Eille Norwood

Eille Norwood
Eille Norwood
	Norwood as Sherlock Holmes in 1923
Born	Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861; York, England
Died	24 December 1948 (aged 87); London, England
Resting place	Green Lane Cemetery, Farnham, Surrey
Occupations	Actor; Director; Playwright;
Years active	1884–1934
Spouse	Ruth Mackay (m. 1905)

Eille Norwood (born Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861 – 24 December 1948) was an English stage actor, director, and playwright best known today for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of silent films.

Early life

He was born 11 October 1861 in York as Anthony Edward Brett and attended St John's College, Cambridge (B.A. 1883). Norwood took his stage name from a woman he once loved named Eileen and Norwood in southeast London, where he lived.^[1]

Career

His first professional stage appearance was in 1884 with F. R. Benson's Shakespearean company. In 1886-7 he worked for Edward Compton's company. He was active on the stage until 1892, when he became ill and did not recover until about 1899. After acting in a revival of his play The Noble Art, retitled The Talk of the Town, in 1901, he resumed regular stage work. For some years he was employed by Charles Wyndham, appearing for him in My Lady of Rosedale (1904), Captain Drew on Leave (1906), and The Liars (1907). Among many other roles, he toured in 1909 as Raffles in a stage version of the amateur detective. He made his film debut in 1911.^[2] He directed the successful production of The Man Who Stayed at Home, which ran in London from December 1914 to July 1916.

From 1921 to 1923 Norwood played Holmes in forty-seven silent films (45 shorts and 2 features) directed by Maurice Elvey and George Ridgwell. The Golden Pince-Nez was restored by the BFI National Archive in 2024 and screened for the first time since 1922.^[3] Hubert Willis played Watson in nearly all these films. For the final Holmes film, however, Hubert Willis was replaced by Arthur Cullin. Until Jonny Lee Miller's run in the tv series Elementary (2012 - 2019), Norwood had played Holmes more times than any other actor in film or TV.

Norwood was earlier a stage actor associated with the Brough-Boucicault company, and he wrote several plays which were produced commercially:

Chalk and Cheese (one act)
Hook and Eye
The Talk of the Town (previous title The Noble Art), about a fusty old solicitor who is hypnotised into competing in a boxing tournament. The play was first performed at the Theatre Royal in York in 1892,^[4] and then in 1893 at Terry's in London with Arthur Williams as Andrew Fullalove, and fifteen years later in Australia, with Hugh J. Ward in the lead part.^[5]
The Grey Room (with Max Pemberton) - produced in York in 1911^[6]

Following his appearance in the films, Norwood appeared on the London stage as Sherlock Holmes in The Return of Sherlock Holmes in October 1923. The play was successful enough that it was toured in Europe without Norwood after its London run.^[7] Norwood continued to appear on the London stage until at least 1934.^[8]

Personal life

In 1905 Norwood married fellow English stage and silent film actress Ruth Mackay (1878-1949). His step-daughter actress Jane Grahame (1899-1981) married actor/writer Ernest Dudley, creator of another well-known English detective character, Doctor Morelle.^[9] In his later years he lived at Corner Cottage, Waverley Lane in Farnham in Surrey.^[10]

Norwood died in London on Christmas Eve 1948 at age 87. He is buried in Green Lane Cemetery in Farnham in Surrey.^[11]

Quote

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself admired Norwood's portrayal, saying: "His wonderful impersonation of Holmes has amazed me."^[12]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1911	Princess Clementina	James Stuart	Short
1916	The Charlatan	Dr. O'Kama
1916	Temptation's Hour
1920	The Hundredth Chance	Dr. Jonathon Capper
1920	The Tavern Knight	The Tavern Knight
1921	A Scandal in Bohemia	Sherlock Holmes
1921	A Gentleman of France	Gaston de Marsac
1921	The Hound of the Baskervilles	Sherlock Holmes
1921	Gwyneth of the Welsh Hills	Lord Pryse
1922	The Recoil	Francis
1922	Charles Augustus Milverton	Sherlock Holmes
1922	The Crimson Circle
1923	The Sign of Four	Sherlock Holmes	(final film role)

References

^ The Eagle, Vol. 25-6, June 1904, p. 344
^ "Eille Norwood", Who's Who in the Theatre, Volume 3, ed. John Parker, Boston: Small, Maynard, and Co., 1912, p. 372
^ Alberge, Dalya (28 August 2024). "Silent Sherlock Holmes film to be screened for first time since 1922 release". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
^ The Era Almanack and Annual, ed. Edward Ledger, 1893, p. 62
^ ""The Talk of the Town"". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 28 January 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
^ "Max Pemberton", Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers, ed. John Reilly, London: Macmillan, 1980, p. 1157
^ "The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes: Eille Norwood: the Silent Detective – Black Gate". 12 May 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
^ The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, J. P. Wearing, Rowman & Littlefield, 2014, p. 401
^ "Ernest Dudley". The Independent. 4 February 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Ruth Brett 1949- Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^ Notable burials- Farnham Town Council website
^ Where I live: Bradford and West Yorkshire