Trivia

Making a successful living as a painter, from his home in Suffolk, England. (December 2001)

Best known in film for his portrayals of Nayland Smith in the "Fu Manchu" series of the 1960s.

First appearance as Sherlock Holmes was in the 1964 BBC production of "The Speckled Band" with Nigel Stock as his Dr. Watson counterpart. In 1973 he played Professor Augustus Van Dusen in "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes," a Thames TV production for ITV.

British character actor from the classical stage who dominated his theatre work with Shakespearean roles: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc.

Served in the Royal Artillery during World War II.

Was close with fellow actor, Charlton Heston.

Was an honorary member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.

During the making of the "Sherlock Holmes" BBC TV series, Douglas Wilmer admitted to clashing with a few people involved with the show. The actor complained about what he called, the shoddiness of the scripts and that they bore no resemblance to the original stories.

Douglas Wilmer claimed in an interview years after the series, that his was the first rendition of Sherlock Holmes to be authentic.

Replaced Nigel Green in the role of Nayland Smith for two of the "Fu Manchu" movies.

As part of the "B.F.I" DVD release, Douglas Wilmer gave an exclusive interview about his time playing Sherlock Holmes.

Enjoyed a revival in the Sherlock Holmes scene recording a series of the stories on audio cassette and has appeared as a guest at several UK and US events, the most recent being the Society's Golden Jubilee Dinner in January 2001.

Educated at Stonyhurst College and trained at RADA.

For a while, he was educated in Canterbury, Kent.

Whilst in training at RADA, he was conscripted into the British Army for military service with the Royal Artillery in the Second World War. After training, he was posted to an anti-tank battery, and saw war service in Africa with the Royal West African Frontier Force. He was later invalided out of the Armed Forces, having contracted tuberculosis.