curnow was one of the three American experts to go on the trip along with Heywood Floyd and Dr. Chandra.
Curnow was one of the first people to set foot on Discovery again, along with Maxim Brailovsky. His engineering expertise managed to get Discovery working again.
Curnow is described in the book as a large bear-like man, who was naturally loud and tended to be the life of the party. He was bisexual
and briefly had a relationship with Maxim Brailovsky, until Floyd told him to break it off for the sake of crewwoman Zenia Marchenko, who was in love with Max. Following his and Max's break-up he became an item with Dr. Katerina Rudenko, who he married once they came back to Earth. In the movie, Curnow is played by John Lithgow
, and he is a very blunt man who is not as popular with the Russians as his novel counterpart. Also, in the film he is never romantically attached (as it was still controversial in 1984, his bisexuality
was never factored into the movie) and his relationship with Max is slightly adversarial.
Despite being younger than Heywood Floyd, Curnow apparently died some time before 2061 - as did everyone on the Leonov except for Floyd and Zenia Marchenko.
In the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact
, Curnow is played by American actor John Lithgow
. As mentioned previously, the issue of Curnow's sexual preferences was never referred to in the film, and the character became friends with Max during the spacewalk to board the Discovery.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
.
He appears in the book and movie versions of 2010: Odyssey Two
2010: Odyssey Two
2010: Odyssey Two is a 1982 best-selling science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is the sequel to the 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, but continues the story of Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation with the same title and not Clarke's original novel. The book is a part of Clarke's...
which is part of the Space Odyssey series. There, he is the American engineer who designed Discovery and was helping to build Discovery II to go back to Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. When the joint Soviet-American mission on the Leonov was planned instead, Curnow was one of the three American experts to go on the trip along with Heywood Floyd and Dr. Chandra.
Curnow was one of the first people to set foot on Discovery again, along with Maxim Brailovsky. His engineering expertise managed to get Discovery working again.
Curnow is described in the book as a large bear-like man, who was naturally loud and tended to be the life of the party. He was bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and briefly had a relationship with Maxim Brailovsky, until Floyd told him to break it off for the sake of crewwoman Zenia Marchenko, who was in love with Max. Following his and Max's break-up he became an item with Dr. Katerina Rudenko, who he married once they came back to Earth. In the movie, Curnow is played by John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
, and he is a very blunt man who is not as popular with the Russians as his novel counterpart. Also, in the film he is never romantically attached (as it was still controversial in 1984, his bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
was never factored into the movie) and his relationship with Max is slightly adversarial.
Despite being younger than Heywood Floyd, Curnow apparently died some time before 2061 - as did everyone on the Leonov except for Floyd and Zenia Marchenko.
In the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact
2010: The Year We Make Contact
Jupiter is engulfed by monoliths, which increase its density to the point that nuclear fusion occurs, transforming the planet into a small star. Discovery is consumed in the blast, but Leonov breaks away and begins its long journey home. The new star's miraculous appearance later inspires...
, Curnow is played by American actor John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
. As mentioned previously, the issue of Curnow's sexual preferences was never referred to in the film, and the character became friends with Max during the spacewalk to board the Discovery.