This article describes minor characters from the ''
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 ...
'' stories by
Sir 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 ...
, and from non-canonical derived works. The list excludes the titular character as well as
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 fe ...
,
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...
,
Inspector Lestrade
Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...
,
Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogenes ...
,
Mrs. Hudson
Mrs. Hudson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the landlady of 221B Baker Street, the London residence in which Sherlock Holmes lives.
Mrs. Hudson appears or is mentioned in man ...
,
Irene Adler
Irene Adler is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A former opera singer and actress, she was featured in the short story " A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. Adler is one of the ...
,
Colonel Moran
Colonel Sebastian Moran is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. An enemy of Sherlock Holmes, he first appears in the 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Empty House". Holmes once described him as "the second most ...
, the
Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters who appear in three Sherlock Holmes stories, specifically two novels and one short story, by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are street boys who are employed by Holmes as intelligence agents. The na ...
, and characters not significant enough to mention.
Inspectors
Inspector Baynes
Inspector Baynes of the
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
force appears in the two-part story "
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is one of the fifty-six Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. One of eight stories in the volume ''His Last Bow'', it is a lengthy, two-part story consisting of "The Singular Experience ...
", subtitled (i) "The Singular Experience of Mr John Scott Eccles", and (ii) "The Tiger of San Pedro". He is the only official policeman in the books to have ever matched Sherlock Holmes in his investigative skills. He is described as a very heavy man with a "puffy" face, but very intelligent eyes. In this story, the reader finds that, despite working along different lines, Holmes and Baynes both arrive at the correct conclusion and solve the case at the same time. In fact, Baynes had misled Holmes, as he used a method similar to one that Holmes often used when he arrested the wrong man and provided inaccurate information to the press, to lull the true criminal into a false sense of security. Holmes congratulated Baynes, and believed that he would go far.
In the 1988
Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
adaptation of ''The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge'', Inspector Baynes is portrayed by
Freddie Jones
Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for a ...
. A version of Inspector Baynes appears in the video game ''
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
''The Testament of Sherlock Holmes'' is an adventure video game in the ''Sherlock Holmes'' series developed by Frogwares and distributed by Focus Home Interactive. After being delayed from an original 2010 release, the game was released in Europe ...
'' (2012), in which Baynes is employed by
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
. In the Japanese puppetry television series ''
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 ...
'' (2014–2015), Baynes is a pupil of
Beeton School
is a fictional coeducational boarding school in which the NHK puppetry Sherlock Holmes is set. It is named after Beeton's Christmas Annual and Eton College.
Summary
The school setting is the first case in the screening history of the Seri ...
as well as Holmes and has a strong sense of rivalry against him. Baynes speaks in a precocious manner and provokes Holmes to find the truth of the disappearance of two pupils, Garcia and Henderson. After that, he provokes Holmes again by posting a message using the
stick figure
A stick figure, also known as a stickman, is a very simple drawing of a person or an animal, composed of a few lines, curves, and dots. On a stick figure, the head is most often represented by a circle, which can be either a solid color or som ...
s of dancing men in the school.
Yōsuke Asari
is a Japanese actor. He is represented with Beacon Lab Entertainment.
Biography
When he was young Asari danced to his parents' clapping after watching Charlie Chaplin's films and joined Gekidan Tohai, and debuted at the age of four in a televisi ...
voices him.
Inspector Bradstreet
Inspector Bradstreet is a detective who appears in three short stories: "
The Man with the Twisted Lip
"The Man with the Twisted Lip", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine' ...
", "
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" and "
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Th ...
". Doyle described him as "a tall, stout official... in a peaked cap and
frogged jacket".
Sidney Paget
Sidney Edward Paget () (4 October 1860 – 28 January 1908) was a British artist of the Victorian era, best known for his illustrations that accompanied Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in ''The Strand Magazine''.
Life
Sidne ...
's illustrations for the ''
Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'' depict him with a full beard. Beyond this little is revealed about him in the
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western can ...
.
Bradstreet originally served in Scotland Yard's E Division which associates him with the
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners were the law enforcement officers of the Bow Street Magistrates' Court in the City of Westminster. They have been called London's first professional police force. The force originally numbered six men and was founded in 1 ...
, a forerunner of Scotland Yard. He claims to have been in the force since 1862 ("The Man with the Twisted Lip") but in June 1889
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 fe ...
writes he is in B Division to oversee "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". According to Sherlockian author Jack Tracy, B Division was "one of the twenty-two administrative divisions of the
Metropolitan Police Force
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
. Its 5.17 square miles include parts of
south Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
and the south-western section of ".
In "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", he accompanied Holmes to Eyford, a village in Berkshire. According to Jack Tracy's ''The Encyclopaedia Sherlockiana'', he was "assigned most likely to the central headquarters staff." Bradstreet is not a
martinet
The martinet (OED ''s.v.'' ''martinet'', ''n.''2, "'' N.E.D.'' (1905) gives the pronunciation as (mā·ɹtinėt) /ˈmɑːtɪnɪt/ .") is a punitive device traditionally used in France and other parts of Europe. The word also has other usages, des ...
; in "The Man with the Twisted Lip" he could have prosecuted the false beggar, but chose to overlook this action to spare Neville St Clair the trauma of shaming his wife and children.
He is also featured in
M. J. Trow
Meirion James Trow (born 16 October 1949) is a Welsh author of crime fiction, who writes under the name M. J. Trow. He has written mysteries featuring Inspector Lestrade, Peter Maxwell, Kit Marlowe and Margaret Murray.
Biography
Trow was bor ...
's series ''
The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade''.
Herbert Rawlinson
Herbert Banemann Rawlinson (15 November 1885 – 12 July 1953) was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound f ...
played Bradstreet in a radio adaptation of "The Man with the Twisted Lip" (1946) in ''
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a radio drama series which aired in the USA from 1939 to 1950, it ran for 374 episodes, with many of the later episodes considered lost media. The series was based on the Sherlock Holmes stories by Art ...
''. In the
1952–1969 series of Sherlock Holmes BBC radio adaptations, Bradstreet was played by
Ronald Baddiley
Ronald Baddiley (31 August 1922 – 29 November 1986) was an English actor. He was best known for his roles in the early days of the long-running British radio drama ''The Archers'', and as Under-Secretary, Sir Gregory Pitkin, CBE in the BBC co ...
in the 1959 dramatisation of "The Man with the Twisted Lip". Bradstreet was portrayed by
Victor Brooks in the 1965 television adaptation of the same story in the television series ''
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 ...
''. Bradstreet appears four times in
Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
's ''
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 ...
'': "The Blue Carbuncle", "
The Man with the Twisted Lip
"The Man with the Twisted Lip", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine' ...
", "
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as ''His Last Bow'' (1917), and is the second and final main appear ...
" (substituting for
Inspector Lestrade
Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...
, as
Colin Jeavons
Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor.
Career
Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unkno ...
was unavailable), and a cameo appearance in "
The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
"The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in October 1921, and w ...
". Initially he was played by
Brian Miller as a blustering, pompous plodder, then later as much more competent by
Denis Lill
Denis Lill (born 22 April 1942) is a New Zealand-born British actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Survivors'' as Charles Vaughan, ''Only Fools and Horses'' as Alan Parry, ''Outside Edge'' as Dennis Broadley and as Consultant General Sur ...
