Basil Rathbone
Acting
Born: June 13, 1892 · Johannesburg, South African Republic
Died: July 21, 1967 (aged 75)
Highest Rated
Biography
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.
Known for
The Great Mouse Detective
1986
The Adventures of Robin Hood
1938
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1949
Son of Frankenstein
1939
Captain Blood
1935
The Mark of Zorro
1940
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1939
The Court Jester
1955
We're No Angels
1955
Tales of Terror
1962
The Comedy of Terrors
1964
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939
Photos (8)
Movies (101)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Sir Guy of Gisbourne
The Great Mouse Detective
Sherlock Holmes (voice)
Tales of Terror
Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
The Court Jester
Sir Ravenhurst
Captain Blood
Levasseur
The Woman in Green
Sherlock Holmes
The Pearl of Death
Sherlock Holmes
Terror by Night
Sherlock Holmes
Bathing Beauty
George Adams
Tower of London
Richard - Duke of Gloucester
A Tale of Two Cities
Marquis St. Evremonde
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Pursuit to Algiers
Sherlock Holmes
Son of Frankenstein
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
The Adventures of Marco Polo
Ahmed
Anna Karenina
Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
The Scarlet Claw
Sherlock Holmes
We're No Angels
Andre Trochard
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Sherlock Holmes
The Comedy of Terrors
John F. Black
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes
The Garden of Allah
Count Ferdinand Anteoni
The Mark of Zorro
Captain Esteban Pasquale
Madhouse
Basil (archive footage)
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
Reginald Ripper
Romeo and Juliet
Tybalt
The Wind in the Willows
Narrator (voice)
David Copperfield
Mr. Edward Murdstone
Dressed to Kill
Sherlock Holmes
The Black Cat
Montague Hartley
International Lady
Reggie Oliver
Fingers at the Window
Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
The Magic Sword
Lodac
The Last Hurrah
Norman Cass Sr.
Casanova's Big Night
Lucio / Narrator
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
Sherlock Holmes
Kind Lady
Henry Abbott
The Last Days of Pompeii
Pontius Pilate
The House of Fear
Sherlock Holmes
Tovarich
Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
Private Number
Thomas Wroxton
The Spider Woman
Sherlock Holmes
The Mad Doctor
Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
Love from a Stranger
Gerald Lovell
Rio
Paul Reynard
Queen of Blood
Dr. Farraday
Pontius Pilate
Caiaphas
Hillbillys in a Haunted House
Gregor
The Horror of It All
Carmichael (archive footage)
The Dawn Patrol
Maj. Brand
Dracula in the Movies
(archive footage)
If I Were King
Louis XI
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
Above Suspicion
Sig von Aschenhausen
The Lark
Chief Inquisitor
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
Dr. Boekman
Innocent
Amadis de Jocelyn
Loyalties
Ferdinand de Levis
The Bishop Murder Case
Philo Vance
The Sun Never Sets
Clive Randolph
A Christmas Carol
Marley's Ghost
A Feather in Her Hat
Captain Randolph Courtney
Frenchman's Creek
Lord Rockingham
Victoria Regina
Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
Heartbeat
Professor Aristide
The Flirting Widow
Col. Smith
Soldier in Love
Duke of York
Sin Takes a Holiday
Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
The Black Sleep
Sir Joel Cadman
Aladdin
Emperor
Autopsy of a Ghost
Canuto Pérez
Crossroads
Henri Sarrou
Rhythm on the River
Oliver Courtney
Make a Wish
Johnny Selden
Breakdowns of 1938
Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
The Stingiest Man in Town
Ebenezer Scrooge
Paris Calling
Benoit
This Mad World
Paul Parisot
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Lord Arthur Dilling
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
1996
The Horror Show
(archive footage)
The Masked Bride
Antoine
A Notorious Affair
Paul Gherardi
Crazy House
Sherlock Holmes
Confession
Michael Michailow
One Precious Year
Derek Nagel
The School for Scandal
Joseph Surface
After the Ball
Jack Harrowby
The Lady of Scandal
Edward
A Lady Surrenders
Carl Vandry
A Woman Commands
Capt. Alex Pastitsch
The Great Deception
Rizzio
The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
Undetermined Subordinate Role
Two Before Zero
1962
Affair in Sumatra
Paul Charters
Trouping with Ellen
Tony Winterslip
A Christmas Carol
Scrooge
TV Shows (18)
Dr. Kildare
Frederick Foray · 2 eps
Studio One
Hazelton Crome · 1 eps
Burke's Law
Milo James · 1 eps
Suspense
Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde · 1 eps
Suspense
Sherlock Holmes · 1 eps
The Jack Benny Program
Basil Rathbone · 1 eps
Lights Out
1 eps
Your Show of Shows
1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
Frampton · 1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
Sir Paul Maxim · 1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
Ambrose Wallington · 1 eps
Screen Director's Playhouse
Paul Charters · 1 eps
DuPont Show of the Month
Emperor · 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Inquisitor · 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Dr. Boekman · 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Lord Beaconsfield · 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
The Duke of York · 1 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
The Jewel Thief · 1 eps
Self / Appearances (7)
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · 3 eps
What's My Line?
Self · 1 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Self - Host / General Lee · 1 eps
The Movie Orgy
Self (archival footage)
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
Self
Marlene Dietrich: Home Movies
Self