Basil Rathbone
Actor
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.
Filmography
The Adventures of Robin Hood
as Sir Guy of Gisbourne 1938
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows") 1949
Son of Frankenstein
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein 1939
Captain Blood
as Levasseur 1935
The Mark of Zorro
as Captain Esteban Pasquale 1940
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as Sherlock Holmes 1939
The Court Jester
as Sir Ravenhurst 1955
We're No Angels
as Andre Trochard 1955
Tales of Terror
as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar") 1962
The Comedy of Terrors
as John F. Black 1964
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
as Sherlock Holmes 1939
Terror by Night
as Sherlock Holmes 1946
The Woman in Green
as Sherlock Holmes 1945
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
as Sherlock Holmes 1942
Dressed to Kill
as Sherlock Holmes 1946
Madhouse
as Basil (archive footage) 1974