Everyone has "their" Sherlock. For some, it’s the high-speed, text-on-screen energy of Benedict Cumberbatch. For others, it’s the classic, deerstalker-and-pipe silhouette of Basil Rathbone. But if you talk to the purists—the ones who keep a tattered copy of the Canon on their nightstand—there is only one name that matters. Jeremy Brett.
Honestly, it's kinda wild how one actor managed to swallow a role so completely. We aren't just talking about a good performance here. We’re talking about a man who basically lit his own life on fire to stay true to a fictional detective. When you look back at Jeremy Brett movies and tv shows, it's easy to get lost in the fog of 221B Baker Street, but his career was so much weirder and wider than just a magnifying glass and a violin.
He was a romantic lead. He was a Shakespearean heavyweight. He even almost played James Bond.
The Man Before the Magnifying Glass
Long before he was snapping at Dr. Watson, Jeremy Brett was the ultimate "pretty boy" of British cinema. Seriously. Look at him in the 1956 version of War and Peace. He plays Nikolai Rostov, and he’s practically glowing. He had this incredible, arched-brow elegance that made him a natural fit for period pieces.
Then there’s the big one: My Fair Lady (1964).
You’ve probably seen it. He plays Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the lovestruck guy singing "On the Street Where You Live." Except, plot twist: that isn't actually his voice. Even though Brett was a trained singer who had done musicals on stage, the studio decided to dub him with Bill Shirley. It’s one of those weird Hollywood facts that feels wrong once you know it. He’s standing there, looking like the perfect Edwardian gentleman, and someone else’s voice is coming out of his mouth.
He didn't just do the "dashing suitor" thing, though. The guy was a workhorse. He popped up in The Incredible Hulk as James Joslyn. He was in The Love Boat. He even played the lead in a 1979 adaptation of Rebecca as Maxim de Winter. If you watch that now, you can see the early seeds of his Holmes—that brooding, internal intensity that feels like a tea kettle about to whistle.
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Why Jeremy Brett Movies and TV Shows Always Lead Back to Baker Street
In 1984, Granada Television did something risky. They decided to film the Sherlock Holmes stories with a level of accuracy that nobody had ever tried before. They built a full-scale replica of Baker Street in Manchester. They hired Michael Cox to produce and John Hawkesworth to write.
And they hired Jeremy Brett.
At first, he wasn't sure. He’d actually played Dr. Watson on stage before (opposite Charlton Heston’s Holmes in The Crucifer of Blood), so he knew the world. But he was worried about being typecast. He once said that playing Holmes was harder than Hamlet or Macbeth.
The result was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
It wasn't just a TV show; it was an obsession. Brett carried a 70-page "Baker Street File" with him at all times. If a script deviated from Arthur Conan Doyle’s original text, he’d fight for the "Canon." He wanted the specific hand gestures, the short, bark-like laughter, and the manic energy that the books described but movies usually ignored.
The Watson Factor
You can't talk about Brett’s Holmes without mentioning the Watsons.
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- David Burke: He was the first. He played Watson as a capable, intelligent veteran, finally killing the "bumbling idiot" trope.
- Edward Hardwicke: When Burke left to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, Hardwicke stepped in. He brought a warmth and a "steadying hand" vibe that balanced out Brett’s increasingly eccentric performance.
The chemistry between Brett and Hardwicke is basically the gold standard for screen friendships. They weren't just a detective and his sidekick; they were two halves of a whole.
The Darker Side of the Definitive Holmes
If you watch the series chronologically, you notice a change. In the early episodes like "A Scandal in Bohemia" or "The Blue Carbuncle," Brett is lean, fast, and electric. But as the years go by—moving into The Case-Book and The Memoirs—he looks different.
His face is heavier. His movements are slower.
This wasn't just "aging." Brett struggled deeply with bipolar disorder. The death of his wife, Joan Wilson, during the filming of the series hit him incredibly hard. The medication he took for his condition caused fluid retention and heart issues.
There’s a heartbreaking irony in it. Holmes is a character who famously uses drugs to escape the "dull routine of existence," and here was the actor, struggling with his own medical battles while trying to maintain the facade of the world's most perfect mind. By the time they filmed "The Cardboard Box" in 1994, he was often needing oxygen between takes.
He stayed because of the fans. He stayed because he wanted to finish all 60 stories (he eventually made 41).
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Beyond the Deerstalker: Must-Watch Rare Gems
If you want to see the full range of his talent, you have to look past the shadows of 221B.
- The Three Musketeers (1966): He played d'Artagnan. He was actually ten years too old for the part, but he had so much energy you barely noticed.
- The Medusa Touch (1978): A weird, dark supernatural thriller where he plays Edward Parrish.
- Moll Flanders (1996): This was his final role, released after he passed away. He plays the artist's father in a tiny, uncredited bit part. It’s a quiet, fleeting end to a massive career.
How to Watch Jeremy Brett Today
So, you want to dive in? Most people start with the Granada series, which is currently floating around on various streaming platforms like BritBox or Amazon.
Don't just binge them, though. Pay attention to the details. Look at how he uses his hands. Notice the way he looks at the camera—what he called the "winking moose's eye."
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Sherlockian:
- Watch in order: Start with The Adventures, then The Return, then the feature-length The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
- Compare the source: Pick an episode like "The Naval Treaty" and read the short story immediately after. You'll be shocked at how many lines Brett delivers verbatim from the page.
- Listen to the score: Patrick Gowers' music is half the atmosphere. That haunting violin theme is the sound of Victorian London.
Jeremy Brett didn't just play a character; he basically conducted a ten-year séance for a man who never existed. Whether he was a singing suitor in a musical or a dying detective in a TV studio, he brought a level of "becoming" that we rarely see anymore. He wasn't the most famous actor in the world, but for a specific group of people, he will always be the only one who truly knew the secret of Sherlock Holmes.
To truly appreciate his work, start by watching "A Scandal in Bohemia"—it's the perfect entry point to see Brett at the absolute height of his powers. Afterward, find a copy of "Bending the Willow" by David Stuart Davies; it's the most honest account of what it actually took for Brett to bring that performance to life.