Douglas Wilmer
Douglas Wilmer | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 31 March 2016 | (aged 96)
Years active | 1945–2012 |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Joan Melville (m. 1946–?) Anne Harding (m. 1985–2016, his death) |
Douglas Wilmer (8 January 1920 – 31 March 2016)[1] was an English actor, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1965 TV series Sherlock Holmes.
Early life
Wilmer was born 8 January 1920
After completing school, Wilmer applied for a scholarship at
Career
Wilmer made his theatre stage debut in 1945 in
He is mainly associated with the role of Sherlock Holmes, which he first played in the
He recorded a series of the stories on audiocassette for Penguin audio books[4] and appeared as a guest at several UK and US events, including the Society's Golden Jubilee Dinner in January 2001.[6] His other television credits include: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Saint, The Troubleshooters, The Avengers, The Baron, UFO, and Space: 1999. He made a cameo appearance in "The Reichenbach Fall" episode of Sherlock as an irate old man in the Diogenes Club.[6][1]
Honours and awards
Wilmer was an honorary member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London,[1][6] which considered Wilmer "the definitive Holmes".[4] On 24 March 2009 Wilmer was guest of honour at a launch party for his book, held at the National Liberal Club in Whitehall Place, London.
Personal life and death
Douglas Wilmer was married three times.[7] In 1946, he married Elizabeth Melville, a fellow RADA student, their marriage was annulled after 25 years.[8] His second marriage in 1973 to wife Barbara ended in a divorce.[8] He married his third wife, Anne (née Harding) in 1985.[8] He lived in Woodbridge, Suffolk[4] in later life, where he ran a wine bar called Sherlock's.[9]
Wilmer's autobiography Stage Whispers (Porter Press,
Filmography
- It is Midnight, Doctor Schweitzer (1953, TV Movie) as Father Charles
- Sacrifice to the Wind (1954, TV Movie) as Menelaus
- The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954) as Sir Nigel Saltire
- Richard III (1955) as The Lord Dorset
- Passport to Treason (1955) as Dr. Randolf
- The Battle of the River Plate(1956) as M. Desmoulins - French Minister, Montevideo
- Dial 999 (TV series), ('Ghost Squad', episode) (1959) as Burton
- An Honourable Murder (1960) as R. Cassius
- El Cid (1961) as Moutamin
- Marco Polo (1962)
- Cleopatra (1963) as Decimus
- Jason and the Argonauts (1963) as Pelias
- The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) as Pescennius Niger
- Woman of Straw (1964) as Dr. Murray (scenes deleted)
- A Shot in the Dark (1964) as Henri LaFarge
- The Golden Head (1964) as Detective Inspector Stevenson
- One Way Pendulum (1964) as Judge / Maintenance Man
- Khartoum (1966) as Khalifa Abdullah
- The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966) as Nayland Smith
- The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967) as Nayland Smith
- Hammerhead (1968) as Pietro Vendriani
- A Nice Girl Like Me (1969) as Postnatal Clinic Doctor
- The Reckoning(1969) as Moyle
- Patton (1970) as Major General Freddie de Guingand
- Cromwell (1970) as Sir Thomas Fairfax
- The Vampire Lovers (1970) as Baron Joachim Von Hartog
- Journey to Murder (1971) as Harry Vaneste (Do Me a Favor and Kill Me)
- Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971) as Headmaster
- Antony and Cleopatra (1972) as Agrippa
- The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) as Vizier
- The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) as Sherlock Holmes
- The Incredible Sarah (1976) as Montigny
- Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) as Police Commissioner
- Rough Cut (1980) as Maxwell Levy
- Octopussy (1983) as Jim Fanning
- Sword of the Valiant (1984) as The Black Knight
See also
- List of people who have played Sherlock Holmes
References
- ^ a b c d e Barnes, Mike (31 March 2016). "Douglas Wilmer, Sherlock Holmes Actor, Dies at 96". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ a b c Hadoke, Toby (5 April 2016). "Douglas Wilmer obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Douglas Wilmer 1920". Findmypast.co.uk.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Clarke, Andrew (30 April 2009). "A life in the spotlight". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Sherlock Holmes actor Douglas Wilmer dies aged 96". The Guardian. Press Association. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ a b c "Douglas Wilmer". The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ Hadoke, Toby (5 April 2016). "Douglas Wilmer obituary". The Guardian.
Wilmer's first two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his third wife, Anne...
- ^ a b c Hayward, Anthony (25 April 2016). "Obituary: Douglas Wilmer, TV and film actor". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016.
- ^ "Woodbridge: Sherlock of the sixties discusses famous Holmes role". Ipswich Star. 6 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
External links
- Douglas Wilmer at IMDb