By Lubna Abdel-Aziz It was the worst of times. They shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders; " Such a waste," complained the Hollywood folk each time they saw the promising young actor back in court, after another arrest for drug abuse. For five long years, between 1996 and 2001, Robert Downey Jr, was in and out of Substance Treatment Centers and California State prisons, to the dismay of his friends and his fans. Desperately addicted to any number of drugs, his situation seemed hopeless. The once Oscar- nominated actor was beyond salvation. It was only a few short years earlier that he was hailed as a master of impersonation, following his portrayal of the complex Mr. Charlie Chaplin (1992), now not only was his career in jeopardy, but so was his life. After years of shame and folly, Hollywood witnessed a miraculous recovery. "It's not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems; what's hard is to decide to actually do it". With a new wife by his side, Downey decided to achieve lasting sobriety; but who would believe him? No bonding company would insure him for any project, Downey was not without friends. Actor/director/ producer Mel Gibson paid Downey's Insurance bond for 'The Singing Detective " (2003), and slowly Downey's career started to take off. In 2007 he was cast as the title character of the comic-book adaptation of " The Iron Man', which scored big at the box office. Mel Gibson's gamble paid off. When British director Guy Ritchie was casting his new film version of the popular British Detective, Holmes, he picked none other than American Robert Downey Jr, to play the English sleuth opposite Jude Law's Dr. Watson. For his effort, Downey was awarded with a Golden Globe for Best Male Actor, which bodes well for another Oscar nomination. What better way to say 'thank you' to Mel Gibson! Holmes and Downey do have one thing in common. Both used addictive drugs. Holmes fans may recall how often he would inject himself with cocaine, in a 7% solution, using a special syringe that he kept in a red leather case. He also occasionally used morphine, but drew the line at opium.. Watson disapproved of his friend's drug habit, describing it as his 'only vice'. One must keep in mind however, that such substances were perfectly legal in late 19th century England. Throughout the 60 or so stories, written by his creator British physician, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes is depicted as a loner, with only one friend, the loyal Dr. John H. Watson. His friendship with Watson is his most significant relationship.. Watson shared Holmes love of tobacco in every form, cigarettes, cigars and the pipe, making Holmes an expert at identifying tobacco ash residue. For the cerebral detective that was just "elementary". Many are still under the illusion that Sherlock Holmes was a real live detective of the late 19th century. They even know his address in London, as 221 B Baker Street, now a favourite stop for tourists and Holmes' many fans. The house is filled with eclectic memorabilia, and the queues that line up by the London residence are often as long as those at Stratford-Upon-Avon, eager to visit William Shakespeare's house. Holmes is admired for his professional as well as personal traits. His right-hand man and chronicler, Watson, describes him as obsessed with 'cat-like' habits of personal cleanliness. He frequently makes note of his bohemian life-style and erratic eating habits, It is however, his intellectual detection methods of deductive reasoning that leaves us in awe. His adventures often begin with a bravura display of his talent for observation and deduction, "From a drop of water a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic, or a Niagara, without having seen or heard of one or the other". Indeed, only a Holmes is that capable. Holmesian deduction consists primarily of drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles. Always maintaining a strict adherence to scientific methods, he focuses on logic and the powers of observation. His analysis of physical evidence is both scientific and precise. He often uses disguise and displays a remarkable acting talent which even Watson fails to penetrate Although he is not the original fiction detective, he has emerged as the most real and ideal. His very name has become a by-word for detective skills The genre became so popular, that after Holmes' demise, Agatha Christie created her Hercules Poirot, and Doroty Sayres her investigating detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. The British have an ever- lasting penchant for mysteries and detectives, but Holmes remains king. Portrayed by 60 actors in every media, radio, TV, stage and screen, never as convincingly as by English actor Basil Rathbone, teaming up with Nigel Bruce as Watson in no less than 15 films. Among the other actors who portrayed the famous sleuth were John Barrymore, John Gielgud, Christopher Lee, Stewart Granger, Raymond Massey, Michael Caine, Peter Lawford, John Cleese, Reginald Owen, Christopher Plummer and even Peter O'Toole in a series of cartoons. Often mistaken for the beloved detective, author Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinbugh Scotland. A physician himself, he based his character on Dr. Joseph Bell for whom he had worked as a clerk, at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Bell was noted for drawing large conclusions from the minutest observations. In 1982 Sir Arthur wrote a story in which Holmes was killed. So vehement was the readers' reaction that Doyle was forced to bring Holmes back to life The creation of Holmes came as a result of a not-so-successful a medical practice. While waiting for patients to come, Doyle wrote historical novels, romances and plays. Only Holmes achieved immortality.. The famous phrase attributed to Holmes, 'elementary, my dear Watson' was never uttered by him in any of the 56 stories and 4 novels written by Doyle. Although he did call his friend, "my dear Watson", and would dismiss any remark on his logical conclusions as "elementary', it is an incorrect attribution. Nevertheless it identifies him as much as his pipe, his cane, his deerstalker cap and his Inverness cape. Doyle's Holmes has come to the rescue of many a gent or a damsel in distress, and he has now garnered a coveted acting award for a once troubled Holmes impersonator John Downey Jr His future now looks rosy and the sky is the limit for such an outstanding talent, if he adheres to sobriety. Simply elementary!. Perhaps no fictional character ever created has become as charmingly real to his readers as Sherlock Holmes -- Christopher Morley (1890-1957)
