Being a long-lasting and legendary franchise, the Sherlock Holmes films and series have seen numerous changes in all regards. One of the more significant ones is the wide variety of actresses who played Irene Adler. Adler was only mentioned in one original story by Arthur Conan Doyle, but has become one of the most notable characters in the Sherlock Holmes series.

Now, seemingly the first possible visual representation of Adler was back in ca. 1882, particularly of actress Lillie Langtry, but the first credited appearance of Irene Adler in film history was actually in 1921’s A Scandal in Bohemia, where she was played by Joan Beverley. Sadly, the earliest picture that we could find was of Larisa Solovyova’s Adler from 1983’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Treasures of Agra TV mini series, but even there, we see a stark contrast in how it was and how it is.

As mentioned, many women were in this role: besides the ones mentioned previously, there were also lga Edwardes, Liliana Komorowska, Anne Baxter, Morgan Fairchild, Charlotte Rampling, Anna Chancellor, Rachel McAdams, and many more. The latest live-action incarnation of Adler is Natalie Dormer in Elementary (2012-2019).