# Are There Any Well-Known Private Detectives Working Today?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 31, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863 "2002-12-31T14:05:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863/21 "2003-01-01T23:21:07Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ukulele Ike \*  
> \*\*Dashiell Hammett. \*\*

Uh, I think he’s dead. The OP asked about PI’s still working today, which is what I was talking about.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863/22 "2003-01-11T20:11:42Z")

</div>

Hey! I just found another one. He may or may not still be working though:

[Wayne Knight](http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800246387&cf=gen&intl=us) yes, NEWMAN from Seinfeld, was/is a private detective.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863/23 "2003-01-12T01:31:09Z")

</div>

William Dear got a lot of publicity based on the “Dungeons and Dragons case” (the disappearance of James Dallas Egbert). I think that is how most private investigators get a reputation these days – they are called in by frantic parents in kidnapping and disappearance-type situations, and milk the publicity for all it’s worth. Book deals, television appearances, the works.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-well-known-private-detectives-working-today/145863.md?page=1)