Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes

Vasily Livanov is my all-time favorite actor to portray Sherlock Holmes. Born to actor Boris Livanov, Vasily's upbringing was steeped in the artistic milieu. His trademark hoarse voice led to prodigious work in many Russian cartoon productions.

His greatest success as an actor is undeniably as Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary creation, Sherlock Holmes. His Holmes is a highly refined intellectual with extraordinary skills in observation and deduction.

Though Livanov is a tad short to match the physical description of Sherlock Holmes, he invests a lot of wisdom and humor in the role. Livanov's Holmes occasionally wears spectacles as well. To the best of my knowledge, this is quite unique among all the adaptations.

Livanov's Holmes is assertive and masterly. He does not have the manic disposition like the Jeremy Brett's version and does not leap over furniture or make sudden exclamations. Livanov presents a very calm and collected version of Holmes that readers of the Canon will instantly recognize.

Unlike another great Sherlock Holmes impersonator, the great Basil Rathbone, Livanov is not saddled with a dumbed down version of Watson. Basil was an excellent Holmes and he would have been the definitive version, but for the gentleman portraying Dr Watson.

Vitaly Solomin is a great foil as the ever-dependable ally and friend, Dr. John Watson. Solomin's Watson is exactly as Conan Doyle had envisioned him to be: a true friend of Holmes and a competent doctor in his own right.

Vitaly Solomin as Dr John Watson

While it is inarguable that the observation and deduction skills of Holmes have made him the most prominent fictional detective in the world, the camaraderie between Holmes and Watson is the other major ingredient that has made Conan Doyle's works so successful.

The literary success of the Holmes-Watson duo has inspired many other similar team-ups (Agatha Christie's Poirot-Hastings is a famous example). True to the spirit of the works that inspired this adaptation, Livanov and Solomin share an excellent on-screen chemistry.

Russian Monument dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson

Both Livanov and Solomin have been immortalized in bronze as Holmes and Watson near the British Embassy in Moscow.

Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin are featured in a 4-coin set released to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes

The critical acclaim and public reception for Livanov's work is not just limited to Russia. He was awarded in 2006 with an Honorary MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. New Zealand Mint released a 4-coin set to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes, featuring Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin.

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Image Sources: Lenfilm Films Studio, Sherlockian Who's Who, Alexander Sodov

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