Sherlock Holmes: 15 faces of the famed detective in movies and TV

“Elementary, my dear Watson” is probably one of the most famous lines in pop culture, even if the creator of Sherlock Holmes himself, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, never put such words to paper. Still, it’s as ensconced in the collective memory of who the mysterious detective is as his pipe thanks to its various adaptations. Dozens of actors from around the world have taken a crack at portraying the famous resident of 221B Baker Street to varying success, and as Henry Lloyd-Hughes joins the this exclusive fraternity of distinguished gentleman with Netflix’s The Irregulars, EW looks back at the pugilistic private detectives who came before him.