# List of actors who have played Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary human character in film and television history, having appeared on screen 254 times as of 2012. Additionally, many actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes in audio dramas and stage productions.

## Radio and audio dramas

| Name | Title | Date | Type |
| Edward H. Smith | The Sign of the Four | 1922 | Radio (WGY) |
| William Gillette | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" | 1930 | Radio (NBC Blue Network) |
| William Gillette | Lux Radio Theatre – "Sherlock Holmes" | 1935 | Radio adaptation of the play (NBC) |
| Clive Brook | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League" | 1930 | Radio (NBC) |
| Richard Gordon | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1930–1933, 1936 | Radio (Mutual, NBC) |
| Louis Hector | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1934–1935 | Radio (NBC) |
| Orson Welles | The Mercury Theatre on the Air – "Sherlock Holmes" | 1938 | Radio adaptation of the play (CBS) |
| Basil Rathbone | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1939–1946 | Radio (Blue Network, Mutual) |
| Arthur Wontner | The Boscombe Valley Mystery | 1943 | BBC Home Service |
| John Cheatle | My Dear Watson | 1943 | BBC Home Service |
| Cedric Hardwicke | The Adventure of the Speckled Band | 1945 | BBC Home Service |
| Laidman Browne | Silver Blaze | 1945 | BBC Home Service |
| Tom Conway | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1946–1947 | Radio (ABC) |
| John Stanley | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1947–1949 | Radio (Mutual) |
| H. Marion-Crawford | The Adventure of the Speckled Band | 1948 | BBC Home Service |
| Ben Wright | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1949–1950 | Radio (ABC) |
| Carleton Hobbs | Sherlock Holmes | 1952–1969 | Radio (BBC series) |
| John Gielgud | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1954 | Radio series (BBC Light Programme) |
| Richard Hurndall | The Sign of Four Parts 1–5 | 1959 | BBC Light Programme |
| Robert Langford | Sherlock Holmes | 1967 | South African Broadcasting Corporation |
| Robert Hardy | Sherlock Holmes | 1970–1971 | LP record series |
| Robert Powell | A Study in Scarlet | 1974 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Kevin McCarthy | CBS Radio Mystery Theater | 1977 | Radio (CBS) |
| Barry Foster | Sherlock Holmes | 1978 | Radio series (BBC Radio 4) |
| Graham Armitage | The Stories of Sherlock Holmes | 1979–1985 | Radio series (Springbok Radio) |
| John Beal | CBS Radio Mystery Theater – "The Vanishing Herd" | 1981 | Radio (CBS) |
| Gordon Gould | CBS Radio Mystery Theater | 1981–1982 | Radio (CBS) |
| John Moffatt | Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula | 1981 | BBC radio dramatisation of the novel |
| Mark Wing-Davey | The Mystery of the Reluctant Storyteller | 1986 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Tim Pigott-Smith | The Valley of Fear | 1986 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Roger Rees | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1988 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Ronald Pickup | The Singular Case of Sherlock H. and Sigmund F. | 1988 | BBC Radio 3 |
| Clive Merrison | BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes (the entire canon – the first actor to do so) | 1989–1998 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Clive Merrison | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (British series) | 2002–2010 | BBC Radio 4 |
| William Chubb | The Adventure of the Pimlico Poisoner | 1990 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Simon Callow | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | 1993 | BBC radio dramatisation of the novel |
| Simon Callow | The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes | 1993 | Radio series (BBC Radio 5) |
| John Gilbert | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (American series) | 1998–2000 | Radio series (Imagination Theatre) |
| Roy Hudd | The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes | 1999 | BBC Radio 2 |
| James Fox | The Beekeeper's Apprentice | 2000 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Robert Bathurst | A Capital Case: Karl Marx Meets Sherlock Holmes | 2001 | BBC Radio 4 |
| John Patrick Lowrie | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (American series) | 2001–present | Radio series (Imagination Theatre) |
| John Patrick Lowrie | The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the entire canon) | 2005–2016 | Radio series (Imagination Theatre) |
| Martin Jarvis | Sherlock Holmes Theatre | 2006 | Hollywood Theatre of the Ear |
| Roger Llewellyn | Sherlock Holmes – The Death and Life, Sherlock Holmes – The Last Act | 2009 | Audio dramas (Big Finish Productions) |
| Nicholas Briggs | Sherlock Holmes | 2010–present | Audio dramas (Big Finish Productions) |
| David Warner | Sherlock Holmes | 2011 | California Artists Radio Theatre |
| Mir Afsar Ali | Sunday Suspense | 2012-present | Radio Mirchi / Goppo Mir-er Thek |
| Seamus Dever | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2014 | Audio drama (L.A. Theatre Works) |
| Derek Jacobi | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2017 | Audio play (Bleak December Inc.) |
| Orlando Wells | Mrs Hudson's Radio Show | 2018 | BBC Radio 4 |
| Nicholas Boulton | Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason | 2020 | Audio drama (Audible Original) |
| Colin Salmon | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2021 | Audio drama (Audible Original) |
| Phil LaMarr | Moriarty | 2022-present | Audio drama (Audible Original) |
| Mark Gatiss | Drama on 3 - "The Hound of the Baskervilles" | 2023 | BBC Radio 3 |
| Paterson Joseph | Baker Street Four | 2023 | Audible Original |
| Harry Attwell | Sherlock & Co | 2023-present | Scripted podcast (Goalhanger Podcasts) |