. In the
1989–1998 radio series of BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes adaptations, Bradstreet was played by David Goudge in two episodes in 1991.
Inspector Gregson
Inspector Tobias Gregson, a
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
inspector, was first introduced in ''
A Study in Scarlet
''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title deri ...
'' (1887), and he subsequently appears in "
The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
"The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was originally published in ' ...
" (1893), "
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is one of the fifty-six Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. One of eight stories in the volume ''His Last Bow'', it is a lengthy, two-part story consisting of "The Singular Experience ...
" (1908) and "
The Adventure of the Red Circle
"The Adventure of the Red Circle" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is included in the anthology '' His Last Bow''.
Synopsis
Mrs. Warren, a landlady, comes to 221B Baker Street with some questions ...
" (1911). Holmes declares him to be "the smartest of the Scotland Yarders," but given Holmes' opinion of the Scotland Yard detectives, this is not sweeping praise. In one of the stories Watson specifically mentions the callous and cool way in which Gregson behaved.
Gregson first appears in ''
A Study in Scarlet
''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title deri ...
'' and is a polar opposite of another Yarder Doyle created,
Inspector Lestrade
Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...
. Lestrade and Gregson are such visual opposites, it indicates the barrier Doyle drew between them to emphasise their professional animosity. Gregson is tall, "tow-headed" (fair-haired) in contrast to the shorter Lestrade's dark "ferretlike" (narrow) features and has "fat, square hands".
Of all the Yarders, Gregson comes the closest to meeting
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 ...
on intellectual grounds, while acknowledging Holmes's abilities. He even admits to Holmes that he always feels more confident when he has Holmes' aid in a case. Regrettably, he is bound within the confines of the law he serves, and the delay in getting his assistance turns to tragedy in "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter". He also has some regrettable human flaws. During ''A Study in Scarlet'' he publicly laughs at Lestrade's incorrect assumptions, even though he is also on the wrong trail.
Unlike Lestrade, Gregson overlooks the little grey areas of the law, and in "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" overlooks Holmes's breaking of a window in order to enter a premises. The life of
Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogenes ...
's fellow lodger is saved by this minor criminal act.
Gregson last appears in Doyle's "The Adventure of the Red Circle" in events that happen in 1902 but are not published by
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 fe ...
until 1911. In this story, Watson observes that:
Our official detectives may blunder in the matter of intelligence, but never in that of courage. Gregson climbed the stair to arrest this desperate murderer with the same absolutely quiet and businesslike bearing with which he would have ascended the official staircase of Scotland Yard. The Pinkerton man had tried to push past him, but Gregson had firmly elbowed him back. London dangers were the privilege of the London force.
Inspector Gregson has appeared in multiple pastiches written by other authors, including several short stories by
Adrian Conan Doyle
Adrian Malcolm Conan Doyle (19 November 19103 June 1970) was the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his second wife Jean, Lady Doyle or Lady Conan Doyle. He had two siblings, sister Jean Conan Doyle and brother Denis, as well as two half ...
published in the 1954 collection ''
The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
''The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes'' is a short story collection of twelve Sherlock Holmes pastiches, first published in 1954. It was written by Adrian Conan Doyle, who was the son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes), and by ...
'', and the novel ''
Dust and Shadow'' (2009) by
Lyndsay Faye
Lindsay or Lindsey () is an English surname and given name. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and clan name, which comes from the toponym Lindsey, which in turn comes from the Old English toponym ''Lindesege'' ("Island of Lind") fo ...
.
In other media
*
John Willard
John Willard ( 1657 - August 19, 1692) was one of the people executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. He was hanged on Gallows Hill, Salem on August 19, 1692.
At the time of the first allegations of witchc ...
played Inspector Gregson in the 1922 silent film ''
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 ...
''.
* In the 1945 film ''
The Woman in Green
''The Woman in Green'' is a 1945 American film, the eleventh of the fourteen ''Sherlock Holmes'' films based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Roy William Neill, it stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bru ...
'', Gregson was played by
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engine ...
.
*
Eric Snowden
Eric Snowden (August 8, 1888 – June 27, 1979) was an English-born actor who appeared in radio, films and television.
Biography
Snowden was born in London, England, on August 8, 1888. He died in Bellevue, Washington, on June 27, 1979.
Radio
S ...
played Inspector Gregson in the episode "The Strange Case of the Demon Barber" (1946) in the radio series ''
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a radio drama series which aired in the USA from 1939 to 1950, it ran for 374 episodes, with many of the later episodes considered lost media. The series was based on the Sherlock Holmes stories by Art ...
''.
* In the
1952–1969 BBC radio series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations,
Michael Turner voiced Gregson in the 1960 dramatisation of "The Greek Interpreter". He was played by Humphrey Morton in "A Study in Scarlet" (1962) and "The Red Circle" (1969).
[ Geoffrey Wincott voiced Inspector Gregson in the 1966 dramatisation of "Wisteria Lodge".]
* George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
played Inspector Gregson in two episodes of the television series ''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 ...
'' in 1968.
* Frederick Treves voiced Inspector Gregson in the 1974 BBC radio drama "A Study in Scarlet".
* In the Soviet television film series ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson'' (russian: link=no, italics=yes, Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона) is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's ficti ...
'' (1979–1986), Inspector Gregson was played by Igor Dmitriev
Igor Borisovich Dmitriev (russian: И́горь Бори́сович Дми́триев) (29 May 1927 – 26 January 2008) was a Soviet and Russian film and theatre actor who specialized in playing aristocratic characters in costume productions ( ...
.
* Inspector Gregson was portrayed by Oliver Maguire in the 1985 episode "The Greek Interpreter" in the Granada Television series ''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 ...
''.[
* In the BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes series with ]Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison (born 15 September 1945) is a British actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He is best known for his long running BBC Radio portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, having played the part in all 64 ...
as Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Gregson was voiced by John Moffat in ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1989), and by Ronald Herdman in "The Greek Interpreter" (1992) and "The Red Circle" (1994).
* Inspector Gregson appears in the video game '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel'' (1992), and is briefly seen at Scotland Yard in the sequel '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo'' (1996).
* Gregson appears in two cases in the video game '' Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III'' (1993).
* In Sherlock Holmes radio dramas on ''Imagination Theatre
''Imagination Theatre'' is an American syndicated radio drama program airing on FM and AM radio stations across the United States. It features modern radio dramas. The program first aired in 1996. Originally produced by Jim French Productions, t ...
'', Inspector Gregson is played mainly by John Murray.
* A character named Captain Gregson of the NYPD appears in the TV adaptation ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
'' (2012–2019), portrayed by Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...
. Originally he was to be called Tobias Gregson, after the character in the stories, but his name was changed to Thomas Gregson.
* Tobias Gregson is the main police detective in the game '' The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures'' (2015), before being replaced by Gina Lestrade, a pickpocket based on Inspector Lestrade
Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...
whom Gregson trained in detective work.
* Edward Harrison voiced Inspector Gregson in ''Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason'', an Audible Original
Audible is an American online audiobook and podcast service that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content. This content can be purchased individually or under a subscription model where the user receiv ...
8-hour audio drama released in 2020.
