Jeremy Brett
Jeremy Brett (1933-1995) was a talented British actor who played many roles in his 40-year acting career, especially He shaped the image of detective Sherlock Holmes and won the love of a wide audience. He is considered the most authoritative Sherlock Holmes actor. Fans call him JB.
Before JB played the Sherlock Holmes we know and love, he had already achieved great success on stage. His stage career spanned 35 years. JB's roles range from classical to avant-garde, from graveyard drama to light comedy, and he has had the privilege of working with some of the world's most famous actors. Unfortunately, because there are no longer enough records for us to revisit JB's stage performances, we can only have a brief understanding of JB's stage experience.
While JB was still studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama, he participated in the filming of his first film "Svengali", playing a French student studying art. In 1956, by chance, JB played Nicholas Rostav, the brother of Natasha (played by Audrey Hepburn) in the film "War and Peace". JB returns to the UK stage after a brief appearance in the film. JB joined the prestigious Old Vic Theater Company and made his first performance in London in April 1956.
He then went on tour with the troupe and returned to the UK at the end of 1957. In 1958, he married 21-year-old actress Anna Massey and gave birth to JB's only child, David, the following year. Anna's parents and brother are both actors. His father played Sherlock Holmes in the 1930 version of The Spotted Band, while her brother and J.B. played Neil Gibson in The Mystery of Thunder Bridge. Until 1961, JB played roles such as a young lover, a cunning secretary, and a suburban priest. They were all young and beautiful characters. Although JB's performances in some plays attracted the attention of critics, in general he Most of the time he remained unknown.
In 1961 his role as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, brought him a decisive victory. The press described his performance as a breath of fresh air, with his appearance and speech being prince-like, and his voice so soft and delightful. JB is one of the harshest critics. He thinks that he is too young in many places and his performance cannot even convince himself. In the same year he played a German chef in a play called "Kitchen". This handsome classical actor made a deep impression on critics for his first time in a new drama. They thought JB's performance was full of wisdom and sincerity, even though his German accent in the play was lame. JB divorced in 1962.
In 1963 JB worked with Laurence Olivier at the Chinchester Festival Theater. Although Lawrence intends to arrange a role for JB in the new season of the British National Theatre. JB still ignored his dissuasion and participated in the filming of the Hollywood movie "My Fair Lady", starring as Freddie, the beautiful young man from Eynsford-Hill who is passionately in love with Elitha Doolittle (played by Audrey Hepburn). He hangs around outside her house all day, just to be able to Meet her. The whole show only lasts about 15 minutes, and JB's singing is a supporting vocal. Although JB likes to sing, the British classical stage drama tradition despises musicals. Therefore, JB rarely has the opportunity to show off his singing voice on stage, and this musical film also did not give him the opportunity. This movie gives us a chance to see JB in his youth.
After that, JB performed on Broadway in the stage play "The Agent". This is a character that is very different from Freddi, a tragic figure full of reality and responsibility - an Italian priest.
After repeatedly reminding the Pope to stop the Nazi massacre of the Jews, but with no results, he put a yellow star on himself (the symbol of the Jews during World War II) and returned to Berlin. He was later sent to Auschwitz with the Jews. The play ran on Broadway for 109 performances until JB returned to England in 1964.
Between 1964 and 1973, JB participated in a large number of performances in the UK, including several Shakespeare masterpieces (JB's performances still tended to be classical), and performed with Laurence Olivier, Ingmar. Cooperated with famous directors such as Bogeman. The former gave JB a great influence, both in career and life. During this period, JB didn't play the leading role much, but every role was serious and full of unique brilliance. He is a becomer, which is JB's word. It means that once he auditions for a role, he will become one with the character and become that person. At this time, JB was already in his thirties, still young and handsome, but he felt that he was a bit old for the role of a teenager, so he thought that he should be closer to the character in terms of personality. In 1973, he left the British scene and began a new endeavor.
Throughout the 1970s, JB was active on British radio and television, and made occasional stage appearances. In 1977, he married Joan Sullivan, with whom he worked. During this time he always tried to fit some theatrical time into his busy schedule of radio and television events. In 1977, he played the poet Robert Browning in Robert and Elisabeth, a role he played three times, twice in radio and once on television.
