Actors - William Gillette

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	Actors - William Gillette

William Hooker Gillette (b. July 24, 1853, Hartford, Connecticut; d. April 29, 1937, Hartford, Connecticut) was an American actor, playwright and stage-manager; recognized as one of the greatest actors in United States' history.

Embodying the celebrated Sherlock Holmes, character by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle --who became personal friend also--, Gillette imposed his cachet forever on its stereotype: deerstalker cap, cloak, curved pipe and the typical phrase: "Oh, this is elementary, my dear Watson."

Also, Gillette adapted, produced and performed the Sherlock Holmes stage-version, hailed by the highest figures of those years. Trough this powerhouse, he broadly amassed fans all around the world.

Youth

The town were William Gillette was born, Nook Farm (Hartford, Connecticut), was a literary and intellectual node, abiding Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. His father was the wealthy Francis Gillette, former USA-Senator with conservative and reformist ideas --fighting for abolition, modals and public education--, who constructed most of town's infrastructure. His mother was Elisabeth Daggett Hooker, descendant of Thomas Hooker --puritan leader, who founded the town--. In the mansion, Gillette grew up with his 5 brothers.

As student, William Gillette featured in oratory, acting and engineering. But Mark Twain, close neighbor, pushed him towards the acting career --that became his real vocation--. His last year of regular student was 1873 (20 years old), then working in a stock company of New Orleans briefly. But, after own Mark Twain's recommendation, he debuted at the Globe Theater of Boston with Twain's stage-play Guilded Age, in 1875. Afterward, Gillette was stock actor for six flopping years through Boston, New York and the Midwest.

For some time, William Gillette assisted irregularly to a spate of institutions, albeit never completing: Trinity, Harvard, Yale (1875), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NYC-College and Boston University. After unfruitful warnings, his relentless family, expecting in vain he could accomplish any degree of conservative bent as his father did, disinherited him.

Playwright, director and actor

In 1881, while performing at Cincinnati, William Gillette was hired as playwright, director and actor, by Gustave and Daniel Frohman. Taken to New York with a salary of $50-week, his first play was The Professor. He debuted in the Madison Square Theater, lasting 151 performances, with a posterior tour through many States (far as St. Louis). That same year, he performed his consecrating piece Esmeralda, written together with Hodgson Burnett.

Overlooking the critic always, William Gillette strove to fill all theater's seats. Committed to catch the spectator by sprightly effects and many improvements on sound system, stage and illumination --i.e. sudden blackouts for dramatization, fade-in/fade-out at scenes' beginning, etc.--. Often, he added large pantomime segments, that were effective on the audience also.

Usually leaning in cold roles enduring extreme situations, Gillette was also regarded as the "aristocrat of the stage" and an innovator in interpretation. His acute realism was accented by his particular charisma, replacing much dialog with physical action also. Something he denominated "The Illusion of the First Time in Acting", as mentioned to the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1913).

Indeed, historians have noted that he did "natural acting and not the melodramatic declaiming, proper of the 1800s". In other words, Gillette was an artist based on his personality.

Being considered that all Gillette's traits had historical consequences, since American theater began to reach out the common people.

Sherlock Holmes casting

Charles Frohman was a young Broadway producer, successful with the exchanging of theater productions between USA and UK. After he produced some Gillette's plays, they definitely adjoined later on. Their productions had great success, sweeping Gillette into London's society spot --historically reluctant to American theater--.

In 1897, William Gillette performed his Secret Service at Adelphi Theater of London, with great success and praised by the critic also. Significant event, particularly because he was spotted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle then.

Conan Doyle had finished his Sherlock Holmes saga with The Final Problem --published in 1893, with a deadly falling to Reichenbach's abyss together with Moriarty, his nemesis--. Then, he was needed monetarily, planning to build a new house. He decided to take his character to stage then. While two previous plays had been done by Charles Brookifield --skit "Under the clock", 1893-- and John Webb --"Sherlock Holmes", 1894--, Doyle wrote a new 5-act play nevertheless, with Holmes and Moriarty in their freshmen years as detectives.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for William Gillette ]

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Actors - William Gillette

Youth

Playwright, director and actor

Sherlock Holmes casting

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