Editing Basil Rathbone

{{Short description|English actor (1892–1967)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Basil Rathbone
| honorific_suffix   = [[Military Cross|MC]]
| image              = Basil Rathbone headshot, 1935.jpg
| caption            = Basil Rathbone (1935)
| birth_name         = Philip St. John Basil Rathbone
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1892|6|13|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Johannesburg]], [[South African Republic]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1967|7|21|1892|6|13|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[New York City]], US
| resting_place      = [[Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum|Ferncliff Cemetery Shrine of Memories]], [[Hartsdale, New York]], US
| years_active       = 1911–1967
| occupation         = Actor
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Ethel Marian Foreman|1914|1926|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Ouida Bergère]]|1926}}
}}
| children           = 3
| relatives          = [[Frank Benson (actor)|Sir Frank Benson]] (cousin)
| module             = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance    = {{Flagu|United Kingdom|size=23px}}
| branch        = {{Nowrap|{{Army|United Kingdom}}}}
| serviceyears  = 1915–1918
| rank          = [[File:UK Army OF2-2.png|20px]] [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]]<ref name="army"/>
| unit          = [[London Scottish (regiment)|London Scottish Regiment]]<br>[[Liverpool Scottish]]
| awards        = {{plainlist|
* [[File:Military cross BAR.svg|40px]] [[Military Cross]]
}}
}}
}}
'''Philip St. John Basil Rathbone''' [[Military Cross|MC]] (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an [[Anglo-South African]] actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a [[Shakespearean]] stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume dramas, [[swashbuckler]]s, and, occasionally, horror films.

Rathbone frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters, such as [[Edward Murdstone|Mr. Murdstone]] in ''[[David Copperfield (1935 film)|David Copperfield]]'' (1935), Tybalt in ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (1936) and [[Sir Guy of Gisbourne]] in ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938). His most famous role was that of [[Sherlock Holmes]] in [[Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series)|fourteen Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946]] and in a radio series.

Rathbone's later career included roles on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], as well as self-ironic film and television work. In 1948, he shared the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] with two others. He was also nominated for two [[Academy Awards]] and honoured with three stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

==Early life==
Rathbone was born in [[Johannesburg]], [[South African Republic]],<ref name="baptism">"South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801–2004," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVSH-SB15 : 16 August 2019), Philip St John Basil Rathbone, 26 March 1894; citing Baptism, Transvaal, South Africa, p. , William Cullen Library, Wits University, Johannesburg.</ref> to British parents. His mother, Anna Barbara (''née'' George), was a violinist, and his father, Edgar Philip Rathbone, was a mining engineer and scion of the [[Liverpool]] [[Rathbone family]]. He had two older half-brothers, Harold and Horace, as well as two younger siblings, Beatrice and John. Basil was the great-grandson of the noted Victorian philanthropist, [[William Rathbone V]], and thus a descendant of [[William Rathbone II]].{{Citation needed |date=February 2023}}

The Rathbones fled to Britain when Basil was three years old after his father was accused by the [[Boer]]s of being a spy following the [[Jameson Raid]]. Rathbone attended [[Repton School]] in [[Derbyshire]] from 1906 to 1910, where he excelled at sports and was given the nickname "Ratters" by schoolmates. Thereafter, he was briefly employed as an insurance clerk by the Liverpool and Globe Insurance Companies,<ref name="1911census">"England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWG3-B6W : 8 May 2019), Basil Philip St John Rathbone in household of Colin Forsyth Burn, Stoke Newington, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.</ref> to appease his father's wish for him to have a conventional career.<ref>[http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/ basilrathbone.net] Retrieved 22 May 2018.</ref>

On 22 April 1911, Rathbone made his first appearance on stage at the Theatre Royal, [[Ipswich]], [[Suffolk]], as Hortensio in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'', with his cousin [[Frank Benson (actor)|Sir Frank Benson]]'s No. 2 Company, under the direction of [[Henry Herbert (actor)|Henry Herbert]]. In October 1912, he went to the United States with Benson's company, playing roles such as Paris in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', Fenton in ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'', and Silvius in ''[[As You Like It]]''. Returning to Britain, he made his first appearance in London at the [[Savoy Theatre]] on 9 July 1914, as Finch in ''The Sin of David''. That December, he appeared at the [[Original Shaftesbury Theatre|Shaftesbury Theatre]] as the Dauphin in ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''. During 1915, he toured with Benson and appeared with him at London's Court Theatre in December as Lysander in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.

==Military service==
During the First World War (in 1915), Rathbone was called up via the [[Derby Scheme]] into the British Army as a private with the [[London Scottish Regiment]], joining a regiment that also included his future professional acting contemporaries [[Claude Rains]], [[Herbert Marshall]] and [[Ronald Colman]] at different points during the conflict. After basic training with the London Scots in early 1916, he received a commission as a lieutenant in the 2/10th Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment ([[Liverpool Scottish]]), where he served as an intelligence officer, eventually attaining the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/basilrathbonefront.jpg|title=Rathbone, intelligence officer, with the Liverpool Scottish|website=basilrathbone.net|accessdate=12 May 2024}}</ref> 

Rathbone was a two-time British Army Fencing Champion; a skill that served him well in the movies, it allowed him to teach swordsmanship to actors [[Errol Flynn]] and [[Tyrone Power]].

