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Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary human character in film and television history, having appeared on screen 254 times as of 2012.[1] Additionally, many actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes in audio dramas and stage productions.
Name | Title | Date | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Edward H. Smith | The Sign of the Four[2] | 1922 | Radio (WGY) |
William Gillette | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" | 1930 | Radio (NBC Blue Network) |
Lux Radio Theatre – "Sherlock Holmes" | 1935 | Radio adaptation of the play (NBC) | |
Clive Brook | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League"[3] | 1930 | Radio (NBC) |
Richard Gordon | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes[3] | 1930–1933, 1936 | Radio (Mutual, NBC) |
Louis Hector | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes[3] | 1934–1935 | Radio (NBC) |
Orson Welles | The Mercury Theatre on the Air – "Sherlock Holmes" | 1938 | Radio adaptation of the play (CBS) |
Basil Rathbone | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1939–1946 | Radio (Blue Network, Mutual) |
Arthur Wontner | The Boscombe Valley Mystery[4] | 1943 | BBC Home Service |
John Cheatle | My Dear Watson[4] | 1943 | |
Cedric Hardwicke | The Adventure of the Speckled Band[5] | 1945 | |
Laidman Browne | Silver Blaze[5] | 1945 | |
Tom Conway | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1946–1947 | Radio (ABC) |
John Stanley | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1947–1949 | Radio (Mutual) |
H. Marion-Crawford | The Adventure of the Speckled Band[5] | 1948 | BBC Home Service |
Ben Wright | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1949–1950 | Radio (ABC) |
Carleton Hobbs | Sherlock Holmes[6] | 1952–1969 | Radio (BBC series) |
John Gielgud | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes[7] | 1954 | Radio series (BBC Light Programme) |
Richard Hurndall | The Sign of Four Parts 1–5 | 1959 | BBC Light Programme |
Robert Langford | Sherlock Holmes | 1967 | South African Broadcasting Corporation |
Robert Hardy | Sherlock Holmes[8] | 1970–1971 | LP record series |
Robert Powell | A Study in Scarlet[9] | 1974 | BBC Radio 4 |
Kevin McCarthy | CBS Radio Mystery Theater[10] | 1977 | Radio (CBS) |
Barry Foster | Sherlock Holmes[11] | 1978 | Radio series (BBC Radio 4) |
Graham Armitage | The Stories of Sherlock Holmes | 1979–1985 | Radio series (Springbok Radio) |
John Beal | CBS Radio Mystery Theater – "The Vanishing Herd"[10] | 1981 | Radio (CBS) |
Gordon Gould | CBS Radio Mystery Theater[10] | 1981–1982 | |
John Moffatt | Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula[12] | 1981 | BBC radio dramatisation of the novel |
Mark Wing-Davey | The Mystery of the Reluctant Storyteller[13] | 1986 | BBC Radio 4 |
Tim Pigott-Smith | The Valley of Fear[13] | 1986 | |
Roger Rees | The Hound of the Baskervilles[14] | 1988 | |
Ronald Pickup | The Singular Case of Sherlock H. and Sigmund F.[15] | 1988 | BBC Radio 3 |
Clive Merrison | BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes (the entire canon – the first actor to do so)[16] | 1989–1998 | BBC Radio 4 |
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (British series) | 2002–2010 | ||
William Chubb | The Adventure of the Pimlico Poisoner[17] | 1990 | BBC Radio 4 |
Simon Callow | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | 1993 | BBC radio dramatisation of the novel |
The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes[18] | 1993 | Radio series (BBC Radio 5) | |
John Gilbert | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (American series) | 1998–2000 | Radio series (Imagination Theatre) |
Roy Hudd | The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes | 1999 | BBC Radio 2 |
John Patrick Lowrie | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (American series) | 2001–present | Radio series (Imagination Theatre) |
The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the entire canon) | 2005–2016 | ||