## Stage plays

| Name | Title | Date | Type and location |
| C.H.E. Brookfield | Under the Clock | 1893 | Stage (Royal Court Theatre) |
| John Webb | Sherlock Holmes | 1894 | Stage (Royalty Theatre, Glasgow) |
| William Gillette | Sherlock Holmes | 1899 | Stage (Broadway) |
| William Gillette | The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes | 1905 | Stage (Metropolitan Opera House) |
| John F. Preston | The Bank of England: An Adventure in the Life of Sherlock Holmes | 1900 | Stage (Clapham) |
| Clarence Blakiston | Sheerluck Jones, or Why D’Gillette Him Off | 1901–1902 | Stage (Terry's Theatre) |
| Walter Edwards | The Sign of the Four | 1903 | Stage (West End Theater) |
| Herbert Kelcey | Sherlock Holmes | 1903 | Stage (Broadway Theatre, Butte, Montana) Stage (Spokane Theatre, Spokane, Washington) |
| Harry Arthur Saintsbury | Sherlock Holmes | 1903–1910 | Stage (London) |
| Harry Arthur Saintsbury | The Speckled Band | 1910 | Stage (London) |
| Kenneth Rivington | Sherlock Holmes | 1904–1905 | Stage (UK tour) |
| H. Lawrence Leyton | Sherlock Holmes | 1905–1906 | Stage (UK tour) |
| Károly Baumann | Sherlock Hohmec, the King of Detectives | 1905 | Stage (Hungary) |
| Arthur V. Johnson | The Burglar and the Lady | 1905–1906 | Stage (US) |
| H. Hamilton Stewart | Sherlock Holmes | 1906–1918 | Stage (England) |
| Ferdinand Bonn | Sherlock Holmes | 1906 | Stage (Berliner Theatre) |
| Ferdinand Bonn | Der Hund Von Baskerville | 1907 | Stage (Berliner Theatre) |
| Dennis Neilson-Terry | The Crown Diamond | 1921 | Stage (London) |
| Eille Norwood | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1923 | Stage (UK) |
| Hamilton Deane | Sherlock Holmes | 1923–1932 | Stage (UK) |
| Tod Slaughter | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1928 | Stage (England) |
| Felix Aylmer | The Holmeses of Baker Street | 1933 | Stage (Lyceum Theatre) |
| Tod Slaughter | Sherlock Holmes | 1930 (~) | Stage |
| Basil Rathbone | "Sherlock Holmes" by Ouida Bergère | 1953 | Stage play |
| Fritz Weaver | Baker Street | 1965 | Stage musical (Broadway Theatre, NYC) |
| John Neville | Sherlock Holmes | 1973 (~) | Stage (Royal Shakespeare Company) |
| John Wood | Sherlock Holmes | 1974–1976 | Stage (Broadway) |
| Leonard Nimoy | Sherlock Holmes | 1976 | Stage (Royal Shakespeare Company) |
| Frank Langella | Sherlock Holmes | 1977, 1981 | Stage (Williamstown Theater Festival), filmed for TV in 1981 |
| Frank Langella | Sherlock's Last Case | 1987 | Stage (Nederlander Theatre) |
| Paxton Whitehead | The Crucifer of Blood | 1978 | Stage (Broadway) |
| Keith Michell | The Crucifer of Blood | 1979 | Stage (London) |
| Valentīns Skulme | Šerloks Holmss | 1979 | Stage (Latvia) |
| Keith Baxter | The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes | 1980 | Stage (Off-Broadway) |
| Keith Baxter | Murder Dear Watson | 1983 | Stage (UK) |
| Paul Singleton | Grit in a Sensitive Instrument | 1980, 1982 | Stage (regional theatre, Off-Broadway), cable TV |
| Paul Singleton | The Blue Carbuncle | 2007–2008 | Stage (Off Broadway, Los Angeles) |
| Charlton Heston | The Crucifer of Blood | 1981 | Stage (Los Angeles) |
| Charlton Heston | Sherlock's Last Case | 1990 | Stage (Broadway) |
| Tom Baker | The Mask of Moriarty | 1985 | Stage (Dublin) |
| Alec Baldwin | A Study in Scarlet | 1987 | Stage (The Free Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival) |
| Jeremy Brett | The Secret of Sherlock Holmes | 1988–1989 | Stage (touring, British) |
| Time Winters | Sherlock Holmes and the Hands of Othello | 1987 | Stage (Off-Off Broadway, NY) |
| Ron Moody | Sherlock Holmes: The Musical | 1989 | Stage |
| Christopher Lloyd | Sherlock Holmes | 1990 | Stage (The Weston Playhouse) |
| Javier Marzan | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2007 | Stage (West Yorkshire Playhouse) |
| Jay Baruchel | Sherlock Holmes | 2013 | Play by Greg Kramer (Canada) |
| Julien Masdoua | Le Cabaret Sherlock Holmes | 2013 | Stage (France) |
| Benjamin Lawlor | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2013 | Stage (UK) |
| Simon Michael Morgan | Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol | 2013 | Stage (Britain) |
| Peter Land | To Kill a Canary | 2014 | Stage (Britain) |
| Gregory Wooddell | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery | 2015 | Arena Stage in Southwest, Washington, D.C. |
| Euan Morton | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery | 2015 | Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California |
| Paul Andrew Goldsmith | Sherlock Holmes & the Case of the Christmas Carol | 2015–2016 | UK theatre tour |
| David Arquette | Sherlock Holmes | 2015 | Play by Greg Kramer |
| Jay Taylor | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery | 2017–2018 | Liverpool Playhouse |
| Luke Barton | Sherlock Holmes – The Sign of Four | 2018–2019 | UK theatre tour |
| Alan Tudyk | Mysterious Circumstances | 2019 | Geffen Playhouse (America) |
| Collin Conway | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2022 | Stage (Encore Center Threatre, Southern Pines, NC, USA) |
| Danny Richter | Sherlock Holmes und der Hund der Baskervilles | 2023–2025 | European theatre tour |
| Colin Baker | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2022-2025 | Live script reading |
| Ed Hawkins | Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four | 2024 | Opera (UK) |

