Coachman in Dracula (1931) do we know for sure he was Dracula himself?

Question

The Wikipedia article says the coach which takes Renfield to Dracula's castle was driven by the head vampire himself but do we know this for sure? It seems like Dracula would have many people as well as other vampires in his "employ" -- I think gypsies are his protectors and servants in some versions of the movie and the Stoker novel. Why would Dracula spend his time driving a coach?

Answer 1

It's Dracula - and it's a cinematic tradition with at least 3 examples. Nosferatu. Dracula. And the other Dracula. (With apologies to Bob Newhart.)

Edit: the novel makes it all but certain the coachman is Dracula too. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/345/345-h/345-h.htm

The strength of the handshake was so much akin to that which I had noticed in the driver, whose face I had not seen, that for a moment I doubted if it were not the same person to whom I was speaking;

And earlier strongly implying the driver is a vampire...

I could see from the flash of our lamps, as the rays fell on them, that the horses were coal-black and splendid animals. They were driven by a tall man, with a long brown beard and a great black hat, which seemed to hide his face from us. I could only see the gleam of a pair of very bright eyes, which seemed red in the lamplight, as he turned to us. He said to the driver:—

“You are early to-night, my friend.” The man stammered in reply:—

“The English Herr was in a hurry,” to which the stranger replied:—

“That is why, I suppose, you wished him to go on to Bukovina. You cannot deceive me, my friend; I know too much, and my horses are swift.” As he spoke he smiled, and the lamplight fell on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory. One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger’s “Lenore”:—

“Denn die Todten reiten schnell”— (“For the dead travel fast.”) The strange driver evidently heard the words, for he looked up with a gleaming smile.