
Basil Rathbone
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.
Notable Appearances
Movies
More Movies

Bathing Beauty

The Court Jester

The Woman in Green

Dressed to Kill

David Copperfield

The Adventures of Marco Polo

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Anna Karenina

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

The Movie Orgy

Crossroads

The Pearl of Death

The Last Hurrah

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Casanova's Big Night

A Tale of Two Cities

Terror by Night

Tales of Terror

Fingers at the Window

The House of Fear

The Wind in the Willows

The Comedy of Terrors

The Adventures of Errol Flynn

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror

A Feather in Her Hat

The Magic Sword

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

The Last Days of Pompeii

Tower of London

If I Were King

Dracula in the Movies

Queen of Blood

The Scarlet Claw

Madhouse

The Garden of Allah

International Lady

The Sun Never Sets

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

The Black Cat

Rhythm on the River

The Spider Woman

Above Suspicion

The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

Love from a Stranger

The Horror of It All

Romeo and Juliet

Pursuit to Algiers

Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates

The Black Sleep

Sin Takes a Holiday

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

A Christmas Carol

The Horror Show

Victoria Regina

Confession

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6

Breakdowns of 1938

Marlene Dietrich: Home Movies

Autopsy of a Ghost

The Dawn Patrol

Rio

Paris Calling

Frenchman's Creek

Hillbillys in a Haunted House

The Stingiest Man in Town

The Lady of Scandal

In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

The Lark

Pontius Pilate

Kind Lady

Innocent

A Notorious Affair

Soldier in Love

Private Number

The Bishop Murder Case

Tovarich

Heartbeat

A Lady Surrenders

Loyalties

Make a Wish

Crazy House

Aladdin

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots

A Woman Commands

The Mad Doctor

This Mad World

The School for Scandal

The Flirting Widow

Affair in Sumatra

After the Ball

A Christmas Carol

One Precious Year

The Masked Bride

Two Before Zero

The Great Deception






