## Television and DTV films

| Name | Title | Date | Type |
| Louis Hector | The Three Garridebs | 1937 | Television play for NBC (American) |
| John Longden | The Man Who Disappeared | 1951 | Television pilot (British) |
| Andrew Osborn | The Mazarin Stone | 1951 | Television film for BBC (British) |
| Stewart Granger | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1972 | Television film (American) |
| John Cleese | Comedy Playhouse series 13 – "Elementary, My Dear Watson" | 1973 | Television film (British) |
| Roger Moore | Sherlock Holmes in New York | 1976 | Television film (American) |
| Christopher Plummer | Silver Blaze | 1977 | Television film (Canadian) |
| John Cleese | The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It | 1977 | Television film (British) |
| Algimantas Masiulis | Blue Carbuncle | 1980 | Television film (Belarusfilm) |
| Frank Langella | Standing Room Only – Sherlock Holmes | 1981 | Television play for HBO (American) |
| Tom Baker | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1982 | Television serial in four parts (British) |
| Peter O'Toole | Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear | 1983 | Animated television film (Australian) |
| Peter O'Toole | Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four | 1983 | Animated television film (Australian) |
| Peter O'Toole | Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse | 1983 | Animated television film (Australian) |
| Peter O'Toole | Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet | 1983 | Animated television film (Australian) |
| Ian Richardson | The Sign of Four | 1983 | Television films (British-American) |
| Ian Richardson | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1983 | Television films (British-American) |
| Peter Cushing | The Masks of Death | 1984 | Television film (British) |
| Guy Rolfe | The Case of Marcel Duchamp | 1984 | Television film (British) |
| Michael Pennington | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1987 | Television film (American) |
| Edward Woodward | Hands of a Murderer | 1990 | Television film (American) |
| Charlton Heston | The Crucifer of Blood | 1991 | Television film adaptation of the play (American) |
| Christopher Lee | Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady | 1991 | Television films |
| Christopher Lee | Incident at Victoria Falls | 1992 | Television films |
| Patrick Macnee | The Hound of London | 1993 | Television film (Luxembourgian/Canadian) |
| Anthony Higgins | Sherlock Holmes Returns | 1993 | Television film (American) |
| Matt Frewer | The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire | 2002 | Television films (Canadian) |
| Matt Frewer | The Sign of Four | 2001 | Television films (Canadian) |
| Matt Frewer | The Royal Scandal | 2001 | Television films (Canadian) |
| Matt Frewer | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2000 | Television films (Canadian) |
| James D'Arcy | Sherlock: Case of Evil | 2002 | Television film (American) |
| Richard Roxburgh | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 2002 | Television film (British) |
| Rupert Everett | Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking | 2004 | Television film (British) |
| Jonathan Pryce | Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars | 2007 | Television film (British) |
| Ben Syder | Sherlock Holmes | 2010 | DTV film (American) |
| Michael York | Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes | 2010 | Animated DTV film; voice only (American) |
| Anthony D.P. Mann | Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers | 2011 | DTV film (Canadian) |
| Vernon Dobtcheff | L'hypothèse de la reine rouge | 2018 | Online short film (French) |
| Jack Chambers | Holmes: The Myth of Whitechapel | 2025 | Short film/television pilot |

