Basil Rathbone

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

131

Gender

Male

Birthday

1892-06-13

Day of death

1967-07-21 (75 years old)

Place of Birth

Johannesburg, South African Republic

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

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • The Jack Benny Program

    The Jack Benny Program

  • Kind Lady

    Kind Lady

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Tovarich

    Tovarich

  • Rio

    Rio

  • Terror by Night

    Terror by Night

  • Aladdin

    Aladdin

  • Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates

    Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates

  • Lights Out

    Lights Out

  • One Precious Year

    One Precious Year

  • DuPont Show of the Month

    DuPont Show of the Month

  • We're No Angels

    We're No Angels

  • Screen Director's Playhouse

    Screen Director's Playhouse

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood

    The Adventures of Robin Hood

  • Suspense

    Suspense

  • Suspense

    Suspense

  • The Masked Bride

    The Masked Bride

  • Bathing Beauty

    Bathing Beauty

  • Loyalties

    Loyalties

  • Make a Wish

    Make a Wish

  • The Great Mouse Detective

    The Great Mouse Detective

  • Your Show of Shows

    Your Show of Shows

  • Madhouse

    Madhouse

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

    In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

  • A Lady Surrenders

    A Lady Surrenders

  • The Pearl of Death

    The Pearl of Death

  • Romeo and Juliet

    Romeo and Juliet

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

  • International Lady

    International Lady

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Breakdowns of 1938

    Breakdowns of 1938

  • The Mad Doctor

    The Mad Doctor

  • Love from a Stranger

    Love from a Stranger

  • This Mad World

    This Mad World

  • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

    The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

  • Anna Karenina

    Anna Karenina

  • Son of Frankenstein

    Son of Frankenstein

  • Captain Blood

    Captain Blood

  • The Movie Orgy

    The Movie Orgy

  • The Court Jester

    The Court Jester

  • The Mark of Zorro

    The Mark of Zorro

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles

    The Hound of the Baskervilles

  • Summer Fun

    Summer Fun

  • The Woman in Green

    The Woman in Green

  • The Horror Show

    The Horror Show

  • Casanova's Big Night

    Casanova's Big Night

  • The Spider Woman

    The Spider Woman

  • Dressed to Kill

    Dressed to Kill

  • Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

    Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

  • Innocent

    Innocent

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Tales of Terror

    Tales of Terror

  • Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror

    Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror

  • Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

    Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

  • The Comedy of Terrors

    The Comedy of Terrors

  • Sherlock Holmes in Washington

    Sherlock Holmes in Washington

  • A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities

  • David Copperfield

    David Copperfield

  • The Scarlet Claw

    The Scarlet Claw

  • The House of Fear

    The House of Fear

  • The Garden of Allah

    The Garden of Allah

  • The General's Boots

    The General's Boots

  • Pursuit to Algiers

    Pursuit to Algiers

  • The Last Hurrah

    The Last Hurrah

  • Above Suspicion

    Above Suspicion

  • Tales from Dickens

    Tales from Dickens

  • Victoria Regina

    Victoria Regina

  • The Magic Sword

    The Magic Sword

  • Crazy House

    Crazy House

  • The Dawn Patrol

    The Dawn Patrol

  • Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

    Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

  • Queen of Blood

    Queen of Blood

  • Frenchman's Creek

    Frenchman's Creek

  • If I Were King

    If I Were King

  • Pontius Pilate

    Pontius Pilate

  • The Wind in the Willows

    The Wind in the Willows

  • Soldier in Love

    Soldier in Love

  • The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

    The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

  • Rhythm on the River

    Rhythm on the River

  • The Black Cat

    The Black Cat

  • The Horror of It All

    The Horror of It All

  • The Last Days of Pompeii

    The Last Days of Pompeii

  • Private Number

    Private Number

  • Heartbeat

    Heartbeat

  • Confession

    Confession

  • Crossroads

    Crossroads

  • A Christmas Carol

    A Christmas Carol

  • The Black Sleep

    The Black Sleep

  • The Adventures of Errol Flynn

    The Adventures of Errol Flynn

  • Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook

    Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook

  • The Adventures of Marco Polo

    The Adventures of Marco Polo

  • The Lady of Scandal

    The Lady of Scandal

  • The Bishop Murder Case

    The Bishop Murder Case

  • The Lark

    The Lark

  • Tower of London

    Tower of London

  • Paris Calling

    Paris Calling

  • The Sun Never Sets

    The Sun Never Sets

  • A Feather in Her Hat

    A Feather in Her Hat

  • Sin Takes a Holiday

    Sin Takes a Holiday

  • Fingers at the Window

    Fingers at the Window

  • Affair in Sumatra

    Affair in Sumatra

  • Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6

    Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6

  • Hillbillys in a Haunted House

    Hillbillys in a Haunted House

  • The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

    The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

  • A Woman Commands

    A Woman Commands

  • The Flirting Widow

    The Flirting Widow

  • After the Ball

    After the Ball

  • Autopsy of a Ghost

    Autopsy of a Ghost

  • The Stingiest Man in Town

    The Stingiest Man in Town

  • The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

    The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

  • A Notorious Affair

    A Notorious Affair

  • The School for Scandal

    The School for Scandal

  • Two Before Zero

    Two Before Zero

  • The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots

    The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots

  • The Great Deception

    The Great Deception

  • The Fruitful Vine

    The Fruitful Vine

  • A Christmas Carol

    A Christmas Carol

  • Trouping with Ellen

    Trouping with Ellen

  • The Black Cat

    The Black Cat

  • Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus

    Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus