Real name
Philip St. John Basil Rathbone
Date of birth (location)
1892,Johannesburg, South Africa
Date of death (details)
21 July1967, New York, New York, USA. (heart attack)
Mini biography
Originally one of the screen's ablest of swordsmen and most
wretched of villains, he later "broke the mold" in stylizing and
defining for all time the screen character of Conan Doyle's
immortal detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Spouse
Marion Foreman (Oct. - 1926) (divorced), one son, Rodion
Ouida Bergere (1926) one adopted daughter, Cynthia (1939-1969)
Trivia
Ouida died 29, November 1974 at the age of 88
Other works
"Svengali and the Blonde" (30 July 1955), as Svengali
"Baffling World of ESP, The" (16 June 1966), as Narrator
"Suspense" (1949), as Sherlock Holmes (ep. Adventure of the
Black Baronet, The (26/5/53)
Biography (print)
"In and Out of Character" - autobiography, Doubleday, 1962
"Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films" - Michael B. Druxman,
A.S. Barnes & Co., 1975
Basil Rathbone Filmography
- Autopsia de un fantasma (1967) .... Canuto Perez
... aka Autopsy of a Ghost (1967)
- Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) .... Gregor
- Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, The (1966) .... Reginald Ripper
- Queen of Blood (1966) .... Dr. Farraday
... aka Planet of Blood (1966)
- Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) .... Prof. Hartman
... aka Prehistoric Planet (1965)
... aka Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet (1965)
- Comedy of Terrors, The (1963) .... John F. Black
... aka Graveside Story, The (1963)
- Magic Sword, The (1962) .... Lodac
- Ponzio Pilato (1962) .... Caiaphas
... aka Ponce Pilate (1962) (French title)
... aka Pontius Pilate (1962)
- Tales of Terror (1962) .... Carmichael
... aka Poe's Tales of Terror (1962)
- Two Before Zero (1962) .... Narrator
... aka Russian Roulette (1962)
- Victoria Regina (1961) (TV) .... Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
- Last Hurrah, The (1958) .... Norman Cass
- Court Jester, The (1956) .... Sir Ravenhurst
- Black Sleep, The (1956) .... Sir Joel Cadman
... aka Dr. Cadman's Secret (1962) (US reissue title)
- We're No Angels (1955) .... Andre Trochard
- Casanova's Big Night (1954) .... Lucio
- "Your Lucky Clue" (1952) TV Series .... Emcee
- Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The (1949) (voice) .... Narrator
... aka Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
... aka Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad, The (1949)
- Terror by Night (1946) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Dressed to Kill (1946) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code (1946)
... aka Sherlock Holmes in Dressed to Kill (1946)
- Heartbeat (1946) .... Professor Aristide
- House of Fear, The (1945) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Pursuit to Algiers (1945) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Woman in Green, The (1945) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green (1945)
- Frenchman's Creek (1944) .... Lord Rockingham
- Bathing Beauty (1944) .... George Adams
- Pearl of Death, The (1944) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Scarlet Claw, The (1944) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Claw (1944)
- Spider Woman (1944) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (1944)
- Above Suspicion (1943) .... Sig von Aschenhausen
- Crazy House (1943) .... Guest
- Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Crossroads (1942) .... Henri Sarrou
- Fingers at the Window (1942) .... Cesar Ferrari, alias Dr. Santelle
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 6 (1942) .... Himself
- Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Secret Weapon (1942)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes Saves London (1942) (working title)
... aka Voice of Terror (1942)
- Black Cat, The (1941) .... Hartley
- International Lady (1941) .... Reggie Oliver
- Mad Doctor, The (1941) .... Dr. George Sebastian
... aka Date with Destiny, A (1941)
- Paris Calling (1941) .... Benoit
- Mark of Zorro, The (1940) .... Captain Esteban Pasquale
- Rhythm on the River (1940) .... Oliver Courtney
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) .... Sherlock Holmes
... aka Sherlock Holmes (1939)
- Son of Frankenstein (1939) .... Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
- Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1939) .... Sherlock Holmes
- Rio (1939) .... Paul Reynard
- Sun Never Sets, The (1939) .... Clive Randolph
- Tower of London (1939) .... Duke of Gloucester (King Richard III)
- Adventures of Marco Polo, The (1938) .... Ahmed
- Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) ....
- Dawn Patrol, The (1938) .... Major Brand
- If I Were King (1938) (S:AAN) .... King Louis XI
- Confession (1937) .... Michael Michailow
- Love from a Stranger (1937) .... Gerald Lovell
- Make a Wish (1937) .... Selden
- Tovarich (1937) .... Gorotchenko
- Garden of Allah, The (1936) .... Count Anteoni
- Kind Lady (1936) .... Henry Abbott
... aka House of Menace (1936)
- Private Number (1936) .... Wroxton
... aka Secret Interlude (1936)
- Romeo and Juliet (1936) .... Tybalt
- Tale of Two Cities, A (1935) .... Marquis St. Evremonde
- Last Days of Pompeii, The (1935) .... Pontius Pilate
- Anna Karenina (1935) .... Alexei Karenin
- Captain Blood (1935) .... Captain Levasseur
- David Copperfield (1935) .... Mr. Murdstone
- Feather in Her Hat, A (1935) .... Captain Courtney
- After the Ball (1933) .... Jack Harrowby
- Loyalties (1933) .... Ferdinand de Levis
- One Precious Year (1933) .... Derek Nagel
- Woman Commands, A (1932) .... Captain Alex Pasitsch
- Lady Surrenders, A (1930) .... Carl Vandry
- Flirting Widow, The (1930) .... Colonel Smith
- Bishop Murder Case, The (1930) .... Philo Vance
- Lady of Scandal, The (1930) .... Edward
... aka High Road, The (1930)
- Notorious Affair, A (1930) .... Paul Gherardi
- Sin Takes a Holiday (1930) .... Reginald Durant
- This Mad World (1930) .... Paul
- Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The (1929) .... Lord Arthur Dilling
- Great Deception, The (1926) .... Rizzio
- Masked Bride, The (1925) .... Antoine
- Trouping with Ellen (1924) .... Tony Winterslip
- Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots, The (1923) .... Bit Part
- School for Scandal, The (1923/II) .... Joseph Surface
- Fruitful Vine, The (1921) .... Don Cesare Carelli
- Innocent (1921) .... Amadis de Jocelyn
Notable TV guest appearances
- "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1952) in episode: "Hans Brinker" 9/2/1958
- "U.S. Steel Hour, The" (1953) in episode: "Huck Finn" 20/11/1957
- "Suspense" (1949) playing "Sherlock Holmes" in episode: "Adventure of the Black Baronet, The" 26/5/1953
- "Jack Benny Program, The" (1950) playing "Himself" 1/4/1951
- "Suspense" (1949) playing "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" in episode: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" 1951
Main | Pictures
Gregory Goldsmith
Bringing you Basil as Sherlock since 25th September 1997
Preston, England
Please
me g_goldsmith@yahoo.com