## Television series

| Name | Title | Date | Type |
| Milton Berle | Texaco Star Theatre – "Sherlock Holmes in the Mystery of the Sen Sen Murder" | 1949 | TV episode (American) |
| Alan Napier | Your Show Time – "The Speckled Band" | 1949 | TV episode (American) |
| Alan Wheatley | Sherlock Holmes | 1951 | TV series (British) |
| Basil Rathbone | Suspense – "The Adventure of the Black Baronet" | 1953 | TV episode (American) |
| Ronald Howard | Sherlock Holmes | 1954–1955 | TV series (American) |
| Boris Karloff | The Elgin Hour – "Sting of Death" | 1955 | Based on the novel A Taste for Honey (American) |
| Douglas Wilmer | Detective – "The Speckled Band" | 1964 | Backdoor pilot for the 1965 series (British) |
| Douglas Wilmer | Sherlock Holmes | 1965 | TV series (British) |
| Erich Schellow | Sherlock Holmes | 1967–1968 | TV series (German) |
| Peter Cushing | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes | 1968 | TV series (British) |
| Nando Gazzolo | Sherlock Holmes | 1968 | TV series (Italian) |
| Vasily Livanov | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson | 1979–1986 | TV film series (USSR) |
| Geoffrey Whitehead | Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson | 1979 | TV series (American-Polish) |
| Peter Lawford | Fantasy Island – "Save Sherlock Holmes" | 1982 | TV episode (American) |
| Guy Henry | Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | 1982 | TV series (British) |
| Roger Ostime | The Baker Street Boys | 1983 | TV series (British) |
| Jeremy Brett | Sherlock Holmes | 1984–1994 | TV series (British) |
| Taichirō Hirokawa | Sherlock Hound | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (Japanese version) |
| Larry Moss | Sherlock Hound | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (English dub) |
| Elio Pandolfi | Sherlock Hound | 1984–1985 | TV animated series (Italian-Japanese) (Italian dub) |
| Pat Fraley | BraveStarr – "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century" Parts 1 and 2 | 1988 | Animated TV episodes (American) |
| Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. | Alvin and the Chipmunks – "Elementary, My Dear Simon" | 1988 | Animated TV episodes (American) |
| Brian Bedford | Alfred Hitchcock Presents – "My Dear Watson" | 1989 | TV episode (American) |
| Jeremy Irons | Saturday Night Live – "Sherlock Holmes' Birthday Party" | 1991 | TV sketch (American) |
| Peter Capaldi | The All New Alexei Sayle Show – "Sherlock Holmes & Watson" | 1994 | TV sketch (British) |
| Jason Gray-Stanford | Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century | 1999–2001 | Animated TV series (American-British) |
| Robert Webb | That Mitchell and Webb Look – "Holmes and Watson" | 2007 | TV sketch (British) |
| Ian Buchanan | Batman: The Brave and the Bold – "Trials of the Demon!" | 2009 | Animated TV episode (American) |
| David Mitchell | That Mitchell and Webb Look – "Old Sherlock Holmes" | 2010 | TV sketch (British) |
| Benedict Cumberbatch | Sherlock | 2010–2017 | TV series (British) |
| Alexander Armstrong | The Armstrong and Miller Show | 2010 | TV sketch (British) |
| Jonny Lee Miller | Elementary | 2012–2019 | TV series (American) |
| Zach Sherwin | Epic Rap Battles of History – "Batman vs. Sherlock Holmes" | 2012 | Online series episode (American) |
| Igor Petrenko | Sherlock Holmes | 2013 | TV series (Russian) |
| Louis Oliver Moffat | Sherlock – Flashbacks of Holmes as a child | 2013 | TV series (British) |
| Kōichi Yamadera | Sherlock Holmes | 2014–2015 | TV series (Japanese) |
| Ewan Bremner | Houdini & Doyle – "Bedlam" | 2016 | TV episode (American) |
| Mark Caven | Houdini & Doyle – "The Pall of LaPier" | 2016 | TV episode (American) |
| Yūji Oda | IQ246: The Cases of a Royal Genius | 2016 | TV series (Japanese) |
| Yūko Takeuchi | Miss Sherlock | 2018 | TV series (Japanese) |
| Dean Fujioka | Sherlock: Untold Stories | 2019 | TV series (Japanese) |
| Katsuyuki Konishi | Case File nº221: Kabukicho | 2019–2020 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
| Ian Sinclair | Case File nº221: Kabukicho | 2019–2020 | TV anime series (English dub) |
| Camilla Arfwedson | Ghostwriter – "The Case of The Missing Ghost" | 2020 | TV series (American-Canadian) |
| Maksim Matveyev | Sherlock in Russia | 2020 | TV series (Russian) |
| Makoto Furukawa | Moriarty the Patriot | 2020–2021 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
| Theo Devaney | Moriarty the Patriot | 2021 | TV anime series (English dub) |
| Henry Lloyd-Hughes | The Irregulars | 2021 | TV series (British-American) |
| Masato Obara | Lupin the 3rd Part 6 | 2021-2022 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
| Yong Yea | Lupin the 3rd Part 6 | 2022 | TV anime series (English dub) |
| Shin-ichiro Miki | Undead Girl Murder Farce | 2023 | TV anime series (Japanese) |
| Mark Gatiss | Inside Classical - "The Hound of the Baskervilles" | 2023 | Televised concert (British) |
| David Thewlis | Sherlock & Daughter | 2025 | TV series (American-British) |
| Hero Fiennes Tiffin | Young Sherlock | 2025 | TV series (British) |

