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Basil Rathbone

Personal Information

Known ForActing
GenderMale
Born / DiedJun 13, 1892 (Died at 75)
Zodiac Sign♊Gemini
Place of BirthJohannesburg, South African Republic
Career Span1921 – 1967
Known Credits119 Titles
Official Links
ActingPopularity Score 1.7

Basil Rathbone

Also known as:Philip St. John Basil RathboneБэзил Рэтбоун
Total Works

119

105 movies • 14 shows

Avg Rating

6.4 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

#2

TMDB star index

Biography

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.

Signature Roles & Milestones

The Great Mouse Detective
7.0
as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
The Adventures of Robin Hood
7.5
as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
6.5
as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
Son of Frankenstein
6.7
as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 119 titles featuring Basil Rathbone

The Great Mouse Detective
7.0

as Sherlock Holmes (voice)

The Adventures of Robin Hood
7.5

as Sir Guy of Gisbourne

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
6.5

as Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")

Son of Frankenstein
6.7

as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein

Captain Blood
7.3
Captain Blood
1935•movie

as Levasseur

The Mark of Zorro
7.2
The Mark of Zorro
1940•movie

as Captain Esteban Pasquale

The Hound of the Baskervilles
7.1

as Sherlock Holmes

The Court Jester
7.3
The Court Jester
1955•movie

as Sir Ravenhurst

We're No Angels
7.2
We're No Angels
1955•movie

as Andre Trochard

Tales of Terror
6.7
Tales of Terror
1962•movie

as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
6.9

as Sherlock Holmes

The Comedy of Terrors
6.5

as John F. Black

Terror by Night
6.6
Terror by Night
1946•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

The Woman in Green
6.5
The Woman in Green
1945•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
6.4

as Sherlock Holmes

Dressed to Kill
6.7
Dressed to Kill
1946•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

Madhouse
6.2
Madhouse
1974•movie

as Basil (archive footage)

The House of Fear
6.9
The House of Fear
1945•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
6.5

as Sherlock Holmes

The Scarlet Claw
7.0
The Scarlet Claw
1944•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

The Spider Woman
7.0
The Spider Woman
1943•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

The Pearl of Death
7.1
The Pearl of Death
1944•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

Anna Karenina
6.6
Anna Karenina
1935•movie

as Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
6.9

as Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes in Washington
6.8

as Sherlock Holmes

A Tale of Two Cities
6.9

as Marquis St. Evremonde

Pursuit to Algiers
6.9
Pursuit to Algiers
1945•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

David Copperfield
6.7
David Copperfield
1935•movie

as Mr. Edward Murdstone

The Wind in the Willows
6.8

as Narrator (voice)

The Last Hurrah
7.2
The Last Hurrah
1958•movie

as Norman Cass Sr.

Tower of London
6.2
Tower of London
1939•movie

as Richard - Duke of Gloucester

Queen of Blood
5.2
Queen of Blood
1966•movie

as Dr. Farraday

The Magic Sword
4.3
The Magic Sword
1962•movie

as Lodac

The Dawn Patrol
6.8
The Dawn Patrol
1938•movie

as Maj. Brand

The Black Sleep
6.2
The Black Sleep
1956•movie

as Sir Joel Cadman

The Black Cat
6.4
The Black Cat
1941•movie

as Montague Hartley

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
4.1

as Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7

Romeo and Juliet
6.3
Romeo and Juliet
1936•movie

as Tybalt

Above Suspicion
6.2
Above Suspicion
1943•movie

as Sig von Aschenhausen

Crossroads
5.9
Crossroads
1942•movie

as Henri Sarrou

Hillbillys in a Haunted House
2.8

as Gregor

The Garden of Allah
6.0

as Count Ferdinand Anteoni

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
5.1

as Reginald Ripper

Bathing Beauty
5.9
Bathing Beauty
1944•movie

as George Adams

What's My Line?
7.0
1 eps
What's My Line?
1950•series

as Self

The Last Days of Pompeii
5.8

as Pontius Pilate

Frenchman's Creek
5.8
Frenchman's Creek
1944•movie

as Lord Rockingham

Sin Takes a Holiday
5.6

as Reginald 'Reggie' Durant

The Movie Orgy
6.8
The Movie Orgy
1968•movie

as Self (archival footage)

