The 18 Most Iconic Portrayals of Sherlock Holmes (and Watson Too)

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most iconic book characters in the world. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in just three weeks at 27 years old. In 1886, Ward Lock & Co agreed to publish “A Study in Scarlet,” the first story to feature Holmes. Since then, it’s been adapted into hundreds of movies and TV shows. In celebration of his birthday, May 22, 1859, let’s learn about some of the best actors to play Holmes and Watson.

Benedict Cumberbatch

• Work: “Sherlock” (2010)
• Creators: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Peter O’Toole

• Work: “Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse”
• Director: Eddie Graham
• Other Stars: Earle Cross, Ron Haddrick, Helen Morse, Robin Stewart, Moya O’Sullivan and Phillip Hinton
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Christopher Lee

• Works: “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” and “Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace”
• Director: Billy Wilder and Terence Fisher
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Zach Sherwin

• Work: “Epic Rap Battles of History”
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

David Thewlis

• Work: “Sherlock & Daughter”
• Creator: Brendan Foley
• Other Stars: Blu Hunt and Ardal O’Hanlon
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Basil Rathbone

• Work: 14 Sherlock Holmes movies starting in 1939
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Douglas Wilmer

• Work: “Sherlock Holmes” (1965)
• Other Stars: Nigel Stock and Gene Arnold
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr.

• Work: “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
• Director: Guy Ritchie
• Other Stars: Jude Law, Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Jude Law

• Work: “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
• Director: Guy Ritchie
• Other Stars: Jude Law, Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams
• Character: Dr. Watson

Martin Freeman

• Work: “Sherlock” (2010)
• Creators: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
• Character: Dr. Watson

Morris Chestnut

• Work: “Watson”
• Creator: Craig Sweeny
• Other Stars: Eve Harlow, Peter Mark Kendall, and Inga Schlingmann
• Character: Dr. John Watson

Edward Hardwicke

• Work: “Sherlock Holmes” (1984)
• Other Stars: Nigel Stock and Gene Arnold
• Character: Dr. Watson

Henry Cavill

• Work: The Enola Holmes series
• Director: Harry Bradbeer
• Other Stars: Millie Bobby Brown
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Ian McKellen

• Work: “Mr. Holmes”
• Director: Bill Condon
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Hubert Willis

• Work: Sherlock Holmes (Stoll film series – silent films)
• Character: Dr. Watson

James Mason

• Work: “Murder by Decree”
• Director: Bob Clark
• Other Stars: Christopher Plummer, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, and Anthony Quayle
• Character: Dr. Watson

Jonny Lee Miller

• Work: “Elementary”
• Creator: Robert Doherty
• Other Stars: Lucy Liu, Jon Michael Hill, Aidan Quinn, and John Noble
• Character: Sherlock Holmes

Lucy Liu

• Work: “Elementary”
• Creator: Robert Doherty
• Other Stars: Lucy Liu, Jon Michael Hill, Aidan Quinn, and John Noble
• Character: Dr. Joan Watson

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Courtesy of Granada Television International.