Basil Rathbone

Biography

Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, 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.

Known For

The Merv Griffin Show

What's My Line?

Dr. Kildare

Burke's Law

Studio One

The Jack Benny Program

Lights Out

Suspense

All Movies (109)

• The Adventures of Errol Flynn2005 · as Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
• In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes1996
• Dracula in the Movies1992 · as (archive footage)
• Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook1991 · as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
• The Great Mouse Detective1986 · as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
• The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes1985 · as Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
• The Horror of It All1983 · as Carmichael (archive footage)
• The Horror Show1979 · as (archive footage)
• Madhouse1974 · as Basil (archive footage)
• Autopsy of a Ghost1968 · as Canuto Pérez
• The Movie Orgy1968 · as Self (archival footage)
• Hillbillys in a Haunted House1967 · as Gregor
• Soldier in Love1967 · as Duke of York
• The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini1966 · as Reginald Ripper
• Queen of Blood1966 · as Dr. Farraday
• Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet1965 · as Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
• The Comedy of Terrors1964 · as John F. Black
• Two Before Zero1962
• Tales of Terror1962 · as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
• The Magic Sword1962 · as Lodac
• Pontius Pilate1962 · as Caiaphas
• Victoria Regina1961 · as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
• Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus1961 · as Narrator
• The Black Cat1960
• A Christmas Carol1959 · as Scrooge
• The Last Hurrah1958 · as Norman Cass Sr.
• Aladdin1958 · as Emperor
• Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates1958 · as Dr. Boekman
• The Lark1957 · as Chief Inquisitor
• The Stingiest Man in Town1956 · as Ebenezer Scrooge
• The Black Sleep1956 · as Sir Joel Cadman
• Affair in Sumatra1956 · as Paul Charters
• The Court Jester1955 · as Sir Ravenhurst
• We're No Angels1955 · as Andre Trochard
• A Christmas Carol1954 · as Marley's Ghost
• The General's Boots1954 · as General Lee
• Casanova's Big Night1954 · as Lucio / Narrator
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad1949 · as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
• The Wind in the Willows1949 · as Narrator (voice)
• Dressed to Kill1946 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Heartbeat1946 · as Professor Aristide
• Terror by Night1946 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Pursuit to Algiers1945 · as Sherlock Holmes
• The Woman in Green1945 · as Sherlock Holmes
• The House of Fear1945 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Frenchman's Creek1944 · as Lord Rockingham
• The Pearl of Death1944 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Bathing Beauty1944 · as George Adams
• The Scarlet Claw1944 · as Sherlock Holmes
• The Spider Woman1943 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Crazy House1943 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Sherlock Holmes Faces Death1943 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Above Suspicion1943 · as Sig von Aschenhausen
• Sherlock Holmes in Washington1943 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon1942 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 61942 · as Himself
• Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror1942 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Crossroads1942 · as Henri Sarrou
• Fingers at the Window1942 · as Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
• Paris Calling1941 · as Andre Benoit
• International Lady1941 · as Reggie Oliver
• The Black Cat1941 · as Montague Hartley
• The Mad Doctor1940 · as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
• The Mark of Zorro1940 · as Captain Esteban Pasquale
• Rhythm on the River1940 · as Oliver Courtney
• Tower of London1939 · as Richard - Duke of Gloucester
• Rio1939 · as Paul Reynard
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes1939 · as Sherlock Holmes
• The Sun Never Sets1939 · as Clive Randolph
• The Hound of the Baskervilles1939 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Son of Frankenstein1939 · as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
• Breakdowns of 19381938 · as Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Dawn Patrol1938 · as Maj. Brand
• If I Were King1938 · as Louis XI
• The Adventures of Robin Hood1938 · as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
• The Adventures of Marco Polo1938 · as Ahmed
• Tovarich1937 · as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
• Make a Wish1937 · as Johnny Selden
• Confession1937 · as Michael Michailow
• Love from a Stranger1937 · as Gerald Lovell
• The Garden of Allah1936 · as Count Ferdinand Anteoni
• Romeo and Juliet1936 · as Tybalt
• Private Number1936 · as Thomas Wroxton
• Captain Blood1935 · as Levasseur
• A Tale of Two Cities1935 · as Marquis St. Evremonde
• Kind Lady1935 · as Henry Abbott
• A Feather in Her Hat1935 · as Captain Randolph Courtney
• The Last Days of Pompeii1935 · as Pontius Pilate
• Anna Karenina1935 · as Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
• David Copperfield1935 · as Mr. Edward Murdstone
• Loyalties1933 · as Ferdinand de Levis
• One Precious Year1933 · as Derek Nagel
• After the Ball1932 · as Jack Harrowby
• A Woman Commands1932 · as Capt. Alex Pastitsch
• Sin Takes a Holiday1930 · as Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
• A Lady Surrenders1930 · as Carl Vandry
• The Lady of Scandal1930 · as Edward
• The Flirting Widow1930 · as Col. Smith
• A Notorious Affair1930 · as Paul Gherardi
• This Mad World1930 · as Paul Parisot
• The Bishop Murder Case1929 · as Philo Vance
• The Last of Mrs. Cheyney1929 · as Lord Arthur Dilling
• The Great Deception1926 · as Rizzio
• The Masked Bride1925 · as Antoine
• Trouping with Ellen1924 · as Tony Winterslip
• The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots1924 · as Undetermined Subordinate Role
• The School for Scandal1923 · as Joseph Surface
• The Fruitful Vine1921 · as Don Cesare Carelli
• Innocent1921 · as Amadis de Jocelyn

All TV Shows (23)

• Summer Fun1966
• Burke's Law1963 · as Milo James
• The Merv Griffin Show1962 · as Self
• Dr. Kildare1961 · as Frederick Foray
• Tales from Dickens1959 · as Scrooge
• DuPont Show of the Month1957 · as Emperor
• Screen Director's Playhouse1955 · as Paul Charters
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Inquisitor
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Dr. Boekman
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Lord Beaconsfield
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as The Duke of York
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Self - Host / General Lee
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as The Jewel Thief
• The Jack Benny Program1950 · as Basil Rathbone
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Frampton
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Sir Paul Maxim
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Ambrose Wallington
• Your Show of Shows1950
• What's My Line?1950 · as Self
• Lights Out1949
• Suspense1949 · as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
• Suspense1949 · as Sherlock Holmes
• Studio One1948 · as Hazelton Crome