Who are your favorite characters in a book?

Everyone who likes to read surely has one (or more) favorite character(s). As I am mostly into adventurous historical novels or nail-biting thrillers, my favorites fall into these categories.

My female heroines are women who are daring, will do anything for their love. Women like Mara, the young slave girl in Eloise McGraw's 'Mara, Daughter of the Nile'. Mara takes a great risk to save the life of the man she loves, Lord Sheftu.

Or the French heroine Angélique, out of the novels of Anne and Serge Golon (the first series also available on film). I don't know how many perils Angélique must suffer, but she comes through spendidly!

What concerns men, I admit I do have a big liking to Dirk Pitt, a character created by Clive Cussler. Pitt is the man who can do anything and saves the world singlehandedly. He can kill and love, is creative and has a sense of humor. A man after my heart!

In the past, another man caught my fantasy - the Scarlet Pimpernel. He looks a fool, but isn't. He is able to rescue lots of French aristocrats from the guillotine and always the day.

So, who are your favorites?