The RUSS-L Casting List:
* SHERLOCK HOLMES *
The ideal actor to play Holmes would be...
Tall (definitely over 5' 11"), have brown or graying hair and gray eyes,
be handsome but able to pass himself off in various disguises (and drag,
at one point), be able to play Holmes at about ages 54-64, be very good
with accents (especially numerous specific British ones), and be very
intelligent (of course!). "Tall, Thin and Tortured" is a pretty
accurate description. With that in mind, here are the suggested contenders
for the role...
COMING
SOON!
MARC ALAIMO
Best known as:
Gul Dukat on "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine" (TV series, 1993-present), Trucker in
"The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" (film, 1994), and
Everett in "Total Recall"
(film, 1990). Alaimo has played more distinct roles than anyone else on
"Star Trek."
JAMES CROMWELL
Best known as:
Hal Moores in "The Green
Mile" (film, 1999), Police Chief Dudley Smith in "L.A.
Confidential" (film ,1997), Zefram Cochrane in "Star
Trek: First Contact" (film, 1996), and Farmer Hoggett in "Babe"
(film, 1995).
TIMOTHY DALTON
Best known as:
Julius Caesar in "Cleopatra"
(TV miniseries, 1999), Rhett Butler in "Scarlett"
(TV miniseries, 1994), James Bond in "Licence
to Kill" (film, 1989), and Prince Barin in "Flash
Gordon" (film, 1980).
CHARLES DANCE
Best known as:
Derek Du Pré in "Hilary
and Jackie" (film ,1998), Maxim De Winter in "Rebecca"
(TV, 1997), Clemens in "Alien
3" (film ,1992), and Claus in "For
Your Eyes Only" (film, 1981).
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
Best known as:
Danny Flynn in "The Boxer"
(film, 1997), John Proctor in "The
Crucible" (film, 1996), Newland Archer in "The
Age of Innocence" (film, 1993), and Hawkeye in "The
Last of the Mohicans" (film, 1992).
DAVID DUCHOVNY
Best known as:
Special Agent Fox Mulder on "The
X-Files" (TV series and film, 1993-present) and Brian Kessler
in "Kalifornia"
(film, 1993).
RUPERT EVERETT
Best known as:
Oberon in "A
Midsummer Night's Dream" (film, 1999), Christopher Marlowe in "Shakespeare
in Love" (film, 1998), George Downes in "My
Best Friend's Wedding" (film, 1997), and the Prince of Wales in "The
Madness of King George" (film, 1994).
RALPH FIENNES
Best known as:
Oscar Hopkins/Oscar's great-grandson in "Oscar
and Lucinda" (film, 1997), Count László Almásy in "The
English Patient" (film, 1996), Charles Van Doren in "Quiz
Show" (film, 1994), and Amon Goeth in "Schindler's
List" (film, 1993).
COMING
SOON!
HUGH FRASER
Best known as:
Frederick in "101 Dalmations"
(film, 1996), Wellington in various "Sharpe" adaptations, including
"Sharpe's Waterloo"
(TV film, 1997), and Captain Arthur Hastings in various episodes of "Poirot"
(TV series, 1988-present).
CIARAN HINDS
Best known as:
Reverend Dennis Hasset in "Oscar
and Lucinda" (film, 1997), Mr. Rochester in "Jane
Eyre" (TV film, 1997), Professor Flynn in "Circle
of Friends" (film, 1995), and Jim Browner in "The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" (the episode "The Cardboard Box";
TV series, 1994).
ANTHONY HOPKINS
Best known as:
Zorro/Don Diego de la Vega in "The
Mask of Zorro" (film, 1998), Richard Nixon in "Nixon"
(film, 1995), Stevens in "The
Remains of the Day" (film, 1993), C.S. Lewis in "Shadowlands"
(film, 1993), and Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter in "The
Silence of the Lambs" (film, 1991).
JEREMY IRONS
Best known as:
Humbert Humbert in "Lolita" (film, 1997), Simon Gruber/Peter Kreig in Die Hard With a Vengeance" (film, 1995), voice of Scar in "The Lion King" (film, 1994), Rene Gallimard in "M. Butterfly" (film, 1993), and Claus Von Bulow in "Reversal of Fortune" (film, 1990).