Rathbone was deeply affected by the news that his younger brother John, a captain in the [[Dorsetshire Regiment]], had been killed in action near [[Arras]] on 4 June 1918.<ref>"Famous 1914–18," Richard Van Emden, 2010, p. 132</ref> In 2012 two letters Rathbone wrote to his family while he was serving on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] were published. One reveals the anguish and anger he felt following the death of John:

<blockquote>I want to tell him to mind his place. I think of his ridiculous belief that everything would always be well, his ever-hopeful smile, and I want to cuff him for a little fool. He had no business to let it happen and it maddens me that I shall never be able to tell him so, or change it or bring him back. I can't think of him without being consumed with anger at him for being dead and beyond anything I can do to him.
:— 26 July 1918<ref name="army">{{cite web|url=http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/ww1.htm |title=Basil Rathbone, Master of Stage and Screen: The Great War |publisher=Basilrathbone.net |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref></blockquote>

Following his brother's death, Rathbone appears to have become unconcerned about the dangers of serving at the front. [[Richard Van Emden]] in ''Famous 1914–18'' speculates that his extreme bravery may have been a form of guilt or a need for vengeance.<ref>''Famous 1914–18'', Richard Van Emden, 2010, p. 134</ref> He persuaded his superiors to allow him to scout enemy positions during daylight rather than at night, as was the usual practice to minimise the chance of detection.<ref>{{YouTube|g2Fl8zYO9u8|title=A 1957 interview with Basil Rathbone talking about WWI}}</ref> Rathbone wore a special camouflage suit that resembled a tree with a wreath of freshly plucked foliage on his head, and with burnt cork applied to his hands and face.<ref>''In and Out of Character'', Basil Rathbone, 1962, p. 2</ref> As a result of these highly dangerous daylight reconnaissance missions in September 1918 he was awarded the [[Military Cross]] for "conspicuous daring and resource on patrol".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30997 |supp=y |date=5 November 1918 |page=13166}}</ref>

==Career==
=== Theatre ===
[[File:Rathbone-Barretts-of-Wimpole-Street.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Rathbone as [[Robert Browning]] in [[Katharine Cornell]]'s 1933–1934 touring production of ''[[The Barretts of Wimpole Street]]'']]

During the Summer Festival of 1919, he appeared at [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] with the New Shakespeare Company playing Romeo, Cassius, Ferdinand in ''[[The Tempest]]'' and Florizel in ''[[The Winter's Tale]]''; in October he was at London's [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]] as the aide de camp in ''Napoleon'', and in February 1920 he was at the [[Savoy Theatre]] in the title role in ''[[Peter Ibbetson (play)|Peter Ibbetson]]'' with huge success.

During the 1920s, Rathbone appeared regularly in Shakespearean and other roles on the British stage. He began to travel and appeared at the [[James Earl Jones Theatre|Cort Theatre]], [[New York City|New York]], in October 1923 in a production of [[Ferenc Molnár|Molnár]]'s play ''[[The Swan (play)|The Swan]]'' opposite [[Eva Le Gallienne]], which made him a star on Broadway. He toured in the United States in 1925, appearing in [[San Francisco]] in May and the [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]], New York, in October. He was in the US again in 1927 and 1930 and again in 1931, when he appeared on stage with [[Ethel Barrymore]]. He continued his stage career in Britain, [[returning]] late in 1934 to the US, where he appeared with [[Katharine Cornell]] in several plays.

Rathbone was once arrested in 1926 along with every other member of the cast of ''[[The Captive (play)|The Captive]]'', a play in which his character's wife left him for another woman. Though the charges were eventually dropped, Rathbone was very angry about the censorship because he believed that [[homosexuality]] needed to be brought into the open.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://outhistory.org/wiki/New_York_Times:_Reaction_to_%22The_Captive%22,_1926-1927 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415190819/http://outhistory.org/wiki/New_York_Times:_Reaction_to_%22The_Captive%22,_1926-1927 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 April 2013 |title=The New York Times: Reaction to 'The Captive', 1926–1927 – OutHistory |work=outhistory.org |year=2012 |access-date=25 September 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/ |title=Basil Rathbone, Master of Stage and Screen: Biography |publisher=Basilrathbone.net |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref>
[[File:Romeo and Juliet lobby card 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|With [[John Barrymore]] and [[Leslie Howard]] in ''Romeo and Juliet'', 1936]]

=== Film ===
He commenced his film career in Hollywood in 1921 in silent movies and appeared in 1923's ''{{film year|The School for Scandal|1923}}'', and in ''[[The Masked Bride]]'', plus a few other silents. His sound debut was in the first screen adaptation of [[Frederick Lonsdale]]'s play {{film show year|The Last of Mrs. Cheyney|1929}} opposite [[Norma Shearer]], which was his last appearance as a romantic leading man. He portrayed detective [[Philo Vance]] in the 1930 film ''{{film year|The Bishop Murder Case}}'', based on the best-selling novel. In the film, there is a coincidental reference to Sherlock Holmes. Like [[George Sanders]] and [[Vincent Price]] after him, Rathbone made a name for himself in the 1930s by playing suave villains in costume dramas and swashbucklers, including {{film show year|David Copperfield|1935}} as the abusive stepfather Mr. Murdstone; {{film show year|Anna Karenina|1935}} as her distant husband, Karenin; {{film show year|The Last Days of Pompeii|1935}} as [[Pontius Pilate]]; {{film show year|Captain Blood|1935}}; {{film show year|A Tale of Two Cities|1935}}, as the Marquis St. Evremonde; ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938) playing his best-remembered villain, Sir [[Guy of Gisbourne]]; ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]'' (1938); and {{film show year|The Mark of Zorro|1940}} as Captain Esteban Pasquale. He also appeared in several early horror films: {{film show year|Tower of London|1939}}, as [[Richard III of England|Richard III]], and ''[[Son of Frankenstein]]'' (1939), portraying the dedicated surgeon [[Wolf Frankenstein|Baron Wolf von Frankenstein]], son of [[Frankenstein's monster|the monster]]'s creator, and, in 1949, was also the narrator for the segment "The Wind in the Willows" in the Disney animated feature, ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]''.

