# Sherlock Holmes - Best portrayal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483 "2020-01-16T00:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/1 "2020-01-16T00:45:06Z")
Question is in title. As a fan of old time movies. I am pleasantly tickled by the new releases (sorry, I lag behind current trends). My vote is for Robert Downey Jr. No offence to Mr. Basil Rathbone. Arthur Wontner. Rhys Ifans, and for some strange reason John Cleese (yes, he played Sherlock for one episode on TV. Good luck finding a clip of that. If you do, share please). Any Sherlock Holmes fans out the? Asking for a friend…Dr. Watson, My PCP (Primary Care Physician). ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/2 "2020-01-16T00:52:22Z")
I cant just imagine John Cleese as Sherlock. I evidently watched to many episodes of Fawlty Towers to bend my mind-set another way. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/3 "2020-01-16T00:53:37Z")
I liked Jeremy Brett in the 1980s-90s. Those shows were more on point with the stories, more so than any other portrayal I’ve seen, with dialogue lifted right from Doyle. His pairing with Edward Hardwicke as Watson probably sticks as my favorite. Rathbone always seemed over the top with stereotypes, and his films didn’t fit in with the stories that I was used to. I haven’t seen Downey or even Cumberbatch, for that matter, so I don’t have an opinion on them. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/4 "2020-01-16T01:01:07Z")
Benedict Cumberbatch is great in the weird modern Sherlock. I like RD jr, alot. Jeremy Brett is my all time fave. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/5 "2020-01-16T01:05:16Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > I liked Jeremy Brett in the 1980s-90s. Those shows were more on point with the stories, more so than any other portrayal I’ve seen, with dialogue lifted right from Doyle. His pairing with Edward Hardwicke as Watson probably sticks as my favorite. Rathbone always seemed over the top with stereotypes, and his films didn’t fit in with the stories that I was used to. I haven’t seen Downey or even Cumberbatch, for that matter, so I don’t have an opinion on them. I agree. Thanks. The 40’s films were for a different audience. Mr. Hardicke (upon which I pronounce “hard wickee” for some strange reason) RDJ and the director seems to bring that home somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/6 "2020-01-16T01:10:08Z")
Another vote for Jeremy Brett–he and Edward Hardwicke were the best interpretation of the characters Doyle wrote about ever. And it used and stayed (90%) true to the written word. Of the others, Downey is probably the best acted Holmes, with a slightly ‘steampunk’ air about it, while Rathbone set the basic standard all others must meet. One that is often forgotten but played (IMHO) a rather memorable Holmes interpretation, was Nicol Williamson in the movie version of _ **The Seven Percent Solution** _, with Robert Duvall, of all people, playing Watson, along with a special appearance by…well, if you’ve seen it you know who, and if you haven’t I won’t spoil it. But worth viewing, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/7 "2020-01-16T01:11:33Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > I liked Jeremy Brett in the 1980s-90s. Those shows were more on point with the stories, more so than any other portrayal I’ve seen, with dialogue lifted right from Doyle. His pairing with Edward Hardwicke as Watson probably sticks as my favorite. Rathbone always seemed over the top with stereotypes, and his films didn’t fit in with the stories that I was used to. I haven’t seen Downey or even Cumberbatch, for that matter, so I don’t have an opinion on them. Agreed. Jeremy Brett is my forever Holmes, and Hardwicke is my definitive Watson. I felt they captured Conan Doyle’s intentions best with respect to his beloved characters. I enjoy what others have done with the roles, but my heart belongs to Brett and Hardwicke. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/8 "2020-01-16T01:12:44Z")
Cleese played Sherlock twice: in a comedy skit and in _[The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5gkjlEtKJ0)_ – a parody. Technically, he was the grandson of Holmes. He played it relatively straight, but then, he played the Ministry of Silly Walks straight. It wasn’t all that good, though there was a wonderful bit where Holmes ran through a bunch of puns on “Elementary” (e.g., “What’s a style of cooking popular in California?” “A la Monterey, dear Watson.”) I did like Cumberbatch, but the show began to fall apart after the first two seasons. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/9 "2020-01-16T01:21:29Z")
Robert Stephens was also wonderful as Holmes in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. > **[The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066249/?ref_=tt_urv)** > > The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes: Directed by Billy Wilder. With Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page, Christopher Lee. When a bored Holmes eagerly takes the case of Gabrielle Valladon after an attempt on her life, the search for her... ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/10 "2020-01-16T01:23:30Z")