The following year, he played an extremely sensational role as Count Dracula, a vampire. JB is wearing a black velvet suit with a bat-wing-shaped collar. The most eye-catching thing is the huge black cloak. JB waved and rolled it during the performance, giving it ever-changing shapes and vitality, so that it looked more like a living bat wing. JB appeared as a vampire for only 20 minutes, and these 20 minutes captured the hearts of the audience. Some comments said, "This Dracula deepens the depth of the Count's character. His nobility and attractiveness surround you tightly like that magical cloak... His elegant and almost gentle temptation to Miss Lucy makes half of Female viewers want to be the next victim. "It's worth noting the similarities between JB's portrayal of this character and his subsequent portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The same in-depth and unusual understanding of the character's heart, the same elegant pace and manner.
In early 1979 JB resumed guest roles on television. In 1980, he played Dr. Watson in the Los Angeles production of "Blood Cross," which later proved to be extremely helpful for him to play Sherlock Holmes. JB once said, "It was very interesting to play Watson. Filming the Granada episode taught me how to get close to Sherlock Holmes. I learned a lot about the inner connection between the two people." He also admitted: "Watson is more like me... He is a cheerful, optimistic and enthusiastic person. When his friends treat him and others rudely, he will feel hurt and slightly disturbed. This is more like me." "In 1982 JB produced, directed and performed Shakespeare's famous play "The Tempest". This play indirectly led to JB playing Sherlock Holmes. When the role came to him, he was more interested in raising money to film The Tempest. He didn't raise enough money, so he took Holmes on.
In "The Final Case", Holmes, played by JB, fell into the Rosenbach Falls together with Moriarty. Few people knew that shortly after this monumental scene was filmed, JB would be captured. Catastrophe grips and throws you into a whirlpool of emotions. While filming "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," his wife got cancer. But the demanding filming schedule didn't allow him to stay by her side. That's probably a good thing, because he empathizes with his wife's suffering, so much so that he actually faints the first time he sees Joan undergoing chemotherapy. After the filming of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was completed, JB signed two performance contracts in New York so that he could be closer to Joan. JB poured all his passion into the role and his performance was very successful.
Soon after, his wife died. JB later recalled: "We had the kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime. She was an incredible person, the best wife a man could have. We had such a wonderful relationship that usually I would say the beginning of a sentence and she would Tell me the rest. Sometimes when you look into someone's eyes, it feels like you've known them all your life. "After this huge trauma, JB still insisted on completing all the performances.
In August 1985, JB returned to the UK to continue filming "The Return of Sherlock Holmes". It seems that he wants to use busy work to drive away the pain in his heart. But pain needs to be faced rather than avoided and denied. As JB said later, "Don't be too brave. Bravery is a good thing sometimes, but sometimes it can be very dangerous." JB paid a heavy price for this understanding. Unresolved sadness and anger, filming all day, and then spending long nights alone in the hotel, these things continued to erode JB. Shortly after filming the first episode of "The Return," he "collapsed." JB later said that his whole world turned pale and the only thing he could do was lie prone on the bed and clenched his fists. What's worse is that JB didn't just collapse due to grief and overwork. During the treatment, it was discovered that he was suffering from manic depression. The typical symptom of this disease is that the patient seems to be dominated by an emotion that he cannot control, alternating with abnormal depression and excitement. JB's early symptoms could still be controlled, but under the tremendous pressure of life, these symptoms became more severe and finally broke down JB's mental defense. JB will fight his illness for the rest of his life. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses.
But until the end of his life, JB still spoke frankly about his disease in interviews, hoping to dispel people's fears and misunderstandings about the disease. JB described his symptoms in a moving and brief speech on BBC Radio on behalf of the manic-depressive disorder community, urging sufferers to seek treatment and help. He told people he overcame severe mental illness to live a fulfilling and successful life. Even after his death, the JB Foundation continued to fundraise for research into the disease.
