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Common Knowledge

Legal name: Rathbone, Philip St. John Basil
Birthdate: 1892-06-13
Date of death: 1967-07-21
Gender: male
Education: Repton School, Derbyshire, England, UK
Occupations: actor
Organizations: British Army (WWI)
Awards and honors: Tony Award (Best Actor in a Play, 1948)
Military Cross
Agent: Bertha Klausner
Short biography: Basil Rathbone 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. His most famous role, however, was the heroic one of Sherlock Holmes. He portrayed the great detective in a total of 14 Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946 and also in a radio series. His later career included Broadway, television, and spoken word recordings. In 1948, he won a Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance as Dr. Austin Sloper in the original production of The Heiress. Rathbone served with distinction as an intelligence officer in World War I, in which his brother was killed. This experience contributed to his decision to remain a British subject even though he lived in the USA for many years.
Nationality: UK
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Places of residence: Hollywood, California, USA
England, UK
Place of death: New York, New York, USA
Burial location: Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York, USA (Shrine of Memories Mausoleum)

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NickHowes 365 reviews

In and Out of Character by Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone recalls his life starting from his first few years in South Africa, then on to his upbringing in England, and his career on stage and in film, most notably as what some today still regard as the best Sherlock Holmes. (I must admit, my favorite has shifted to Benedict Cummerbatch, but Rathbone is a close second.) In his account, Rathbone disposes of much of his movie career in one chapter and Sherlock Holmes gets another chapter. Throughout he manages to relate interesting show more anecdotes, including a couple extended stories he folds into the mix, including one about a perfect butler who worked for him until arrested over his sideline as a holdup artist - the butler served his time, went straight, and died in the Battle of Britain. Rathbone also shares his observations on acting as well as modern entertainment media. One wonders what he would think of the flood of (non) reality TV. At the end, he accepts his idleness in later years as something that happens to actors and begins making the rounds with a one-man show which he reveals was pioneered by Charles Laughton. His hobby was fencing and a friend of mine who attended one of Rathbone's presentations said Rathbone claimed he could've cut Errol Flynn to pieces in Captain Blood or Robin Hood. Although he doesn't mention that here, I've heard it elsewhere, also. Another tidbit he doesn't mention, but fencing hobbyist Rathbone crossed swords with Tyrone Power, son of the female fencing champion of Ohio, in The Mark of Zorro, another favorite A quick read, quite enjoyable, with a nice selection of black and white photos. show less

Dec 17, 2015