He was admired for his athletic swordsmanship. (He listed [[fencing]] among his favourite recreations.) His character lost to [[Errol Flynn]] twice: in a duel on the beach in ''Captain Blood'' and in an elaborate fight sequence in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood''. He was also involved in noteworthy sword fights in ''Tower of London'', ''The Mark of Zorro'', and ''[[The Court Jester]].''
Rathbone earned [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]] for his performances as Tybalt in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1936) and as King [[Louis XI]] in ''[[If I Were King]]'' (1938). In {{film show year|The Dawn Patrol|1938}}, he played one of his few heroic roles in the 1930s, as a [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC) squadron commander brought to the brink of a [[nervous breakdown]] by the strain and guilt of sending his battle-weary pilots off to near-certain death in the skies of 1915 France. Errol Flynn, Rathbone's perennial foe, starred in the film as his successor when Rathbone's character is promoted.

According to Hollywood legend, Rathbone was [[Margaret Mitchell]]'s first choice to play [[Rhett Butler]] in the film version of her novel ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/1181 |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> Rathbone actively campaigned for the role.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

Despite his film success, Rathbone always insisted that he wished to be remembered for his stage career. He said that his favourite role was Romeo.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

===The Sherlock Holmes films===
[[File:Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes.jpeg|thumb|Basil Rathbone as [[Sherlock Holmes]]]]
{{main article|Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series)}}
Rathbone is most widely recognised for his many portrayals of [[Sherlock Holmes]]. In a radio interview, Rathbone recalled that [[Twentieth Century-Fox]] producer and director [[Gene Markey]], lunching with producer-director-actor [[Gregory Ratoff]] and 20th Century-Fox mogul [[Daryl Zanuck]] at Lucey's Restaurant in Hollywood, proposed a film version of [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles]]''. When asked who could possibly play Holmes, Markey incredulously replied, "Who?! Basil Rathbone!" The film was so successful that Fox produced a sequel that appeared later in 1939. Interest in Holmes cooled at Fox, but [[Universal Pictures]] picked up the character, and produced 12 Holmes features from 1942 to 1946.<ref>''Motion Picture Herald'', 2 Feb. 1946, p. 41.</ref> All of the Fox and Universal features co-starred [[Nigel Bruce]] as [[Dr. Watson]].

The first two films, ''{{film year|The Hound of the Baskervilles|1939}}'' and ''{{film year|The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes}}'' (both produced by Fox in 1939), were set in the late [[Victorian era|Victorian times]] of the original stories. The later instalments, produced by Universal, beginning with ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror]]'' (1942), were set in contemporary times, with the first three having World War II-related plots.

Concurrent with the films, Rathbone and Bruce reprised their film roles in the radio series ''[[The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'', which began in October 1939. Rathbone appeared in the radio series as long as the film series was active, but, after the films lapsed in 1946, Rathbone ceded his radio part to [[Tom Conway]]. Conway and Bruce carried on with the series for two seasons, until both dropped out in July 1947.

The many Holmes sequels typecast Rathbone, and he was unable to free himself from the shadow of the Great Detective, despite appearing in other film roles. Resenting the typecasting, Rathbone refused to renew his contract at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and returned to Broadway. In later years, Rathbone willingly made the Holmes association, as in a TV sketch with [[Milton Berle]] in the early 1950s, in which he donned the [[deerstalker]] cap and [[Inverness cape]]. In the 1960s, dressed as Holmes, he appeared in a series of TV commercials for Getz Exterminators ("Getz gets 'em, since 1888!'").

Rathbone also brought Holmes to the stage in a play written by his wife Ouida. [[Thomas Gomez]], who had appeared as a [[Nazi]] ringleader in ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror]]'', played the villainous [[Professor Moriarty]]. Nigel Bruce was slated to portray Dr Watson once more but became too ill and the part was played by character actor [[Jack Raine]]. Bruce's absence depressed Rathbone, particularly after Bruce died on 8 October 1953, while the play was in rehearsals. The play ran for only three performances.

===Later career===
In the 1950s, Rathbone appeared in two spoofs of his earlier swashbuckling villains: ''[[Casanova's Big Night]]'' (1954) opposite [[Bob Hope]] and ''[[The Court Jester]]'' (1956) with [[Danny Kaye]]. He appeared frequently on TV game shows and continued to appear in major films, including the [[Humphrey Bogart]] comedy {{film show year|We're No Angels|1955}} and [[John Ford]]'s political drama {{film show year|The Last Hurrah|1958}}.

Rathbone also appeared on Broadway numerous times in this period. In 1948, he shared the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] for his performance as the unyielding Dr. Austin Sloper in the original production of ''[[The Heiress (1947 play)|The Heiress]]'' with [[Henry Fonda]] in ''[[Mister Roberts (play)|Mister Roberts]]'' and [[Paul Kelly (actor)|Paul Kelly]] in ''[[Command Decision (play)|Command Decision]]''. He also received accolades for his performance in [[Archibald Macleish]]'s ''[[J.B. (play)|J.B.]]'', a modernisation of the Biblical trials of [[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]].

Through the 1950s and 1960s, he continued to appear in several dignified anthology programmes on television. To support his second wife's lavish tastes, he appeared as a panelist on the television game show ''[[The Name's the Same]]'' (in 1954), and took roles in cheap film thrillers of far lesser quality, such as ''[[The Black Sleep]]'' (1956), ''[[Queen of Blood]]'' (1966), ''[[The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini]]'' (1966, wherein the character 'Eric Von Zipper' played by [[Harvey Lembeck]] jokes, "That guy looks like Sherlock Holmes"), ''[[Hillbillys in a Haunted House]]'' (1967, also featuring [[Lon Chaney Jr]] and [[John Carradine]]), and his last film, a low-budget, horror film called ''Autopsy of a Ghost'' (1968).

