Hubert Willis

Hubert Willis (1862 in Reading, Berkshire, UK[1][2] – 13 December 1933) was a British actor[3] best known for his recurring role as Doctor Watson in a series of silent Sherlock Holmes films co-starring with Eille Norwood.

Hubert Willis, Eille Norwood and Douglas Payne in The Blue Carbuncle (1923)

Stage career
Programme for Peter Pan at the Duke of York's Theatre (1904) in which Willis played the pirate Mullins

During the 1881 Census the 19 year old Willis was lodging at an address in his native Reading giving his occupation as "Dramatic Artist" - or actor.[2] A Freemason, in 1885 he joined King Harold Lodge No. 1327 giving his profession as "Dramatic Artist"[4] and joined the actors' Lodge of Asaph No. 1319 in November 1896 giving his profession as an actor at the Duke of York's Theatre.[5] In 1892 he married his actress wife Annie (1861-) and with her had a daughter Winifred (1894-) who also became an actress. In 1901 Willis was living with his family in York Road in Lambeth in London.[6]

Willis appeared in the copyright performance of William Gillette's play Sherlock Holmes (1899) in an unknown role. He played Planchette and Lavrille in Never Again at the Vaudeville Theatre (1897) opposite Allan Aynesworth;[7] Captain Welsh opposite Robert Taber in Bonnie Dundee at the Adelphi Theatre (1900);[8] Brother Jerome in The Sacrament of Judas at the Comedy Theatre (1901);[9] Rushey Platt, MP in Love in Idleness at Terry's Theatre (1902);[10] Dick Snaresby in Brown at Brighton at the Avenue Theatre (1903);[11] Mullins in the original stage production of Peter Pan at the Duke of York's Theatre (1904) opposite Gerald du Maurier as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling and Nina Boucicault as Peter Pan;[12] Jenkins in Castles in Spain at the Royalty Theatre (1906);[13] Dubois in The Hon'ble Phil opposite G. P. Huntley at Hicks Theatre (1908);[14] Mr. Curry in The Test at the Court Theatre (1906).[15] and Village Handyman in The Man with his Back to the East at the Court Theatre (1912).[16]

Sherlock Holmes films
Poster for The Hound of the Baskervilles (1921)

Willis made his first film appearance as Shelton in the silent film The House of Temperley (1913), an adaptation of Rodney Stone by Arthur Conan Doyle. Between 1921 and 1923 he played Dr. Watson in 44 short films and one full length film opposite Eille Norwood as Sherlock Holmes including The Hound of the Baskervilles (1921) and in three series of 15 episodes each in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1921); in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1922), and in The Last Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1923). In the episode The Sign of Four (1923) Willis was replaced by Arthur Cullin as Dr. Watson.[17]

Willis lived at 39 Marlborough Crescent in Bedford Park in London. He died in December 1933 and left £4,105 1s 4d in his will.[18] Hubert Willis was buried in Acton Cemetery in London.[19]

Selected filmography

References
  1. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 for Hubert Willis: 1862 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  2. Hubert Willis in the 1881 England Census - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  3. "BFI Database entry". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  4. England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921 for Hubert Willis: United Grand Lodge of England, 1863-1887, Register of Contributions: Country and Foreign Lodges Supplement 1, fols 1-311 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  5. England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921 for Hubert Willis: United Grand Lodge of England, 1887-1909, Membership Registers: London D 820-126 to London E 1269-1540 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  6. 1901 England Census for Hubert Willis: London, Lambeth, Waterloo Road - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  7. J. P. Wearing, The London Stage 1890-1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Rowman & Littlefield (2014) - Google Books pg. 358
  8. J. P. Wearing, The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Rowman & Littlefield (2014) - Google Books pg. 8
  9. Wearing, pg. 58
  10. Wearing, pg. 103
  11. Wearing, pg. 124
  12. Bruce K. Hanson, Peter Pan on Stage and Screen, 1904-2010, 2d ed.. McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers (2011) - Google Books pg. 336
  13. Wearing, pg. 289
  14. Wearing, pg. 429
  15. Wearing, pg. 445
  16. 'Dramatic Gossip' - The Athenaeum, No. 4442, 14 December 1912, pg. 740
  17. Hubert Willis in The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
  18. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Hubert Willis: 1934 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  19. Hubert Willis on Find a Grave
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