9. Jared Harris, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Moriarty was left as a shadowy figure in the first Sherlock Holmes film but we properly got to meet him in the sequel, A Game of Shadows. The globe-trotting movie casts him more as a Bond villain – with a plan to start a world war – and Jared Harris is perfect for this take on Moriarty, emphasising the aloofness and egotism of the character.
8. Laurence Olivier, The Seven Per-Cent Solution
Getting acting legend Laurence Olivier to play Moriarty was quite a coup for 1976’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, which massively subverted the character. In this, Moriarty is actually a largely innocent man who a deluded Holmes is convinced is a criminal mastermind. As such, this is a memorably, very unusual, take on the ‘villain.’
7. Viktor Evgrafov, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
The Soviet TV series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is considered by many Holmesians to be one of the finest adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The show’s Moriarty is likewise one of the standouts. Like the character on the page, Evgrafov’s Moriarty is a snake-like sinister figure who you definitely wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
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You missed out on Daniel Davis in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, that performance definitely belongs here.
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Daniel Davis was great as Moriarty on 2 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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Liked Potter…..a lot, too!
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You forgot Vncent D’onofrio in Sherlock: Case of Evil where Moriarty created heroin for the first time
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I wonder how many people who voted here have actually seen the other actors play this role. I bet if they did they would understand that Scott did not play the character at all but just played the Joker from Batman under the guise of Professor Moriarty.
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“Who else could take the top spot?” Really? If we need a good Joker, Andrew Scott’s your man. But for my Moriarty, I’m looking for a better class of criminal. Oh wait. BBC Sherlock ripped that line from the Nolan films, too. All we need now is the Batman theme song and the “Deer Stalker Symbol” on the roof of Scotland Yard.
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Eric porter
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So did no one see George Morfogen, the distinguished NY theater actor, as “Moriarty” in the HBO/Williamstown Theater production of Wm. Gillette’s “Sherlock Holmes”? He’s number one on my list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSmzI4NhLL0
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I think Scott’s version is rather impressive. The impact he had on the fandom was massive. He gave a different side to the sherlock series and gave it a much needed plot twist and villain. But that’s my opinion. I respect everyone else’s choice
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Henry Daniel & George Zucco were the only two that played Professor Moriority in the Rathbone & Nigel Bruce series. Seems you didn’t know that one !!!
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Two of my favorite are: Lionel Atwill and Henry Daniell. They offered great performances that are re-watch on a regular basis.
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