He is also known for his spoken word recordings, including his interpretation of [[Clement C. Moore]]'s "[[The Night Before Christmas]]". Rathbone's readings of the stories and poems of [[Edgar Allan Poe]] are collected together with readings by [[Vincent Price]] in [[Caedmon Audio]]'s ''The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection'' on CD.

In four Caedmon albums, Rathbone revisited his characterization of Sherlock Holmes. The first, "The Speckled Band" (Caedmon Records TC 1172, recorded in 1963), is a straight narration of the tale. In the rest, he changes his voice for each character, including a rendition of Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.<ref name=BRR1>{{cite web | url=http://www.basilrathbone.net/recordings | title=Recordings made by Basil Rathbone | publisher=basilrathbone.net | access-date=10 November 2019 }}</ref>

Rathbone also made many other recordings, including ''[[Oliver Twist]]'', [[Prokofiev]]'s ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'' (with [[Leopold Stokowski]] conducting), and [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.<ref name=BRR1 />

On television, he appeared in two musical versions of Dickens's ''A Christmas Carol'': one in 1954, in which he played [[Marley's Ghost]] opposite [[Fredric March]]'s Scrooge, and the original 1956 live action version of ''[[The Stingiest Man in Town (1956)]]'', in which he starred as a singing Ebenezer Scrooge.

In the 1960s, he toured with a one-man show, ''In and Out of Character'' (the same title as his autobiography). He recited poetry and Shakespeare, accented by reminiscences from his life and career (including the humorous, "I could have killed Errol Flynn any time I wanted to!"). As an encore, he recited "221B", a poem written by writer-critic [[Vincent Starrett]], one of the preeminent members of the [[Baker Street Irregulars]] whom Rathbone held in high regard.

Price and Rathbone appeared together, along with [[Boris Karloff]], in ''[[Tower of London (1939 film)|Tower of London]]'' (1939) and ''[[The Comedy of Terrors]]'' (1963). The latter was the only film to feature the "Big Four" of [[American International Pictures]]' horror films: Price, Rathbone, Karloff and [[Peter Lorre]]. Rathbone appeared with Price in the final segment of [[Roger Corman]]'s 1962 anthology film ''[[Tales of Terror]]'', a loose dramatisation of Poe's "[[The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar]]".

In 1965, Belmont Books issued the anthology ''Basil Rathbone Selects Strange Tales'', a collection of horror stories by Poe, Hawthorne, Bulwer-Lytton, Charles Dickens, Allston Collins, Le Fanu, and Wilkie Collins. The volume features a cover portrait of Rathbone; however, the back cover's legend "Produced by Lyle Kenyon Engel" indicates the anthology probably was not edited by Rathbone. Canadian editor and book packager Engel packaged shows and magazines for other horror stars, including [[Boris Karloff]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/engel_lyle_kenyon|title=Authors : Engel, Lyle Kenyon : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|website=sf-encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

Basil Rathbone has three stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]: one for films at 6549 Hollywood Boulevard; one for radio at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard; and one for television at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

==Personal life==
Rathbone married actress Ethel Marion Foreman (1887–1976) in 1914. They had one son, Rodion Rathbone (1915–1996), who had a brief Hollywood career under the name John Rodion. The couple divorced in 1926. In the same year, he married writer [[Ouida Bergère]]; their infant child died in 1928. In 1939, the couple adopted a daughter, Cynthia Rathbone (1939–1969). The American actor [[Jackson Rathbone]] is a distant relation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Millar |first=John |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2010/08/08/vampire-star-jackson-rathbone-on-his-family-ties-to-legendary-swashbuckler-86908-22473663 |title=Jackson Rathbone profile, detailing blood relationship to Basil Rathbone |work=Daily Record|location=Glasgow |date=2010-08-08 |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref>

Rathbone bore a strong resemblance to his cousin, the actor [[Frank Benson (actor)|Frank Benson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/ |title=Basil Rathbone, Master of Stage and Screen: Biography |publisher=Basilrathbone.net |access-date=2020-08-06}}</ref> He was a first cousin once removed of the  campaigning independent British MP [[Eleanor Rathbone]].

During Rathbone's Hollywood career Ouida Rathbone, who was also her husband's business manager, developed a reputation for hosting elaborate and expensive parties in their home, with many prominent and influential people on the guest lists. This trend inspired a joke in ''[[The Ghost Breakers]]'' (1940), a film in which Rathbone does not appear: during a tremendous thunderstorm in New York City [[Bob Hope]] observes that "Basil Rathbone must be throwing a party." Actress [[Mrs Patrick Campbell]] described Rathbone as "two profiles pasted together".<ref name=autogenerated1>Basil Rathbone, ''In and Out of Character'' (New York: [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], 1962).</ref> As cited in the same autobiography, Mrs Campbell later referred to him as "a folded umbrella taking elocution lessons".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rathbone|first=Basil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nL7GCsYhiHwC|title=In and Out of Character|publisher=Limelight Editions|year=1989|isbn=9780879101190|page=92}}</ref>

Rathbone was a devout Anglican (or, in U.S. English, Episcopalian) and a member of the Episcopal Actors Guild.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://littlechurch.org/#/who-we-are/episcopal-actors-guild |title=We embrace all who seek God's inclusive love |publisher=Littlechurch.org |accessdate=2022-08-07}}</ref>

