Hubert Willis (1862 – 13 December 1933) was a British actor best known for his recurring role as

Doctor Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...

in a series of silent Sherlock Holmes films co-starring with

Eille Norwood Eille Norwood (born Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861 – 24 December 1948) was an English stage actor, director, and playwright best known today for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of silent films. Early life He was born 11 October 1 ...

Stage career

Willis appeared in the copyright performance of

William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...

's play ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (1899) in an unknown role. He played Planchette and Lavrille in ''Never Again'' at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

(1897) opposite

Allan Aynesworth Edward Henry Abbot-Anderson (14 April 1864, Sandhurst, Berkshire – 22 August 1959, Camberley, Surrey), known professionally as Allan Aynesworth, was an English actor and producer. His career spanned more than six decades, from 1887 to 1949 ...

; Captain Welsh opposite Robert Taber in ''Bonnie Dundee'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

(1900); Brother Jerome in ''The Sacrament of Judas'' at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

(1901); Rushey Platt, MP in ''Love in Idleness'' at

Terry's Theatre Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923. History The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a ...

(1902); Dick Snaresby in ''Brown at Brighton'' at the

Avenue Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

(1903); Mullins in the original stage production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

'' at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

(1904) opposite

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he m ...

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...

/Mr. Darling and

Nina Boucicault Nina Boucicault (27 February 1867 – 2 August 1950) was an English actress born to playwright Dion Boucicault and his wife, actress Agnes Kelly Robertson. She had three brothers, Dion William (1855–1876), Dion Boucicault Jr. and Aubrey Bouc ...

as Peter Pan; Jenkins in ''Castles in Spain'' at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

(1906); Dubois in ''The Hon'ble Phil'' opposite G. P. Huntley at Hicks Theatre (1908); Mr. Curry in ''The Test'' at the Court Theatre (1906). and Village Handyman in ''The Man with his Back to the East'' at the Court Theatre (1912).

Sherlock Holmes films

Willis made his first film appearance as Shelton in the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

'' The House of Temperley'' (1913), an adaptation of ''

Rodney Stone ''Rodney Stone'' is a Gothic mystery and boxing novel by Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first published in 1896. The eponymous narrator is a Sussex country boy who is the son of a sailor and wishes to go to sea himself. He is taken ...

'' by

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

. Between 1921 and 1923 he played

Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle f ...

in 44 short films and one full length film opposite

including ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

'' (1921) and in three series of 15 episodes each in ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...

'' (1921); in ''

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 2008 ...

'' (1922), and in '' The Last Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1923). In the episode ''

The Sign of Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Pl ...

'' (1923) Willis was replaced by Arthur Cullin as Dr. Watson.

Personal life

In 1892 Willis married (Harriet) Annie Godfrey (1861-), an actress, and with her had a daughter Winifred, who also became an actress. Willis lived at 39, Marlborough Crescent in Bedford Park in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

. He died in December 1933 and left £4,105 1s 4d in his will.Gov.uk Find a Will service, Surname: Willis, Year of Death: 1934, URL= https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills

Selected filmography

* '' A Message From Mars'' (1913) * ''

Liberty Hall Liberty Hall ( ga, Halla na Saoirse), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest b ...

'' (1914) * ''

The King's Daughter ''The King's Daughter'' (french: Jeanne, fille du Roy) is a historical novel for young adult readers by Suzanne Martel, first published in 1974. It follows the life of Jeanne Chatel, one of the King's Daughters of New France in the seventeent ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Mother of Dartmoor ''The Mother of Dartmoor'' is a 1916 British silent drama film directed by George Loane Tucker and starring Elisabeth Risdon, Bertram Burleigh and Enid Bell.Goble p.875 Plot summary A mother testifies against her own poacher son and he is sen ...

'' (1916) * ''

Partners at Last ''Partners at Last'' is a 1916 British silent film, silent crime film directed by Ralph Dewsbury and starring Amy Brandon Thomas, Charles Rock and Chappell Dossett.Palmer p.902 Cast * Amy Brandon Thomas as Muriel Wright * Charles Rock as Edwar ...

'' (1916) * '' His Daughter's Dilemma'' (1916) * ''

A Gamble for Love ''A Gamble for Love'' is a 1917 British silent sports film directed by Frank Wilson and starring Gerald Ames, James Lindsay and George Foley.Low p.182 It was based on the 1914 novel of the same title by Nat Gould, set in the horseracing wor ...

'' (1917) * ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...

'' (1917) * '' The Manchester Man'' (1920) * ''

Lady Audley's Secret ''Lady Audley's Secret'' is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published in 1862. John Sutherland. "Lady Audley's Secret" in ''The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction'', 1989. It was Braddon's most successful and well-known novel. ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Pursuit of Pamela ''The Pursuit of Pamela'' is a 1920 British silent comedy drama film directed by Harold M. Shaw, starring Edna Flugrath, Templar Powell and Douglas Munro, and based on a play by C. B. Fernald. Premise Following her wedding a bride runs away ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Duchess of Seven Dials ''The Duchess of Seven Dials'' is a 1920 British silent romance film directed by Fred Paul and starring Cecil Mannering, Marjorie Hume and Adelaide Grace. Its plot involves a young aristocratic woman who falls in love with a curate doing chari ...

'' (1920)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Hubert 1862 births 1933 deaths English Freemasons English male stage actors English male film actors English male silent film actors 20th-century English male actors People from Reading, Berkshire 20th-century British male actors