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Basil Rathbone (1892–1967)

Actor | Soundtrack | Miscellaneous Crew

Basil Rathbone was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1892, but three years later his family was forced to flee the country because his father was accused by the Boers of being a British spy at a time when Dutch-British conflicts were leading to the Boer War. The Rathbones escaped to England, where Basil and his two younger siblings... See full bio »

Born:

Philip St. John Basil Rathbone
in Johannesburg, South Africa

Died:

(age 75) in New York City, New York, USA
Still of Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror Still of Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror Still of Peter Lorre, Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror Still of Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror Marlene Dietrich, Basil Rathbone, GARDEN OF ALLAH, THE, United Artists, 1936, **I.V. Still of Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror
9 photos | 27 videos | 159 news articles »

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Known For


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Filmography

Hide HideActor (123 titles)
1968 Autopsia de un fantasma
Pérez
 
1967 Hillbillys in a Haunted House
Gregor
 
1967 Soldier in Love (TV movie)
The Duke of York
 
1966 Summer Fun (TV series)
Governor
– Pirates of Flounder Bay (1966) … Governor
 
1966 The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
Reginald Ripper
 
1966 Queen of Blood
Dr. Farraday
 
1965 Dr. Kildare (TV series)
Frederick Foray
– Duet for One Hand (1965) … Frederick Foray
– Perfect Is Too Hard to Be (1965) … Frederick Foray
 
1965 Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
 
1965 Burke's Law (TV series)
Milo James
– Who Killed Hamlet? (1965) … Milo James
 
1964 Suspense (TV series)
– The Leader (1964)
 
1963 The Comedy of Terrors
Mr. John F. Black
 
1962 Two Before Zero
Narrator
 
1962 Tales of Terror
Carmichael (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")
 
1962 The Magic Sword
Lodac
 
1962 Pontius Pilate
Caiaphas
 
1961 Victoria Regina (TV movie)
Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)
 
1961 The Black Cat (short)
Voices (voice)
 
1961 Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus
Narrator
 
1960 The Christophers (TV series)
– Tips for the Homemaker (1960)
 
1956-1960 The Red Skelton Hour (TV series)
British Artist / Hugh Rubicoff
– Super-Cauliflower (1960) … Hugh Rubicoff
– The Sculpture Show (1956) … British Artist
 
1958 The Last Hurrah
Norman Cass, Sr.
 
1958 The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series)
Emperor
– Cole Porter's 'Aladdin' (1958) … Emperor
 
1958 Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (TV movie)
Dr. Boekman
 
1958 Fredric March Presents Tales from Dickens (TV series)
Ebenezer Scrooge
– A Christmas Carol (1958) … Ebenezer Scrooge
 
1956-1957 Kraft Theatre (TV series)
General Zomback
– Heroes Walk on Sand (1957) … General Zomback
– Five Minutes to Live (1956)
 
1957 The United States Steel Hour (TV series)
Duke
– The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1957) … Duke
 
1957 The Lark (TV movie)
Chief Inquisitor
 
1956 The Alcoa Hour (TV series)
Ebenezer Scrooge
– The Stingiest Man in Town (1956) … Ebenezer Scrooge
 
1956 The Black Sleep
Sir Joel Cadman
 
1956 Screen Directors Playhouse (TV series)
Paul Charters
– Affair in Sumatra (1956) … Paul Charters
 
1956 The Court Jester
Sir Ravenhurst
 
1955 Star Tonight (TV series)
Narrator
– The Selfish Giant (1955) … Narrator
 
1955 Science Fiction Theatre (TV series)
Dr. Victor Berenson
– The Stones Began to Move (1955) … Dr. Victor Berenson
 
1955 We're No Angels
Andre Trochard
 
1955 The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (TV series)
Robert
– Always the Butler (1955) … Robert
 
1955 Encounter (TV series)
Captain Edward Fairfax Vere
– Billy Budd (1955) … Captain Edward Fairfax Vere
 
1954 Shower of Stars (TV series)
Marley's ghost
– A Christmas Carol (1954) … Marley's ghost
 
1954 Schlitz Playhouse (TV series)
The Jewel Thief
– Volturio Investigates (1954) … The Jewel Thief
 
1954 Studio One in Hollywood (TV series)
Hazelton Crane
– The House of Gair (1954) … Hazelton Crane
 
1954 Love Story (TV series)
– The Yo-Yo People (1954)
 
1954 Casanova's Big Night
Lucio/Narrator
 
1954 The Philip Morris Playhouse (TV series)
– The Man They'd Murdered (1954)
 
1953 The Motorola Television Hour (TV series)
Duke
– The Thirteen Clocks (1953) … Duke
 
1953 Season's Greetings (TV movie)
 
1953 Danger (TV series)
– The Educated Heart (1953)
 
1951-1953 Suspense (TV series)
Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / Sherlock Holmes
– The Adventure of the Black Baronet (1953) … Sherlock Holmes
– Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1951) … Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
 
