The Life and Many Romances of Jude Law

In 2009, he starred as Dr. John Watson opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes. The film turned Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective stories into a fast-moving blockbuster, with Law giving Watson more wit, strength, and frustration than the character sometimes received in older versions.

The movie became a major commercial success and introduced Law to a larger franchise audience. After years of prestige dramas, tabloid attention, and stage work, he had found a mainstream adventure role that could carry him into a new decade.