The Devil's advocate was an official in the Catholic Church who would attempt to prove a candidate for canonization to not be a saint. It is used as a figure of speech for someone who takes a position they do not necessarily agree with or runs counter to their or others interests for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further, possibly with regards to demonstrated impartiality.
Devil's Advocate may also refer to:
Books
- The Devil's Advocate, a 1990 novel by Andrew Neiderman
- The Devil's Advocate (1997 film), a 1997 film, based on the Neiderman novel, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino
- The Devil's Advocate, a musical stage adaptation, whose libretto is written by Andrew Neiderman
- The Devil's Advocate, a 1952 novel by Taylor Caldwell
- The Devil's Advocate (West novel), a 1959 novel by Morris West
- The Devil's Advocate (1977 film), a West German film adaptation of the Morris West novel; original title "Des Teufels Advokat" but shot in English
- Devil's Advocate, a 2000 biography by John Humphrys
- The Joker: Devil's Advocate, a 1996 comic book written by Chuck Dixon and drawn by Graham Nolan
- Devil's Advocate, a 1928 book by James George Frazer
- John Mortimer: The Devil's Advocate - The Unauthorised Biography, a 2005 biography by Graham Lord
People
- Giovanni Di Stefano (fraudster) (born 1955), British-Italian faux lawyer, nicknamed "The Devil's Advocate" for his involvement in high-profile criminal cases
- Jacques Vergès (1925–2013), French attorney most famous for representing Klaus Barbie, "the Butcher of Lyon"
Television and film
- The Devil's Advocate (1997 film), a 1997 film, based on the Neiderman novel, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino
- Devil's Advocate (British TV series), a 1995 British two-part television-film starring Alice Krige
- Devil's Advocate (TV series), a Dutch reality television series
- Devil's Advocate, a fictional pinball game appearing in "Insane Clown Poppy", an episode of The Simpsons
- The Devil's Advocate, a current affairs television series fronted by Darcus Howe on Channel 4 (1992–1996)
- The Devil's Advocates, a fictional motorcycle gang appearing in the film Nam's Angels
- Devil's Advocate, a chapter of the BBC documentary series Notorious about British fraudster Giovanni Di Stefano
Other
- "The Devil's Advocate", a 2013 song by Christopher Lee, on Charlemagne: The Omens of Death
See also
- The Advocate's Devil, a 1994 novel by Alan Dershowitz
- Devil's Chaplain (disambiguation)
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