## Theatrical films

| Name | Title | Date | Type |
| Broncho Billy Anderson | Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; or, Held for Ransom | 1905 | Silent films (American) |
| Broncho Billy Anderson | Sherlock Holmes in the Great Murder Mystery | 1908 | Silent films (American) |
| Alwin Neuß | Sherlock Holmes | 1908 | Silent films (German) |
| Alwin Neuß | The Stolen Legacy (Den stjaalne millionobligation) | 1911 | Silent films (German) |
| Alwin Neuß | Detektiv Braun | 1914 | Silent films (German) |
| Alwin Neuß | Der Hund von Baskerville | 1914 | Silent films (German) |
| Viggo Larsen | Sherlock Holmes in Deathly Danger | 1908 | One-reel short films (Danish) |
| Viggo Larsen | Raffles Escapes From Prison | 1908 | One-reel short films (Danish) |
| Viggo Larsen | The Secret Document | 1908 | One-reel short films (Danish) |
| Viggo Larsen | Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes | 1910 | Silent film (German) |
| Otto Lagoni | Sherlock Holmes i Bondefangerklør | 1910 | Silent short films (Danish) |
| Otto Lagoni | The Bogus Governess (Den forklædte barnepige) | 1911 | Silent short films (Danish) |
| Otto Lagoni | The Black Hand (Den sorte Haand) | 1911 | Silent short films (Danish) |
| Otto Lagoni | A Confidence Trick | 1911 | Silent short films (Danish) |
| Einar Zangenberg | Hotel Thieves | 1911 | Silent short film (Danish) |
| Lauritz Olsen | Den sorte hætte | 1911 | Silent film (Danish) |
| Mack Sennett | The $500 Reward | 1911 | Silent short film (American) |
| Georges Tréville | The Speckled Band | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | Silver Blaze | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Beryl Coronet | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Musgrave Ritual | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Reigate Squares | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Stolen Papers | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Mystery of Boscombe Valley | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Georges Tréville | The Copper Beeches | 1912 | Éclair series short films (British-French) |
| Harry Benham | Sherlock Holmes Solves The Sign of the Four | 1913 | Silent two-reel film (American) |
| James Bragington | A Study in Scarlet | 1914 | Silent film (British) |
| Francis Ford | A Study in Scarlet | 1914 | Silent film (American) |
| William Gillette | Sherlock Holmes | 1916 | Silent adaptation of the play (American) |
| Harry Arthur Saintsbury | The Valley of Fear | 1916 | Silent film (British) |
| Hugo Flink | Der Erdstrommotor | 1917 | Silent films (German) |
| Hugo Flink | Der Schlangenring | 1917 | Silent films (German) |
| Hugo Flink | Die Kassette | 1917 | Silent films (German) |
| Eille Norwood | 45 short silent films | 1921–1923 | Stoll film series (British) |
| Eille Norwood | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1921 | Stoll film series (British) |
| Eille Norwood | The Sign of the Four | 1923 | Stoll film series (British) |
| John Barrymore | Sherlock Holmes | 1922 | Silent adaptation of the play (American) |
| Carlyle Blackwell | Der Hund von Baskerville | 1929 | Silent film (German) |
| Clive Brook | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | 1929 | American film |
| Clive Brook | Paramount on Parade: "Murder Will Out" | 1930 | Anthology film sequence (American) |
| Clive Brook | Sherlock Holmes | 1932 | American film |
| Arthur Wontner | The Sleeping Cardinal | 1931 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
| Arthur Wontner | The Missing Rembrandt | 1932 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
| Arthur Wontner | The Sign of Four | 1932 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
| Arthur Wontner | The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes | 1935 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
