Basil Rathbone
Known for Acting · 125 credits
- Born
- 1892-06-13
- Died
- 1967-07-21
- Place of birth
- Johannesburg, South African Republic
- Also known as
- Sir Basil Rathbone · Philip St. John Basil Rathbone · Бэзил Рэтбоун
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
TV Shows (16)
What's My Line?
1950
as Self
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Frederick Foray
Studio One
1948
as Hazelton Crome
Burke's Law
1963
as Milo James
Lights Out
1949
The Jack Benny Program
1950
as Basil Rathbone
Suspense
1949
as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / Sherlock Holmes
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Frampton / Sir Paul Maxim / Ambrose Wallington
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Paul Charters
Your Show of Shows
1950
DuPont Show of the Month
1957
as Emperor
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Inquisitor / Dr. Boekman / Lord Beaconsfield / The Duke of York
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Self - Host / General Lee / The Jewel Thief
Summer Fun
1966
Tales from Dickens
1959
as Scrooge
Movies (109)
The Adventures of Robin Hood
1938
as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
The Great Mouse Detective
1986
as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1949
as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
Bathing Beauty
1944
as George Adams
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
1991
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939
as Sherlock Holmes
A Tale of Two Cities
1935
as Marquis St. Evremonde
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
1942
as Sherlock Holmes
The Court Jester
1955
as Sir Ravenhurst
The Woman in Green
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
Confession
1937
as Michael Michailow
We're No Angels
1955
as Andre Trochard
Dressed to Kill
1946
as Sherlock Holmes
The Mark of Zorro
1940
as Captain Esteban Pasquale
Captain Blood
1935
as Levasseur
Above Suspicion
1943
as Sig von Aschenhausen
Paris Calling
1941
as Andre Benoit
Anna Karenina
1935
as Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archival footage)
Son of Frankenstein
1939
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
The Spider Woman
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1939
as Sherlock Holmes
The Horror Show
1979
as (archive footage)
The Last Days of Pompeii
1935
as Pontius Pilate
David Copperfield
1935
as Mr. Edward Murdstone
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
2005
as Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
Crossroads
1942
as Henri Sarrou
Casanova's Big Night
1954
as Lucio / Narrator
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
1942
as Sherlock Holmes
Crazy House
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
Heartbeat
1946
as Professor Aristide
The Magic Sword
1962
as Lodac
The House of Fear
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
The Scarlet Claw
1944
as Sherlock Holmes
If I Were King
1938
as Louis XI
Rhythm on the River
1940
as Oliver Courtney
The Last Hurrah
1958
as Norman Cass Sr.
Private Number
1936
as Thomas Wroxton
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
1965
as Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
Terror by Night
1946
as Sherlock Holmes
Fingers at the Window
1942
as Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
Madhouse
1974
as Basil (archive footage)
A Lady Surrenders
1930
as Carl Vandry
Pontius Pilate
1962
as Caiaphas
Pursuit to Algiers
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
The Dawn Patrol
1938
as Maj. Brand
Romeo and Juliet
1936
as Tybalt
The Pearl of Death
1944
as Sherlock Holmes
Tales of Terror
1962
as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
The Comedy of Terrors
1964
as John F. Black
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
Queen of Blood
1966
as Dr. Farraday
Breakdowns of 1938
1938
as Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rio
1939
as Paul Reynard
The Black Cat
1941
as Montague Hartley
The Black Sleep
1956
as Sir Joel Cadman
Hillbillys in a Haunted House
1967
as Gregor
International Lady
1941
as Reggie Oliver
Tower of London
1939
as Richard - Duke of Gloucester
The Adventures of Marco Polo
1938
as Ahmed
Love from a Stranger
1937
as Gerald Lovell
The Garden of Allah
1936
as Count Ferdinand Anteoni
Tovarich
1937
as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
1966
as Reginald Ripper
Kind Lady
1935
as Henry Abbott
The Wind in the Willows
1949
as Narrator (voice)
The Sun Never Sets
1939
as Clive Randolph
Frenchman's Creek
1944
as Lord Rockingham
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
1929
as Lord Arthur Dilling
Trouping with Ellen
1924
as Tony Winterslip
A Woman Commands
1932
as Capt. Alex Pastitsch
Aladdin
1958
as Emperor
Affair in Sumatra
1956
as Paul Charters
Dracula in the Movies
1992
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
Make a Wish
1937
as Johnny Selden
The Bishop Murder Case
1929
as Philo Vance
A Feather in Her Hat
1935
as Captain Randolph Courtney
A Notorious Affair
1930
as Paul Gherardi
Loyalties
1933
as Ferdinand de Levis
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
1942
as Himself
A Christmas Carol
1954
as Marley's Ghost
The Mad Doctor
1940
as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
The Lark
1957
as Chief Inquisitor
The Horror of It All
1983
as Carmichael (archive footage)
Autopsy of a Ghost
1968
as Canuto Pérez
A Christmas Carol
1959
as Scrooge
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
1985
as Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
The Masked Bride
1925
as Antoine
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
1958
as Dr. Boekman
This Mad World
1930
as Paul Parisot
The School for Scandal
1923
as Joseph Surface
The General's Boots
1954
as General Lee
Innocent
1921
as Amadis de Jocelyn
The Flirting Widow
1930
as Col. Smith
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
1996
The Lady of Scandal
1930
as Edward
Victoria Regina
1961
as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
The Great Deception
1926
as Rizzio
The Stingiest Man in Town
1956
as Ebenezer Scrooge
After the Ball
1932
as Jack Harrowby
Two Before Zero
1962
One Precious Year
1933
as Derek Nagel
Soldier in Love
1967
as Duke of York
The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
1924
as Undetermined Subordinate Role
The Fruitful Vine
1921
as Don Cesare Carelli
The Black Cat
1960
Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus
1961
as Narrator
About Basil Rathbone
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 betw… With 125 credits spanning from 1921 to 2005, Basil Rathbone has appeared in 109 films and 16 TV shows.
Fans searching for Basil Rathbone movies, Basil Rathbone filmography, or the latest projects starring Basil Rathbone can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Basil Rathbone Movies
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) — as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986) — as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) — as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
- Bathing Beauty (1944) — as George Adams
- Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991) — as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
Where to Watch Basil Rathbone Films
Most Basil Rathbone movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Basil Rathbone, check our movies catalogue and browse page.