Jean Passepartout is a man of unusual talents and uncertain background.

French is the first of his many languages, although no one is sure if Passepartout was born in France or some neighboring Mediterranean country. He was probably exposed to several different cultures for short periods of time, thus providing fodder for his natural talent of miscommunication. Possession of his unique smattering of linguistics also lends credence to the theory that Passepartout may have spent his formative years living a rather unconventional and nomadic lifestyle.

His dubious mastery of all languages has led Phileas Fogg to comment that Passepartout "speaks fourteen languages. All of them badly."

We do know that he is very intelligent and received some formal education, though Passepartout is more a student of life than of the universities. His former occupations include that of a circus acrobat, a Parisian fireman, a hairdresser and a lumberjack.

Immediately prior to his employ by Fogg, Passepartout was valet to Baron von Bresslau before being forfeited along with the Aurora in an orchestrated game of chance that transferred his lot to his current Master. That Master is now the recipient of his vast amount of obscure knowledge regarding a far-flung variety of cultures. This provides Fogg with a wealth of amusing, albeit, rather useless information.

Jean Passepartout, however, is far from useless. He is Fogg’s indispensable and trusted valet. Performing innumerably duties such as preparing meals for finicky palates, running errands that tend to turn life-threatening, ironing the newspaper to crisp perfection, or serving tea with European panache to a demanding and often cantankerous Fogg, Passepartout executes each task with a courage and ingenuity that would destroy a lesser man.

Nor do his duties end there. He is also guardian of Fogg’s most prized possession, the incredible dirigible, Aurora, and serves as caretaker, mechanic, pilot and navigator to this spectacular aircraft. Of all Passepartout’s numerous responsibilities, the Aurora is probably his favorite and the one he takes most seriously.

He also has a knack for erratic genius in regards to invention. His technical bent, vivid imagination and practical roots have led Passepartout to create mechanical wonders of mostly insignificant proportions. These devices are usually tested upon his Master and friends, often with unforeseen results: pants pressers have run amuck and tea service trays have sprung to life unbidden.

For all the chaos that tends to follow or be unleashed by Passepartout, one thing remains constant: his loyalty. He is willing to follow his Master into battle at a moment’s notice, though he would rather not have to battle at all. He will defend his friends wholeheartedly, though he would prefer that there was no one to defend against. And in the most precarious situations, Passepartout stands ready, willing and able to fight…even against his better judgement.

Jean Passepartout is an endearing mixture of opposites: a practical romantic, a humble genius and a superstitious scientist. And although his command of the English language may falter, his trustworthiness, honesty and loyalty are unshakable.

A better ally in troubled times cannot be found.