Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Basil Rathbone

Highest Rated: 100% Captain Blood (1935)

Lowest Rated: 17% Queen of Blood (1966)

Birthday: Jun 13, 1892

Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

Tall and lean, with an interesting, angular face and a remarkable authoritative voice that lent considerably gravity to the most poetic of sentiments and the vilest of evil, Basil Rathbone's ability to excel at heroism and villainy kept him in demand for much of his career. The South African native had his start on the stage and thanks to acclaim from Broadway work like "The Swan" (1923-24), he soon graduated to motion pictures. He was an excellent choice to play period villains in films like "David Copperfield" (1935), "Captain Blood" (1935), and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), and Rathbone proved so effective, typecasting seemed inevitable. However, he staved off such a career fate with his indelible portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master of deduction, Sherlock Holmes. From "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1939) through "Dressed to Kill" (1946) and seven seasons on radio, Rathbone did a superb job of communicating Holmes' unmatchable intelligence and sleuthing mastery. Rathbone eventually tired of the role and returned to the stage, which offered him a richer venue for his talents than acting as foils for comedians like Bob Hope and Danny Kaye and the rote villainy of low-budget horrors like "The Black Sleep" (1956). At the height of his craft, Rathbone performed with a degree of vividness and sincerity that was a hallmark of the finest classically-trained actors and his interpretation of Holmes was considered the definitive take on the literary icon.

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

100% 90% Captain Blood
Watchlist
100% 58% The Woman in Green
Watchlist
100% 76% David Copperfield
Watchlist
100% 89% The Adventures of Robin Hood
Watchlist
97% 93% The Court Jester
Watchlist
95% 72% Son of Frankenstein
Watchlist
93% 83% A Tale of Two Cities
Watchlist
92% 79% The Mark of Zorro
Watchlist
91% 83% The Hound of the Baskervilles
Watchlist
89% 78% The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Autopsy of a Ghost Unknown (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet 21% Hillbillys in a Haunted House Gregor (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Soldier in Love The Duke of York (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet 48% The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini Reginald Ripper (Character) - 1966
17% 19% Queen of Blood Dr. Farraday (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet 16% Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet Prof. Hartman (Character) - 1965
89% 69% The Comedy of Terrors Mr. John F. Black (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Three Plus Two Frankenstein (Character) - 1963
29% 27% The Magic Sword Lodac (Character) - 1962
73% 63% Tales of Terror Carmichael (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Pontius Pilate Caiaphas (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Victoria Regina Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Character) - 1961
83% 81% The Last Hurrah Norman Cass, Sr., Banker (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 35% The Black Sleep Sir Joel Cadman (Character) - 1956
97% 93% The Court Jester Sir Ravenhurst (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 81% We're No Angels Andre Trochard (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 82% Casanova's Big Night Lucio/Narrator (Character) - 1954
88% 71% The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Narrator - 1949
83% 64% Dressed to Kill Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1946
75% 65% Terror by Night Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1946
No Score Yet 36% Heartbeat Professor Aristide (Character) - 1946
No Score Yet 60% Pursuit to Algiers Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1945
100% 58% The Woman in Green Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet 72% Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet 25% Frenchman's Creek Lord Rockingham (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 77% The Pearl of Death Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 73% The Scarlet Claw Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 76% Bathing Beauty George Adams (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 73% Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 52% Sherlock Holmes in Washington Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 73% Sherlock Holmes Faces Death Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 32% Above Suspicion Sig von Aschenhausen (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 53% Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet 53% Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet 17% Fingers at the Window Cesar Ferrari, alias Dr. H. Santelle (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet 48% Crossroads Henri Sarrou (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet 35% The Black Cat Montague Hartley (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet Paris Calling Andre Benoit (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Mad Doctor Dr. George Sebastian/Dr. Frederick Langamann (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet International Lady Reggie Oliver (Character) - 1941
92% 79% The Mark of Zorro Captain Esteban Pasquale (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet 71% Rhythm on the River Oliver Courtney (Character) - 1940
89% 78% The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1939
83% 59% Tower of London Richard (Character) - 1939
95% 72% Son of Frankenstein Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Character) - 1939
91% 83% The Hound of the Baskervilles Sherlock Holmes (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sun Never Sets Clive Randolph (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rio Paul Reynard (Character) - 1939
60% 29% The Adventures of Marco Polo Ahmed (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet 76% If I Were King King Louis XI (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet 83% The Dawn Patrol Major Brand (Character) - 1938
100% 89% The Adventures of Robin Hood Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Make a Wish Johnny Selden (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet 62% Love From a Stranger Gerald Lovell (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet 38% Tovarich Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet No Score Yet Confession Michael Michailow (Character) - 1937
75% 44% Romeo and Juliet Tybalt (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet 60% Private Number Wroxton (Character) - 1936
36% 38% The Garden of Allah Count Ferdinand Anteoni (Character) - 1936
100% 76% David Copperfield Mr. Murdstone (Character) - 1935
93% 83% A Tale of Two Cities Marquis St. Evremonde (Character) - 1935
86% 70% Anna Karenina Karenin (Character) - 1935
100% 90% Captain Blood Levasseur (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet 39% The Last Days of Pompeii Pontius Pilate (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet No Score Yet House of Menace Henry Abbott (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Feather in Her Hat Captain Courtney (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet 33% Kind Lady Henry Abbott (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet 54% Sin Takes a Holiday Reginald "Reggie" Durant (Character) - 1930
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Lady of Scandal Edward (Character) - 1930
No Score Yet 17% The Bishop Murder Case Philo Vance (Character) - 1930
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Notorious Affair Paul Gherardi (Character) - 1930
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flirting Widow Colonel John "Johnny" Vaughn-Smith (Character) - 1930
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Last of Mrs. Cheyney Lord Arthur Dilling (Character) - 1929
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Masked Bride Antoine (Character) - 1925

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dr. Kildare Unknown (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Alcoa Hour Ebenezer Scrooge (Character) 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet I've Got a Secret Guest 1952 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet Screen Directors Playhouse Unknown (Character) 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Red Skelton Show Unknown (Character) 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shower of Stars Marley's Ghost (Character) 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Studio One Hazelton Crome (Character) 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Suspense Unknown (Character) 1951 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lights Out Unknown (Character) 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet What's My Line? Guest 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes Guest 1951