The 1978 mystery film “Death on the Nile” is based on a novel by the famous British writer Agatha Christie, featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and set in Egypt.
So how did a University of Virginia School of Law diploma end up on one character’s office wall? When UVA Today received the question from Mary Farsetta, a quality improvement coordinator in the Heart and Vascular Center at UVA Health, we knew we had to take a crack at it.
Roughly 10 minutes into “Death on the Nile,” viewers can see a framed UVA Law diploma on the office wall of Anthony Pennington (played by George Kennedy). But why UVA?
A UVA Law diploma appears early in the British film “Death on the Nile.”
The answer is not a straightforward one.
We were unable to find connections between people involved with the film and the University. One possible explanation is that diplomas from UVA Law are larger than other universities, making them more visible.
Pennington, despite his shady behavior, is meant to be a high-powered lawyer, successful and prominent enough to act as a trustee for the wealthy heiress Linnet Ridgeway. He would need a degree to match his standing, and UVA Law consistently ranks among top law schools in the United States. Plus, Pennington is American, meaning he likely attended American schools.
Some trivia enthusiasts have hypothesized the Virginia degree is a reference to actor George Kennedy’s shared last name with the Kennedy political family. Robert and Ted Kennedy both attended UVA Law, though there are no known ties between the actor and the famous politicians.
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