WILLIAM GILLETTE - AUTOGRAPH 1916 - HFSID 101819

WILLIAM GILLETTE
Signature of the American playwright and actor best known for playing Sherlock Holmes.
Signature: "William Gillette/1916", 3¾x2¼ card. American actor and playwright William Hooker Gillette (1853-1837) is best known for playing Sherlock Holmes, the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle, who saw Gillette in a production of Secret Service at Adelphi Theater of London (1897) and tapped the actor to bring his character to life. Gillette's version of Sherlock Holmes consisted of four acts that encompassed several of Doyle's stories. It was Gillette who brought the character's trademark look - deerstalker cap, cloak and curved briar pipe - to the stage...and he formulated the phrase, "Oh, this is elementary, my dear fellow", which later became, "Elementary, my dear Watson." Gillette debuted the character in October 1899, and he would appear as Sherlock Holmes about 1,300 times before both American and British audiences. In addition to performances as Sherlock Holmes, Gillette appeared on Broadway in several productions, including Clarice (1906, which he wrote), The Private Secretary (1910, also written by Gillette) and Dear Brutus (1918-1919, a play by James M. Barrie). Gillette was also the first to play Holmes on radio (1930), and he starred in the first movie version depicting his interpretation of Sherlock Holmes (1916). Lightly soiled. Biographical notes in ink (unknown hand) on verso (no show through). Overall, fine condition.