1953 Broadway Television Theatre (TV series)
Benvenuto Cellini / Chief Inspector Tanner
– The Firebrand (1953) … Benvenuto Cellini
– Criminal at Large (1953) … Chief Inspector Tanner
 
1951-1953 Lux Video Theatre (TV series)
Ambrose Wallington / Frampton / Sir Paul Maxim
– Miss Marlowe at Play (1953) … Ambrose Wallington
– Masquerade (1952) … Sir Paul Maxim
– Purple and Fine Linen (1951) … Frampton
 
1951 Lights Out (TV series)
Gregory
– Dead Man's Coat (1951) … Gregory
 
1951 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
– Would-Be Gentleman (1951)
 
1950 Nash Airflyte Theatre (TV series)
– The Kind Mr. Smith (1950)
 
1949-1950 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (TV series)
– Queen of Spades (1950)
– At Night All Cats Are Grey (1949)
 
1949 The Ford Theatre Hour (TV series)
Mr. Brink
– On Borrowed Time (1949) … Mr. Brink
 
1949 The Wind in the Willows (short)
Narrator (voice)
 
1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Narrating the Story of Mr. Toad (voice) / Policeman (voice)
 
1946 Dressed to Kill
Sherlock Holmes
 
1946 Heartbeat
Professor Aristide
 
1946 Terror by Night
Sherlock Holmes
 
1945 Pursuit to Algiers
Sherlock Holmes
 
1945 The Woman in Green
Sherlock Holmes
 
1945 The House of Fear
Sherlock Holmes
 
1944 Frenchman's Creek
Lord Rockingham
 
1944 The Pearl of Death
Sherlock Holmes
 
1944 Bathing Beauty
George Adams
 
1944 The Scarlet Claw
Sherlock Holmes
 
1944 The Spider Woman
Sherlock Holmes
 
1943 Crazy House
Sherlock Holmes - Cameo appearaance
 
1943 Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
Sherlock Holmes
 
1943 Above Suspicion
Sig von Aschenhausen
 
1943 Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Sherlock Holmes
 
1943 Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
Sherlock Holmes
 
1942 Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Sherlock Holmes
 
1942 Crossroads
Henri Sarrou
 
1942 Fingers at the Window
Cesar Ferrari, alias Dr. H. Santelle
 
1941 Paris Calling
Andre Benoit
 
1941 International Lady
Reggie Oliver
 
1941 The Black Cat
Montague Hartley
 
1941 The Mad Doctor
Dr. George Sebastian/Dr. Frederick Langamann
 
1940 The Mark of Zorro
Capt. Esteban Pasquale
 
1940 Rhythm on the River
Oliver Courtney
 
1939 Tower of London
Richard - Duke of Gloucester
 
1939 Rio
Paul Reynard
 
1939 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
 
1939 The Sun Never Sets
Clive Randolph
 
1939 The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes
 
1939 Son of Frankenstein
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
 
1938 The Dawn Patrol
Major Brand
 
1938 If I Were King
King Louis XI
 
1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood
Sir Guy of Gisbourne
 
1938 The Adventures of Marco Polo
Ahmed
 
1937 Tovarich
Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
 
1937 Make a Wish
Johnny Selden
 
1937 Confession
Michael Michailow, aka Michael Koslov
 
1937 A Night of Terror
Gerald Lovell
 
1936 The Garden of Allah
Count Ferdinand Anteoni
 
1936 Romeo and Juliet
Tybalt - Nephew to Lady Capulet
 
1936 Private Number
Thomas Wroxton
 
1935 Captain Blood
Levasseur
 
1935 A Tale of Two Cities
Marquis St. Evremonde
 
1935 Kind Lady
Henry Abbott
 
1935 A Feather in Her Hat
Captain Randolph Courtney
 
1935 The Last Days of Pompeii
Pontius Pilate
 
1935 Anna Karenina
Karenin
 
1935 David Copperfield
Mr. Murdstone
 
1933 Loyalties
Ferdinand de Levis
 
1933 One Precious Year
Derek Nagel
 
1932 After the Ball
Jack Harrowby
 
1932 A Woman Commands
Capt. Alex Pastitsch
 
1930 Sin Takes a Holiday
Reginald 'Reggie' Durant
 
1930 A Lady Surrenders
Carl Vandry
 
1930 The Lady of Scandal
Edward, Duke of Warrington
 