* Gregson appears in the anime ''Moriarty the Patriot
is a Japanese Mystery fiction, mystery manga series written by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ''Canon of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes'' series. It focuses on the youth of Holmes' ne ...
''.
* Gregson is played by Tim Key
Timothy David Key (born September 1976) is an English poet, comedian, actor, screenwriter and radio personality. He is best known for playing Alan Partridge's sidekick Simon in '' Mid Morning Matters'', '' Alpha Papa'', and '' This Time'', as ...
in the streaming television series ''The Irregulars
''The Irregulars'' is a British mystery adventure crime drama streaming television series created by Tom Bidwell for Netflix. Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it features the Baker Street Irregulars working for Dr. Watson saving Lo ...
''.
Inspector Hopkins
Inspector Stanley Hopkins is a Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
detective and a student of Holmes's deductive methods, who attempts to apply them in his own investigations. Holmes, however, is very critical of Hopkins's ability to apply them well, Hopkins sometimes making such mistakes as arresting a man whose notebook was found at a crime scene despite it being physically impossible for the man in question to have killed the victim in the manner that he was discovered; after the real culprit was captured, he learns to be more open-minded in future cases. Hopkins refers several cases to Holmes, all within the South-East areas of England and London, including:
* "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
"The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was first published in ''The Str ...
", set in 1894 in Chatham, Kent
Chatham ( ) is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham.
The town developed around Chatham ...
, and
* "The Adventure of Black Peter
"The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' (US) in February 1904 and in ''The Strand Magazine' ...
", in Weald
The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...
set in 1895, and
* "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
"The Adventure of the Abbey Grange", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was first published in ''The Str ...
", in 1897 in Chislehurst
Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...
.
Teddy Arundell
Teddy Arundell (1873 in Devon – 5 November 1922, in London) was a British film actor of the silent era.
Selected filmography
* ''The Lyons Mail'' (1916)
* ''Justice'' (1917)
* ''Nelson'' (1918)
* '' The Swindler'' (1918)
* ''The Splendid Cowar ...
played Inspector Hopkins in eleven 1922 short films in the ''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 ...
'' silent film series by Stoll Pictures. H. Wheeler played Hopkins in one 1922 short film. In the 1946 film '' Dressed to Kill'', Hopkins was portrayed by Carl Harbord
Carl Harbord (26 January 1908 – 18 October 1958) was an English stage, film and television actor.
Stage
When he was 19, Harbord appeared in the play ''The Happy Husband'', which was presented at the Criterion Theatre in London, England. ...
. In the television series ''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 ...
'' (1965–1968), the character was played in two 1965 episodes by John Barcroft and one 1968 episode by James Kenney.[
In the 1952–1969 series of Sherlock Holmes BBC radio adaptations, Inspector Hopkins was played by Michael Turner in the radio drama "Black Peter" (1961), Hugh Dickson in "The Golden Pince-Nez" and "The Abbey Grange" (both in 1962), and ]Arnold Peters
William Arnold Peters (May 14, 1922 – September 17, 1996) was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Timiskaming in the House of Commons of Canada from 1957 to 1980. He was originally elected as a member of the Co-operative Co ...
in another radio version of "Black Peter" (1969). Hopkins was voiced by Geoffrey Collins in a 1970 LP record
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
audio drama adaptation of "Black Peter".
In the Granada Television series ''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 ...
'', Inspector Hopkins was played by Paul Williamson in "The Abbey Grange" (1986) and by Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, comedian, musician, novelist and playwright. He played Neil in the BBC comedy '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in ''Filthy Rich & Catflap''. He has appeared in many West End mu ...
in "The Golden Pince-Nez" (1994). Hopkins was played by Andrew Wincott in three 1993 episodes of the 1989–1998 BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes series. In the first episode of Season Two of ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
'', a "DCI Hopkins" calls Holmes to London from New York. A female Inspector named Stella Hopkins appears in the episode of '' Sherlock'' entitled "The Six Thatchers". While uncertain, it can be presumed that the character drew inspiration from Inspector Hopkins.
Athelney Jones
Inspector Athelney Jones is a Scotland Yard detective who appears in ''The Sign of the 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.
Plot ...
''. He arrests the entire household of Bartholomew Sholto, including his brother and servants, on suspicion of his murder, but is forced to release all but one of them, much to his own embarrassment.
According to Leslie S. Klinger
Leslie S. Klinger (born May 2, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels '' Dracula'', ''Frankenst ...
, several scholars have theorised that Athelney Jones and Peter Jones, the "official police agent" who appears in "The Red-Headed League
"The Red-Headed League" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It first appeared in ''The Strand Magazine'' in August 1891, with illustrations by Sidney Paget. Conan Doyle ranked "The Red-Headed Leag ...
", are the same person. Peter Jones is similar to Athelney Jones in character, and references the events of ''The Sign of the Four'', remarking of Holmes that "once or twice, as in that business of the Sholto murder and the Agra treasure, he has been more nearly correct than the official force."
Athelney Jones was played by Emrys James
Robert Emrys James (1 September 1928 – 5 February 1989) was a Welsh Shakespearean actor. He also performed in many theatre and TV parts between 1960 and 1989, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was born in Machynl ...
in the 1987 Granada adaptation, whilst Siôn Probert portrayed him in the 1989 radio adaptation of ''The Sign of the Four'' in the 1989–1998 BBC Radio series. Siôn Probert also played Athelney Jones in two episodes of the BBC radio series ''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 ...
'', "The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson" (2002) and "The Thirteen Watches" (2009).
The 2001 Hallmark adaptation featured Michel Perron as Jones.
In an episode of the American radio series ''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 ...
'' titled "The Mystery of Edelweiss Lodge" (2011), Inspector Peter Jones introduces himself as Athelney Jones's brother.
Inspector MacDonald
Inspector Alec MacDonald is a Scotland Yard inspector who appears in the novel ''The Valley of Fear
''The Valley of Fear'' is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine' ...
''. He is from Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, Scotland. Watson states that MacDonald is "a silent, precise man with a dour nature and a hard Aberdonian accent. Twice already in his career had Holmes helped him to attain success". MacDonald respects Holmes, and Holmes calls him "friend MacDonald" and frequently addresses him as "Mr. Mac".
According to Owen Dudley Edwards
Owen Dudley Edwards (born 27 March 1938) is an Irish historian and former Reader in Commonwealth and American History at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
He is the son of Professor Robert Dudley Edwards and brother to the Irish writer, Rut ...
, Inspector MacDonald may have been inspired by Inspector Mackenzie
A. J. Raffles is a British fictional character – a cricketer and gentleman thief – created by E. W. Hornung. Between 1898 and 1909, Hornung wrote a series of 26 short stories, two plays, and a novel about Raffles and his fictional c ...
, a fictional Scottish police detective in E. W. Hornung
Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 – 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles (character), A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educa ...
's A. J. Raffles
Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentlem ...
stories, though the two inspectors are different in character.
Gordon Jackson played Inspector MacDonald in the television film ''The Masks of Death
''The Masks of Death'' is a 1984 British mystery television film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and John Mills as Doctor Watson.
Plot
In 1913, Sherlock Holmes, virtually in retirement, is persuaded by ...
