| “ | I'm always awake at night. In the day I sleep. Some fear darkness; but, I cannot stand the light. | „ |
| ~ Countess Andrenyi to Poirot (in the 2017 film) |
| “ | On behalf of His Majesty Franz Joseph I. Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Etc. Etc. Aposotolic king of Hungary Passport. SZDM Number: A.382.060 Countess Elena Maria Andrenyi for a Hungarian citizen |
„ |
| ~ Countess Andrenyi's passport |
Countess Helena Maria Andrenyi, born Helenea Maria Goldberg, is a major protagonist in Agatha Christie's 1934 Hercule Poirot novel, Murder on the Orient Express. She is the wife of Count Andrenyi and the younger sister of Sonia Armstrong.
She was portrayed by Jacqueline Bisset in 1974, Amira Casar in 2001, Elena Satine in 2010 and Lucy Boynton in 2017.
Overview[]
During the night of Ratchett's murder, Helena had been asleep after having taken some trional which, according to her husband, she always took when travelling by train. She was therefore not involved in the stabbing. Her husband swore that she never left her compartment in night and Poirot was inclined to believe him, more so after he found a bottle of trional in her compartment.
After Ratchett's murder, Helena identified herself to Poirot as "Elena". She was travelling on her husband's passport, where the "H" of her name there had been obscured by a spot of grease. The Count explained later he had done it because Poirot had found a handkerchief with the initial "H" on it. He wanted to avoid suspicion being cast on his wife. He was also concerned that her link to the Armstrong family should remain undiscovered.
The Countess is the only suspect who does not participate in Ratchett's murder, in spite of her eager to find justice for her family. Her husband took her place to kill Ratcheet in order to protect his wife, and she is still one of the associates.
Trivia[]
- In most of the adaptations, the maiden name of Countess Andrenyi are different. In the 1974 film, it was Grunwald, and in 2010, it was Wassersteen.
- In the 1974 film, Countess Andrenyi participated in the murder, as she and her husband stabbed Cassetti together.
- Countess Helena Adrenyi from the 2017 film shares the same actress as Frankie Derwent in the 2022 series “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”.