1930 The Flirting Widow
Colonel John 'Johnny' Vaughn-Smith
 
1930 A Notorious Affair
Paul Gherardi
 
1930 This Mad World
Paul Parisot
 
1930 The Bishop Murder Case
Philo Vance
 
1929 The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Lord Arthur Dilling
 
1926 The Great Deception
Rizzio
 
1925 The Masked Bride
Antoine
 
1924 Trouping with Ellen
Tony Winterslip
 
1923 The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
Undetermined Subordinate Role (uncredited)
 
1923/II The School for Scandal
Joseph Surface
 
1921 Innocent
Amadis de Jocelyn
 
1921 The Fruitful Vine
Don Cesare Carelli
 
Show ShowSoundtrack (7 titles)
1946 Dressed to Kill (performer: "The Swagman", "Londonderry Air Danny Boy")
 
1943 Above Suspicion (performer: "Untitled Oxford University Song" - uncredited)
 
1939 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (performer: "I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside" - uncredited)
 
1937 Confession (performer: "Sonata in A, K.331" - uncredited, "Mazurka")
 
1937 A Night of Terror ("In the Hall of the Mountain King" - uncredited)
 
1930 A Notorious Affair (performer: "Second Movement Andante" 1844 / "Second Movement Andante" 1844)
 
1930 The Bishop Murder Case (performer: "Waltz of the Flowers" 1891-2 - uncredited, "Waltz in A Minor, Op.34, No.2 'Waltz Brilliante'" 1831-39 - uncredited)
 
Show ShowMiscellaneous Crew (2 titles)
1986 Der Rosenkönig (voice: poem "The Raven")
 
1955 Captain Lightfoot (fencing instructor - uncredited)
 
Show ShowSelf (33 titles)
1965 The Celebrity Game (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 1 July 1965 (1965) … Himself
– Episode dated 10 June 1965 (1965) … Himself
 
1963-1965 The Merv Griffin Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #2.33 (1965) … Himself
– Episode #2.28 (1965) … Himself
– Episode #2.11 (1965) … Himself
– Episode #1.118 (1963) … Himself
– Episode #1.96 (1963) … Himself
See all 7 episodes »
 
1959 Time to Remember (TV series)
Narrator
– 1896-1902: Turn of the Century (1959) … Narrator
– Came the Dawn (1959) … Narrator
 
1958 Make Me Laugh (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 10 April 1958 (1958) … Himself
 
1958 The Betty White Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 19 March 1958 (1958) … Himself
 
1958 The Arlene Francis Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.107 (1958) … Himself
 
1957 The Arthur Murray Party (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 17 October 1957 (1957) … Himself
– Episode dated 21 May 1957 (1957) … Himself
 
1957 Person to Person (TV series documentary)
Himself
– Episode #4.18 (1957) … Himself
 
1956 The Amazing Dunninger (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 10 October 1956 (1956) … Himself
 
1952-1956 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 29 February 1956 (1956) … Himself
– Episode dated 25 December 1952 (1952) … Himself
 
1954 Schlitz Playhouse (TV series)
Himself--Host / The General
– The General's Boots (1954) … Himself--Host/The General
 
1954 The Name's the Same (TV series)
Himself / Panelist / Himself - Panelist
– Episode dated 30 March 1954 (1954) … Himself
– Episode dated 23 March 1954 (1954) … Himself
– Episode dated 16 March 1954 (1954) … Himself
– Episode dated 9 March 1954 (1954) … Himself
– Episode dated 2 March 1954 (1954) … Himself - Panelist
See all 7 episodes »
 
1949-1954 The Buick-Berle Show (TV series)
Himself - Actor / Himself - Cameo
– Episode #6.11 (1954) … Himself - Actor
– Episode #5.12 (1952) … Himself - Actor
– Episode #4.25 (1952) … Himself - Actor
– Episode #4.23 (1952) … Himself - Actor
– Episode #4.2 (1951) … Himself - Actor
See all 7 episodes »
 
1952 Your Lucky Clue (TV series)
Emcee
 
1951 Who's Whose (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 25 June 1951 (1951) … Himself
 
1951 Penthouse Party (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.34 (1951) … Himself
 
1951 What's My Line? (TV series)
Himself - Mystery Guest
– Episode dated 8 April 1951 (1951) … Himself - Mystery Guest
 
1951 The Jack Benny Program (TV series)
Himself
– The Claudette Colbert and Basil Rathbone Show (1951) … Himself
 
1951 The Frank Sinatra Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.25 (1951) … Himself
 
1950 Showtime, U.S.A. (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.4 (1950) … Himself
 
1950 Ford Star Revue (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.11 (1950) … Himself
 
1950 Your Show of Shows (TV series)
Himself - Guest Performer
– Episode #1.7 (1950) … Himself - Guest Performer
 
1950 Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.10 (1950) … Himself
 
1950 The Ken Murray Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 21 January 1950 (1950) … Himself
 
1950 Vienna Art Treasures (documentary short)
Narrator
 
1948 Tonight on Broadway (TV series)
Himself
– The Heiress (1948) … Himself
 
1945 Screen Snapshots Series 25, No. 4: Hollywood Celebrations (documentary short)
Himself
 
1942 Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 6 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1940 Screen Snapshots Series 19, No 10 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1940 Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 5: Art and Artists (documentary short)
Himself
 
1939 Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 10 (documentary short)
Himself - Host
 
1938 For Auld Lang Syne (documentary short)
Himself - Arriving Celebrity (uncredited)
 
1938 Breakdowns of 1938 (short)
Himself (The Adventures of Robin Hood wardrobe test) (uncredited)
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (19 titles)
2011 Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn (documentary)
 
2010 A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss (TV series documentary)
 
2010 The Naked Archaeologist (TV series)
 
2005 Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler Is Born (video documentary short)
Various Roles
 
2005 The Adventures of Errol Flynn (TV documentary)
Himself/Various Roles (archive sound)
 
1998 Universal Horror (TV documentary)
 
1997 Un siècle d'écrivains (TV series documentary)
 
1991 Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook (documentary)
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
 
1987 Reginald LeBorg - Man nannte mich den Alleskönner (TV documentary)
Sir Joel Cadman
 
1986 The Great Mouse Detective
Sherlock Holmes (voice) (archive sound)
 
1985 The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes (video documentary)
Sherlock Holmes
 
1979 The Horror Show (documentary)
 
1976 That's Hollywood (TV series)
 
1974 Madhouse
Clip from 'Tales of Terror'
 
1966 The Son of Frankenstein (short)
Frankenstein
 
1964 Hollywood and the Stars (TV series)
 
1964 3+2
Frankenstein
 
1955 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV series)
 
1939 Land of Liberty
Marquis St. Evremonde (edited from: Tale of Two Cities)
 

Related Videos

The Woman in Green -- Holmes and Watson investigate murders and the trail leads to a society of hypnotists and a beautiful woman. It also looks as if the notorious Moriarty is involved. The Great Mouse Detective -- Clip: Basil's Calculations The Adventures of Robin Hood -- Trailer for the classic Errol Flynn film The Adventures of Robin Hood
See all 27 »
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Personal Details

Other Works:

(1923) Stage: Appeared (as "Dr. Nicholas Agi") in "The Swan" on Broadway. Comedy. Written by Ferenc Molnár. Translated from the Hungarian by Melville Baker. Directed by David Burton. Cort Theatre: 23 Oct 1923-Jun 1924 (closing date unknown/255 performances). Cast: Geraldine Beckwith... See more »

Publicity Listings:

3 Print Biographies  | 11 Articles  | 1 Magazine Cover Photo  | See more »

Height:

6' 1½" (1.87 m)
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

When you become the character you portray, it's the end of your career as an actor. See more »

Trivia:

Rathbone was a firm believer in ESP. When he was four, his parents booked passage on a ship taking them from south Africa to Britain. His mother had a dream that the ship would sink in the bay of Biscay and convinced her husband that they she take a later boat. She was proved prescient when the ship did sink with a loss of all hands. See more »

Trademark:

Best known for playing suave villains in period swashbuckler films, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood. He is credited with creating the definitive screen interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, his only rival generally conceded to be Jeremy Brett's interpretation of the fictional detective. See more »

Nickname:

Ratters See more »

Star Sign:

Gemini