Roger Llewellyn | Sherlock Holmes – The Death and Life,[19] Sherlock Holmes – The Last Act[20] | 2009 | Audio dramas (Big Finish Productions) |
Nicholas Briggs | Sherlock Holmes[21] | 2010–present | |
Mir Afsar Ali | Sunday Suspense[22] | 2012-present | Radio Mirchi / Goppo Mir-er Thek |
Seamus Dever | The Hound of the Baskervilles[23] | 2014 | Audio drama (L.A. Theatre Works) |
Derek Jacobi | The Hound of the Baskervilles[24] | 2017 | Audio play (Bleak December Inc.) |
Orlando Wells | Mrs Hudson's Radio Show[25] | 2018 | BBC Radio 4 |
Nicholas Boulton | Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason[26] | 2020 | Audio drama (Audible Original) |
Colin Salmon | The Hound of the Baskervilles[27] | 2021 | |
Phil LaMarr | Moriarty[28] | 2022-present | |
Mark Gatiss | Drama on 3 - "The Hound of the Baskervilles"[29] | 2023 | BBC Radio 3 |
Peterson Joseph | Baker Street Four[30] | 2023 | Audible Original |
Harry Attwell | Sherlock & Co[31] | 2023-present | Scripted podcast (Goalhanger Podcasts) |
Name | Title | Date | Type and location |
---|---|---|---|
C.H.E. Brookfield | Under the Clock[32] | 1893 | Stage (Royal Court Theatre) |
John Webb | Sherlock Holmes[33] | 1894 | Stage (Royalty Theatre, Glasgow) |
William Gillette | Sherlock Holmes | 1899 | Stage (Broadway) |
The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes[34] | 1905 | Stage (Metropolitan Opera House) | |
John F. Preston | The Bank of England: An Adventure in the Life of Sherlock Holmes[35] | 1900 | Stage (Clapham) |
Clarence Blakiston | Sheerluck Jones, or Why D’Gillette Him Off[36] | 1901–1902 | Stage (Terry's Theatre) |
Walter Edwards | The Sign of the Four[34] | 1903 | Stage (West End Theater) |
Herbert Kelcey | Sherlock Holmes | 1903 | Stage (Broadway Theatre, Butte, Montana) Stage (Spokane Theatre, Spokane, Washington) |
Harry Arthur Saintsbury | Sherlock Holmes | 1903–1910 | Stage (London) |
The Speckled Band[37] | 1910 | ||
Kenneth Rivington | Sherlock Holmes[38] | 1904–1905 | Stage (UK tour) |
H. Lawrence Leyton | Sherlock Holmes[39] | 1905–1906 | |
Károly Baumann | Sherlock Hohmec, the King of Detectives | 1905 | Stage (Hungary) |
Arthur V. Johnson | The Burglar and the Lady[40] | 1905–1906 | Stage (US) |
H. Hamilton Stewart | Sherlock Holmes[41] | 1906–1918 | Stage (England) |
Ferdinand Bonn | Sherlock Holmes[42] | 1906 | Stage (Berliner Theatre) |
Der Hund Von Baskerville[42] | 1907 | ||
Dennis Neilson-Terry | The Crown Diamond[43] | 1921 | Stage (London) |
Eille Norwood | The Return of Sherlock Holmes[44] | 1923 | Stage (UK) |
Hamilton Deane | Sherlock Holmes[45] | 1923–1932 | |
Tod Slaughter | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1928 | Stage (England) |
Felix Aylmer | The Holmeses of Baker Street[44] | 1933 | Stage (Lyceum Theatre) |
Tod Slaughter | Sherlock Holmes | 1930 (~) | Stage |
Basil Rathbone | "Sherlock Holmes" by Ouida Bergère[46] | 1953 | Stage play |
Fritz Weaver | Baker Street[47] | 1965 | Stage musical (Broadway Theatre, NYC) |
John Neville | Sherlock Holmes[48] | 1973 (~) | Stage (Royal Shakespeare Company) |
John Wood | Sherlock Holmes | 1974–1976 | Stage (Broadway) |
Leonard Nimoy | Sherlock Holmes | 1976 | Stage (Royal Shakespeare Company) |
Frank Langella | Sherlock Holmes[49] | 1977, 1981 | Stage (Williamstown Theater Festival), filmed for TV in 1981 |
Sherlock's Last Case[50] | 1987 | Stage (Nederlander Theatre) | |
Paxton Whitehead | The Crucifer of Blood | 1978 | Stage (Broadway) |
Keith Michell | The Crucifer of Blood | 1979 | Stage (London) |
Valentīns Skulme | Šerloks Holmss | 1979 | Stage (Latvia) |
Keith Baxter | The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes[51] | 1980 | Stage (Off-Broadway) |
Murder Dear Watson[52] | 1983 | Stage (UK) | |
Paul Singleton | Grit in a Sensitive Instrument | 1980, 1982 | Stage (regional theatre, Off-Broadway), cable TV |
The Blue Carbuncle | 2007–2008 | Stage (Off Broadway, Los Angeles) | |
Charlton Heston | The Crucifer of Blood | 1981 | Stage (Los Angeles) |
Sherlock's Last Case | 1990 | Stage (Broadway) | |
Tom Baker | The Mask of Moriarty[53] | 1985 | Stage (Dublin) |
Alec Baldwin | A Study in Scarlet[54] | 1987 | Stage (The Free Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival) |
