Edward Hardwicke, Dr. Watson in British Sherlock Holmes Productions, Dies
In addition to his work in the Holmes productions, Hardwicke starred in the U.K. series Colditz and many others.
Actor Edward Hardwicke, best known for his performance as Dr. Watson opposite Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, in an acclaimed series of productions from England’s Granada Television in the 1980s and ’90s, died May 16, 2011, in Chichester, West Sussex, England. He was 78.
According to new reports, the cause was cancer.
Prior to his long run as Watson, Hardwicke starred in the U.K. series Colditz, a drama Hardwicke based on the exploits of Major Pat Reid, the real-life escape officer in Colditz, the supposedly escape-proof German prison located on a 250 foot-high cliff. The first series of episodes premiered in 1972; a second series followed two years later.
Born in London on August 7, 1932, Hardwicke was the son of actors Cedric Hardwicke and Helena Pickard. He made his first film appearance at the age of 10 in the Hollywood production A Guy Named Joe, starring Spencer Tracy.
After military service as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, he went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He went on to perform extensively in the theater, including productions at the Bristol Old Vic, the Oxford Playhouse, the Nottingham Playhouse and Laurence Olivier's National Theatre.
His feature film credits include The Day of the Jackal, Shadowlands, Richard III, The Scarlet Letter, Elizabeth and Love Actually.
Other television credits included My Old Man, Holocaust, Oppenheimer, Lovejoy, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, David Copperfield, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Tycoon, Strangers and Brothers and Fanny Hill.
His Sherlock Holmes productions included The Return of Sherlock Holmes from 1986-88, as well as two-hour versions of The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Then came seasons broadcast as The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. He also handled the role on the West End stage with Brett in 1989’s The Secret of Sherlock Holmes.
Edward Hardwicke had two marriages, the first of which ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife, as well as by two daughters from his first marriage.