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Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone

Born: 1892-06-13 • Johannesburg, South African Republic

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.

Filmography
The Adventures of Errol Flynn poster
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
2005 • Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes poster
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
1996
No Image
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
1991 • Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
The Great Mouse Detective poster
The Great Mouse Detective
1986 • Sherlock Holmes (voice)
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes poster
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
1985 • Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
The Horror of It All poster
The Horror of It All
1983 • Carmichael (archive footage)
The Horror Show poster
The Horror Show
1979 • (archive footage)
Madhouse poster
Madhouse
1974 • Basil (archive footage)
Autopsy of a Ghost poster
Autopsy of a Ghost
1968 • Canuto Pérez
The Movie Orgy poster
The Movie Orgy
1968 • Self (archival footage)
Hillbillys in a Haunted House poster
Hillbillys in a Haunted House
1967 • Gregor
Soldier in Love poster
Soldier in Love
1967 • Duke of York
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini poster
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
1966 • Reginald Ripper
Queen of Blood poster
Queen of Blood
1966 • Dr. Farraday
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet poster
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
1965 • Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
The Comedy of Terrors poster
The Comedy of Terrors
1964 • John F. Black
Two Before Zero poster
Two Before Zero
1962
Tales of Terror poster
Tales of Terror
1962 • Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
The Magic Sword poster
The Magic Sword
1962 • Lodac
Pontius Pilate poster
Pontius Pilate
1962 • Caiaphas
Victoria Regina poster
Victoria Regina
1961 • Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
No Image
Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus
1961 • Narrator
No Image
The Black Cat
1960
A Christmas Carol poster
A Christmas Carol
1959 • Scrooge
The Last Hurrah poster
The Last Hurrah
1958 • Norman Cass Sr.
Aladdin poster
Aladdin
1958 • Emperor
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates poster
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
1958 • Dr. Boekman
The Lark poster
The Lark
1957 • Chief Inquisitor
The Stingiest Man in Town poster
The Stingiest Man in Town
1956 • Ebenezer Scrooge
The Black Sleep poster
The Black Sleep
1956 • Sir Joel Cadman
Affair in Sumatra poster
Affair in Sumatra
1956 • Paul Charters
The Court Jester poster
The Court Jester
1955 • Sir Ravenhurst
We're No Angels poster
We're No Angels
1955 • Andre Trochard
A Christmas Carol poster
A Christmas Carol
1954 • Marley's Ghost
No Image
The General's Boots
1954 • General Lee
Casanova's Big Night poster
Casanova's Big Night
1954 • Lucio / Narrator
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad poster
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1949 • Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
The Wind in the Willows poster
The Wind in the Willows
1949 • Narrator (voice)
Dressed to Kill poster
Dressed to Kill
1946 • Sherlock Holmes
Heartbeat poster
Heartbeat
1946 • Professor Aristide
Terror by Night poster
Terror by Night
1946 • Sherlock Holmes
Pursuit to Algiers poster
Pursuit to Algiers
1945 • Sherlock Holmes
The Woman in Green poster
The Woman in Green
1945 • Sherlock Holmes
The House of Fear poster
The House of Fear
1945 • Sherlock Holmes
Frenchman's Creek poster
Frenchman's Creek
1944 • Lord Rockingham
The Pearl of Death poster
The Pearl of Death
1944 • Sherlock Holmes
Bathing Beauty poster
Bathing Beauty
1944 • George Adams
The Scarlet Claw poster
The Scarlet Claw
1944 • Sherlock Holmes
The Spider Woman poster
The Spider Woman
1943 • Sherlock Holmes
Crazy House poster
Crazy House
1943 • Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death poster
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
1943 • Sherlock Holmes
Above Suspicion poster
Above Suspicion
1943 • Sig von Aschenhausen
Sherlock Holmes in Washington poster
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
1943 • Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon poster
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
1942 • Sherlock Holmes
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 poster
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
1942 • Himself
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror poster
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
1942 • Sherlock Holmes
Crossroads poster
Crossroads
1942 • Henri Sarrou
Fingers at the Window poster
Fingers at the Window
1942 • Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
Paris Calling poster
Paris Calling
1941 • Andre Benoit
International Lady poster
International Lady
1941 • Reggie Oliver
The Black Cat poster
The Black Cat
1941 • Montague Hartley
The Mad Doctor poster
The Mad Doctor
1940 • Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
The Mark of Zorro poster
The Mark of Zorro
1940 • Captain Esteban Pasquale
Rhythm on the River poster
Rhythm on the River
1940 • Oliver Courtney
Tower of London poster
Tower of London
1939 • Richard - Duke of Gloucester
Rio poster
Rio
1939 • Paul Reynard
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes poster
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939 • Sherlock Holmes
The Sun Never Sets poster
The Sun Never Sets
1939 • Clive Randolph
The Hound of the Baskervilles poster
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1939 • Sherlock Holmes
Son of Frankenstein poster
Son of Frankenstein
1939 • Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
Breakdowns of 1938 poster
Breakdowns of 1938
1938 • Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Dawn Patrol poster
The Dawn Patrol
1938 • Maj. Brand
If I Were King poster
If I Were King
1938 • Louis XI
The Adventures of Robin Hood poster
The Adventures of Robin Hood
1938 • Sir Guy of Gisbourne
The Adventures of Marco Polo poster
The Adventures of Marco Polo
1938 • Ahmed
Tovarich poster
Tovarich
1937 • Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
Make a Wish poster
Make a Wish
1937 • Johnny Selden
Confession poster
Confession
1937 • Michael Michailow
Love from a Stranger poster
Love from a Stranger
1937 • Gerald Lovell
The Garden of Allah poster
The Garden of Allah
1936 • Count Ferdinand Anteoni
Romeo and Juliet poster
Romeo and Juliet
1936 • Tybalt
Private Number poster
Private Number
1936 • Thomas Wroxton
Captain Blood poster
Captain Blood
1935 • Levasseur
A Tale of Two Cities poster
A Tale of Two Cities
1935 • Marquis St. Evremonde
Kind Lady poster
Kind Lady
1935 • Henry Abbott
A Feather in Her Hat poster
A Feather in Her Hat
1935 • Captain Randolph Courtney
The Last Days of Pompeii poster
The Last Days of Pompeii
1935 • Pontius Pilate
Anna Karenina poster
Anna Karenina
1935 • Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
David Copperfield poster
David Copperfield
1935 • Mr. Edward Murdstone
Loyalties poster
Loyalties
1933 • Ferdinand de Levis
One Precious Year poster
One Precious Year
1933 • Derek Nagel
After the Ball poster
After the Ball
1932 • Jack Harrowby
A Woman Commands poster
A Woman Commands
1932 • Capt. Alex Pastitsch
Sin Takes a Holiday poster
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930 • Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
A Lady Surrenders poster
A Lady Surrenders
1930 • Carl Vandry
The Lady of Scandal poster
The Lady of Scandal
1930 • Edward
The Flirting Widow poster
The Flirting Widow
1930 • Col. Smith
A Notorious Affair poster
A Notorious Affair
1930 • Paul Gherardi
This Mad World poster
This Mad World
1930 • Paul Parisot
The Bishop Murder Case poster
The Bishop Murder Case
1929 • Philo Vance