Arthur Wontner (21 January 1875 – 10 July 1960) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

best known for playing Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

's master detective

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

in five films from 1931 to 1937.

Career

Wontner's acting career began on the stage where he played such roles as

Tybalt Tybalt () is a fictional character and the principal antagonist in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name ...

in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', Bassanio in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'',

Bunny Manders Harry Manders (almost exclusively known as Bunny Manders) is a fictional character in the popular series of Raffles stories by E. W. Hornung. He is the companion of A. J. Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the ...

in '' Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman'' and

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

in ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'' (1930, West End). In 1926, Wontner appeared in '' The Captive'' alongside

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...

; both went on to play Sherlock Holmes on film.

Sherlock Holmes

Wontner landed the role of Sherlock Holmes thanks to his performance of Holmes imitation

Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional British detective, whose adventures captivated readers for over eight decades from 1893 to 1978. Blake featured in more than 4,000 stories by approximately 200 different authors, making him one of the most prolifica ...

in a 1930 stage production. He played the famed sleuth in five films from 1931 to 1937. *''

The Sleeping Cardinal ''The Sleeping Cardinal'', also known as ''Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour'' in the United States, is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock ...

'' (1931) (US title: ''Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour''), based on Doyle's two stories, "

The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title " ...

" and "

The Adventure of the Empty House "The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''Collier's'' in the ...

"Detective-Mystery Films
/ref> *''

The Missing Rembrandt ''The Missing Rembrandt'' is a 1932 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner, Jane Welsh, Miles Mander, and Francis L. Sullivan. It is considered a lost film. The film was loosely based on the 1904 Sherl ...

'' (1932) (still considered lost), based on "

The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' in the United States on 26 March 1904, and in ''The Strand Magazine'' in ...

" *'' The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case'' (1932) *''

The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes ''The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner. It was based on the 1915 Sherlock Holmes novel '' The Valley of Fear'' by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is a Flamingo Films ...

'' (1935), based on ''

The Valley of Fear ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' *'' Silver Blaze'' (1937) (US title: ''Murder at the Baskervilles'', release 1941), based on "

The Adventure of Silver Blaze "The Adventure of Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the first from the 12 in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazi ...

" Of the five films in which Wontner portrayed Sherlock Holmes, ''The Missing Rembrandt'' is no longer available. It is officially a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

. ''Silver Blaze'' was renamed ''Murder at the Baskervilles'' on its US release in order to make the most of the publicity which had been generated by

's version of ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four Detective fiction, crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serial (literature), serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from ...

''. Wontner was considered to have a strong resemblance to

Sidney Paget Sidney Edward Paget (; 4 October 1860 – 28 January 1908) was a British artist of the Victorian era, best known for his illustrations that accompanied Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in ''The Strand Magazine''. Life Sidney ...

's drawings of Holmes featured in ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

''. After seeing ''The Sleeping Cardinal'',

Vincent Starrett Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile. Biography Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...

said "Surely no better Sherlock Holmes than Arthur Wontner is likely to be seen and heard in pictures, in our time."

Personal life

Wontner's son became the well-known hotelier and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

Sir

Hugh Wontner Sir Hugh Walter Kingwell Wontner (22 October 1908 – 25 November 1992) was an English hotelier and politician. He was managing director of the Savoy hotel group from 1941 to 1979 and its chairman from 1948 to 1984, continuing as president unti ...

Selected filmography

* ''Temptation's Hour'' (1916) * ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' (1916) - Lord Darlington * ''The Bigamist'' (1916) - Tony Henderson * ''

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

'' (1923) - Lord Kingsburgh * ''

Eugene Aram Eugene Aram (170416 August 1759) was an English philologist, but also infamous as the murderer celebrated by Thomas Hood in his ballad ''The Dream of Eugene Aram'', and by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1832 novel ''Eugene Aram (novel), Eugene Ara ...

'' (1924) - Eugene Aram * '' The Diamond Man'' (1924) - Lady Marshalt * ''

The Infamous Lady ''The Infamous Lady'' is a 1928 British silent drama film directed by Geoffrey Barkas and Michael Barringer and starring Arthur Wontner, Ruby Miller and Walter Tennyson. It was made at Twickenham Studios. It is also known by the alterna ...

