Peter Cushing took the iconic role on multiple occasions, starting with a 1959 rendition of Hound of the Baskervilles. Cushing made Holmes a thrilling detective full of impulse and arrogance, staying very close and faithful to the source material. After the Hound of the Baskervilles, Cushing took over for Douglas Wilmer in 1968 to play Holmes for 16 episodes on the BBC series Sherlock Holmes. Many have described the TV show as frightening and exhilarating. Cushing would go on to play the role one more time in the 1984 film Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death, where he is a retired Holmes forced out of retirement by one more case. The film was not as successful as its predecessors, due to a thin plot, but theres no doubt that it helped seal Peter Cushing as one of the preeminent Sherlock Holmes in cinema.
Cory Barclay is a freelance writer, a novelist, and the lead guitarist and songwriter for heavy metal band Blood Dancer. He is based out of San Diego, California.
