Famous Faces on "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1983-84)
Some of the faces I recognize that have tried to outwit the super-sleuth....
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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Beautiful, auburn-haired Virginia Gayle Hunnicutt was born in Fort Worth, Texas, the daughter of Sam Lloyd Hunnicutt, an army colonel, and his wife Mary (née Dickerson). Already in her teens, Gayle was determined to become a serious actress. She attended Texas Christian University in her home town and then won a scholarship to study theatre arts at the University of California. One of her visiting lecturers was the noted French film director Jean Renoir who further encouraged her acting ambitions. Gayle made her first appearances on the stage in college productions and at the Cahuenga Playhouse while supporting her studies financially, working at an advertising agency. Also at the same time, she began to shed her Texan drawl by attending a speech clinic.
Having been 'discovered' by a Warner Brothers talent scout, Gayle was offered a small part in an episode of the TV navy comedy Mister Roberts (1965) and then had a minor role in the Roger Corman-produced and directed outlaw biker counterculture classic The Wild Angels (1966). After that, she attracted attention as a featured guest star on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) (as a con artist) and in Get Smart (1965) (as Octavia, an alluring KAOS agent). The actor George Peppard was sufficiently impressed by her to persuade director John Guillermin to co-star her as the femme fatale in his private eye thriller P.J. (1967). Another glamour part was to follow as leading lady to James Garner in the neo film noir Marlowe (1969), in which Gayle played a TV star involved with a mob boss.
In 1968, she married the English actor and producer David Hemmings after a whirlwind romance. They appeared together in Fragment of Fear (1970) and he subsequently directed her in Running Scared (1972). Her turbulent union with Hemmings ended in divorce after seven years. Gayle, nonetheless, remained based in London. Having lost all trace of her Texas accent, she could effectively pass for being British. She appeared on the stage in several noted productions, including in the title role of Hedda Gabler at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury and as Peter Pan at the Shaftesbury. On the big screen, she co-starred as the wife of a physicist (Roddy McDowall) investigating The Legend of Hell House (1973). Her most significant impact, however, was to be on British television with her strongest showing as Charlotte Stant in The Golden Bowl (1972) (adapted from the 1904 novel by Henry James) and as the Tsarina Alexandra in the excellent miniseries Fall of Eagles (1974). In the French miniseries Fantômas (1980), she featured as the exotic mistress of the eponymous master criminal (portrayed in this version by Austrian actor Helmut Berger). In similar vein, she essayed Irene Adler -- nemesis of the great detective -- in the premier episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984) and took on the mantle of femme fatale once more opposite Powers Boothe in an episode of Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983).
Gayle's second husband (from 1978) was the author, political journalist and BBC broadcaster Simon Jenkins. This union, like her first, produced one son. She divorced Jenkins in 2009. By then, Gayle had already been retired from screen acting for ten years. In 2004, she published a selection of letters her father wrote to her mother while stationed with the 112th Cavalry in the South Pacific, entitled 'Dearest Virginia'. Gayle Hunnicutt passed away on 31 August 2023, aged 80.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 1
A Scandal in Bohemia (24 Apr. 1984)
as Irene Adler- Actor
- Writer
Eugene Lipinski was born on 5 November 1956 in Wansford Camp, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Recruit (2003), The Informer (2019) and Superman II (1980).The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 2
The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)
as Abe Slaney- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Betsy Brantley was born on 20 September 1955 in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress, known for The Princess Bride (1987), Double Jeopardy (1999) and Deep Impact (1998).The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 2
The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)
as Elsie Cubitt- Michael Carter was born on 29 June 1947 in Dumfries, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and The Illusionist (2006).The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 1
A Scandal in Bohemia (24 Apr. 1984)
as Godfrey Norton - Tenniel Evans briefly attended the British Army officer training centre Sandhurst (1945-1946). He studied German and economics at St. Andrews University (1946-1949). He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (1949-1951) and acted on stage from 1951, although he also had an in-between job as a private school teacher near Northampton. His regular stage work included West End performances as well as the Royal Court Theatre Company, Savoy Theatre and Globe Theatre. He was part of the cast of the hugely popular 1960s radio comedy "The Navy Lark". He appeared in television from 1960. Evans is fondly remembered by cult television fans as Major Daly, acting opposite his friend Jon Pertwee, in Carnival of Monsters: Episode One (1973) and as Kevin's (Michael Palin's) puritanical father in The Curse of the Claw (1977).The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 2
The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)
as Hilton Cubitt - Paul Jaynes is known for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984), Whoops Apocalypse (1982) and Chessgame (1983).The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 2
The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)
as Walker - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Wolf Kahler is a German born character actor who, thanks to his height (6'2") and blue eyes was often cast as a Nazi or unsympathetic German characters in his career. He has appeared in several successful franchises (Indiana Jones, The Dirty Dozen), both playing a Nazi officer named Dietrich, and most recently was cast as Dr. Hoffmanstahl in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 1
A Scandal in Bohemia (24 Apr. 1984)
as King of Bohemia- David Ross is a British actor from Blackburn, Lancashire. He is most known for his work in television series, where he has enjoyed a lengthy career. He has also appeared stage productions and films.
David Ross' most famous role was that of Kryten during his first appearance on comedy series Red Dwarf (1988) and he was also the one who provided the voice for the Talkie Toaster on the same show. As a stage actor, David Ross is known for his part in the play Having a Ball, alongside Maggie Dence and Jacki Weaver.
David Ross' very first role was a small part in the drama Dixon of Dock Green (1955), in the episode The Mercenary. He then went on to appear on some of the iconic TV productions of the UK, such as the police procedural Midsomer Murders (1997) and the sitcom The Green Green Grass (2005). David Ross has also portrayed Mr. Sherwin in the historical drama Basil (1998), starring Jared Leto.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Season 1, Episode 2
The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)
as Inspector Martin - David Burke was born on 25 May 1934 in Liverpool, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Woman in Black (2012), The Guardians (1971) and Spyship (1983). He has been married to Anna Calder-Marshall since 20 March 1971. They have one child.Dr Watson (13 episodes, 1984-1985)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The refined and debonair English actor Jeremy Brett will forever be best remembered for his long-running and critically acclaimed portrayal of Sherlock Holmes for Britain's Granada Television. From a privileged background, Brett was educated at England's most prestigious independent school, Eton College. After training as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Brett made his professional stage debut in repertory in 1954. He became a noteworthy classical actor who was to make regular appearances on stage, including many with the National Theatre.
Brett was as cultured off screen as on. His interests included classical music, archery and horseback riding. His greatest popularity and acclaim would come with his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on television from the 1980s through to the 1990s. Where so many have tried and failed to capture the essence of the character, either being derided or forgotten, Brett's widely praised take on it has been described by many as superlative and even definitive. Brett suffered from poor health towards the end of his life but he was still playing the role of Holmes shortly before his death in 1995 at the age of 61.Sherlock Holmes on all episodes