Gérard de Villefort is the highest ranking judge in Paris and is considered a member of the social elite. He is known for being harsh in his rulings, a trait that will return to haunt him. While he conducts his judicial business with an iron fist, he is in truth a very passive, self-flagellating character trying to get out from under the shadow of his father Noirtier. His first wife died years ago, and he remarried to a social-climber named Héloïse.

Spoiler

He once had an affair with Madame Danglars which resulted in a child. Villefort was the one who sent Edmond Dantes to prison without a trial and the intent to keep him there within the prison walls for life.