==Death==
Rathbone died suddenly of a heart attack in New York City on 21 July 1967 at the age of 75. His body was interred in a crypt in the Shrine of Memories Mausoleum at [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] in Hartsdale, New York.<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 38744-38745). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| rowspan=2|1921 || ''[[Innocent (1921 film)|Innocent]]'' || Amadis de Jocelyn ||
|-
| ''[[The Fruitful Vine]]'' || Don Cesare Carelli ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1923 || ''[[The School for Scandal (1923 film)|The School for Scandal]]'' || Joseph Surface ||
|-
| ''[[The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots]]'' || Undetermined role || Uncredited
|-
| 1924 || ''[[Trouping with Ellen]]'' || Tony Winterslip || [[Lost film]]
|-
| 1925 || ''[[The Masked Bride]]'' || Antoine || Lost film
|-
| 1926 || ''[[The Great Deception]]'' || Rizzio || Lost film
|-
| 1929 || ''[[The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929 film)|The Last of Mrs. Cheyney]]'' || Lord Arthur Dilling ||
|-
| rowspan=7|1930 || ''[[The Bishop Murder Case (1930 film)|The Bishop Murder Case]]'' || [[Philo Vance]] ||
|-
| ''[[This Mad World]]'' || Paul Parisot ||
|-
| ''[[A Notorious Affair]]'' || Paul Gherardi ||
|-
| ''[[The Flirting Widow]]'' || Colonel John "Johnny" Vaughn-Smith ||
|-
| ''[[The Lady of Scandal]]'' || Edward, Duke of Warrington ||
|-
| ''[[The Lady Surrenders]]'' || Carl Vandry ||
|-
| ''[[Sin Takes a Holiday]]'' || Reginald "Reggie" Durant ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1932 || ''[[A Woman Commands]]'' || Capt. Alex Pastitsch ||
|-
| ''[[After the Ball (1932 film)|After the Ball]]'' || Jack Harrowby ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1933 || ''[[One Precious Year]]'' || Derek Nagel ||
|-
| ''[[Loyalties (1933 film)|Loyalties]]'' || Ferdinand de Levis ||
|-
| rowspan=7|1935 || ''[[Personal History, Adventures, Experience, and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger|David Copperfield]]'' || [[Edward Murdstone|Mr. Murdstone]] ||
|-
| ''[[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' || Karenin ||
|-
| ''[[The Last Days of Pompeii (1935 film)|The Last Days of Pompeii]]'' || [[Pontius Pilate]] ||
|-
| ''[[A Feather in Her Hat]]'' || Captain Randolph Courtney ||
|-
| ''[[Kind Lady (1935 film)|Kind Lady]]'' || Henry Abbott ||
|-
| ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' || [[Marquis St. Evremonde]] ||
|-
| ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' || Levasseur ||
|-
| rowspan=3|1936 || ''[[Private Number (1936 film)|Private Number]]'' || Thomas Wroxton ||
|-
| ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' || [[Tybalt|Tybalt – Nephew to Lady Capulet]] || Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
|-
| ''[[The Garden of Allah (1936 film)|The Garden of Allah]]'' || Count Ferdinand Anteoni ||
|-
| rowspan=4|1937 || ''[[Love from a Stranger (1937 film)|Love from a Stranger]]'' || Gerald Lovell ||
|-
| ''[[Confession (1937 film)|Confession]]'' || Michael Michailow, aka Michael Koslov ||
|-
| ''[[Make a Wish (1937 film)|Make a Wish]]'' || Johnny Selden ||
|-
| ''[[Tovarich (film)|Tovarich]]'' || Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko ||
|-
| rowspan=4|1938 || ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]'' || Ahmed ||
|-
| ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' || [[Guy of Gisbourne|Sir Guy of Gisbourne]] ||
|-
| ''[[If I Were King]]'' || King [[Louis XI]] || Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
|-
| ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' || Major Brand ||
|-
| rowspan=6|1939 || ''[[Son of Frankenstein]]'' || Baron Wolf von Frankenstein ||
|- 
| ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' || [[Sherlock Holmes]] ||
|-
| ''[[The Sun Never Sets (film)|The Sun Never Sets]]'' || Clive Randolph ||
|- 
| ''[[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (film)|The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| ''[[Rio (1939 film)|Rio]]'' || Paul Reynard ||
|-
| ''[[Tower of London (1939 film)|Tower of London]]'' || [[Richard III of England|Richard – Duke of Gloucester]] ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1940 || ''[[Rhythm on the River]]'' || Oliver Courtney ||
|-
| ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1940 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' || Captain Esteban Pasquale ||