Wow. You guys and gals are great. I shall partake watching until sunup. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/11 "2020-01-16T01:49:54Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Robert Stephens was also wonderful as Holmes in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. > > [The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066249/?ref_=tt_urv) This one is well worth a watch, but Jeremy Brett is the best Holmes, no contest. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/12 "2020-01-16T03:09:34Z")
No love for Michael Caine then? Cummerbatch is my fave among the more traditional portrayals “I am not a psychopath! I’m a high-functioning sociopath!” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/13 "2020-01-16T03:29:28Z")
At least once a week I say “THIS is why I love living in the 21st century.” This week, it’s because I have access to so many Sherlocks. Glad I don’t have to choose (though I do think Bandersnatch Cumberbund is the most innovative, RDjr the most fun, but Sir Rasil-Dasil Bathbone was a bit over-the-top). Oh, and I’d add audiobook readers. Stephen Fry reads them all, and Jeremy Brett’s Watson (Edward Hardwicke) reads a good two dozen. Speaking of audio, everyone here should check out Firesign Theater’s satire “[The Giant Rat of Sumatra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXHcSBhfkx8)”. Equally silly and brilliant. It starts with this exchange: Watson ~ I say, we can pay this month’s rent, you know, and have a little left over for food if you will just tell me a second story… Sherlock ~ What am I, a second story man? If it’s adventures you want, then make them up yourself… but I shall never be tricked into telling a tale of for which the world is not yet prepared. … Well, I suppose I can tell _you,_ but the public must never know! W~ _(softly) Yes, let me just write that down…_ S~ It was long before I met you doctor. You were in Afghanistan… W~ _(softly, taking dictation) I was wearing Stanley’s afghan…_ And shortly, as footsteps are heard outside 99 Bakersfield Street: S~ Hmm, I deduce that we are about to be entertained by an American ingenue from upstate New York. W~ How the deuce did you deduce that? S~ The taps on her shoes, Footman, they resound at a frequency produced by a unique alloy of aluminium and magnausium, manufactured in Chicago but… _shuffled off to Buffalo._ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/14 "2020-01-16T03:35:06Z")
I didn’t really start paying attention to Sherlock Holmes until I found the Jeremy Brett series. He was absolutely CAPTIVATING as Holmes! I watched the whole series(es) three times through. I actually really like Johnny Lee Miller in the TV show _Elementary_. He is perfectly aloof and smug like Brett. I like Cumberbatch too but he doesn’t seem as aloof as the others. More smug. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/15 "2020-01-16T04:12:40Z")
Vasily Livanov was awarded an honorary OBE for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes: > **[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Sherlock_Holmes_and_Dr._Watson)** > > The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (Russian: Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона) is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional English detective, starting in 1979. They were directed by Igor Maslennikov. > Between 1979 and 1986, Soviet television produced a series of five films at the Lenfilm movie studio, split into eleven episodes, starring Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson. Later, a cinematic adaptation ... I’ve seen these films, and they’re excellent. Many of the exteriors were shot with the Baltics standing in for Great Britain. The catchy theme music heard in the video below (the complete _ **Hound of the Baskervilles** _, with English subtitles) is still an instantly recognizable (and very popular) tune in the former Soviet Union: > **[One of the best Sherlock portrayals came from the Soviet Union](https://www.avclub.com/one-of-the-best-sherlock-portrayals-came-from-the-sovie-1823801493)** > > Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases or premieres, or occasionally our own inscrutable whims. With the animated film Sherlock Gnomes hitting theaters Friday, we’re looking back on other interpretations of the famous... I have a huge crush on the young Irina Kupchenko, who plays Beryl Stapleton. :o ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/16 "2020-01-16T05:22:17Z")
I gotta get with Brett, you bet. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/17 "2020-01-16T05:53:44Z")
For me and Mrs. Cretin, only Jeremy Brett. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/18 "2020-01-16T05:57:28Z")
My favorite? Hugh Laurie, hands down. Yes, I consider \*House \* to be a variation on Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/19 "2020-01-16T06:10:08Z")
Johnny Lee Miller in _Elementary_. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483/20 "2020-01-16T06:27:14Z")
Peter Cook [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HcZFg35O_CE/maxresdefault.jpg "Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - some Sherlock Holmes sketches") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcZFg35O_CE) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sherlock-holmes-best-portrayal/846483.md?page=2)