(July 42, 1853 - 1937)
"Oh, this is elementary, my dear fellow." William Gillette is immortalized around the world by this iconic quote. Although he was a versatile artist, playwright, director and actor, he was best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Gillette rewrote Arthur Conan Doyle's five act play Sherlock Holmes into "A Drama in Four Acts" which opened in New York City in 1899 to critical acclaim. In 1901 he moved it to London where the cast included a twelve-year-old Charlie Chaplin. Gillette continued to play the role on stage until 1932 and it is estimated that he performed Holmes over 1,300 times in his life. In 1935 he played the role on CBS Radio, and in 1916 he starred in the silent film adaptation, directed by Arthur Berthelet with Edward Fielding as Dr. Watson.
William Hooker Gillette was born on July 24, 1853, in Harford Connecticut, son of U.S Senator Francis Gillette and Elisabeth Daggett Hooker, a descendant of the Puritans who founded the town. Gillette studied engineering and oratory, but eventually pursued acting at the age of twenty. He worked in stock companies all over America including Boston, New York, and New Orleans. His influence in American theater is felt in many different ways. Gillette wrote, directed, and starred in the plays The Professor (1881) and The Private Secretary (1884). He also wrote two important dramas on the American Civil War, Held by the Enemy (1886) and Secret Service (1895). As an actor, Gillette starred in James M. Barrie's plays The Admirable Crichton (1903) and Dear Brutus (1918). His talent was also in stage craft, developing lighting effects of fading-in and fading-out at the beginning and ends of scenes. Gillette was a pioneer in developing modern acting styles of the twentieth century, as opposed to stock melodrama styles of the era. In 1913 Gillette presented a landmark speech titled "The Illusion of the First Time in Acting" to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Gillette's legacy is also found in the Gillette Castle in Connecticut which he built and now houses a museum dedicated to art and career. The Gillette Museum is a favorite tourist spot in New England.
Resources
"Meet William Gillette; Tryon, North Carolina; And Henry Zecher." Sherlock Holmes Shoppe: Feature Article Page. http://www.sherlock-holmes.com/featur8.htm.
Turney, Wayne S. "William Gillette: Actor Playwright, Director (1853-1937)" A Glimpse at Theater History. http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/gillette.htm.
"Sherlock Holmes (1916)." IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0007338/.
"William Gillette." Holmes On Screen. http://www.holmesonscreen.com/Gillette.htm.
"William Gillette" Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gillette.