- For other uses, see Winston.
Winston Jeeves, more commonly known simply as Winston, is Lara Croft's butler in the Croft Manor in the series' original timeline.
Biography[]
Winston was born on February 7th, 1924 in Connussie, Ireland. He was decorated in the El Alamein desert campaign under Montgomery during World War II. He was honorably discharged after being wounded in battle.
He returned home and worked with his father as a gamekeeper under the laird on the local estate. He formed a bond with Lord Henshingly Croft upon organizing pheasant shooting excursions and was requested specifically into service by him on the mainland. As Lara's parents continued their world excursions, Winston became like a father to her.
In-Game Appearances[]
Tomb Raider II[]
In Tomb Raider II, he follows the player around. (TR2: "Lara's Home")
Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask[]
Winston appears in the level Nightmare in Vegas. He follows Lara around as always. (TRGM: "Nightmare in Vegas")
Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft[]
In Tomb Raider III, he follows Lara in the same way as in previous installments. Further into the level, Lara can pick up her pistols at the end of the Assault Course. When these are picked up, Winston will change his outfit to a camouflage suit, humorously bearing a targeting board on his chest. If shot, he will raise his tray in defense, and after sustaining too much punishment he will be knocked down to the ground, but will eventually stand up and continue behaving as normal. He cannot be killed. (TR3: "Lara's Home")
Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artefact[]
The level Lara's Home from Tomb Raider III is reused and appears in the game's expansion pack. Winston appears in this level as he did in Tomb Raider III.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles[]
Winston only appears in the cinematic cutscenes in this game. He is one of the three people who are holding a memorial service for Lara, after she is presumed dead. He gives some background exposition between cutscenes and acts as a prominent listener while the other characters are telling their own stories about Lara.
The freezer[]
A game that is quite popular among fans is locking Winston inside the manor kitchen's freezer. Besides this being done for humorous reasons, it's also a common procedure many players are known to carry out in order to remove Winston's presence while playing through this level, as he cannot get out from it. To achieve this, the player has to head into the kitchen, open the fridge by using the button, get inside and wait for Winston to appear and get in; then quickly run out, leaving him behind, and press the button to shut the door again.
Trivia[]
- Before Lara's butler was given an official name, he was often referred to as "Jeeves" by fans.
- There was a nod to this in the Top Cow comics, when Sara Pezzini stays at Lara's house while on vacation.
- In Editions Atlas' The Official Fact Files, Winston was given a birth date 7th February 1927, height 1.58m, and last name "Jeeves".
- Some of those were in conflict with the official Lara Croft: Style Guide.
- Winston is renown for producing a number of sounds that some people might consider unsettling, such as the constant clinking of the crockery he carries on his tray, constant moans and grumbles which are presumably due to his advanced age, and even frequently breaking wind.
- The character Stanley, Mycroft’s butler in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, functions like Winston; he shuffles around quietly and aimlessly with a tray. And, like Winston annoys many players, Stanley just completely confuses and slightly irritates Mycroft. In his own words, “Where are you going, Stanley?!”
- In 2015, composer Nathan McCree revealed on Twitter that he voiced Winston's sound effects in Tomb Raider II.[3]
- In Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara can find a letter from her butler which recounts him being locked in the freezer by a young Lara. This is an obvious reference to the ability to lock Winston in the freezer in earlier games.[5]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft (First appearance)
- Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft
- Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask (appears in nightmare)
- Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artifact
- Tomb Raider: Chronicles
- Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Lost Cult