A distinguished stage actor who entered films in 1911, Norwood is chiefly remembered for being the most prolific actor ever to play Sherlock Holmes. He impersonated the famous sleuth in 45 two-reelers and two feature films between 1921 and 1923. Underplaying the part (unlike other members of the cast who failed to cope with the dynamics of screen acting and thus often outrageously overacted), caused the author Arthur Conan Doyle to publicly praise his performances. In 1923, Norwood returned to the West End stage in a Sherlock Holmes play written specifically for him and coasted in the part for many more years.
