Basil Rathbone Film Fan Site

Name : Basil Rathbone


Birth : 13 June 1892
Died: 21 July 1967
Nationality : British
Basil Rathbone

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Basil Rathbone is best known for his role in 14 Sherlock Holmes films made during the 1940's with Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson, though he had a long career starting in silent films and continuing through to the 1960's. Outside of the Holmes films he was seen in Holywod as the styalised British villan. He started is acting career on the stage in 1911 appearing in England and in America and was a decorated soldier in World War 1. After the war he appeared on the London stage, Broadway and in some silent films. His first sound film was The Bishop Murder Case, but his break out role was in David Copperfield in 1935 and then other adaptaions of classic novels. He starts to play villans but brings a tyle to them and it was his fear of getting typcast. Though in Captain Blood he showed off his school learned fencing skills where he introduced Errol Flynn to swashbuckling. In 1936 he appeared in Romeo And Juliet his only Shakespearian film role and was Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actor. The Garden Of Allah was his first colour film but he clashed with producer David O Selznick and they never worked together again. The Adventures Of Robin Hood is one of the best adaptaions of the story that pitted Rathbone against Errol Fynn. He was again Oscar Nominated for If I Were King in 1938. However his life changed when he he took the role of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Of The Baskervilles and arguably the biggest success of his career. This was the firat of 14 Sherlock Holmes films he appeared in with Nigel Bruce, making their performances the standard for these characters. During World War 2 he played Holmes in an updated setting and in some spy films. His last Holmes film was Dressed to Kill as he would not make on more Holmes films after the death of Nigel Bruce.

Films
Queen Of Blood (1966)
Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet (1965)
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963)
Magic Sword (1962)
Tales Of Terror (1962)
The Court Jester (1955)
Heartbeat (1946)
Sherlock Holmes In Dressed To Kill (1946) as Sherlock Holmes
Terror By Night (1946) as Sherlock Holmes
Woman In Green (1945) as Sherlock Holmes
The House Of Fear (1945) as Sherlock Holmes
Pursuit To Algiers (1945) as Sherlock Holmes
The Pearl Of Death (1944) as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (1944) as Sherlock Holmes
Scarlet Claw (1944) as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes In Washington (1943) as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon (1942) as Sherlock Holmes
The Black Cat (1941)
Mark Of Zorro (1940)
The Mad Doctor (1940)
Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (1939) as Sherlock Holmes
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) as Sherlock Holmes
Son Of Frankenstein (1939)
Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
If I Were King (1938)
Love From A Stranger (1937)
The Garden Of Allah (1936)
Private Number (1936)
Romeo And Juliet (1936)
Captain Blood (1935)
A Feather In Her Hat (1935)
A Tale Of Two Cities (1935)
The Last Days Of Pompeii (1935)
Anna Karenina (1935)
David Copperfield (1935)
Sin Takes A Holiday (1930)
The Flirting Widow (1930)
The Lady Of Scandal (1930)
A Notorious Affair (1930)
The Bishop Murder Case (1930)
The School For Scandal (1923) - Silent

Oscars
Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - If I Were King (1938)
Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Romeo And Juliet (1936)

Basil Rathbone