Yorke Norroy, Diplomatic Agent

Origin
Yorke Norroy was a freelance "Diplomat" (a nice way of saying "spy" at the turn of the 20th century), who worked for the US State Department in a strictly unoffical capacity. He led a team of highly skilled operatives, who conducted elaborate and often dangerous operations to secure US interests against enemy nations.

Yorke maintained a cover identity as a silly dandy, who concerned himself with fashion above all else. This identity was described as a "brainless popinjay, a butterfly of fashion, a boneless dandy, suave, slim, elegant." However, the real Yorke was a true patriot, willing to do most anything in the service of his nation. Because he was hired unofficially for one mission at a time, and because his cover identity was expensive to maintain, he was always concerned about where his money was coming from. In service to his nation, he diregarded his own notions of morality. He believed, "service to the State excuses all actions, removes these actions from the moral and ethical, transplants them to some neutral place where no values exist, save expediency."

Public Domain Film Appearances
The Further Adventures of Yorke Norroy (1922)