Langdon is later joined in the investigation by Vittoria Vetra (Leonardo's daughter) and they start their journey to the Vatican to unlock the mystery behind the Illuminati, an anti-Catholic secret society which, according to the plot, has deeply infiltrated many global institutions, political, economical and religious. When he starts to investigate the murder, his obsession for the subject history comes into play. Robert Langdon is called to CERN headquarters in Switzerland to find out about the religious symbological implications of the death of CERN's finest and best-known physicist, Leonardo Vetra. Langdon also mentions he was raised a Catholic but that he will never understand God and also said that faith is a gift he has yet to receive.
As a professor at Harvard University, he teaches Religious Iconology and the fictional field of Symbology. Known for a brilliant problem-solving mind and his genius, Langdon has an eidetic memory and an understanding of semiotics. His father died when he was 12, and his new mentor father-figure became Peter Solomon, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He suffers from claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed spaces, as he fell into a well when he was 7 years old. Langdon was a diver at Phillips Exeter Academy in prep school and played water polo at Princeton University where he went for college. A frequently referred to accessory is his Walt Disney Mickey Mouse watch, a gift from his parents on his ninth birthday. Robert Langdon (born Jin Exeter, New Hampshire, United States) is described as looking like “Harrison Ford in Harris tweed,” with his standard attire being a turtleneck, Harris Tweed jacket, khakis, and collegiate cordovan loafers, which he wears to all events, from lectures to social events. Robert is rather open-minded, he can be seen at the campus discussing themes that go from informatics to ancient religion, but he is also known to believe that old myths are no more than just that.
Throughout the books and the lessons he recalls, it is clear that he is not the ordinary professor, he knows how to entertain the crowd and keep the attention on him, even if sometimes the students have a different opinion. Langdon is said to be a tough teacher and strict disciplinarian, but he was also a lover of fun. The character was created by Dan Brown as a fictional alter ego of himself or “the man he wishes he could be.” Brown himself was born on Jin Exeter, New Hampshire, and the fictional Langdon is described as having been born on the same date, also in Exeter, and attending the same school as Brown did, Phillips Exeter Academy.
His voice was arrestingly deep, low, and baritone which had been described by his female students as “chocolate for the ears.” He was six foot tall and his body was the one of a swimmer, lean and toned thanks to his morning ritual in Harvard's pool. He was described as having probing blue eyes, fairly pale complexion, thick black hair with wisps of gray, dimpled chin, and a strong, carefree smile. Professor Langdon at the Vatican archivesīy his female colleagues, Langdon was called an erudite, not much handsome in the classical sense. Throughout his adventures, Langdon displayed a brilliant problem-solving mind and an Eidetic Memory. in 2009, Langdon became involved in the events of The Lost Symbol. After his father died, Peter Solomon became a father figure to him and when Solomon was kidnapped in Washington D.C. This renown as a symbologist caught the attention of CERN in 2000, which led him to The Vatican ( Angels & Demons), and of the WHO in 2013, which led him to Florence ( Inferno). By 2003, he had published numerous texts on symbols and was working on the manuscript of his next book, Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine, which won him recognition by Jacques Saunière and involved him in the events of The Da Vinci Code. Even as he got older, he would retain his “morning ritual” of swimming laps in the college's pool his campus nickname “The Dolphin” was both because of his affable personality and his diving skills. Langdon became a professor at Harvard, teaching religious Symbology and Art History. At preparatory school, he played water polo and a diver was requested.
This led to him developing claustrophobia, which is continually believed to succeed in the following years. Early Life Īt the age of seven, Langdon fell into a well and was trapped there at night.