'' (1984). He was played by Mark Bonnar
Richard Mark Bonnar (born 19 November 1968) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in ''Guilt'', Duncan Hunter in ''Shetland'', Bruno Jenkins in ''Casualty'', Detective Finney in ''Psychoville'', DCC Mike Dryden in ''Line of Duty ...
in the 1997 radio adaptation of ''The Valley of Fear'' in the 1989–1998 BBC Radio series. MacDonald is played by Dennis Bateman and David Natale in the American radio series ''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 ...
'', in which he is a recurring character.
Billy
Billy is Holmes's young page, appearing in the stories ''The Valley of Fear
''The Valley of Fear'' is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine' ...
'', "The Problem of Thor Bridge
"The Problem of Thor Bridge" is a Sherlock Holmes short story by Arthur Conan Doyle collected in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in 1922 in ''The Strand Magazine'' (UK) and ''Hearst's International'' (US).
P ...
" and "The Mazarin Stone
"The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in October 1921, an ...
". In the latter, he plays a significant role in helping to arrest the lead villain. He is a more significant character in all three of Doyle's plays featuring Sherlock Holmes, '' Sherlock Holmes; A Drama in Four Acts'', ''The Stonor Case'' and ''The Crown Diamond'', and in the spoof ''The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes'' written by 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 ...
. In 1903 Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
began his career by playing Billy on stage in both the four-act play and Gillette's spoof.
Billy has appeared in the films ''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 ...
'' (1916), ''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 ...
'' (1922), ''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 ...
'' (1932) and ''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 ...
'' (1939). In the episode of the TV series '' Sherlock'' entitled "The Abominable Bride", Billy makes an appearance played by Adam Greaves-Neal, who previously played an original character named Archie
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathematici ...
in "The Sign of Three" (though presumably Archie drew some inspiration from Billy).
Shinwell Johnson
Shinwell "Porky" Johnson is a former criminal who acts as informant and occasional muscle for Sherlock Holmes. Watson notes that the nature of his association with Holmes means that Shinwell is only useful in cases that by their nature will not go to court, as he would compromise his connection to Holmes and thus render himself useless as a source if he ever had to testify as part of a case. He appears in "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
"The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" (1924) is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and one of the 12 stories collected as ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first p ...
" where he protects Kitty from Baron Grüner's henchmen and provides Holmes with insight into how he might go about infiltrating Grüner's house to acquire a certain book.
He appears in the '' Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'' video game series (1991–1993), in which he is a former criminal and innkeeper. He is referred to in the BBC radio adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, specifically in an episode of ''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 ...
'', "The Ferrers Documents" (2009), where he appears to carry on with intimidation business. He is played in the episode by Dan Starkey.
The fifth season of the TV show ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
'' introduced an updated version of the character (played by Nelsan Ellis
Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor and playwright. He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO television series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), for which he won a Satel ...
) as both a former patient of Watson's and ex-convict now attempting to go straight. He became part of a complex sting operation to infiltrate and dismantle his old gang, but after Sherlock and Joan decided to trust him even after learning that he killed one of his old associates in the gang, he was killed before he could complete his assignment.
Mary Morstan
Mary Watson, née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Morstan, is the wife of 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 fe ...
. She is first introduced in ''The Sign of the 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.
Plot ...
'', where she and Watson tentatively become attracted to each other, but only when the case is resolved is he able to propose to her. She is described as a blonde with pale skin. At the time she hires Holmes she had been making a living as a governess
A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...
. At the end of the story the main treasure is lost - rather to Watson's relief, since if she had been a rich heiress his proposing to her might have been considered the act of a fortune hunter. She does receive six pearls from a chaplet
Chaplet may refer to:
* Chaplet (headgear), a wreath or garland for the head
* Chaplet (prayer), a string of prayer beads and the associated prayer
* Chaplet (metallurgy), a metal form to hold a core in place
See also
* Wreath (attire)
* Ukraini ...
of the Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
Treasure.
Her father, Captain Arthur Morstan, was a senior captain of an Indian regiment and later stationed near the Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
. He disappeared in 1878 under mysterious circumstances that would later be proven to be related to the mystery, ''The Sign of the Four''. Her mother died sometime before 1878 and she had no other relatives in England, although she was educated there (in accordance with the received wisdom of the time about European children in British-ruled India) until the age of seventeen. Shortly afterward her father disappeared and she found work as a governess. Watson and Mary married in 1889.
Mary Morstan is mentioned in passing in "The Adventure of the Crooked Man
"The Adventure of the Crooked Man", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazin ...
" and "The Boscombe Valley Mystery
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the fifty-six short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in the '' Strand Magazine' ...
", but by the time of "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Collier's'' (US) on 31 October 1 ...
" (after Holmes's return) Mary Morstan has died and Watson has returned to his former lodgings in Baker Street. Her cause of death is never mentioned.
Leslie S. Klinger
Leslie S. Klinger (born May 2, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels '' Dracula'', ''Frankenst ...
writes that there appear to be contradictions regarding Mary Morstan between the stories. According to Morstan in ''The Sign of the Four'', which likely takes place in the summer of 1888, her mother died many years ago and she has no relatives in England. However, in "The Five Orange Pips
"The Five Orange Pips", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fifth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.
The story was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in Nov ...
", which is explicitly dated by Watson in September 1887, Watson is already married, and is again in Baker Street because his wife was "on a visit to her mother's". These discrepancies may be errors, though Klinger suggests they indicate that Watson had a wife who preceded Mary Morstan and died before 1888.
Film and television
Mary Morstan has been portrayed on film and television by several actresses. In many cases, her role is expanded in new stories.
* Isobel Elsom
Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women.
Early years
Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Chesterton, C ...
in the 1913 silent film ''Sherlock Holmes Solves The Sign of the Four''.
* Isla Bevan in the 1932 film '' The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case'' featuring Arthur Wontner
Arthur Wontner (21 January 1875 – 10 July 1960) was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937.
Career
Wontner's acting career began on the stage where he ...
as Holmes.
* Ann Bell
Ann Forrest Bell (born 29 April 1938) is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC Second World War drama series '' Tenko'' (1981–84).
She was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, the daughter of John Forrest B ...
in ''The Sign of Four'' episode of the 1965–1968 ''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 ...
'' series featuring Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
as Holmes and Nigel Stock as Watson.
* Gila von Weitershausen
Baroness Gila von Weitershausen (; born March 21, 1944) is a German actress. Born in Trebnitz (today Trzebnica), Lower Silesia, Germany (today Poland) into an aristocratic family, she has three brothers and two sisters and is the great-granddaugh ...
in the 1974 French/German film ''Das Zeichen der Vier''.
* Samantha Eggar
Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired British-American actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller ''The Collect ...
in the 1976 film ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Nicholas Meyer. It is written as a pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, and was made into a film of the same na ...
''.
* Cherie Lunghi
Cherie Mary Lunghi (born 4 April 1952) is an English film, television, and theatre actress, known for her roles in many British TV dramas. Her international fame stems from her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film ''Excalibur''. Her long list of ...
in the 1983 film ''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.
Plot ...
'' featuring Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor.
He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...
as Holmes.
* Yekaterina Zinchenko in the 1983 Soviet film ''The Treasures of Agra
''The Treasures of Agra'' (russian: link=no, italics=yes, Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона: Сокровища Агры) is a 1983 Soviet television film, the fourth of five in the series ''The Adv ...
'' (''Priklyucheniya Sherloka Kholmsa I doktora Vatsona: Sokrovishcha Angry)''.
* Jenny Seagrove
Jennifer Ann Seagrove (born 4 July 1957) is an English actress. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and first came to attention playing the lead in a television dramatisation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's '' A Woman of Substance'' ...
in the 1987 television film starring Jeremy Brett
Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...
.
* Susannah Harker
Susannah Harker (born 26 April 1965) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. She was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 1990 for her role as Mattie Storin in ''House of Cards''. She played Jane Bennet in the 1995 TV adaptation of ''Pr ...
in the 1991 television adaptation of the play ''The Crucifer of Blood
''The Crucifer of Blood'' is a play by Paul Giovanni that is adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle novel ''The Sign of the Four.'' It depicts the character Irene St. Claire hiring the detective Sherlock Holmes to investigate the travails that her ...
'', starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...
as Sherlock Holmes. In the play and the telefilm, Morstan is renamed "Irene St. Claire".
* Sophie Lorain
Sophie Lorain (born Sophie-Hélène Lorain; 20 November 1957) is a French-Canadian actress, director and producer. She is known for having played Anne Fortier in the highly rated television series '' Fortier'' that first aired in Quebec, Can ...
in the 2001 film ''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.
Plot ...
'', with Matt Frewer
Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor, singer and comedian. He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom in the 1985 TV movie and 1987 television series of the same names.
He became prominent when playing roles ...
as Sherlock Holmes and Kenneth Welsh
Kenneth Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian film and television actor. He was best known as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle in ''Twin Peaks'', for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'', '' Adoration'', ''Su ...
as Dr. Watson. In this version, Mary Morstan becomes engaged to Thaddeus Sholto rather than Dr. Watson.
* Kelly Reilly
Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...
in Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr.
Ritchie left school at age 15 and wor ...
's 2009 film ''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 ...
'', starring Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...
as Dr. Watson. In the film, Mary is first introduced to Holmes as Watson's fiancée rather than as a client. Reilly reprises the role, marrying Watson in the 2011 film '' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows''. It is unknown whether she will return in the 3rd film.
* Lexi Wolfe in the 2012–2015 web series ''The Mary Morstan Mysteries.'' Lexi would also play the character (Mrs. Watson) in one episode of the show's parent series
No Place Like Holmes
*Freda Foh Shen
Freda Foh Shen (born April 25, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for the voice of Fa Li in the 1998 Disney animated film ''Mulan'' and its 2004 direct-to-video sequel ''Mulan II'', and for playing Anne Lee on '' 9-1-1'' (2019-prese ...
in few episodes of TV adaptation Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
(2012–2019). In this case, Mary Watson is Watson's mother.
*Amanda Abbington
Amanda Abbington (born Amanda Jane Smith; 28 February 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Miss Mardle in ''Mr Selfridge'' and Mary Watson in '' Sherlock'', the BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stor ...
in the third season of '' Sherlock''. She is first introduced in "The Empty Hearse
"The Empty Hearse" is the first episode of the third series of the BBC television series '' Sherlock''. It was written by Mark Gatiss and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson, and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft ...
" (2014) and later marries John Watson. (See Mary (Morstan) Watson on the series' character list.)
*Anna Ishibashi
is a Japanese actress and model.
Career
Ishibashi starred in Ryuichi Hiroki's ''Your Friend'' in 2008. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival. She appeared in Koji Maeda's ''Cannonball Wedlock'' in 2011.
Film ...
voices Mary Morstan, a pupil of Archer House in the NHK puppetry television series ''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 ...
''. In the show, her elder brother Arthur is attacked by someone and she requests Holmes to find the truth behind it. Meanwhile, Watson falls in love with her at first sight and tries to show her his braveness. But there is a rival called Jonathan Small who sent her a picture postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
every week before her entrance into Beeton School
is a fictional coeducational boarding school in which the NHK puppetry Sherlock Holmes is set. It is named after Beeton's Christmas Annual and Eton College.
Summary
The school setting is the first case in the screening history of the Seri ...
and writes a song "You Are My Treasure" for her. Small joins a chorus band formed by Arthur and the Sholto twins but is betrayed by Arthur who changes the title to "Agra Treasure" and makes it his own.
*Nao Tōyama
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with the agency Intention. Before joining Intention, she was affiliated with Arts Vision. She debuted as a voice actress in 2010, and played her first leading role as Kanon Nakagawa in ''The Worl ...
voices Mary Morstan in the original anime television series '' Case File nº221: Kabukicho'' (2019–2020).
Radio and stage
* In a radio dramatisation of ''The Sign of the Four'' that was broadcast on WGY in 1922, Viola Karwowska played Mary Morstan.
* She was played by Norma Varden
Norma Varden Shackleton (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989), known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career.
Life and career Early life
Born in London, the daughter of a retired sea captain ...
in "Colonel Warburton's Madness" (1945) in the radio series ''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a radio drama series which aired in the USA from 1939 to 1950, it ran for 374 episodes, with many of the later episodes considered lost media. The series was based on the Sherlock Holmes stories by Art ...
''.
* Mary Morstan was played by Barbara Mitchell
Barbara Mitchell (4 October 1929 – 9 December 1977, Kingston Upon Thames) was an English actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period.
Care ...
in 1959 serial ''The Sign of Four'' which aired on the BBC Light Programme
The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
.[
* In the 1952–1969 radio series, Elizabeth Morgan played Mary Morstan in the 1963 ]BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4.
History
1922–1939: Interwar period
Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...
radio drama "The Sign of the Four".
* In the play ''The Crucifer of Blood
''The Crucifer of Blood'' is a play by Paul Giovanni that is adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle novel ''The Sign of the Four.'' It depicts the character Irene St. Claire hiring the detective Sherlock Holmes to investigate the travails that her ...
'' (1978), which is adapted from ''The Sign of the Four'', Mary Morstan is renamed, Irene St. Claire. Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
played the character in the original 1978 Broadway cast of the play; Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for ''The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for '' Vani ...
played her in the original 1979 London cast.
* In the 1981 BBC Radio dramatisation of the novel ''Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula
''Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula'' or ''The Adventures of the Sanguinary Count'') is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Loren D. Estleman, originally published in 1978.
The novel is an account of Holmes' adventure facing off against Bram Stoker's ...
'', the character was played by Theresa Streatfeild.
* In the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
'' Sherlock Holmes'' series, she was played by Moir Leslie in the two-part serial ''The Sign of the Four'' (1989), Elizabeth Mansfield in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (1990), and Jillie Meers in "The Empty House" (1993).
* In Sherlock Holmes's radio dramas on ''Imagination Theatre
''Imagination Theatre'' is an American syndicated radio drama program airing on FM and AM radio stations across the United States. It features modern radio dramas. The program first aired in 1996. Originally produced by Jim French Productions, t ...
'', she has been portrayed by Mary Anne Dorward, Ellen McLain
Ellen McLain (born 1952/1953) is an American voice actress. She is best known for providing the voice of GLaDOS, the primary antagonist of the ''Portal'' video game series, the Combine Overwatch in ''Half-Life 2'', and the Administrator, the an ...
, and Mary Kae Irvin. The character's first appearance was in a 1998 episode of ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', "The Adventure of the Seven Shares" (1998).
