Clifford Anderson

Clifford Anderson is the main antagonist of Ira Levin's 1978 play Deathtrap. He is a sociopathic playwright who conspires with fellow writer Sidney Bruhl to kill Sidney's wife and write a smash hit Broadway play about the crime.

In the 1982 film adaptation of the play, he is portrayed by the late Christopher Reeve in the only villainous role of his career.

In Deathtrap
The play establishes that Clifford is a sociopath who spent his youth in and out of juvenile detention centers for a series of petty crimes. He is nevertheless a talented writer, and, attends a playwriting seminar from fading playwright Sidney Bruhl, writes a surefire hit thriller called "Deathtrap" about two playwrights who kill the older writer's wife, become lovers, and write a smash hit play abut the crime. Bruhl is intrigued and offers to finance the play; he also becomes Clifford's lover and conspires with him to kill his wife, Myra.

Clifford shows up at Bruhl's house and has dinner with him and Myra. Bruhl then pretends to strangle him to death, steal his play and then bury him. Clifford emerges from his "grave", giving Myra a fatal heart attack. He then moves in with Bruhl, posing as his "secretary", and begins work with him on the play. Bruhl is hesitant to write the play, fearing that it will attract suspicion from the police, but Clifford strong-arms him into keeping his commitment.

Unfortunately for Clifford, Bruhl's neighbor, a self-proclained psychic named Helga Ten Dorp, takes an interest in the case. She arrives at Bruhl's house one stormy night and intimates that the "spirit world" told her that Myra was murdered; this frightens Bruhl into cancelling the play he was planning to write with Clifford, and attempting to kill him. Clifford gets the better of Bruhl, however, and threatens to reveal his secrets unless he consents to the publication of "Deathtrap". Ultimately, Bruhl fatally wounds Clifford with a crossbow, but in his death throes, Clifford stabs Bruhl to death. Ironically, Ten Dorp publishes Clifford's manuscript as her own and becomes a famous playwright.