Uriah Heep

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Uriah Heep and David Copperfield in an illustration of David Copperfield

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Uriah Heep and David Copperfield in an illustration of David Copperfield — Uriah Heep and David Copperfield in an illustration of David Copperfield An illustration by Frederick Barnard from Charles Dickens's novel David Copperfield (1849–50). The character Uriah Heep (left) is shown with David Copperfield.

Uriah Heep

fictional character

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Uriah Heep, fictional character, the unctuous villain in Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield (1849–50). The name Uriah Heep has become a byword for a falsely humble hypocrite.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.