Langdale Pike
Langdale Pike is a celebrated gossipmonger whose columns are published in numerous magazines and newspapers (referred to as the "garbage papers" by Watson). He's introduced in "The Adventure of the Three Gables
"The Adventure of the Three Gables" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, collected as one of 12 in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in 1926 ...
" in which he helps Holmes learn the name of the woman who led Douglas Maberley to his demise, although he does not actually appear in the story itself and is only referred to by Watson who describes Pike as "strange" and "languid" and states that all of Pike's waking hours are spent "in the bow window of a St. James's Street club". His character has however been expanded on or fleshed out elsewhere.
In William S. Baring-Gould William Stuart Baring-Gould (1913–10 Aug 1967) was a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar, best known as the author of the influential 1962 fictional biography, ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's ...
's biography of Sherlock Holmes, ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street
''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective'' is a 1962 novel by William S. Baring-Gould. The book purports to be a biography of Sherlock Holmes. It is considered to be the "definitive" biography of Sherloc ...
'' (1962), it is claimed that Pike is a college acquaintance of Holmes who encourages a young Holmes to try his hand at acting. Here his real name is given as 'Lord Peter'. Langdale Pike also appears in the '' Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'' video game series (1991–1993).
In Peter Ling
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
's 1994 radio play of "The Three Gables" for the 1989–1998 BBC Radio series, Pike's real name is said to be Clarence Gable. Here he is also an old school-friend of Holmes's and is nervous of strangers and reluctant to leave his club for this reason. In both the 1994 BBC radio play and the 2007 ''Imagination Theatre
''Imagination Theatre'' is an American syndicated radio drama program airing on FM and AM radio stations across the United States. It features modern radio dramas. The program first aired in 1996. Originally produced by Jim French Productions, t ...
'' radio adaptation of the story, "Langdale Pike" is said to be a pen name derived from the Langdale Pikes
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in North West England, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale. Langdale is also the name of a valley in the Howgill Fells, elsewhere in ...
. The ''Imagination Theatre'' version implies his real name is Lord Peter, as in Baring-Gould's book.
In the Granada television adaptation starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, Pike (played by Peter Wyngarde
Peter Paul Wyngarde (born Cyril Goldbert, 23 August 1927 – 15 January 2018) was a British television, stage and film actor from the late 1940s to the mid 1990s. He was best known for portraying the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist ...
) is apparently an old university friend of Holmes's. Here he claims to be the benevolent counterpart of Charles Augustus Milverton (the eponymous blackmailer of ''The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton''), who suppresses more information than he exposes. Though Watson is rather scathing about Pike, Holmes is more sympathetic towards him, suggesting that Pike is isolated, much like Holmes himself.
In the American television series ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
,'' Pike appears in the first episode of the second season as one of Holmes' sources in London; details are not seen as Pike moves quickly when delivering a package to Watson. "Langdale" is used as a British Intelligence codename in the first episode of the fourth series of '' Sherlock'', along with "Porlock," the name of another Holmes informer in the original stories. In the NHK puppetry television series ''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 ...
'' (2014–2015), Pike is a pupil of Beeton School
is a fictional coeducational boarding school in which the NHK puppetry Sherlock Holmes is set. It is named after Beeton's Christmas Annual and Eton College.
Summary
The school setting is the first case in the screening history of the Seri ...
and assists Holmes in his investigation. He also works as informant
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
and is fast at his job but tight with money. Besides he sells photographs of girls to male pupils. Tomokazu Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College.
Caree ...
voices him.
Lysander Stark
"Colonel Lysander Stark" is the alias of a tall gaunt German National irst name Fritz
An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters.
IR ...
who is the head of a counterfeiting gang in England; his two accomplices are a German woman named Elsie and a morose fat Englishman under the name of "Dr Beecher". Their base of operations was the town of Eyford near Reading, Berkshire, using a water powered hydraulic press to compress the metal into half-crowns. In 1889 Stark was compelled to hire a hydraulic engineer named Victor Hatherley when the press began to malfunction. When Hatherley realized that the press was not used to compress fuller's earth but metal, Stark locked him within the machine. The woman freed Hatherley; Stark attacked Hatherley with a cleaver, cutting off the engineers thumb when Hatherley was escaping from a second story window. Hatherley just managed to bind the wound before fainting from loss of blood; Elsie and "Beecher" carried the unconscious man to a rose hedge. "Stark" was prevented from killing Hatherley because Hatherley's lamp set the wooden walls of the press and their house on fire. Stark and his accomplices fled to Reading with several boxes of counterfeit coins; as both Sherlock Holmes and Scotland Yard cannot find them in England, presumably the gang has fled to Germany. Hatherley's story helps Holmes solve the disappearance of another hydraulic engineer in 1888. ''The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Th ...
''
Toby
Toby is a dog who is used by Sherlock Holmes. He appears in ''The Sign of the 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.
Plot ...
'' and is described by Watson as an "ugly long haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel
A spaniel is a type of gun dog. Spaniels were especially bred to flush game out of denser brush. By the late 17th century, spaniels had been specialized into water and land breeds. The extinct English Water Spaniel was used to retrieve water ...
and half lurcher
A lurcher is a cross-bred dog resulting from mating a Greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type, commonly a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher was for hundreds of years strongly associated with poaching; in modern times it ...
, brown and white in colour, with a very clumsy waddling gait." Though used by Holmes, the dog belongs to Mr. Sherman who keeps a menagerie of creatures at No. 3 Pinchin Lane in Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
, in London. Toby lives at No. 7 within his house. Holmes states he would "rather have Toby's help than that of the whole detective force in London" and requests the dog by name. Holmes uses a different tracking dog while in Cambridge in "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
"The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was originally published in ...
".
Toby also featured in the 1978 pastische novel '' Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula; or, The Adventures of the Sanguinary Count'' by Loren D. Estleman
Loren D. Estleman (born September 15, 1952, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He is known for a series of crime novels featuring the investigator Amos Walker.
Life and work
Estleman graduated fro ...
, when Watson and Holmes called on Toby to track Count Dracula
Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by som ...
after finding him in a meat-packing district – Dracula's carriage having rolled through blood and old entrails – allowing the two to track Dracula to Watson's house in time to learn that he has abducted Mary Watson.
In the Holmes-esque ''The Great Mouse Detective
''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery film, mystery adventur ...
'' (1986), Toby is a Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog in the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ''ground-scent'' is second only to the Bloodhound.Har ...
and a permanent resident of 221b Baker Street. He is frequently used by Basil, the eponymous protagonist, as a means of transport and to pick up trails. Toby appears in the video game '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel'' (1992) and its sequel '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo'' (1996). In the video game ''The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
''The Testament of Sherlock Holmes'' is an adventure video game in the ''Sherlock Holmes'' series developed by Frogwares and distributed by Focus Home Interactive. After being delayed from an original 2010 release, the game was released in Europe ...
'' (2012) and some of the other games in the ''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 ...
'' video game series, a Basset Hound version of Toby is briefly controlled by the player.
In the NHK puppetry television series ''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 ...