|-
| rowspan=4|1941 || ''[[The Mad Doctor (1941 film)|The Mad Doctor]]'' || Dr. George Sebastian || According to IMDb, it was released on 9 November 1940, in Mexico.
|-
| ''[[The Black Cat (1941 film)|The Black Cat]]'' || Montague Hartley ||
|-
| ''[[International Lady]]'' || Reggie Oliver ||
|-
| ''[[Paris Calling]]'' || Andre Benoit ||
|-
| rowspan=4|1942 || ''[[Fingers at the Window]]'' || Cesar Ferrari, alias Dr. H. Santelle ||
|-
| ''[[Crossroads (1942 film)|Crossroads]]'' || Henri Sarrou ||
|- 
| ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| rowspan="5"|1943 || ''[[Sherlock Holmes in Washington]]'' || Sherlock Holmes || 
|-
| ''[[Above Suspicion (1943 film)|Above Suspicion]]'' || Sig von Aschenhausen ||
|- 
| ''[[Sherlock Holmes Faces Death]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| ''[[Crazy House (1943 film)|Crazy House]]'' || Sherlock Holmes || Cameo appearance
|- 
| ''[[The Spider Woman]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |1944
|-
| ''[[Bathing Beauty]]'' || George Adams ||
|- 
| ''[[The Pearl of Death]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
|''[[The Scarlet Claw]]'' ||Sherlock Holmes||
|-
| ''[[Frenchman's Creek (film)|Frenchman's Creek]]'' ||Lord Rockingham||
|-
| rowspan=3|1945 || ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear|The House of Fear]]'' || Sherlock Holmes || 
|- 
| ''[[The Woman in Green]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|- 
| ''[[Pursuit to Algiers]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| rowspan=3|1946 || ''[[Terror by Night]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| ''[[Heartbeat (1946 film)|Heartbeat]]'' || Professor Aristide ||
|- 
| ''[[Dressed to Kill (1946 film)|Dressed to Kill]]'' || Sherlock Holmes ||
|-
| 1949 || ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]'' || Narrator || segment "The Wind in the Willows"
|-
| 1953 || ''Season's Greetings'' || || TV movie
|-
| rowspan=3|1954 || ''[[Casanova's Big Night]]'' || Lucio / Narrator ||
|-
| ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' || Jacob Marley. || A Shower of Stars episode 
|-
|  ''The General's Boots'' || General Lee || A Schlitz Playhouse episode 
|-
| rowspan=3|1955 || ''[[We're No Angels (1955 film)|We're No Angels]]'' || Andre Trochard ||
|-
| ''Svengali and the Blonde'' || Svengali || TV movie
|-
| ''[[The Court Jester]]'' || Sir Ravenhurst ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1956 || ''[[The Black Sleep (1956 film)|The Black Sleep]]'' || Sir Joel Cadman ||
|-
| ''[[The Stingiest Man in Town (1956)|The Stingiest Man in Town]]'' || Ebeneezer Scrooge. || An Alcoa Hour episode<ref>DVD of program</ref>
|-
| 1957 || ''The Lark'' || Chief Inquisitor || TV movie
|-
| rowspan=2|1958 || ''Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates'' || Dr. Boekman || TV movie
|-
| ''[[The Last Hurrah (1958 film)|The Last Hurrah]]'' || Norman Cass Sr. ||
|-
|rowspan=3| 1961 || ''Victoria Regina''|| [[Benjamin Disraeli]] ||[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]] TV movie adaptation of [[Laurence Housman]]'s play ''[[Victoria Regina (play)|Victoria Regina]]''
|-
| ''The Black Cat'' || Voices || A short
|-
| ''Mystic Prophecies and Nostradamus'' || Narrator ||
|-
| rowspan=4|1962 || ''[[The Magic Sword (1962 film)|The Magic Sword]]'' || Lodac ||
|-
| ''[[Pontius Pilate (1962 film)|Ponzio Pilato]]'' || [[Caiaphas]] ||
|-
| ''[[Tales of Terror]]'' || Carmichael || segment "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"
|-
| ''Two Before Zero'' (aka ''Red Hell'') || Narrator ||
|-
| 1963 || ''[[The Comedy of Terrors]]'' || John F. Black, Esq. ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1965 || ''[[Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet]]'' || Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7 ||
|-
| ''Dr. Rock and Mr. Roll'' || ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1966 || ''[[Queen of Blood]]'' || Dr. Farraday ||
|-
| ''[[The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini]]'' || Reginald Ripper ||
|-
| 1967 || ''[[Hillbillys in a Haunted House]]'' || Gregor || final film released during his lifetime
|-
| 1968 || ''Autopsia de un fantasma'' || Canuto Perez || final film role, released posthumously
|-
| 1986 || ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' || Sherlock Holmes || archive sound, released posthumously
|}

