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Arthur Wontner
Actor

Arthur Wontner

21 Jan 1875Born
10 Jul 1960Died
85Age at death
30Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Read the full biography

These films are:

    The Sleeping Cardinal (1931) (US title: Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour) based on Doyle's two stories, "The Adventure of the Empty House" and "The Final Problem"

    The Missing Rembrandt (1932) (still considered lost) based on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"

    The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case (1932)

    The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935) based on The Valley of Fear

    Silver Blaze (1937) (US title:Murder at the Baskervilles, release 1941) based on "Silver Blaze"

Reportedly, Wontner landed the role of Sherlock Holmes thanks to his performance of Holmes imitation Sexton Blake in a 1930 stage production.

Of all Wontner's films as Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Rembrandt is no longer available. It is officially a lost film. It is possible to obtain all of the others.

Silver Blaze was renamed Murder at the Baskervilles on its US release in order to make the most of the publicity which had been generated by Basil Rathbone's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. In many respects Wontner's film can be seen as a sequel as it is set twenty years after the events of the more famous story.

Wontner's son became the well-known hotelier and Lord Mayor of London Sir Hugh Wontner.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Arthur Wontner,licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Filmography

  1. TBATemptation's HourFilm
  2. 1985The Many Faces of Sherlock HolmesFilm: Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
  3. 1953GenevieveFilm: Old Gentleman
  4. 1953Sea DevilsFilm: Baron de Baudrec
  5. 1952Brandy for the ParsonFilm: Major Glockleigh
  6. 1951The WardenSeries: Bishop of Barchester (4 episodes)
  7. 1950The Elusive PimpernelFilm: Lord Grenville
  8. 1949Ten Little IndiansFilm: General Mackenzie
  9. 1948Blanche FuryFilm: Lord Rudford
  10. 1948PygmalionFilm: Colonel Pickering
  11. 1943The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpFilm: Embassy Counsellor
  12. 1938Old IronFilm: Judge
  13. 1938The Live WireFilm: Montell
  14. 1938The TerrorFilm: Colonel Redmayne
  15. 1938Kate Plus TenFilm: Colonel Westhanger
  16. 1937Silver BlazeFilm: Sherlock Holmes
  17. 1937Thunder in the CityFilm: Sir Peter
  18. 1937Storm in a TeacupFilm: Fiscal
  19. 1936Dishonour BrightFilm: Judge
  20. 1935The Triumph of Sherlock HolmesFilm: Sherlock Holmes
  21. 1932The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest CaseFilm: Sherlock Holmes
  22. 1932The Missing RembrandtFilm: Sherlock Holmes
  23. 1932Condemned to DeathFilm: Sir Charles Wallington
  24. 1931A Gentleman of ParisFilm: Judge Le Fevre
  25. 1931The Sleeping CardinalFilm: Sherlock Holmes
  26. 1924The Diamond ManFilm: Lady Marshalt
  27. 1924Eugene AramFilm: Eugene Aram
  28. 1923Bonnie Prince CharlieFilm: Lord Kingsburgh
  29. 1916The BigamistFilm: Tony Henderson
  30. 1916Lady Windermere's FanFilm: Lord Darlington

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.