The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.
He is primarily featured in the 1965 Science Fiction novel Dune, in which he is the main antagonist, and is also a major character in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999-2001) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
The Baron also appears in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007). He was played by Kenneth McMillan in the 1984 film adaptation of the first novel, and by Ian McNeice in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
Vladimir Harkonnen is the supreme leader of House Harkonnen based on Planet Giedi Prime. He is so grossly and immensely fat that he requires anti-gravity devices known as "suspensors" to support his weight (hence his nickname, "the floating fatman").