Casanova's Big Night
6.1

as Lucio / Narrator

The Adventures of Marco Polo
6.2

as Ahmed

Dr. Kildare
5.7
2 eps
Dr. Kildare
1961•series

as Frederick Foray

Fingers at the Window
5.7

as Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle

Confession
6.2
Confession
1937•movie

as Michael Michailow

Kind Lady
6.8
Kind Lady
1935•movie

as Henry Abbott

A Christmas Carol
6.7
A Christmas Carol
1954•movie

as Marley's Ghost

The Jack Benny Program
7.8
1 eps

as Basil Rathbone

The Bishop Murder Case
5.4

as Philo Vance

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
6.0

as Lord Arthur Dilling

Rio
5.4
Rio
1939•movie

as Paul Reynard

Heartbeat
5.2
Heartbeat
1946•movie

as Professor Aristide

If I Were King
7.1
If I Were King
1938•movie

as Louis XI

Autopsy of a Ghost
5.1
Autopsy of a Ghost
1968•movie

as Canuto Pérez

Love from a Stranger
6.3

as Gerald Lovell

Studio One
5.4
1 eps
Studio One
1948•series

as Hazelton Crome

The Mad Doctor
6.2
The Mad Doctor
1940•movie

as Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann

Burke's Law
6.2
1 eps
Burke's Law
1963•series

as Milo James

The Merv Griffin Show
6.8
3 eps

as Self

Suspense
5.1
1 eps
Suspense
1949•series

as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde

Make a Wish
5.8
Make a Wish
1937•movie

as Johnny Selden

The Lady of Scandal
5.5

as Edward

A Notorious Affair
4.5
A Notorious Affair
1930•movie

as Paul Gherardi

International Lady
6.6
International Lady
1941•movie

as Reggie Oliver

Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.8
1 eps

as Inquisitor

Rhythm on the River
6.9

as Oliver Courtney

Pontius Pilate
6.7
Pontius Pilate
1962•movie

as Caiaphas

Lux Video Theatre
6.7
1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
1950•series

as Frampton

Paris Calling
6.0
Paris Calling
1941•movie

as Benoit

The Adventures of Errol Flynn
7.7

as Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage)

Private Number
6.7
Private Number
1936•movie

as Thomas Wroxton

The Horror of It All
8.3

as Carmichael (archive footage)

A Christmas Carol
8.7
A Christmas Carol
1959•movie

as Scrooge

The Horror Show
3.4
The Horror Show
1979•movie

as (archive footage)

Tovarich
6.4
Tovarich
1937•movie

as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko

A Feather in Her Hat
7.0

as Captain Randolph Courtney

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
7.2
1 eps

as Self - Host / General Lee

Lights Out
6.0
1 eps
Lights Out
1949•series
DuPont Show of the Month
7.4
1 eps

as Emperor

Screen Director's Playhouse
7.0
1 eps

as Paul Charters

Crazy House
6.0
Crazy House
1943•movie

as Sherlock Holmes

A Lady Surrenders
4.5
A Lady Surrenders
1930•movie

as Carl Vandry

Breakdowns of 1938
5.8
Breakdowns of 1938
1938•movie

as Basil (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
8.5

as Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)

Your Show of Shows
7.2
1 eps
Your Show of Shows
1950•series
The Sun Never Sets
5.5
The Sun Never Sets
1939•movie

as Clive Randolph

Loyalties
7.0
Loyalties
1933•movie

as Ferdinand de Levis

The Flirting Widow
5.7
The Flirting Widow
1930•movie

as Col. Smith

The Stingiest Man in Town
5.7

as Ebenezer Scrooge

This Mad World
7.5
This Mad World
1930•movie

as Paul Parisot

A Woman Commands
9.0
A Woman Commands
1932•movie

as Capt. Alex Pastitsch

Two Before Zero
7.5
Two Before Zero
1962•movie
The Masked Bride
10.0
The Masked Bride
1925•movie

as Antoine

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
10.0

as Undetermined Subordinate Role

Trouping with Ellen
10.0

as Tony Winterslip

One Precious Year
8.0
One Precious Year
1933•movie

as Derek Nagel

Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
9.0

as Dr. Boekman

Victoria Regina
8.0
Victoria Regina
1961•movie

as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield)

After the Ball
10.0
After the Ball
1932•movie

as Jack Harrowby

Soldier in Love
7.0
Soldier in Love
1967•movie

as Duke of York

The Great Deception
7.0

as Rizzio

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
6.0
The School for Scandal
8.0

as Joseph Surface

Innocent
7.0
Innocent
1921•movie

as Amadis de Jocelyn

Aladdin
10.0
Aladdin
1958•movie

as Emperor

Dracula in the Movies
10.0

as (archive footage)

The Lark
The Lark
1957•movie

as Chief Inquisitor

Affair in Sumatra
Affair in Sumatra
1956•movie

as Paul Charters