[Publius]

Movie: Jake Gittes from "Chinatown."

TV: Jim Rockford from "The Rockford Files."

Book: Sam Spade from Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon."

[freefdny]

Frank Cannon of course.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Gyi61vjGQ

[Mr. N. Wolfe]

Nero Wolfe.

Loved the A&E television series. The books were good too.

[imardmd1]

Sheldon "Shell" Scott (click here), the principal character of the three dozen detective novels written by Richard S. Prather (1921-2007), over a period of 37 years (1950-1987).

When I was in my twenties, could not wait to get my hands on the newest one. A man's man, a fair-haired fighter, standing for the right. The novels were well written and a gold mine for Prather, I suppose.

Book image never destroyed by making a movie out of it.

[Ahithophel]

TV: Jim Rockford from "The Rockford Files."

Absolutely. Rockford, reportedly, was discovered while working as a gas station attendant. Can't help but like a series where the model year of Rockford's Firebird changed during chase scene in the same episode.

[Polyxene]

Columbo, Seeley Booth (Bones), Lenny Briscoe and Mike Logan (Law and Order), Robert Goren and Zach Nichols (Law and Order, CI).