Acting · Johannesburg, South African Republic · Born June 13, 1892
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.
MovieThe Adventures of Errol Flynn
2005
as Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)
MovieIn the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
1996
MovieDracula in the Movies
1992
as (archive footage)
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
1991
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage)
MovieThe Great Mouse Detective
1986
as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
MovieThe Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
1985
as Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
MovieThe Horror of It All
1983
as Carmichael (archive footage)
MovieThe Horror Show
1979
as (archive footage)
MovieMadhouse
1974
as Basil (archive footage)
MovieAutopsy of a Ghost
1968
as Canuto Pérez
MovieThe Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archival footage)
MovieHillbillys in a Haunted House
1967
as Gregor
MovieSoldier in Love
1967
as Duke of York
Summer Fun
1966
MovieThe Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
1966
as Reginald Ripper
MovieQueen of Blood
1966
as Dr. Farraday
MovieVoyage to the Prehistoric Planet
1965
as Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
MovieThe Comedy of Terrors
1964
as John F. Black
TVBurke's Law
1963
as Milo James
MovieTwo Before Zero
1962
TVThe Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
MovieTales of Terror
1962
as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
MovieThe Magic Sword
1962
as Lodac
MoviePontius Pilate
1962
as Caiaphas
MovieVictoria Regina
1961
as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
TVDr. Kildare
1961
as Frederick Foray
Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus
1961
as Narrator
The Black Cat
1960
MovieA Christmas Carol
1959
as Scrooge
Tales from Dickens
1959
as Scrooge
MovieThe Last Hurrah
1958
as Norman Cass Sr.
MovieAladdin
1958
as Emperor
MovieHans Brinker or the Silver Skates
1958
as Dr. Boekman
TVDuPont Show of the Month
1957
as Emperor
MovieThe Lark
1957
as Chief Inquisitor
MovieThe Stingiest Man in Town
1956
as Ebenezer Scrooge
MovieThe Black Sleep
1956
as Sir Joel Cadman
MovieAffair in Sumatra
1956
as Paul Charters
MovieThe Court Jester
1955
as Sir Ravenhurst
TVScreen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Paul Charters
MovieWe're No Angels
1955
as Andre Trochard
MovieA Christmas Carol
1954
as Marley's Ghost
The General's Boots
1954
as General Lee
MovieCasanova's Big Night
1954
as Lucio / Narrator
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Inquisitor
TVSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Self - Host / General Lee
TVThe Jack Benny Program
1950
as Basil Rathbone
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Frampton
TVYour Show of Shows
1950
TVWhat's My Line?
1950
as Self
MovieThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1949
as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
TVLights Out
1949
MovieThe Wind in the Willows
1949
as Narrator (voice)
TVSuspense
1949
as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
TVStudio One
1948
as Hazelton Crome
MovieDressed to Kill
1946
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieHeartbeat
1946
as Professor Aristide
MovieTerror by Night
1946
as Sherlock Holmes
MoviePursuit to Algiers
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieThe Woman in Green
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieThe House of Fear
1945
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieFrenchman's Creek
1944
as Lord Rockingham
MovieThe Pearl of Death
1944
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieBathing Beauty
1944
as George Adams
MovieThe Scarlet Claw
1944
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieThe Spider Woman
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieCrazy House
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieSherlock Holmes Faces Death
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieAbove Suspicion
1943
as Sig von Aschenhausen
MovieSherlock Holmes in Washington
1943
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieSherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
1942
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieHedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
1942
as Himself
MovieSherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
1942
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieCrossroads
1942
as Henri Sarrou
MovieFingers at the Window
1942
as Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle
MovieParis Calling
1941
as Andre Benoit
MovieInternational Lady
1941
as Reggie Oliver
MovieThe Black Cat
1941
as Montague Hartley
MovieThe Mad Doctor
1940
as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann
MovieThe Mark of Zorro
1940
as Captain Esteban Pasquale
MovieRhythm on the River
1940
as Oliver Courtney
MovieTower of London
1939
as Richard - Duke of Gloucester
MovieRio
1939
as Paul Reynard
MovieThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieThe Sun Never Sets
1939
as Clive Randolph
MovieThe Hound of the Baskervilles
1939
as Sherlock Holmes
MovieSon of Frankenstein
1939
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
MovieBreakdowns of 1938
1938
as Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieThe Dawn Patrol
1938
as Maj. Brand
MovieIf I Were King
1938
as Louis XI
MovieThe Adventures of Robin Hood
1938
as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
MovieThe Adventures of Marco Polo
1938
as Ahmed
MovieTovarich
1937
as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
MovieMake a Wish
1937
as Johnny Selden
MovieConfession
1937
as Michael Michailow
MovieLove from a Stranger
1937
as Gerald Lovell
MovieThe Garden of Allah
1936
as Count Ferdinand Anteoni
MovieRomeo and Juliet
1936
as Tybalt
MoviePrivate Number
1936
as Thomas Wroxton
MovieCaptain Blood
1935
as Levasseur
MovieA Tale of Two Cities
1935
as Marquis St. Evremonde
MovieKind Lady
1935
as Henry Abbott
MovieA Feather in Her Hat
1935
as Captain Randolph Courtney
MovieThe Last Days of Pompeii
1935
as Pontius Pilate
MovieAnna Karenina
1935
as Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
MovieDavid Copperfield
1935
as Mr. Edward Murdstone
MovieLoyalties
1933
as Ferdinand de Levis
MovieOne Precious Year
1933
as Derek Nagel
MovieAfter the Ball
1932
as Jack Harrowby
MovieA Woman Commands
1932
as Capt. Alex Pastitsch
MovieSin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
MovieA Lady Surrenders
1930
as Carl Vandry
MovieThe Lady of Scandal
1930
as Edward
MovieThe Flirting Widow
1930
as Col. Smith
MovieA Notorious Affair
1930
as Paul Gherardi
MovieThis Mad World
1930
as Paul Parisot
MovieThe Bishop Murder Case
1929
as Philo Vance
MovieThe Last of Mrs. Cheyney
1929
as Lord Arthur Dilling
MovieThe Great Deception
1926
as Rizzio
MovieThe Masked Bride
1925
as Antoine
MovieTrouping with Ellen
1924
as Tony Winterslip
MovieThe Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
1924
as Undetermined Subordinate Role
MovieThe School for Scandal
1923
as Joseph Surface
The Fruitful Vine
1921
as Don Cesare Carelli
MovieInnocent
1921
as Amadis de Jocelyn
