Name at birth: Peter Jeremy William Huggins

Jeremy Brett is best known for his portrayal of master detective Sherlock Holmes in a series of episodes for British television filmed between 1984 and 1994. He began his acting career in the late 1950s, and had a long tenure on stage and screen -- especially British television, and often in period pieces. His intense and acerbic Holmes was an immediate hit with audiences and remained popular in reruns for years. Brett's other roles included 1964's My Fair Lady (starring Audrey Hepburn) and, as D'Artagnan, in the 1966 television mini-series The Three Musketeers (based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas).

By coincidence, Brett played Dr. Watson in a 1980 Los Angeles production of the play The Crucifer of Blood, with Charlton Heston as Holmes... Brett played poet Robert Browning in the 1982 TV movie The Barretts of Wimpole Street.