Jeremy Brett | The Secret of Sherlock Holmes | 1988–1989 | Stage (touring, British) |
Time Winters | Sherlock Holmes and the Hands of Othello | 1987 | Stage (Off-Off Broadway, NY) |
Ron Moody | Sherlock Holmes: The Musical | 1989 | Stage |
Christopher Lloyd | Sherlock Holmes[55] | 1990 | Stage (The Weston Playhouse) |
Javier Marzan | The Hound of the Baskervilles[56] | 2007 | Stage (West Yorkshire Playhouse) |
Julien Masdoua | Le Cabaret Sherlock Holmes | 2013 | Stage (France) |
Benjamin Lawlor | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2013 | Stage (UK) |
Simon Michael Morgan | Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol | 2013 | Stage (Britain) |
Gregory Wooddell | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery[57] | 2015 | Arena Stage in Southwest, Washington, D.C. |
Euan Morton | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery[58] | 2015 | Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California |
Paul Andrew Goldsmith | Sherlock Holmes & the Case of the Christmas Carol[59] | 2015–2016 | UK theatre tour |
Jay Taylor | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery[60] | 2017–2018 | Liverpool Playhouse |
Luke Barton | Sherlock Holmes – The Sign of Four[61] | 2018–2019 | UK theatre tour[62] |
Collin Conway | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2022 | Stage (Encore Center Threatre, Southern Pines, NC, USA) |
Danny Richter | Sherlock Holmes und der Hund der Baskervilles[63] | 2023–2025 | European theatre tour[64] |
Name | Title | Date | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Milton Berle | Texaco Star Theatre – "Sherlock Holmes in the Mystery of the Sen Sen Murder"[68] | 1949 | TV episode (American) |
Alan Napier | Your Show Time – "The Speckled Band" | 1949 | |
Alan Wheatley | Sherlock Holmes | 1951 | TV series (British) |
Basil Rathbone | Suspense – "The Adventure of the Black Baronet" | 1953 | TV episode (American) |
Ronald Howard | Sherlock Holmes | 1954–1955 | TV series (American) |
Boris Karloff | The Elgin Hour – "Sting of Death" | 1955 | Based on the novel A Taste for Honey (American) |
Douglas Wilmer | Detective – "The Speckled Band" | 1964 | Backdoor pilot for the 1965 series (British) |
Sherlock Holmes | 1965 | TV series (British) | |
Erich Schellow | Sherlock Holmes | 1967–1968 | TV series (German) |
Peter Cushing | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes | 1968 | TV series (British) |
Nando Gazzolo | Sherlock Holmes | 1968 | TV series (Italian) |
Vasily Livanov | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson | 1979–1986 | TV film series (USSR) |
Geoffrey Whitehead | Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson | 1979 | TV series (American-Polish) |
Peter Lawford | Fantasy Island – "Save Sherlock Holmes"[69] | 1982 | TV episode (American) |
Guy Henry | Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | 1982 | TV series (British) |
Roger Ostime | The Baker Street Boys | 1983 | |
Jeremy Brett | Sherlock Holmes | 1984–1994 | |
Taichirō Hirokawa | Sherlock Hound | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (Japanese version) |
Larry Moss | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (English dub) | |
Elio Pandolfi | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (Italian dub) | |
Pat Fraley | BraveStarr – "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century" Parts 1 and 2 | 1988 | Animated TV episodes (American) |
Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. | Alvin and the Chipmunks – "Elementary, My Dear Simon" | 1988 | |
Brian Bedford | Alfred Hitchcock Presents – "My Dear Watson" | 1989 | TV episode (American) |
Jeremy Irons | Saturday Night Live – "Sherlock Holmes' Birthday Party"[70] | 1991 | TV sketch (American) |
Peter Capaldi | The All New Alexei Sayle Show – "Sherlock Holmes & Watson"[71] | 1994 | TV sketch (British) |
Jason Gray-Stanford | Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century | 1999–2001 | Animated TV series (American-British) |
Robert Webb | That Mitchell and Webb Look – "Holmes and Watson" | 2007 | TV sketch (British) |
