Who played Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 film directed by Guy Ritchie?

Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 film directed by Guy Ritchie. The movie presents Holmes as a highly intelligent but physically active investigator in Victorian London, where he and Dr. John Watson investigate the apparently supernatural crimes of Lord Blackwood.

Downey’s performance helped define the film’s energetic style. Rather than emphasizing only Holmes’s traditional reserve, the film portrays him as eccentric, bohemian, scientifically curious, and skilled in combat. Jude Law played Watson, while Rachel McAdams portrayed Irene Adler and Mark Strong played Lord Blackwood.

The film was released in December 2009 and became a major commercial success, earning more than $500 million worldwide. Downey won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy, and returned as Holmes in the 2011 sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

A common mix-up is confusing Downey’s Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch, who played the detective in the BBC television series Sherlock. The two performances are separate adaptations, with Cumberbatch’s version transported into the modern day.