Monks | |
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![]() Monks (left) depicted by James Mahoney | |
Portrayed by | Carl Stockdale (1922 film) Ralph Truman (1948 film) John Carson (1962 TV serial) Oliver Cotton (1982 TV film) Pip Donaghy (1985 TV serial) Marc Warren (1999 miniseries) Julian Rhind-Tutt (2007 miniseries) Ezekiel Simat (2023 TV series) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Edward Leeford |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Criminal |
Family | Edwin Leeford (father, deceased) Mrs Leeford (mother, deceased) Oliver Twist (half-brother) |
Nationality | English |
Edward "Monks" Leeford is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists (alongside Bill Sikes) in the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.[1] He is actually the criminally-inclined half-brother of Oliver Twist, but he hides his identity. Monks' parents separated when he was a child, and his father had a relationship with a young woman, Agnes Fleming. This resulted in Agnes' pregnancy. She died in childbirth after giving birth to the baby that would be named Oliver Twist.