Ian Buchanan | Batman: The Brave and the Bold – "Trials of the Demon!"[72] | 2009 | Animated TV episode (American) |
David Mitchell | That Mitchell and Webb Look – "Old Sherlock Holmes" | 2010 | TV sketch (British) |
Benedict Cumberbatch | Sherlock | 2010–2017 | TV series (British) |
Alexander Armstrong | The Armstrong and Miller Show | 2010 | TV sketch (British) |
Jonny Lee Miller | Elementary | 2012–2019 | TV series (American) |
Zach Sherwin | Epic Rap Battles of History – "Batman vs. Sherlock Holmes" | 2012 | Online series episode (American) |
Igor Petrenko | Sherlock Holmes | 2013 | TV series (Russian) |
Louis Oliver Moffat | Sherlock – Flashbacks of Holmes as a child | 2013 | TV series (British) |
Kōichi Yamadera | Sherlock Holmes | 2014–2015 | TV series (Japanese) |
Ewan Bremner | Houdini & Doyle – "Bedlam" | 2016 | TV episode (American) |
Mark Caven | Houdini & Doyle – "The Pall of LaPier" | 2016 | |
Yūji Oda | IQ246: The Cases of a Royal Genius | 2016 | TV series (Japanese) |
Yūko Takeuchi | Miss Sherlock | 2018 | |
Dean Fujioka | Sherlock: Untold Stories | 2019 | |
Katsuyuki Konishi | Case File nº221: Kabukicho | 2019–2020 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
Ian Sinclair | 2019–2020 | TV anime series (English dub) | |
Maksim Matveyev | Sherlock in Russia | 2020 | TV series (Russian) |
Makoto Furukawa | Moriarty the Patriot | 2020–2021 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
Theo Devaney | 2021 | TV anime series (English dub) | |
Henry Lloyd-Hughes | The Irregulars | 2021 | TV series (British-American) |
Masato Obara | Lupin the 3rd Part 6 | 2021-2022 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
Yong Yea | 2022 | TV anime series (English dub) | |
Shin-ichiro Miki | Undead Girl Murder Farce | 2023 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
Mark Gatiss | Inside Classical - "The Hound of the Baskervilles"[73] | 2023 | Televised concert (British) |
David Thewlis | Sherlock & Daughter | 2025 | TV series (American-British) |
Hero Fiennes Tiffin | Young Sherlock | 2025 | TV series (British) |
Name | Title | Date | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Broncho Billy Anderson | Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; or, Held for Ransom | 1905 | Silent films (American) |
Sherlock Holmes in the Great Murder Mystery | 1908 | ||
Alwin Neuß | Sherlock Holmes | 1908 | Silent films (German) |
The Stolen Legacy (Den stjaalne millionobligation) | 1911 | ||
Detektiv Braun | 1914 | ||
Der Hund von Baskerville | 1914 | ||
Viggo Larsen | Sherlock Holmes in Deathly Danger | 1908 | One-reel short films (Danish) |
Raffles Escapes From Prison | 1908 | ||
The Secret Document[74] | 1908 | ||
Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes | 1910 | Silent film (German) | |
Otto Lagoni | Sherlock Holmes i Bondefangerklør | 1910 | Silent short films (Danish) |
The Bogus Governess (Den forklædte barnepige) | 1911 | ||
The Black Hand (Den sorte Haand) | 1911 | ||
A Confidence Trick | 1911 | ||
Einar Zangenberg | Hotel Thieves | 1911 | Silent short film (Danish) |
Lauritz Olsen | Den sorte hætte | 1911 | Silent film (Danish) |
Mack Sennett | The $500 Reward | 1911 | Silent short film (American) |
Georges Tréville | The Speckled Band | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
Silver Blaze | 1912 | ||
The Beryl Coronet | 1912 | ||
The Musgrave Ritual | 1912 | ||
The Reigate Squares | 1912 | ||
The Stolen Papers | 1912 | ||
The Mystery of Boscombe Valley | 1912 | ||
The Copper Beeches | 1912 | ||
Harry Benham | Sherlock Holmes Solves The Sign of the Four[75] | 1913 | Silent two-reel film (American) |
James Bragington | A Study in Scarlet | 1914 | Silent film (British) |
Francis Ford | A Study in Scarlet | 1914 | Silent film (American) |
William Gillette | Sherlock Holmes | 1916 | Silent adaptation of the play (American) |
Harry Arthur Saintsbury | The Valley of Fear | 1916 | Silent film (British) |
Hugo Flink | Der Erdstrommotor | 1917 | Silent films (German) |
Der Schlangenring | 1917 | ||
Die Kassette | 1917 | ||
Eille Norwood | 45 short silent films | 1921–1923 | Stoll film series (British) |