'' (2014–2015), Toby is kept by Sherman in a shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-story roofed structure that is used for hobbies, or as a workshop in a back garden or on an allotment. Sheds vary considerably in their size and complexity of construction, from simple open-sided ones de ...
in Beeton School
is a fictional coeducational boarding school in which the NHK puppetry Sherlock Holmes is set. It is named after Beeton's Christmas Annual and Eton College.
Summary
The school setting is the first case in the screening history of the Seri ...
and assists Holmes in his investigation. In the series, Sherman is a female pupil who loves animals and communicates with them, unlike Mr. Sherman in ''The Sign of the 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.
Plot ...
''. Though being a pupil of Baker House, she does not live in the house, but in the shed with animals. In the BBC series '' Sherlock'', in the first episode of the fourth season titled "The Six Thatchers
"The Six Thatchers" is the first episode of the fourth series of the British television programme '' Sherlock'' and the eleventh episode overall. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC First, PBS and Channel One on 1 January 2017.
Plot ...
", Sherlock Holmes requires the services of a bloodhound named Toby.
Wiggins
Wiggins is a street urchin in London and head of the Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters who appear in three Sherlock Holmes stories, specifically two novels and one short story, by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are street boys who are employed by Holmes as intelligence agents. The na ...
. He has no first name in the stories. He appears in ''A Study in Scarlet
''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title deri ...
'' (1887) and ''The Sign of the 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.
Plot ...
'' (1890).
Wiggins was voiced on BBC radio by Paul Taylor in the 1959 serial ''The Sign of Four''. In the 1952–1969 radio series, Wiggins was played by David Valla in the 1962 dramatisation of "A Study in Scarlet", and by Glyn Dearman
Glyn Dearman (30 December 1939 – 30 November 1997) was an English actor, originally a child actor, whose career spanned almost two decades, including the eponymous ''Jennings'' in BBC ''Children's Hour'' "Jennings at School". Dearman is perhap ...
in "The Sign of the Four" (1963). In the 1965 musical ''Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...
'', Wiggins was portrayed by Teddy Green
Teddy Green is an English actor, choreographer, and dancer probably best known for playing supporting roles in two Cliff Richard films, '' The Young Ones'' and '' Summer Holiday''.
Career
His film roles include Chris in The Young Ones with Cli ...
. Wiggins was played by Tony McLaren in the 1968 episodes "The Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of the Four" of the television series ''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 ...
''.
The film ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1970 DeLuxe Color film in Panavision written and produced by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, and directed by Wilder. The film offers an affectionate, slightly parodic look at Sherlock Holmes, an ...
'' (1970), directed by Billy Wilder, features a character called Wiggins (played by Graham Armitage
Graham Armitage (24 April 1936 – 6 March 1999) was an English stage, film and television actor.
Armitage was born in Blackpool in Lancashire, the son of Albert Edward Armitage (1908–1959) and Isabel W. ''née'' Bailes (1909–). In 1947 Harv ...
) who is a footman
A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage.
Etymology
Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...
at the Diogenes Club
The Diogenes Club is a fictional gentlemen's club created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featured in several Sherlock Holmes stories, such as 1893's "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter". It seems to have been named after Diogenes the Cynic ...
. He delivers a note to Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogenes ...
(played by Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
) and receives instructions concerning various items. Wiggins was played by Jay Simpson in the 1983 television series ''The Baker Street Boys
''The Baker Street Boys'' is a British television series made by the BBC and first shown in 1983. The series recounts the adventures of a gang of street urchins living in Victorian London who assist the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in solvi ...
''. Courtney Roper-Knight portrayed Wiggins in the 1987 television film "The Sign of Four", part of the Granada Television series ''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 ...
''. In the 1988 film ''Without a Clue
''Without a Clue'' is a 1988 British comedy film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. It is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters from the Sherlock Holmes stories but, in this version, the roles are rev ...
'', Wiggins was played by Matthew Savage. The 1989–1991 animated television series ''Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century
''Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century'' is an animated television series in which Sherlock Holmes is brought back to life in the 22nd century. The series is a co-production by DIC Entertainment, L.P. and Scottish Television Enterprises and ...
'' features a version of the character also named Wiggins, voiced by Viv Leacock.
Wiggins appears in the video game '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel'' (1992) and was played by Corey Miller in the version of the game released in 1994. Wiggins returns in the sequel '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo'' (1996), voiced by Paul Vincent Black. The character, credited as "Bill Wiggins", also appears in the series three finale of '' Sherlock'' portrayed by Tom Brooke
Thomas Brooke (born 1978) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Thick Kevin in ''The Boat That Rocked'' (2009), Bill Wiggins and Andy Apsted in the BBC One television series ''Sherlock'' and ''Bodyguard'' respectively ...
as a drug user who actually demonstrates the beginning of Sherlock's deductive skills, and later appoints himself a "pupil" of Sherlock's. In the video game '' Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments'' (2014), Wiggins plays a significant role in the last case of the game.
Non-canonical
Some fictional characters associated with Sherlock Holmes are not part of the Conan Doyle canon and were created by other writers.
Enola Holmes
Enola Holmes is the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. She appears in the book series ''The Enola Holmes Mysteries
''The Enola Holmes Mysteries'' is a young adult fiction series of detective novels by American author Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the 14-year-old sister of an already famous Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior. There are seven ...
'' by Nancy Springer
Nancy Springer (born July 5, 1948) is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery, and science fiction. Her novel ''Larque on the Wing'' won the Tiptree Award in 1994. She also received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers ...
as well as the American films '' Enola Holmes'' and ''Enola Holmes 2
''Enola Holmes 2'' is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film '' Enola Holmes'', both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The fil ...
'' where she is portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prime ...
. Enola is an independent and rebellious girl who likes to wear trousers while riding her bike. She becomes a "perditorian," or finder of lost things, when her mother runs away and her brother Mycroft tries to send her to boarding school. Using her natural cunning which she and Sherlock inherited from their mother, she creates multiple disguises on her quest to be reunited with her mother and evade her brothers.
Eurus Holmes
It is hinted that there is a third Holmes sibling in the third-series episode "His Last Vow
"His Last Vow" is the third episode of the third series of the BBC Television series '' Sherlock'', which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The episode was first broadcast on 12 January 2014, on BBC One and Channel One. It w ...
" of the BBC '' Sherlock'' series. In the second episode of the fourth series, "The Lying Detective
"The Lying Detective" is the second episode of the fourth series of the British television series '' Sherlock'' and the twelfth episode overall. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC First, PBS and Channel One on 8 January 2017.
Plot ...
", it is confirmed that Mycroft and Sherlock in fact have a sister named Eurus. She is extremely intelligent but unfeeling and is incarcerated in a maximum security psychiatric facility. She is the main antagonist in the last episode of the fourth series, "The Final Problem
"The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title " ...
".
Morland Holmes
Morland Holmes is the influential businessman and father of Sherlock and Mycroft, interpreted by John Noble
John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...
in the TV adaptation ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
''. According to Sherlock, Morland Holmes doesn't care about his sons, and only does what he does out of a sense of familial obligations. Sherlock says he is a serial absentee, and that he has been so since Sherlock was a boy. He sent Sherlock to boarding school when he was eight years old.
Raffles Holmes
Raffles Holmes, the son of 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 ...
, is a fictional character in the 1906 collection of short stories ''Raffles Holmes and Company'' by John Kendrick Bangs
John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 – January 21, 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist.
