Sherlocks
Five Sherlock Holmes Actors Who Left An Impression On Me. Jeremy Brett, Johnny Lee Miller, Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jnr and Benedict Cumberbatch
Introduction - Why Am I Writing About Sherlocks?
Image from Adapt or Perish Podcast
I was watching the recent BBC take on Sherlock (I say recent the first episode was in 2010 so twelve years ago, there are probably kids who have seen it who werenât born when it first started - although they shouldnât have seen it) and then I thought âWho are the actors who have played a decent Sherlock Holmes?â.
Sherlock Holmes is probably the most portrayed literary human character in film and television history. Additionally, many actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes in audio dramas and stage productions.
Many have and many are forgotten, and I canât really put them in order barring my all-time favourite who will appear as the final entry here.
I will have missed many and you will probably berate me for those I miss but these are just five who have stayed with me.
Basil Rathbone
Probably my first screen Sherlock Holmes or the one that stuck in my mind. Rathbone between 1939 and 1946 appeared in fourteen Sherlock Holmes movies. The movies are:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) The Spider Woman (1943) The Scarlet Claw (1944) The Pearl of Death (1944) The House of Fear (1945) The Woman in Green (1945) Pursuit to Algiers (1945) Terror by Night (1946) Dressed to Kill (1946)
Basil Rathbone played the role of Sherlock Holmes for a television adaptation of The Adventure of the Black Baronet for a 1953 episode of a TV show, âSuspenseâ,
Rathbone is an excellent screen presence in all of his films and no doubt provided inspiration for many other Sherlocks.
Benedict Cumberbatch
A relative unknown when he took the lead in the BBC Update, âSherlockâ. Ten minutes in he was a star. Running alongside Johnny Lee Miller in Elementary, Cumberbatch was UK based and a perfect modern Sherlock in some sharp stories with an amazing supporting cast. Martin Freeman is his Watson.
There is lots of danger, adventure and modernity here and the episodes are all very rewatchable.
Johnny Lee Miller
The series âElementaryâ started at roughly the same time as the BBCâs âSherlockâ with Benedict Cumberbatch and mine and many others thought it was just a copycat series, but it was anything but.
With Lucy Liu as Dr Joan Watson. The series was set and filmed primarily in New York City. There are 24 episodes per season, so by the end of season two, Jonny Lee Miller had become the actor who had portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the most episodes on television or in film.
In his brownstone and being a recovering drug addict accompanied by a sponsor (Joan Watson) brought in by his father), Johnny Lee Millerâs Sherlock becomes more engaging with every episode that you watch. He is a modern Sherlock Holmes but very different from the Cumberbatch one but also with a lot of commonalities.
Robert Downey Junior
Sherlock in a pair of over the top Guy Ritchie films and an absolutely engaging Sherlock with lots of big bangs and fun lines, with Jude Law as his Watson.
Jeremy Brett
For me, the ultimate Sherlock Holmes. He was in 41 episodes over four ITV series between 1984 and 1994 with David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as his Watson.
A Sherlock Conclusion
There are so many amazing actors who have played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective that this could have been a huge list, but I have chosen the five that mean the most to me.
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Comments (5)
You had me at Sherlock! JLM has my heart and RDJr. has my utmost respect, too.
Love reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I have seen all of 'Elementary' when it was on over here. At times I could even catch similarities from the stories to a modernized version they presented on that show. Good job.
RDJ is fantastic. Definitely my favourite Sherlock and probably one of my favourite humans on the planet.
This was a very interesting read, Mike. Iâll have to check some of these out. Iâve never seen most of them.
I loved this Mike! I personally think that Cumberbatch absolutely nailed the role. He is an undeniable force! But they have all done it justice in their own way, and I love them all. But like you, Jeremy Brett was my first and foremost Holmes and always will be. đđ€