- In full:
- Philip St. John Basil Rathbone
- Born:
- June 13, 1892, Johannesburg, S.Af.
- Died:
- July 21, 1967, New York, N.Y., U.S. (aged 75)
Basil Rathbone
-
Who was Basil Rathbone?
Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) was a British actor celebrated for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, a role that defined much of his career. His stage debut was in 1911 in The Taming of the Shrew, and he later found success on Broadway in The Swan (1923).
Rathbone's transition to sound films proved successful due to his distinctive voice, leading to roles such as the villainous Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935). He earned two Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for Romeo and Juliet (1936) and If I Were King (1939). His talent for fencing was showcased in films like Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
In 1939, Rathbone first played Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Together, they starred in 14 films and over 200 radio broadcasts.
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Where was Basil Rathbone born?
Basil Rathbone, the British actor celebrated for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 13, 1892. After graduating from Repton School in England in 1910, he debuted on stage in 1911 in Shakespeareās The Taming of the Shrew. Rathbone's career included diverse roles, but his image became largely defined by his role as the evil Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935) and later as Sherlock Holmes starting in 1939. Despite his respect for the Holmes character, Rathbone felt typecast, believing it overshadowed his extensive work in Shakespeare and other films.
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What type of roles was Basil Rathbone famous for?
Basil Rathbone was a British character actor celebrated for his diverse stage and screen roles, but he is most noted for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.
Rathbone's "hawkish face, urbane enunciation, and cool demeanor" made him the perfect Holmes. Alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, he played the role in 14 films and over 200 radio broadcasts, starting with The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939).
Though the role defined his career, Rathbone felt typecast, believing his extensive work in Shakespeare and other films was overshadowed by his association with Holmes. After his final Holmes film, he worked onstage and in television, later spoofing his own image in low-budget films.
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In which movies did Basil Rathbone play Sherlock Holmes?
Basil Rathbone is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in film, radio, and television. His "hawkish face, urbane enunciation, and cool demeanor" made him the perfect Holmes.
Rathbone starred as Sherlock Holmes in 14 films with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. They include:
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)
* Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
* Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
* The Spider Woman (1944)
* The Scarlet Claw (1944)
* The Pearl of Death (1944)
* The House of Fear (1945)
* The Woman in Green (1945)
* Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
* Terror by Night (1946)
* Dressed to Kill (1946)The Hound of the Baskervilles was Rathbone's debut as Sherlock Holmes, a role that would define his career. After Dressed to Kill, Rathbone moved to New York to work onstage and on television.
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How did Basil Rathboneās acting style make him stand out?
Basil Rathbone's acting style made him stand out through his stage-trained voice, distinctive British accent, and cool demeanor. These traits, along with his hawkish face and urbane enunciation, made him the perfect Sherlock Holmes. Though he had a long and varied stage and screen career, his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes highlighted his career. His talent for fencing was also featured in several films. With Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, Rathbone played Holmes in 14 films and over 200 radio broadcasts. Their performances were widely hailed by critics, and they became known as the definitive Holmes and Watson duo.
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What is Basil Rathboneās legacy in film and theater?
Basil Rathbone, a British character actor, is best remembered for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in film and radio, a role that came to define his career despite his extensive stage and screen work.
Rathbone debuted on stage in 1911 and gained recognition on Broadway in 1923 with The Swan. His transition to sound films in the late 1920s led to roles as villains, showcasing his distinctive voice and accent. His talent for fencing was featured in films such as Romeo and Juliet and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
In 1939, Rathbone first played Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Together, they starred in over a dozen Holmes films, becoming known as the definitive Holmes and Watson duo. Although he respected the character, Rathbone felt typecast, which impacted his later film roles.
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Basil Rathbone (born June 13, 1892, Johannesburg, S.Af.ādied July 21, 1967, New York, N.Y., U.S.) was a British character actor whose portrayal of Sherlock Holmes highlighted a long and varied stage and screen career.
Upon graduating from Repton school in England in 1910, Rathbone made his stage debut in Shakespeareās The Taming of the Shrew in 1911. A number of other Shakespearean roles followed, as well as a part in a London production of The Sin of David (1914). In 1921 Rathbone appeared in the films Innocent and The Fruitful Vine and then traveled to the United States to make his Broadway debut in The Czarina. His next Broadway play, The Swan (1923), was highly successful and established Rathbone as a star of the theatre. Though he maintained a modest career in silent films in between stage work, he was unremarked in Hollywood until his first appearance in a talking picture, The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929).
With his stage-trained voice and distinctive British accent, Rathbone was a natural for the sound era and was cast as the evil Mr. Murdstone in David O. Selznickās adaptation of David Copperfield (1935). It was a role that Rathbone would later regard with mixed feelings. Although it resulted in bigger and better parts, he believed he had been typecast as a movie villain. Indeed, Selznick cast him in a similar role in his next Dickens adaptation, A Tale of Two Cities (1935). The following year Rathbone received a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his performance as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (1936).
Rathboneās renowned talent for fencing was featured in Romeo and Juliet and several other films, including two Errol Flynn vehicles: Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). He received his second best supporting actor nomination for his work in If I Were King (1939); that same year he played the title role in the horror film Son of Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff reprising his role as Dr. Frankensteinās monster.
Rathbone made the transition from swashbuckling villains and mad scientists to the worldās greatest amateur sleuth in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), based on the Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Rathboneās hawkish face, urbane enunciation, and cool demeanour made him the perfect Holmes, and with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, he played the role in 14 films and on more than 200 radio broadcasts. Though he had a healthy respect and affection for the character, he again felt typecast, this time as Holmes: āMy fifty-two roles in twenty-three plays of Shakespeare, my years in London and New York theatre, my scores of motion pictures ā¦ were slowly but surely sinking into oblivion,ā he wrote in his autobiography, In and Out of Character (1956).
After making his final Holmes film, Dressed to Kill (1946), Rathbone moved to New York to work onstage and later in television. As he feared, his close association with the Holmes character damaged his chances of receiving choice movie roles, and he spent most of the rest of his film career spoofing his own image and appearing mostly in low-budget horror and fantasy films. His final film, Hillbillys in a Haunted House, was released in 1967.