In 1986, after recovering from his first collapse, JB resumed playing Sherlock Holmes and once again enjoyed success on the stage. Long before JB became ill, he and an old friend, the playwright Jeremy Paul, had begun researching Sherlock Holmes. Where he came from, what his early life was like, etc. They plan to write a play called "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes" derived from the original work to commemorate Sherlock Holmes' birthday. Unfortunately, JB fell ill before the play was completed. But he still carefully used a tape recorder to record his various thoughts, his understanding of Sherlock Holmes, and described the social environment of Holmes's childhood, his childhood life, and the bits and pieces he gained from reading the original work. This is a common preparation for JB’s mid- to late stage performances. He believes that only by clearly expressing the character's background story can we deeply understand and shape the character. The play was only staged on a small scale at first. Because JB couldn't decide whether he wanted to perform this play publicly. He's played Sherlock Holmes so many times in movies and on television over the years that he's getting a little tired. And there are concerns about his health. Finally, with everyone's joint efforts, "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes" was officially staged. Although it is basically adapted from Conan Doyle's original work, there are still plots in this play that cannot be found in the original work. It consists of vignettes drawn from the original novel, focusing on the friendship between Holmes and Watson. Dr. Watson is still played by Hardwicke. He also collaborated with JB in TV series.
As the play continues to be performed, people's concerns about JB's health do not seem to be unfounded. JB's manic depression makes him suspicious and difficult to get along with from time to time, and also makes his character closer to the bad personality of that stage character. Even his close friend and colleague Edward Hardwicke couldn't help but get angry, which was unusual for this normally generous man.
Edward Hardwicke tried to help JB. He made many well-intentioned suggestions, but JB's mania caused him to misunderstand Hardwicke's kindness and thought that Hardwicke was unwilling to cooperate with him. The rift between them was finally resolved by a 20-page letter from Hardwicke to JB. It only took JB a few pages of the letter to realize how badly he had treated Hardwicke. Hardwicke is as patient and understanding to JB as Watson is to Sherlock Holmes. He knew that JB's misunderstanding of him should not be blamed on JB but on his illness.
The bigger problem is still to come. Although JB was only 55 years old at this time, he was still very young, but the disease took over his body, and the drugs used to balance his emotions caused him to develop edema. He was worse than before. He looked fatter, and the drugs were having an adverse effect on his heart, which had been traumatized as a child. Although the eight treatments a week began to consume JB's energy, he still put all his efforts into the performance. One writer wrote: "(Brett's) voice burst out dramatically and his movements were large. He represented the character appropriately, and the lines of the character were outlined in a dreamlike way. At the end of the two hours, the audience was enthusiastic Applauding, Brett bowed gracefully, sweat dripping from his face. "After a while, JB no longer had the strength to adapt to the frequent in and out of the plot. When the lights dimmed during the scene change, he remained on the stage. After several weeks of rest under the doctor's advice, he seemed to be back to his original state.
There are also many happy times accompanying them. Every curtain call is exciting. JB put one hand on his chest and the other on his knee, like an Edwardian rheumatic actor-manager. He then extended his hand to Edward Hardwicke and indicated that the audience's enthusiastic applause should be given to this real colleague. His dressing room, filled with fruits, flowers and various small gifts, was packed with admirers and reporters. JB generously dedicated his post-show time to them, talking, signing autographs, taking photos and being interviewed. He always had a smile on his face. His admirers come from all ages and professions. People either like him because of Sherlock Holmes, or they like Sherlock Holmes because of him. In the eyes of many people, he is Sherlock Holmes. "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes" was performed in 11 cities for more than 500 performances. This is JB's last stage performance. He later went on to play Sherlock Holmes in the Granada series. Until September 12, 1995, he quietly passed away in his sleep due to myocarditis.
JB loved stage performances throughout his life and created a variety of artistic images. The Sherlock Holmes we can see today is just one character in his long acting career. The brilliance and charm he gave to this character are enough to make him famous. We were dumped. Although we didn't have the opportunity to see his performance again, we can see JB's smile appearing in every corner of the world from the large number of photo articles and newspaper clippings circulating on the Internet, and we can see people's sincere respect and love for him.
May he rest in peace.
Moll Flanders (1996)
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995)
Last Vampyre, The (1993)
Master Blackmailer, The (1992)
Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1988)
Sign of Four, The (1987)
Deceptions (1985)
Medusa Touch, The (1978)
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
My Fair Lady ( 1964)
War and Peace (1956)