| Jeremy Brett | |
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 Jeremy Brett in the role of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 |
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| Born | Peter Jeremy William Huggins 3 November 1933 Berkswell Grange in Berkswell, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 12 September 1995 (aged 61) London, England |
| Years active | 1954 - 1995 |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Massey (24 May 1958 - 1962) (divorced) Joan Wilson (22 November 1976 - 4 July 1985) (her death) |
Jeremy Brett (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), born Peter Jeremy William Huggins, was an English actor famous for his portrayal of the detective Sherlock Holmes in four British television series: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Berkswell is a Village and Civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the TV series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British Television company
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Early life
Brett was born at Berkswell Grange in Berkswell, Warwickshire, England and was educated at Eton College. Berkswell is a Village and Civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Eton College, or just Eton, is a world-famous British Independent school for boys founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. Brett later claimed that he was an "academic disaster" at Eton and attributed his learning difficulties to dyslexia. Dyslexia is considered to be a Learning disability. It manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language particularly with Reading and Spelling However, he excelled at singing and was a member of the college choir.
Acting career
Brett trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young Actors and other students London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. [1] He made his professional acting debut at the Library Theatre in Manchester in 1954, and made his London stage debut with the Old Vic company in Troilus and Cressida 1956. The Library Theatre is located in the basement of Manchester Central Library in St Peter's Square Manchester, England and is the home of the Library The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. [2]. In the same year he appeared on Broadway as the Duke of Aumerle in Richard II. [3] He went on to play many classical roles on stage, including numerous Shakespearean parts in his early career with the Old Vic and later with the Royal National Theatre. William Shakespeare ( baptised The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. The Royal National Theatre, located on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Brett made his first television appearance in 1954 and his first feature film appearance in 1955.
He was briefly considered by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli for the role of James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service after Sean Connery quit the series in 1967, but the role went to Australian George Lazenby instead. Harry Saltzman ( October 27 1915 - September 28 1994) was a theatre and Film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE (Hon ( April 5 1909 &ndash June 27 1996) nicknamed "Cubby" was an American James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released in 1969, is the sixth Spy film in the James Bond series, and the only one to star George Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish George Robert Lazenby (born September 5 1939) is an Australian Actor best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 A second audition for the role of 007 for Live and Let Die was also unsuccessful as Roger Moore won the coveted part. Live and Let Die is the eighth Spy film of the British James Bond series and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English Actor.
From the early 1960s, Brett was rarely absent from British television screens. He starred in many serials, notably as D'Artagnan in the 1966 adaptation of The Three Musketeers. Charles de Batz-Castelmore Comte d'Artagnan (c Lupiac 1611 - 25 June, Maastricht The Three Musketeers ( Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a Novel by Alexandre Dumas père. A few of his appearances were in comedic roles, but usually with a classic edge, such as Captain Absolute in The Rivals. The Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a Comedy of manners in five acts In 1973, Brett portrayed Bassanio in a televised production of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which Laurence Olivier portrayed Shylock and Joan Plowright Portia. William Shakespeare ( baptised The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598 Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Shylock is a central character in Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice who famously demanded a pound of flesh from the title character Joan Ann Olivier Baroness Olivier, DBE (born 28 October 1929) better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress (Brett, Olivier and Plowright had previously played the same roles in a Royal National Theatre production of the play. The Royal National Theatre, located on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. ) Brett joked that, as an actor, he was rarely allowed into the 20th century and never into the present day. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on
Although Brett's feature film appearances were relatively few, he did play Freddie Eynsford-Hill in the 1964 blockbuster film version of My Fair Lady. My Fair Lady is a musical Film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical My Fair Lady, based in turn on the play His singing voice was dubbed in the film, but Brett could still sing, as he later proved when he played Danilo in The Merry Widow on British television in 1968. The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe is an Operetta by the Austro-Hungarian Composer Franz Lehár.
Notable in all of Jeremy Brett's roles is his precisely honed diction. Brett was born with a speech impediment that kept him from pronouncing the "R" sound correctly. Rhotacism may refer to several phenomena related to the usage of the Consonant R (whether as an Alveolar tap, Alveolar trill, or Corrective surgery as a teenager, followed by years of practising, gave Brett an enviable pronunciation and enunciation. He later claimed he practised all of his speech exercises daily, whether he was working or not.
Although he appeared in many different roles during his 40-year career, Brett is now best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes in the 1984–94 series of Granada Television films, adapted by John Hawkesworth and other writers from the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (see The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the TV series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British Television company Even though he reportedly feared being typecast, Brett appeared in 41 episodes of the Granada series. For those not familiar with this series, although in the original stories Holmes does not give up cocaine he does kick the destructive habit in the series. This is said to be because Jeremy Brett found out that children loved the series and idolized Holmes and just didn't want them idolizing a cocaine user.
