Jeremy Brett

Jeremy Brett (born Peter Jeremy William Huggins; 3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), was an English actor, probably best known for playing fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series from 1984 to 1994 in all 41 episodes. His career spanned from stage, to television and film, to Shakespeare and musical theatre. He is also remembered for playing the besotted Freddie Eynsford-Hill in the Warner Bros. 1964 production of My Fair Lady.

Early life

Jeremy Brett was born Peter Jeremy William Huggins at Berkswell Grange in Berkswell, West Midlands. His birthdate is given variously as either 3 November 1933, December 1933 or many sources give 1935, although this was probably a later vanity claim to reduce his public age. He was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Henry William Huggins, an Army officer, and Elizabeth Edith Cadbury (of the confectionery dynasty). He had three older brothers: John, Patrick and Michael. The actor Martin Clunes is his nephew. Educated at Eton College, he claimed to have been an "academic disaster", attributing his learning difficulties to dyslexia.