==Radio appearances==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1937|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]''|| ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Those Were the Days|magazine=Nostalgia Digest|date=Spring 2013|volume=39|issue=2|pages=32–39}}</ref>
|-
| 1939–1946 || ''[[The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' ||
|-
| 1943|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]''|| ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''
|-
| 1949|| ''[[Tales of Fatima]]'' ||
|-
| 1952|| ''[[Theatre Guild on the Air]]'' || ''[[Oliver Twist]]''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2520492/the_decatur_daily_review/|agency=The Decatur Daily Review|date=24 February 1952|page=38|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = 28 May 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
|-
| 1952|| ''[[Theatre Guild on the Air]]'' || ''[[The Winslow Boy]]''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2630463/the_decatur_daily_review/|agency=The Decatur Daily Review|date=23 November 1952|page=48|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = 16 June 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
|}

==Stage==
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role(s) !! Venue(s)!! Notes !! Ref.
|-
| rowspan=12|1913 || ''[[As You Like It]]'' || Silvius  ||rowspan=9| [[Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]]; North American tour ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=AYL191304 – As You Like It |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ayl191304/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AYL191310 – As You Like It |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ayl191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Hamlet]]'' || Guildenstern ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=HAM191308 – Hamlet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ham191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HAM191310 – Hamlet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ham191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'' || Westmoreland ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=HF2191308 – Henry IV, Part 2 |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/hf2191308 |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HF2191310 – Henry IV, Part 2 |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/hf2191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[King John (play)|King John]]'' || Lewis ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=KJO191308 – King John |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/kjo191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=KJO191310 – King John |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/kjo191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' || Lorenzo ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MER191308 – The Merchant of Venice |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mer191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MER191310 – The Merchant of Venice |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mer191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' || Fenton ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MEW191308 – The Merry Wives of Windsor  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mew191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MEW191310 – The Merry Wives of Windsor |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mew191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'' || Duke of Aumerle ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=RI2191310 – Richard II |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ri2191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RI2191308 – Richard II |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ri2191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Paris ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=ROM191308 – Romeo and Juliet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/rom191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ROM191310 – Romeo and Juliet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/rom191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' || Sebastian ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=TWE191310 – Twelfth Night |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/twe191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=TWE191308 – Twelfth Night |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/twe191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Richelieu (play)|Richelieu]]'' || Clermont ||rowspan=2| [[Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]] || || <ref>{{cite web |title=HE5191310 – Henry V |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/he5191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Tragedy of Pompey the Great]]'' || Sailor || || <ref>{{cite web |title=TRE191308 – The Tragedy of Pompey the Great |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/tre191308/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' || Louis the Dauphin || North American tour || || <ref>{{cite web |title=HE5191310 – Henry V |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/he5191310/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=12|1914 || ''[[As You Like It]]'' || Silvius  ||rowspan=32| [[Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=AYL191408 – As You Like It |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ayl191408/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Hamlet]]'' || Guildenstern   ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=AYL191408 – As You Like It |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ayl191408/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'' || Earl of Westmoreland, Poins  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=HF2191408 – Henry IV, Part 2  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/hf2191408/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' || Louis the Dauphin  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=HE5191408 – Henry V  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/he5191408/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' || Octavius Caesar  ||   || <ref>{{cite web |title=JUL191408 – Julius Caesar |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/jul191408/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' || Lorenzo  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MER191408 – The Merchant of Venice |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mer191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' || Fenton  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MEW191408 – The Merry Wives of Windsor |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mew191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' || Conrad  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MUC191408 – Much Ado About Nothing |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/muc191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'' || Duke of Aumerle  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=RI2191408 – Richard II  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ri2191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Paris  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=ROM191408 – Romeo and Juliet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/rom191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' || Tom Twist  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=SHC191408 – She Stoops to Conquer |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/shc191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' || Sebastian ||   || <ref>{{cite web |title=TWE191408 – Twelfth Night  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/twe191408/|website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=14|1915 || ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' || Octavius Caesar ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title= JUL191504 – Julius Caesar |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/jul191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Romeo  || || <ref>{{cite web |title= ROM191504 – Romeo and Juliet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/rom191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' || Bassanio || || <ref>{{cite web |title=MER191504 – The Merchant of Venice|url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mer191504 |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' || Mr Page || || <ref>{{cite web |title=MEW191504 – The Merry Wives of Windsor|url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mew191504 |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Hamlet]]'' || Laertes  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=HAM191504 – Hamlet|url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ham191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' || Louis the Dauphin || || <ref>{{cite web |title=HE5191504 – Henry V |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/he5191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' || Lucentio || || <ref>{{cite web |title=TAM191504 – The Taming of the Shrew |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/tam191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' || Duke of Norfolk, Lord Hastings || || <ref>{{cite web |title=RI3191504 – Richard III |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ri3191504 |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' || Orsino || || <ref>{{cite web |title=TWE191504 – Twelfth Night |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/twe191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Coriolanus]]'' || Tullus Aufidius  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=COR191504 – Coriolanus |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/cor191504/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Richard II]]'' || Duke of Aumerle  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=RI2191508 – Richard II|url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ri2191508/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'' || Prince Henry || || <ref>{{cite web |title=HF2191508 – Henry IV, Part 2|url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/hf2191508/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[As You Like It]]'' || Orlando ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=AYL191508 – As You Like It |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/ayl191508/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Paolo and Francesca]]'' || Paolo || || <ref>{{cite web |title=PAO191508 – Paolo and Francesca |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/pao191508/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=6| 1919 || ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' || Fenton  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=MEW191908 – The Merry Wives of Windsor |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mew191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'' || Florizel ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=WIN191908 – The Winter's Tale |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/win191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|  ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' || Cassius  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=JUL191908 – Julius Caesar  |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/jul191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' || Lysander  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=MND191908 – A Midsummer Night's Dream |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/mnd191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Tempest]]'' || Ferdinand  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=TEM191908 – The Tempest |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/tem191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Romeo  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=ROM191908 – Romeo and Juliet |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/rom191908/ |website=RSC Performances |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1922 || ''The Czarina'' || Count Alexei Czerny  || [[Empire Theatre (41st Street)|Empire Theatre]] || Broadway debut || <ref name="rathboneibdb">{{cite web |title=Basil Rathbone – Broadway Cast & Staff |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/basil-rathbone-4443 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Czarina – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-czarina-12694#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1923 || rowspan=2| ''The Swan'' ||rowspan=2| Dr. Nicholas Agi   || [[James Earl Jones Theatre|Cort Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Swan – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-swan-9304#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|1924 || [[Empire Theatre (41st Street)|Empire Theatre]]  ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Swan – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-swan-501431#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Assumption of Hannele]]'' || Gottwald, The Stranger   || [[James Earl Jones Theatre|Cort Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Assumption of Hannele – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-assumption-of-hannele-9477#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1925||''[[The Grand Duchess and the Waiter]]'' || Albert || [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]] ||  || <ref name="The Broadway League LLC">{{cite web |title=The Grand Duchess and the Waiter – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-grand-duchess-and-the-waiter-8362#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|1926||''Port O' London'' || Anthony Pook  || [[Daly's 63rd Street Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=Port O' London – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/port-o-london-9997#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Captive (play)|The Captive]]'' || Jacques Virieu  || [[Empire Theatre (41st Street)|Empire Theatre]] ||  || <ref name="The Broadway League LLC"/>
|-
|rowspan=7| 1927||''Love is Like That'' || Vladimir Dubriski  || [[James Earl Jones Theatre|Cort Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=Love Is Like That – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/love-is-like-that-10281#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' || Cassius || [[New Amsterdam Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=Julius Caesar – Broadway Play – 1927 Revival |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/julius-caesar-10331#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Guardsman]]'' || performer || rowspan=4|Cape Playhouse ||  ||rowspan=4| <ref name=cph>{{cite web |title=Production History |url=https://capeplayhouse.com/production-history/ |website=The Cape Playhouse |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Peter Ibbetson]]'' || performer ||   
|-
| ''[[The Grand Duchess and the Waiter]]'' || performer ||  
|-
| ''[[Outward Bound (play)|Outward Bound]]'' || performer ||  
|-
| ''The Command to Love'' || Gaston, Marquis du Saint-Lac   || rowspan=2|[[Longacre Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Command to Love – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-command-to-love-10373#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1929||''Judas'' || Judas  ||  co-authored by Rathbone and Walter Ferris || <ref>{{cite web |title=Judas – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/judas-10840#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1930||''A Kiss of Importance'' || Christian Saint Obin  ||rowspan=2| [[Fulton Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=A Kiss of Importance – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-kiss-of-importance-11277#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1931||''Heat Wave'' || Hugh Dawltry  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=Heat Wave – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/heat-wave-11323#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1931||''[[Mélo (play)|Melo]]'' || Marcel Blanc || [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=Melo – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/melo-11354#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1932||''The Devil Passes'' || Rev. Nicholas Lucy || [[Selwyn Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Devil Passes – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-devil-passes-11478#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1934||''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Romeo || [[Martin Beck Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite news |title=NEWS OF THE STAGE; Katharine Cornell in Her Own Arrangement of 'Romeo and Juliet' Tonight -- 'Rain' to Be Revived? |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/12/20/94590083.html?pageNumber=30 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=20 December 1934}}</ref>
|-
| 1946||''Obsession'' || Maurice || [[Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre|Plymouth Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite web |title=Obsession – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/obsession-1458#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1947|| rowspan=3|''[[The Heiress (1947 play)|The Heiress]]'' ||rowspan=3| Dr. Austin Sloper  || [[Samuel J. Friedman Theatre|Biltmore Theatre]] || [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] || <ref>{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Brooks |title=THE NEW PLAY |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1947/09/30/282546522.html?pageNumber=22 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=30 September 1947}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Winners (1948) |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/year/1948/category/any/show/any/ |website=The Tony Awards |publisher=Tony Award ® Productions |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|1949 || Cape Playhouse  || || <ref name=cph />
|-
|rowspan=4|1950 || [[New York City Center]]  || || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Heiress – Broadway Play – 1950 Revival |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-heiress-476327#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' || Cassius || [[Edison Theatre|Arena Theatre]] || || <ref>{{cite news |last1=Calta |first1=Louis |title=PREMIERE TONIGHT OF 'JULIUS CAESAR'; Basil Rathbone to Play Role of Cassius in Version at Arena --Levin Directed Show Unions and Owners Meet A.N.T.A. Votes Members Aqua Show" Due June 27 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1950/06/20/113162135.html?pageNumber=23 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=20 June 1950}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2| ''[[The Gioconda Smile]]'' ||rowspan=2| Henry Hutton || [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]] ||  ||rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web |title=The Gioconda Smile – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-gioconda-smile-1813#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Fulton Theatre]] ||  
|-
| 1952||''Jane'' || William Tower || [[Eugene O'Neill Theatre|Coronet Theatre]] ||  || <ref>{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Brooks |title=S. N. BEHRMAN'S 'JANE'; Edna Best and Basil Rathbone Playing in a Theatre Guild Production |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/02/02/84300754.html?pageNumber=10 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=2 February 1952}}</ref> 
|-
| 1953||''Sherlock Holmes'' || Sherlock Holmes || [[New Century Theatre]] || written by [[Ouida Bergère]] || <ref>{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Brooks |title=AT THE THEATRE; Basil Rathbone Plays 'Sherlock Holmes' in a Detective Drama Written by His Wife |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/10/31/83739351.html?pageNumber=11 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=31 October 1953}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|1957||''Hide and Seek'' || Sir Roger Johnson || [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]] || || <ref>{{cite web |title=Hide and Seek – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/hide-and-seek-2626#OpeningNightCast |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Witness for the Prosecution (play)|Witness for the Prosecution]]'' || performer || Cape Playhouse || || <ref name=cph />
|-
| 1959||''J.B.'' || Mr Zuss || [[ANTA Playhouse]] || replacement || <ref>{{cite web |title=J.B. – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/jb-2725#Replacements |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Alistair |first= Rupert |title= The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age |chapter= Basil Rathbone |pages= 218–220 |date= 2018 |edition= First |type= softcover |publisher= Independently published |location= Great Britain |isbn = 978-1-7200-3837-5}}
* {{cite book |editor-last= Parker |editor-first= John |title= The Dramatic List; Who's Who in the Theatre; A Biographical Record of the Contemporary Stage |url= https://archive.org/details/dramaticlistwhos007920mbp |url-access= limited |pages= [https://archive.org/details/dramaticlistwhos007920mbp/page/n1206 1183–1184]|date= 1947 |edition= Tenth revised |type= hardcover |publisher= Sir Isaac Pitman |location= London |isbn = <!-- None -->}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|1651}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Find a Grave|855}}
* [http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/ Biography]
* {{discogs artist|Basil Rathbone}}
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/2712/basil-rathbone Basil Rathbone] at Virtual History
* [http://www.searchmytrash.com/articles/basilrathbone(11-10).shtml Basil Rathbone bio] on (re)Search my Trash

{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rathbone, Basil}}
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
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[[Category:Male actors from Johannesburg]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:People educated at Repton School]]
[[Category:Rathbone family|Basil]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures contract players]]
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