CHRISTOPHER LEE
Best known as:
Tiresias in "The Odyssey"
(TV miniseries, 1997), Sherlock Holmes in "Incident
at Victoria Falls" (film, 1991), Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock
Holmes and the Leading Lady" (TV film, 1990), Count Dracula in
"Dracula" (film,
1958), and countless classic B-movie horror films.
COMING
SOON!
ROBERT LINDSAY
Best known as:
Captain Pellew in "Hornblower"
(TV series, 1998), Sydney Lotterby in "Fierce
Creatures" (film, 1997), Billy Bowmans in "Brazen
Hussies" (TV series, 1996), and Bill in "Me and My Gal" (Original
Broadway cast, mid-1980's).
PATRICK MALAHIDE
Best known as:
Rev. Casaubon in "Middlemarch" (TV miniseries, 1994) and Chief Inspector Alleyn in "Ngaio Marsh's Alleyn Mysteries" (TV series, 1993-present)
COMING
SOON!
BILL MOODY
Best known as:
Appeared on various episodes of "Poirot"
(TV series, 1988-present) and as Giraud in "Murder
on the Links" (TV film, 1995).
LEONARD NIMOY
Best known as:
Mel Mermelstein in "Never
Forget" (TV film, 1991), Paris in "Mission
Impossible" (TV series, 1969-1971), Mr. Spock in "Star
Trek" (TV series, 1966-1969; films 1979-1991), and Sherlock Holmes
in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Sherlock Holmes".
EDWARD PETHERBRIDGE
Best known as:
Dr. Pritchard in "Gulliver's
Travels" (TV miniseries, 1996), Lord Peter Wimsey in "Lord
Peter Wimsey" (TV miniseries, 1987), Newman Noggs/Hawk's Rival
in "The Life and Adventures
of Nicholas Nickleby" (TV miniseries, 1981), and the original
Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead" (First London production, 1967).
JONATHAN PRYCE
Best known as:
Eliot Carver in "Tomorrow Never Dies" (film, 1997), Juan Peron in "Evita" (film, 1996), Lytton Strachey in "Carrington" (film, 1995), Infiniti car commercials, and the roles of The Engineer in "Miss Saigon" (Original London and Broadway casts) and Fagin in "Oliver" (London revival cast).
ALAN RICKMAN
Best known as:
Metatron in Kevin Smith's upcoming "Dogma" (film, 1999), Colonel Brandon in "Sense and Sensibilty" (film, 1995), the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (film, 1991), and Hans Gruber in "Die Hard" (film, 1988).
PATRICK STEWART
Best known as:
Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star
Trek: The Next Generation" and its films (TV series, films, 1987-present),
Captain Ahab in "Moby
Dick" (TV film, 1998), Sterling in "Jeffrey"
(film, 1995), and Claudius in "Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark" (TV film, 1980).
Author Laurie R. King's personal pick!
SAM WATERSTON
Best known as:
Exec. Asst. D.A. Jack McCoy on "Law
and Order" (TV series, 1990-present), Forrest Bedford in "I'll
Fly Away" (TV series and TV film, 1991), Abraham Lincoln in Gore
Vidal's "Lincoln"
(TV film, 1988), and Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing" (Joseph
Papp's original NY Shakespeare Festival cast, original Broadway cast,
and TV film version, 1972-3).
GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...
FRED ASTAIRE
(deceased; 1899-1987)
Best known as:
Don Hewes in "Easter
Parade", Ted Hanover in "Holiday
Inn", Jerry Travers in "Top
Hat"...oh, come on, he's Fred Astaire, for goodness' sake!
If you don't know who he is, consider yourself culturally illiterate.
JEREMY BRETT
(deceased; 1933-1995)
Best known as:
Sherlock Holmes in many BBC/Granada Holmes-related TV series and TV movies,
including "The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" (TV series, 1994), Macbeth in "Macbeth"
(film, 1981), Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca"
(TV miniseries, 1978), and Freddie Eynsford-Hill in "My
Fair Lady" (film, 1964).
Many RUSS-L members consider Brett to be the ultimate Sherlock Holmes.
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