Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone

Philip St. John Basil Rathbone, MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born British 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.

Read more about Basil Rathbone:  Early Life, School, A Job & World War I, Career, Personal Life, Death, Filmography

Famous quotes by basil rathbone:

    There’s not one part of his physical being that’s like that of human beings. From his warped brain down to the tiniest argumentative cell of his huge carcass, he’s unearthly.
    —Willis Cooper. Rowland V. Lee. Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone)

    A man is murdered a mile away. And do you know what killed him? My name. The very name of Frankenstein burst his heart. And now the happy little villagers are clamoring for my blood.
    Willis Cooper, and Rowland V. Lee. Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone)