Basil Rathbone
Acting
Born June 13, 1892, Johannesburg, South African Republic
Basil Rathbone, MC, Kt (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967), was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films. He frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters, such as Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935) and Sir Guy of Gisbourne in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). His most famous role, however, was heroic—that of Sherlock Holmes in fourteen Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946 and in a radio series. His later career included Broadway and television work; he received a Tony Award in 1948 as Best Actor in a Play.
Filmography
- 1996In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
- 1992Dracula in the Movies — (archive footage)
- 1991Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook — Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
- 1986The Great Mouse Detective — Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- 1985The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes — Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
- 1983The Horror of It All — Carmichael (archive footage)
- 1979The Horror Show — (archive footage)
- 1974Madhouse — Basil (archive footage)
- 1968Autopsy of a Ghost — Canuto Pérez
- 1967Hillbillys in a Haunted House — Gregor
- 1967Soldier in Love — Duke of York
- 1966Queen of Blood — Dr. Farraday
- Summer Fun
- 1966The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini — Reginald Ripper
- 1965Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet — Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
- 1964The Comedy of Terrors — John F. Black
- Burke's Law — Milo James
- 1962Pontius Pilate — Caiaphas
- 1962Tales of Terror — Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
- 1962The Magic Sword — Lodac
- 1962Two Before Zero
- Dr. Kildare — Frederick Foray
- 1961Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus — Narrator
- 1961Victoria Regina — Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
- 1960The Black Cat
- 1959A Christmas Carol — Scrooge
- Tales from Dickens — Scrooge
- 1958Aladdin — Emperor
- 1958Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates — Dr. Boekman
- 1958The Last Hurrah — Norman Cass Sr.
- DuPont Show of the Month — Emperor
- 1957The Lark — Chief Inquisitor
- 1956Affair in Sumatra — Paul Charters
- 1956The Black Sleep — Sir Joel Cadman
- 1956The Stingiest Man in Town — Ebenezer Scrooge
- Screen Director's Playhouse — Paul Charters
- 1955The Court Jester — Sir Ravenhurst
- 1955We're No Angels — Andre Trochard
- 1954A Christmas Carol — Marley's Ghost
- 1954Casanova's Big Night — Lucio / Narrator
- 1954The General's Boots — General Lee
- Hallmark Hall of Fame — Inquisitor, Dr. Boekman, Lord Beaconsfield, The Duke of York
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars — Self - Host / General Lee, The Jewel Thief
- Lux Video Theatre — Frampton, Sir Paul Maxim, Ambrose Wallington
- The Jack Benny Program — Basil Rathbone
- Your Show of Shows
- Lights Out
- Suspense — Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes
- 1949The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad — Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
- 1949The Wind in the Willows — Narrator (voice)
- Studio One — Hazelton Crome
- 1946Dressed to Kill — Sherlock Holmes
- 1946Heartbeat — Professor Aristide
- 1946Terror by Night — Sherlock Holmes
- 1945Pursuit to Algiers — Sherlock Holmes
- 1945The House of Fear — Sherlock Holmes
- 1945The Woman in Green — Sherlock Holmes
- 1944Bathing Beauty — George Adams
- 1944Frenchman's Creek — Lord Rockingham
- 1944The Pearl of Death — Sherlock Holmes
- 1944The Scarlet Claw — Sherlock Holmes
- 1943Above Suspicion — Sig von Aschenhausen
- 1943Crazy House — Sherlock Holmes
- 1943Sherlock Holmes Faces Death — Sherlock Holmes
- 1943Sherlock Holmes in Washington — Sherlock Holmes
- 1943The Spider Woman — Sherlock Holmes
- 1942Crossroads — Henri Sarrou
- 1942Fingers at the Window — Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
- 1942Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon — Sherlock Holmes
- 1942Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror — Sherlock Holmes
- 1941International Lady — Reggie Oliver
- 1941Paris Calling — Benoit
- 1941The Black Cat — Montague Hartley
- 1940Rhythm on the River — Oliver Courtney
- 1940The Mad Doctor — Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
- 1940The Mark of Zorro — Captain Esteban Pasquale
- 1939Rio — Paul Reynard
- 1939Son of Frankenstein — Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
- 1939The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — Sherlock Holmes
- 1939The Hound of the Baskervilles — Sherlock Holmes
- 1939The Sun Never Sets — Clive Randolph
- 1939Tower of London — Richard - Duke of Gloucester
- 1938Breakdowns of 1938 — Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1938If I Were King — Louis XI
- 1938The Adventures of Marco Polo — Ahmed
- 1938The Adventures of Robin Hood — Sir Guy of Gisbourne
- 1938The Dawn Patrol — Maj. Brand
- 1937Confession — Michael Michailow
- 1937Love from a Stranger — Gerald Lovell
- 1937Make a Wish — Johnny Selden
- 1937Tovarich — Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
- 1936Private Number — Thomas Wroxton
- 1936Romeo and Juliet — Tybalt
- 1936The Garden of Allah — Count Ferdinand Anteoni
- 1935A Feather in Her Hat — Captain Randolph Courtney
- 1935A Tale of Two Cities — Marquis St. Evremonde
- 1935Anna Karenina — Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
- 1935Captain Blood — Levasseur
- 1935David Copperfield — Mr. Edward Murdstone
- 1935Kind Lady — Henry Abbott
- 1935The Last Days of Pompeii — Pontius Pilate
- 1933Loyalties — Ferdinand de Levis
- 1933One Precious Year — Derek Nagel
- 1932A Woman Commands — Capt. Alex Pastitsch
- 1932After the Ball — Jack Harrowby
- 1930A Lady Surrenders — Carl Vandry
- 1930A Notorious Affair — Paul Gherardi
- 1930Sin Takes a Holiday — Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
- 1930The Flirting Widow — Col. Smith
- 1930The Lady of Scandal — Edward
- 1930This Mad World — Paul Parisot
- 1929The Bishop Murder Case — Philo Vance
- 1929The Last of Mrs. Cheyney — Lord Arthur Dilling
- 1926The Great Deception — Rizzio
- 1925The Masked Bride — Antoine
- 1924The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots — Undetermined Subordinate Role
- 1924Trouping with Ellen — Tony Winterslip
- 1923The School for Scandal — Joseph Surface
- 1921Innocent — Amadis de Jocelyn
- 1921The Fruitful Vine — Don Cesare Carelli
Appearances as themselves (6)
- 2005The Adventures of Errol Flynn — Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
- 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archival footage)
- The Merv Griffin Show — Self
- What's My Line? — Self
- 1942Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 — Self
- Marlene Dietrich: Home Movies — Himself