FACTBOX-Who is Sherlock Holmes?
Dec 14 (Reuters) - Robert Downey Jr. becomes the latest actor to take on the mantle of British detective Sherlock Holmes in a Warner Bros. project, directed by Guy Ritchie.
Here are some details about the fictional character.
LITERARY BEGINNINGS:
-- Holmes is a fictional character created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The prototype for the modern mastermind detective, Holmes first appeared in Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet", published in Beeton's Christmas Annual of 1887.
-- Conan Doyle modelled Holmes's methods and mannerisms on those of Dr. Joseph Bell, who had been his professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. In particular, Holmes's uncanny ability to gather evidence based upon his honed skills of observation and deductive reasoning paralleled Bell's method of diagnosing a patient's disease.
-- His detecting abilities become clear, when explained by his companion, Dr. John H. Watson, who recounts the criminal cases they jointly pursue. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories that feature Holmes. All but four stories are narrated by Watson, two are narrated by Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person.
-- Although Holmes rebuffs praise, declaring his abilities to be "elementary," the oft-quoted phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson," never actually appears in Conan Doyle's writings.
-- Holmes is a complex and moody character who, although of strict habit, is untidy. His London address at 221B, Baker Street, is tended by his housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. Holmes appears to undergo bouts of mania and depression, the latter of which are accompanied by pipe smoking, violin playing, and cocaine use. -- Claiming that Holmes distracted him "from better things," Conan Doyle famously attempted to kill him off in 1893, during a violent struggle on Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls in "The Final Problem". Both Holmes and his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, plunge over the edge of the precipice.
-- However the outcry against his death was huge -- more than 20,000 readers cancelled their subscriptions to the popular Strand Magazine, in which Holmes regularly appeared. By popular demand, Conan Doyle resurrected Holmes in the story "The Adventure of the Empty House" (1902).
-- Among the most popular stories are "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" (1892), "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (1892), "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" (1904), and the novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1902).
HOLMES ON THE SILVER SCREEN:
-- Holmes stories have been broadcast on radio and television and he is widely known on both stage and screen.
-- The earliest actor to have essayed the role is William Gillette, who gave several popular theatrical portrayals at the turn of the 20th century.
-- In 1939 was the year that Basil Rathbone made his first Sherlock Holmes film, "The Hound of the Baskervilles." After making the first two Holmes films, Rathbone and Nigel Bruce began doing Sherlock Holmes stories on radio. They continued playing Holmes and Watson on radio and in films for seven years. After so many years, however, Rathbone grew tired of playing Holmes
-- Brtish actor Peter Cushing was a memorable Holmes in the 1960's in a series which appeared on BBC television. Actor Jeremy Brett took the part of Holmes and the series eventually consisted of 41 TV films, starting with "A Scandal in Bohemia" and including "The Hound of the Baskervilles." He also appeared in a Holmes stage play separate from the Granada productions. Sources: Reuters/www.britannica.com/http://british-tv.suite101. com/www.bakerstreetdozen.com/www.basilrathbone.net/
REUTERS