The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1921 | ||
The Sign of the Four | 1923 | ||
John Barrymore | Sherlock Holmes | 1922 | Silent adaptation of the play (American) |
Carlyle Blackwell | Der Hund von Baskerville | 1929 | Silent film (German) |
Clive Brook | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1929 | American film |
Paramount on Parade: "Murder Will Out" | 1930 | Anthology film sequence (American) | |
Sherlock Holmes | 1932 | American film | |
Arthur Wontner | The Sleeping Cardinal | 1931 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
The Missing Rembrandt | 1932 | ||
The Sign of Four | 1932 | ||
The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes | 1935 | ||
Silver Blaze | 1937 | ||
Raymond Massey | The Speckled Band | 1931 | British film |
Robert Rendel | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1932 | |
Reginald Owen | A Study in Scarlet | 1933 | American film |
Bruno Güttner | The Hound of the Baskervilles (Der Hund von Baskerville) | 1937 | German film |
Basil Rathbone | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1939 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
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 | ||
Crazy House (short cameo) | 1943 | ||
The Spider Woman | 1944 | ||
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 | ||
The Great Mouse Detective | 1986 | Animated film (archive; voice only) (American) | |
Peter Cushing | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1959 | British film |
Christopher Lee | Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace | 1962 | West German-French-Italian film |
John Neville | A Study in Terror | 1965 | British film |
Peter Jeffrey | The Best House in London (short cameo) | 1969 | British film |
Robert Stephens | The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes | 1970 | American film |
Douglas Wilmer | The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother | 1975 | |
Nicol Williamson | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | 1976 | |
Peter Cook | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1978 | British film |
Christopher Plummer | Murder by Decree | 1979 | British-Canadian film |
Nicholas Rowe | Young Sherlock Holmes | 1985 | American film |
Mr. Holmes[76] | 2015 | British-American film (cameo in a film-within-the-film) | |
Michael Caine | Without a Clue | 1988 | British film |
Juan Manuel Montesinos | Sherlock Holmes en Caracas[77] | 1992 | Venezuelan film |
Joaquim de Almeida | A Samba for Sherlock | 2001 | Brazilian-Portuguese film |
Robert Downey Jr. | Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | American-British films |
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | 2011 | ||
Gary Piquer | Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days | 2012 | Spanish film |
Ian McKellen | Mr. Holmes | 2015 | American film |
Yoshimitsu Takasugi | The Empire of Corpses | 2015 | Voice role; anime film (Japanese) |
Chuck Huber | 2016 | Voice role; anime film (English dub) | |
Johnny Depp | Sherlock Gnomes | 2018 | Voice role; computer-animated film (American) |
Naoki Tanaka | Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film | 2018 | Japanese film |
Will Ferrell | Holmes and Watson | 2018 | American film |
Henry Cavill | Enola Holmes | 2020 | American-British film |
Enola Holmes 2 | 2022 |
A small number of actors have played both Holmes and Watson, including Reginald Owen who played Watson in Sherlock Holmes (1932) and Holmes in A Study in Scarlet (1933);[84][85] Jeremy Brett, who played Watson on stage in the United States prior to adopting the mantle of Holmes on British television;[86] Howard Marion-Crawford, who played Holmes on British radio and Watson on American television; Carleton Hobbs, who played both roles in British radio adaptations;[87] Patrick Macnee, who played both roles in US television movies;[88] and Anthony D.P. Mann who played Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers (2011) and Watson in the 2017 Bleak December audio adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
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