Biography
He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis N. Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. ...
. He is described as the son of 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 ...
by Marjorie Raffles, the daughter of gentleman thief A.J. Raffles.
Wold Newton family
The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the American science fiction writer Philip José Farmer.
Origins
In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorite, fell near Wold New ...
theorist Win Scott Eckert
Win Scott Eckert is an author and editor, best known for his work on the literary-crossover Wold Newton Universe, created by author Philip José Farmer, but much expanded-upon subsequently by Eckert and others. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology a ...
devised an explanation in his ''Original Wold Newton Universe Crossover Chronology'' to reconcile the existence of Raffles Holmes with canonical information about Sherlock Holmes and A.J. Raffles, which fellow Wold Newton speculator Brad Mengel incorporated into his essay "Watching the Detectives." According to the theory, Holmes married Marjorie in 1883, and she died giving birth to Raffles later that year. Since Raffles and Holmes are contemporaries, it has been suggested that Marjorie was actually Raffles' sister.
Eckert further proposed in his ''Crossover Chronology'' that (1) Raffles Holmes was the same character as the "lovely, lost son" of Sherlock Holmes referred to in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell novels, and (2) Raffles Holmes was the father of Creighton Holmes, who is featured in the collection of short stories ''The Adventures of Creighton Holmes'' by Ned Hubbell.
Mengel's online essay was revised for publication in the Eckert-edited ''Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe'' (MonkeyBrain Books
MonkeyBrain Books (MonkeyBrain, Inc.) is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international, or out-of-print content, which show "an academic ...
, 2005), a collection of Wold Newton essays by Farmer and several other "post-Farmerian" contributors, authorised by Farmer as an extension of his Wold Newton mythos. He does not appear or is ever mentioned in any of the original stories of Sherlock Holmes and is not a creation of Doyle.
Sherrinford Holmes
Sherrinford Holmes is a proposed elder brother of 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 ...
and Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogenes ...
. His name is taken from early notes as one of those considered 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 ...
for his detective hero before settling on "Sherlock Holmes". The name is used of Holmes by Stamford in the 1954 radio show 'Dr Watson Meets Sherlock Holmes' as he attempts to remember Holmes' first name.
He was first proposed by William S. Baring-Gould William Stuart Baring-Gould (1913–10 Aug 1967) was a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar, best known as the author of the influential 1962 fictional biography, ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's ...
who wrote in his fictional biography ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street
''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective'' is a 1962 novel by William S. Baring-Gould. The book purports to be a biography of Sherlock Holmes. It is considered to be the "definitive" biography of Sherloc ...
'' (1962) that Sherrinford was the eldest brother of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes once stated that his family were country squire
In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight.
Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...
s, which means that the eldest brother would have to stay to manage the estate. If Mycroft were the eldest, he could not play the role he does in four stories of the Sherlock Holmes canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western can ...
, so Sherrinford frees them both. This position is strengthened by the fact that Mycroft's general position as a senior civil servant was a common choice among the younger sons of the gentry.
The character (as "Sherringford") appears along with his brothers in the Virgin New Adventures
The ''Virgin New Adventures'' (NA series, or NAs) are a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. They continued the story of the Doctor from the point at which the televisio ...
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
novel ''All-Consuming Fire
''All-Consuming Fire'' is a novel written by Andy Lane and the 27th entry in the ''Virgin New Adventures'', a series based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The novel is a crossover with Arthur Co ...
'' by Andy Lane
Andrew Lane (born 17 April 1963), as Andy Lane, is a British author and journalist best known for the Young Sherlock Holmes series of Young Adult novels.
He has written novels in the Virgin New Adventures range and audio dramas for Big Fini ...
, where he is revealed to be the member of a cult worshiping an alien telepathic slug that is mutating him and his followers into an insect-like form; the novel culminates with Holmes being forced to shoot his brother to save Watson.
He also appears, accused of a murder that Sherlock must find him innocent of, in the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
adventure ''The Yorkshire Horrors''. Sherrinford also appears in the Italian comic series ''Storie da Altrove'' (a spin-off of ''Martin Mystère
''Martin Mystère'' is both the title and protagonist of an Italian comics, Italian comic book. Created by writer Alfredo Castelli and artist Giancarlo Alessandrini, it was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1982.
Dark Horse C ...
'') as the eldest brother, born nine years before him, of Sherlock himself.
Sigerson Holmes
The film ''The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
''The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother'' is a 1975 American musical comedy film with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Roy Kinnear, and Leo McKern.''Variety'' film review; December 3, 1975, page 22. The film was ...
'' has as its protagonist Sigerson Holmes who Sherlock (a minor character) identifies as a brother of himself and Mycroft.
The name "Sigerson" is an alias mentioned in passing in a Conan Doyle story as an alias Sherlock used while posing as an explorer.
Auguste Lupa
Auguste Lupa Auguste Lupa is a fictional character in two pastiche novels by author John Lescroart. The novels are ''Son of Holmes'' (1986) and ''Rasputin's Revenge'' (1987). Lupa, a secret agent during the First World War, is the son of Sherlock Holmes and Iren ...
is the son of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. He appears in two pastiche
A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...
novels by author John Lescroart
John Lescroart (; born January 14, 1948) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author known for his series of legal and crime thriller novels featuring the characters Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt. His novels have sold more than 10 mi ...
, ''Son of Holmes'' (1986) and ''Rasputin's Revenge'' (1987). Lupa, a secret agent during the First World War, is strongly implied to be the younger version of fictional detective Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in Ne ...
in the mystery series by Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...
.
Mary Russell
Mary Russell is a fictional character in a book series by Laurie R. King, focusing on the adventures of Russell and her mentor and, later, husband, an aging Sherlock Holmes.
Amelia Watson
The adventures of Amelia Watson, the second wife of Dr. John Watson, are chronicled in a series of short stories and novels by Michael Mallory
Michael Mallory (born 1955) is a writer on the subjects of animation and post-war pop culture, and the author of the books ''X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe'', ''Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror'' ''The Science Fictio ...
. The character is based upon the enigmatic reference to Watson having left Holmes in 1902 for a wife, a reference that appears in the canonical story ''The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
"The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" (1926) is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, include in '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''; it was first published in the US in ''Liberty'' in October 1926, ...
'', although the woman in the story is never named or identified nor ever mentioned again in the canon.
Joanna Blalock
Joanna Blalock is a fictional character in a book series by Leonard Goldberg
Leonard J. Goldberg (January 24, 1934 – December 4, 2019) was an American film and television producer. He had his own production company, Panda Productions (formerly Mandy Films, and earlier Daydream Productions when he was working with Jerr ...
, in which Joanna is reputed (and later confirmed) to be the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. Irene Adler died giving birth to her in the early 1890s, and Holmes gave her up for adoption. By the outbreak of World War I she is a widowed nurse with a young son, but has the same gift for deductive reasoning as her father, and joins Dr. John Watson, Jr. in a series of mystery adventures, which Dr. Watson Sr. narrates. She and John Jr. marry at the end of the first story. Both she and her husband believe Holmes to be deceased at this time, though canon stories imply that he is working undercover for Britain's war efforts. It is not confirmed whether Dr. Watson, Sr. knows this.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherlock Holmes minor characters
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
Lists of minor fictional characters