After taking on the demanding role, Brett made few other acting appearances and he is now widely considered to be the definitive Holmes of his era, just as Basil Rathbone was during the 1940s. Basil Rathbone, MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967 was a South African-born English Actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Interestingly, Brett had played Doctor Watson on stage opposite Charlton Heston as Holmes in the 1980 Los Angeles production of The Crucifer of Blood, making him one of only three actors to play both Holmes and Watson professionally (the other two are Reginald Owen and Patrick Macnee). Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4 1923 &ndash April 5 2008) was an American Actor of The Crucifer of Blood is a play by Paul Giovanni that is adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle story The Sign of Four. Reginald Owen, or John Reginald Owen, ( August 5, 1887 &ndash November 5, 1972) was an English Character actor Patrick Macnee (born 6 February 1922) is an English Actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed
Illnesses and death
Brett suffered from bipolar disorder (commonly known as manic depression), which worsened after the death of his second wife, Joan Wilson, on July 4, 1985. She died shortly after Brett finished filming Holmes’ "death" in The Final Problem. The Adventure of the Final Problem is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. He took a break from filming the Holmes series. When he returned to film new episodes in 1986, however, grief and the stressful shooting schedule aggravated his disorder. "Holmes was threatening me. He became the dark side of the moon because he is moody and solitary and I am sociable and gregarious. It got dangerous for me. " [4]
He suffered a full-blown manic depressive crisis and was hospitalized. During the last decade of his life, Brett was treated in hospital several times for his mental illness, and his health and appearance visibly deteriorated by the time he completed the later episodes of the Sherlock Holmes series. During his later years, he discussed the illness candidly, encouraging people to recognise its symptoms and seek help.
There were plans to film all the Holmes stories, but Brett died of heart failure at his London home before the project could be completed. Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Brett's heart had been damaged by a childhood case of rheumatic fever and was apparently further weakened by his heavy smoking. Rheumatic fever is an Autoimmune inflammatory Disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection (such as In an interview, Edward Hardwicke (the second actor to play Dr. Watson in Brett's Holmes series) claimed that Brett would buy 60 cigarettes on his way to the set and smoke them all throughout the day. Edward Hardwicke, sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick, (born August 7, 1932) the son of Sir Cedric Hardwicke and actress Helena Pickard After his heart problem was diagnosed, Brett reportedly quit smoking for a short while, but began smoking again shortly before his death at the age of 61 on 12 September 1995. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995
Mel Gussow wrote in a New York Times obituary "Mr. Melvyn (Mel H Gussow (pronounced GUSS-owe He went to Middlebury College, where he was editor of The Campus and was graduated in 1955 with a Bachelors degree in American Brett was regarded as the quintessential Holmes: breathtakingly analytical, given to outrageous disguises and the blackest moods and relentless in his enthusiasm for solving the most intricate crimes. " [5]Jeremy Brett's final, posthumous on-screen credit was as the "Artist's Father" in Moll Flanders, with Robin Wright Penn in the title role. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (commonly known as simply "Moll Flanders") is a Novel written by Robin Gayle Wright Penn (born April 8, 1966) is an American film Actress. This American feature film (not to be confused with the ITV adaptation starring Alex Kingston) was released in the summer of 1996, nearly a year after Brett's death. Alexandra Kingston (born 11 March 1963 is an English actress most widely known for her role as Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER
Family
In 1958, Brett married the actress Anna Massey (daughter of Raymond Massey), but they divorced in 1962. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Anna Raymond Massey, CBE (born 11 August 1937) is a British actress. Raymond Hart Massey ( August 30 1896 &ndash July 29 1983) was a Canadian -born American actor Their son, David Huggins, born in 1959, is now a successful British cartoonist, illustrator and novelist. Years later, Brett and Massey appeared together in the BBC's dramatization of Rebecca (1978), with Brett playing the haunted hero, Max de Winter, and Massey playing the sinister housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. Rebecca is a Novel by British author Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was first published in 1938 du Maurier became - to her great (David Huggins also played an uncredited bit part in the film. ) In 1977 Brett married American PBS producer Joan Wilson, but she died of cancer in 1985. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Brett was devastated by Wilson's death and did not marry again. Brett was related to another noted British actor, Martin Clunes (of Men Behaving Badly fame); Clunes' mother was Brett's first cousin. Martin Alexander Clunes (born 28 November 1961 is a BAFTA and SAG award-winning English actor and Comedian. Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy --created and written by Simon Nye--that follows the lives of beer-guzzling flatmates Gary Strang and Tony Smart
References
- ^ Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th ed. Gale Research, 1981.
- ^ Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities, by Anthony Slide, Greenwood Press, 1996
- ^ Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 15. GALE, 1996
- ^ Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities, by Anthony Slide, Greenwood Press, 1996
- ^ New York Times, September 14, 1995, p. B15
See also
External links
- Jeremy Brett at the Internet Movie Database
- Jeremy Brett biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- The Brettish Empire- Your destination for all things Jeremy Brett (fansite)
- Jeremy Brett Dedication
- Interview with Jeremy Brett at NPR.org
- Release the Jeremy Brett programs
- Images from the Granada series, and Strand comparisons
- Jeremy Brett Interview-November 6, 1991
- Jeremy Brett Society of France In English
- the Société Sherlock Holmes de France
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Huggins, Peter Jeremy William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Brett, Jeremy |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | English actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 3, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berkswell Grange, Warwickshire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 12, 1995 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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