10 Best Ian Holm Performances

10. J.M. Barrie - The Lost Boys

J.M. Barrie was of course the author of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. The Lost Boys, a TV mini series, produced by BBC in 1978 stars Holm as Barrie, depicting not only the genesis of the idea of the story, but also the relationships around him that led to it.

Holm is perfectly cast as the lonely man with the close relationship to the young boys in the story. There is no hint of anything untoward, as if so often the case in later years. Instead, he is a gentle and caring guardian, looking after the Davies boys after they are visited with tragedy - losing both of their parents in quick succession.

The story is interwoven with tragedies like this. Barrie's wife would begin an affair, citing her loneliness as the main reason, securing a reluctant divorce from the author. Much of the story is based on the recollections of Nicholas Lewelyn Davies, the youngest and last surviving Davies child, making it as true a story as can be told from memory.

Holm brings a sweetness and softness to the man, so connected to this family through love and sorrow. While he would lose his wife because of it, he would in essence gain several children, though even that was not without loss.

One of Holm's earliest roles to feature here, this is a must-see.