Sherlock’s number one nemesis and obsessive fan. Moriarty is the criminal mastermind who haunts Sherlock Holmes as the great detective hunts him during many of his investigative endeavours. Moriarty’s impeccable intelligence and wit make him a perfect mirror of Holmes, often in an eerily romantic way. He seems to watch Holmes’ every move, often right in front of his eyes, yet goes unnoticed.
Moriarty Facts
No.1
"He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson" says Sherlock Holmes of Professor James Moriarty, the celebrated Binomial Theorem expert and author of "The Dynamics of an Asteroid".
2
Moriarty appears in only two tales directly, "The Final Problem" and "The Valley of Fear" but he is alluded to in five others.
1893
Sidney Paget reveals his portrait of Professor Moriarty for the December Strand Magazine.
Portrayed by
To date, Arthur Conan Doyle's characters have been translated onto the page, into products and onto the screen by Hollywood and beyond. Here are just a few of the interpretations of this original Arthur Conan Doyle character over the years. Work with us to create the next version of this fascinating character.
Andrew Scott
Sherlock, BBC (2015)
Jared Harris
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Warner Bros (2011)
Natalie Dormer
Elementary, CBS (2015)
Ralph Fiennes
Holmes & Watson, Columbia Pictures (2018)
Sidney Paget
The Strand Magazine (1893)
Laurence Olivier
The Seven-Percent Solution, Universal Pictures (1976)
