History Main / ThePatriarch

* Tony Soprano in ''Series/TheSopranos'' thinks he is this. He is fooling himself, and that is kind of the point of the show.

->''"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder--infinitely prouder--to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build, the father only builds, never destroys."''
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur'''

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* Literature/TheBible : Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. David too. Not to mention our heavenly Father.

* {{God}} in Literature/TheBible is given metaphors like "father", "king", "lord of hosts", "judge" and so on which makes one conclude that Hebrews thought of Him as being like a tribal chieftain combining familial, political, judiciary, military and other functions much as a human chief would.

** Tywin Lannister is the rather villainous patriarch of House Lannister.

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* Kyosuke and Kirino's dad in ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}'' is this. Is permissive to his children so long as they follow certain conditions, such as his allowing Kirino to be a model if she excels at schoolwork. He doesn't take very well finding out that she is an {{otaku}}, not because of any stupidity concerning the AnimationAgeGhetto, but because of the attached stigma of being one, which he does not want her to suffer. However, no amount of reasoning can make him accept her ownership of {{eroge}} (since Kirino's still in junior high), so Kyosuke [[TakingTheHeat takes the heat for that]].
** Who then gets punched in the face for claiming he's going in his sister's room to use her computer to play games about BrotherSisterIncest.
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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': All the major houses have one, of course, but Tywin Lannister wins the prize.

* President Bartlet in ''TheWestWing'' is a TrueCompanions-induced version of this.

* TommyLeeJones plays a surrogate for this in ''Man of the House''. He is also this to his daughter in the same movie.

* 'UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar' is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* ''UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar'' is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* '''UsefulNotes/Julius Caesar''' is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* UsefulNotes/Julius Caesar is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* ''UsefulNotes/Julius Caesar'' is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* Julius Caesar is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', as he was in real life.

* Julius Caesar is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/Rome (Series)'', as he was in real life as well.

* Julius Caesar is the patriarch of his family in ''Series/Rome'', as he was in real life as well.

* All thirteen Dragonmarked Houses in ''{{Eberron}}'' have a patriarch or matriarch, except for House Cannith, who has three operating in distinct regions.

This is the SpearCounterpart to an ApronMatron. He is a tough family male elder and he just oozes authority wherever he goes. Likely he will be head of TheClan, a CoolOldGuy and of course a BadassGrandpa. But younger versions are allowed though usually not too young. Just as an Apron Matron is a {{Badass}} woman whose formidability is tied to running the family, he is a man whose formidability is associated in the same way.

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* UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson was referred to as "most blessed of the patriarchs" and his family regarded him as such, with even his enslaved relatives commenting the respect they had for him as the *pater familias*.

->''"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder -- infinitely prouder -- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build, the father only builds, never destroys."''

* In Spielberg's ''Film/{{Munich}}'', the main character encounters a maxed-out PapaWolf version of TheDon - ThePatriarch of a crime family, who is just as attentive and reasonable as a regular fiction farm daddy, and also performs a "man test" for the main character - specifically, if he can hold his own in a kitchen (he can, on account of being raised in a kibutz). Plays out all the tropes of a wise old Don to a tee, with BIG emphasis on family.
--> '''Papa:''' Let me see your hands.
--> ''[he grabs Avner's hands and compares them to his own]''
--> '''Papa:''' Too big for a good cook. That was my problem too! I would've been a master, but I have thick, stupid butcher's hands just like yours. Oh, we are tragic men. Butcher's hands, gentle souls.

* Tywin Lannister provides a villainous example, both in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' and [[Series/GameOfThrones the TV adaptation.]]
** Eddard Stark is the stern-but-loving PapaWolf variant.
%%** To a lesser extent, Walder Frey and Doran Martell both qualify as well.

->''"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder -- infinitely prouder -- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build, the father only builds, never destroys."''
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur'''

* Papa Smurf in ''TheSmurfs''.

* Vito Corleone in ''Film/TheGodfather''. Michael too.

* Captain von Trapp in ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic''.

* Charlie Anderson in ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}''.

* Rebbe Saunders in ''Literature/TheChosen''.
* Denethor and Théoden in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.

** To a lesser extent, Walder Frey and Doran Martell both qualify as well.
* In L. Jagi's Lamplighter's ''Literature/ProsperosDaughter'' trilogy, Prospero.

* Aral Vorkosigan in Literature/VorkosiganSaga.

* Ben Cartwright in ''{{Series/Bonanza}}''.
* Adama in the old ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}''.
** It is hard to imagine Lorne Greene NOT being a patriarch.

* Rupert Giles, from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. He said it himself.
* Frank Reagan in ''Series/BlueBloods''.
* Jang Bogo's adopted father in ''Emperor of the Sea''.
* Phil Robertson in ''Series/DuckDynasty''.

* TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade:Has Augustus Giovanni

* Big Daddy in ''Theatre/CatOnAHotTinRoof''.
* Mr. Antrobus in ''Theatre/TheSkinOfOurTeeth''. He's Adam '''and''' Noah!

* Sun Jian in the ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' series.

* In [[TarotMotifs tarot]], this trope is represented by the Emperor arcana.

* UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte was this to his relations.
* Many famous Royals and Nobles for obvious reasons.

* [[spoiler: Kalish]] in ''UniversalWarOne''. This trope is even the last issue's title.