'' (1928) - The K.C. * ''

'' (1931) - Sherlock Holmes * '' A Gentleman of Paris'' (1931) - Judge Le Fevre * '' Condemned to Death'' (1932) - Sir Charles Wallington * ''

'' (1932) - Sherlock Holmes * ''

The Sign of Four ''The Sign of the Four'', also called ''The Sign of Four'', is an 1890 detective novel, and it is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring ...

'' (1932) - Sherlock Holmes * ''

'' (1935) - Sherlock Holmes * ''

Royal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and M ...

'' (1935) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Line Engaged ''Line Engaged'' is a 1935 British, black-and-white, thriller directed by Bernard Mainwaring and starring Bramwell Fletcher, Jane Baxter and Arthur Wontner. It was produced by British Lion Film Corporation. Plot Eva Rutland (played by Jane Bax ...

'' (1935) - Insp. Morland * ''

Dishonour Bright ''Dishonour Bright'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Eugene Pallette, Betty Stockfeld and Diana Churchill and was based on a story by Ben Travers. It was made at Denham Studios. The film's art di ...

'' (1936) - Judge * '' Second Bureau'' (1936) - Col. Gueraud * ''

Thunder in the City ''Thunder in the City'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Edward G. Robinson, Luli Deste, Nigel Bruce and Ralph Richardson. Plot An American salesman with radically successful methods visits England ostensi ...

'' (1937) - Sir Peter * ''

Storm in a Teacup Storm in a Teacup may refer to: Film and television * ''Storm in a Teacup'' (film), a 1937 British film * ''A Storm in a Teacup'', a 2000 film directed by Ding Sheng * "A Storm in a Teacup" (''Porridge''), a 1977 television episode Literature * ...

'' (1937) - Fiscal * '' Silver Blaze'' (1937) - Sherlock Holmes * '' The Live Wire'' (1937) - Montell * '' Just like a Woman'' (1938) - Escubar * ''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to ...

'' (1938) - Col. Redmayne * ''

13 Men and a Gun ''13 Men and a Gun'' is a 1938 British-Italian war film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Arthur Wontner, Clifford Evans and Howard Marion-Crawford. It is an English-language version of the Italian film ''Tredici uomini e un cannone''. Pre ...

'' (1938) - Captain * '' Kate Plus Ten'' (1938) - Colonel Westhanger * ''

Old Iron ''Old Iron'' is a 1938 British drama film directed by Tom Walls and starring Richard Ainley, Henry Hewitt, Eva Moore and Cecil Parker. It was made at Shepperton Studios.Wood p.99 Cast * Tom Walls as Sir Henry Woodstock * Eva Moore as Lady W ...

'' (1938) - Judge * ''

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic-war film written, produced and directed by the British film-making team of Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and ...

'' (1943) - Embassy Counsellor * ''

Blanche Fury ''Blanche Fury'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Marc Allégret and starring Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. It was written by Audrey Erskine Lindop, Cecil McGivern and Hugh Mills adapted from the 1 ...

'' (1948) - Lord Rudford * '' The Elusive Pimpernel'' (1950) - Lord Grenville * ''

Brandy for the Parson ''Brandy for the Parson'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by John Eldridge and starring Kenneth More, Charles Hawtrey, James Donald and Jean Lodge. It was written by Walter Meade, John Dighton and Alfred Shaughnessy based on a short stor ...

'' (1952) - Major Glockleigh * ''

Genevieve Genevieve (; ; also called ''Genovefa'' and ''Genofeva''; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) was a consecrated virgin, and is one of the two patron saints of Paris in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Her feast day is on 3 January. Rec ...

'' (1953) - Old Gentleman * '' Sea Devils'' (1953) - Baron de Baudrec * ''

Three Cases of Murder ''Three Cases of Murder'' is a 1955 British horror omnibus film comprising three stories: "In The Picture," "You Killed Elizabeth," and "Lord Mountdrago." Eamonn Andrews introduces each. Alan Badel appears in all three.John Hamilton, ''The Br ...

'' (1955) - Leader of the House (segment "Lord Mountdrago") (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wontner, Arthur 1875 births 1960 deaths English male film actors English male silent film actors Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors