Sherlock Holmes detected at Reeman Dansie

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Part one of a larger collection of items to be sold in due course.

Douglas Wilmer was born in Brentford, but spent his early years in Shanghai before moving back to the UK where he was educated at The King’s School, Canterbury. Whilst in a school play he was "discovered" by Dame Sybil Thorndike, who was in the audience. Training at RADA he initially worked in repertory theatre groups in London and Stratford alongside many of the great Classical actors and directors of the age  including John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Alec Guiness, Michael Redgrave, Noel Coward, Tyrone Guthrie and Lawrence Olivier.  From the mid-50s his career progressed into film, early film titles included Richard III, Cleopatra, El Cid, The Battle of the River Plate, Cromwell, Jason and the Argonauts and The Fall of the Roman Empire. 

In retirement Douglas settled in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where for a number of years he ran a popular wine bar, appropriately named ‘Sherlock’s’. In 2011 he was persuaded out of retirement by Mark Gatiss for a cameo guest appearance in an episode of BBC’s adaptation ‘Sherlock’. Douglas was always interested in art and collected many interesting paintings during his life. In retirement took up painting himself, becoming quite an accomplished artist. He went on to sell many of his own watercolours especially those depicting scenes of Malta, the home of his late wife Anne. Part 1 of his collection including fine art, sculpture and jewellery items from Douglas Wilmer’s Woodbridge residence feature in our East Anglian and Fine Art auction on the 26th and 27th of September.