
Eille Norwood

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.
History.
He was born in York 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. 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. 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. 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:
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.
Norwood continued to appear on the London stage until at least 1934.
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. In his later years he lived at Corner Cottage, Waverley Lane in Farnham in Surrey.
He is buried in Green Lane Cemetery in Farnham in Surrey.