| Arthur Wontner | Silver Blaze | 1937 | 1931–1937 film series (British) |
| Raymond Massey | The Speckled Band | 1931 | British film |
| Robert Rendel | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1932 | British film |
| Reginald Owen | A Study in Scarlet | 1933 | American film |
| Bruno Güttner | The Hound of the Baskervilles (Der Hund von Baskerville) | 1937 | German film |
| Basil Rathbone | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1939 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1939 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror | 1942 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon | 1942 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Sherlock Holmes in Washington | 1943 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Sherlock Holmes Faces Death | 1943 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Crazy House (short cameo) | 1943 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Spider Woman | 1944 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Scarlet Claw | 1944 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Pearl of Death | 1944 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The House of Fear | 1945 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Woman in Green | 1945 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Pursuit to Algiers | 1945 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Terror by Night | 1946 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | Dressed to Kill | 1946 | 1939–1946 film series (USA) |
| Basil Rathbone | The Great Mouse Detective | 1986 | Animated film (archive; voice only) (American) |
| Peter Cushing | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1959 | British film |
| Christopher Lee | Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace | 1962 | West German-French-Italian film |
| John Neville | A Study in Terror | 1965 | British film |
| Peter Jeffrey | The Best House in London (short cameo) | 1969 | British film |
| Robert Stephens | The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes | 1970 | American film |
| Douglas Wilmer | The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother | 1975 | American film |
| Nicol Williamson | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | 1976 | American film |
| Peter Cook | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1978 | British film |
| Christopher Plummer | Murder by Decree | 1979 | British-Canadian film |
| Nicholas Rowe | Young Sherlock Holmes | 1985 | American film |
| Nicholas Rowe | Mr. Holmes | 2015 | British-American film (cameo in a film-within-the-film) |
| Michael Caine | Without a Clue | 1988 | British film |
| Juan Manuel Montesinos | Sherlock Holmes en Caracas | 1992 | Venezuelan film |
| Joaquim de Almeida | A Samba for Sherlock | 2001 | Brazilian-Portuguese film |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | American-British films |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | 2011 | American-British films |
| Gary Piquer | Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days | 2012 | Spanish film |
| Ian McKellen | Mr. Holmes | 2015 | American film |
| Yoshimitsu Takasugi | The Empire of Corpses | 2015 | Voice role; anime film (Japanese) |
| Chuck Huber | The Empire of Corpses | 2016 | Voice role; anime film (English dub) |
| Johnny Depp | Sherlock Gnomes | 2018 | Voice role; computer-animated film (American) |
| Naoki Tanaka | Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film | 2018 | Japanese film |
| Will Ferrell | Holmes & Watson | 2018 | American film |
| Henry Cavill | Enola Holmes | 2020 | American-British film |
| Henry Cavill | Enola Holmes 2 | 2022 | American-British film |
| Les Best [d] | Sherlock Holmes: Mare of the Night | 2025 | American film |

## Video games

| Name | Title | Date | Type |
| Peter Farley | Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective | 1991 | Consulting Detective series; live-action cutscenes |
| Peter Farley | Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II | 1992 | Consulting Detective series; live-action cutscenes |
| Peter Farley | Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III | 1993 | Consulting Detective series; live-action cutscenes |
| David Ian Davies | The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel | 1992, 1994 | Voice role (1992 release); live-action video clips (1994 release) |
| Jarion Monroe | The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo | 1996 | Voice only; digitized sprites based on a different actor |
| George Gregg | The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo | 1996 | Digitized-sprite actor |
| John Bell | Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy | 2002 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Rick Simmonds | Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring | 2004 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Rick Simmonds | Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened | 2007 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Rick Simmonds | Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin | 2007 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Rick Simmonds | Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper | 2009 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Kerry Shale | Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles | 2011 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Kerry Shale | The Testament of Sherlock Holmes | 2012 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Kerry Shale | Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments | 2014 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Alex Jordan | Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter | 2016 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Alex Jordan | Sherlock Holmes Chapter One | 2021 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Alex Jordan | Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened | 2023 | Sherlock Holmes series; voice role |
| Shinji Kawada | The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures | 2015 | The Great Ace Attorney series; voice role (Japanese) |
| Shinji Kawada | The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve | 2017 | The Great Ace Attorney series; voice role (Japanese) |
| Takahiro Mizushima | Fate/Grand Order (Limited event character) | 2017 | Mobile game; voice role (Japanese) |
| Robert Paterson | There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension | 2020 | Voice Role (English) |
| Bradley Clarkson | The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures | 2021 | The Great Ace Attorney series; voice role (English, as Herlock Sholmes) |
| Bradley Clarkson | The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve | 2021 | The Great Ace Attorney series; voice role (English, as Herlock Sholmes) |

## Actors who have played both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

A small number of actors have played both Holmes and Watson, including Reginald Owen who played Watson in Sherlock Holmes (1932) and Holmes in A Study in Scarlet (1933); Jeremy Brett, who played Watson on stage in the United States prior to adopting the mantle of Holmes on British television; Howard Marion-Crawford, who played Holmes on British radio and Watson on American television; Carleton Hobbs, who played both roles in British radio adaptations; Patrick Macnee, who played both roles in American television movies; and Anthony D.P. Mann who played Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers (2011) and Watson in the 2017 Bleak December audio adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles.