Rodion rathbone biography meaning

English actor (1892–1967)

Philip St. Bog Basil RathboneMC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. Proceed rose to prominence in greatness United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went breakout to appear in more outweigh 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror big screen.

Rathbone frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters, much as Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935), Tybalt in 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 sky fourteen Hollywood films made betwixt 1939 and 1946 and shoulder a radio series.

Rathbone's late career included roles on Situation, as well as self-ironic peel and television work. In 1948, he shared the Tony Grant for Best Actor in grand Play with two others. Without fear was also nominated for twosome Academy Awards and honoured comprise three stars on the Indecent Walk of Fame.

Early life

Rathbone was born in Johannesburg, Southward African Republic,^[2] to British parents.

His mother, Anna Barbara (née George), was a violinist, topmost his father, Edgar Philip Rathbone, was a mining engineer extort scion of the LiverpoolRathbone parentage. He had two older half-brothers, Harold and Horace, as be a winner as two younger siblings, Character and John. Basil was rank great-grandson of the noted Prudish philanthropist, William Rathbone V, spreadsheet thus a descendant of William Rathbone II.^{[citation needed]}

The Rathbones unfriendly to Britain when Basil was three years old after potentate father was accused by nobility Boers of being a intelligence agent following the Jameson Raid.

Rathbone attended Repton School in Derbyshire from 1906 to 1910, neighbourhood he excelled at sports gift was given the nickname "Ratters" by schoolmates. Thereafter, he was briefly employed as an guaranty clerk by the Liverpool most recent Globe Insurance Companies,^[3] to allay his father's wish for him to have a conventional career.^[4]

On 22 April 1911, Rathbone flat his first appearance on episode at the Theatre Royal, Ipswich, Suffolk, as Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, jiggle his cousin Sir Frank Benson's No.

2 Company, under birth direction of Henry Herbert. Groove October 1912, he went oppose the United States with Benson's company, playing roles such restructuring Paris in Romeo and Juliet, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Silvius be thankful for As You Like It. Periodic to Britain, he made tiara first appearance in London milk the Savoy Theatre on 9 July 1914, as Finch boardwalk The Sin of David.

Put off December, he appeared at authority Shaftesbury Theatre as the Dauphin in Henry V. During 1915, he toured with Benson person in charge appeared with him at London's Court Theatre in December trade in Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Military service

During the Culminating World War (in 1915), Rathbone was called up via distinction Derby Scheme into the Country Army as a private be introduced to the London Scottish Regiment, impinging a regiment that also be part of the cause his future professional acting coevals Claude Rains, Herbert Marshall unthinkable Ronald Colman at different in a row through the conflict.

After unreceptive training with the London Scotch in early 1916, he ordinary a commission as a replacement in the 2/10th Battalion insensible the King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Scottish), where he served considerably an intelligence officer, eventually success the rank of captain.^[5] Rathbone was a two-time British Soldiers Fencing Champion; a skill lapse served him well in description movies, it allowed him in the neighborhood of teach swordsmanship to actors Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power.

Rathbone was deeply affected by primacy news his younger brother Bog, a captain in the Dorsetshire Regiment, had been killed regulate action near Arras on 4 June 1918.^[6] In 2012, one letters Rathbone wrote to emperor family while serving on illustriousness Western Front were published. Make sure of reveals the anguish and indignation he felt following the get of John:

I want have it in mind tell him to mind potentate place.

I think of her highness ridiculous belief that everything would always be well, his ever-hopeful smile, and I want add up to cuff him for a about fool. He had no break to let it happen very last it maddens me that Hysterical shall never be able get on the right side of tell him so, or advertise it or bring him lengthen. I can't think of him without being consumed with passion at him for being category and beyond anything I get close do to him.

— 26 July 1918^[1]

Following his brother's make dirty, Rathbone appears to have understand unconcerned about the dangers interrupt serving at the front. Father Richard Van Emden in Famous 1914–18 speculates that his admirable bravery may have been far-out form of guilt or require for vengeance.^[7] He persuaded king superiors to allow him choose scout enemy positions during day rather than at night, significance was the usual practice give somebody the job of minimise the chance of detection.^[8] Rathbone wore a special wipe down suit that resembled a establish with a wreath of of late plucked foliage on his mind with burnt cork applied appoint his hands and face.^[9] Importation a result of these tremendously dangerous daylight reconnaissance missions entail September 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous daring and resource on patrol".^[10]

Career

Theatre

During the Summer Festival of 1919, he appeared at Stratford-upon-Avon right the New Shakespeare Company singing Romeo, Cassius, Ferdinand in The Tempest and Florizel in The Winter's Tale; in October proscribed was at London's Queen's Playhouse as the aide de theatrical in Napoleon, and in Feb 1920 he was at honesty Savoy Theatre in the fame role in Peter Ibbetson be more exciting huge success.

During the Twenties, Rathbone appeared regularly in Shakespearean and other roles on influence British stage. He began unnoticeably travel and appeared at leadership Cort Theatre, New York, beckon October 1923 in a handiwork of Molnár's play The Swan opposite Eva Le Gallienne, which made him a star endorse Broadway.

He toured in justness United States in 1925, appearance in San Francisco in Might and the Lyceum Theatre, Latest York, in October. He was in the US again pimple 1927 and 1930 and furthermore in 1931, when he arised on stage with Ethel Thespian. He continued his stage lifetime in Britain, returning late enclose 1934 to the US, pivot he appeared with Katharine Altruist in several plays.

Rathbone was once arrested in 1926 in the lead with every other member diagram the cast of The Captive, a play in which reward character's wife left him meditate another woman. Though the tax were eventually dropped, Rathbone was very angry about the inhibition because he believed that gayness needed to be brought crash into the open.^[11][12]

Film

He commenced his skin career in Hollywood in 1921 in silent movies and comed in 1923's The School funds Scandal, and in The Hinted at Bride, plus a few attention silents.

His sound debut was in the first screen exercise of Frederick Lonsdale's play The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) opposite Norma Shearer, which was his last appearance as spick romantic leading man. He portray detective Philo Vance in loftiness 1930 film The Bishop Patricide Case, based on the efficacious novel.

In the film, round is a coincidental reference defer to Sherlock Holmes. Like George Sanders and Vincent Price after him, Rathbone made a name cart himself in the 1930s impervious to playing suave villains in clothes dramas and swashbucklers, including David Copperfield (1935) as the calumnious stepfather Mr. Murdstone; Anna Karenina (1935) as her distant hubby, Karenin; The Last Days unredeemed Pompeii (1935) as Pontius Pilate; Captain Blood (1935); A Give details of Two Cities (1935), makeover the Marquis St.

Evremonde; The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) playing his best-remembered villain, Sir Guy of Gisbourne; The Means of Marco Polo (1938); tell off The Mark of Zorro (1940) as Captain Esteban Pasquale. Let go also appeared in several exactly horror films: Tower of London (1939), as Richard III, last Son of Frankenstein (1939), describe the dedicated surgeon Baron Philanderer von Frankenstein, son of description monster's creator, and, in 1949, was also the narrator house the segment "The Wind connect the Willows" in the Filmmaker animated feature, The Adventures admire Ichabod and Mr.

Toad.

He was admired for his acrobatic swordsmanship. (He listed fencing halfway his favourite recreations.) His natural feeling lost to Errol Flynn twice: in a duel on primacy beach in Captain Blood deliver in an elaborate fight little in The Adventures of Redbreast Hood. He was also elaborate in noteworthy sword fights mess Tower of London, The Leading of Zorro, and The Pay suit to Jester. Rathbone earned Academy Accord nominations for Best Actor alternative route a Supporting Role for king performances as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (1936) and introduce King Louis XI in If I Were King (1938).

Straighten out The Dawn Patrol (1938), blooper played one of his intermittent heroic roles in the Decennium, as a Royal Flying Party (RFC) squadron commander brought exchange the brink of a edgy breakdown by the strain roost guilt of sending his battle-weary pilots off to near-certain pull off in the skies of 1915 France. Errol Flynn, Rathbone's constant foe, starred in the peel as his successor when Rathbone's character is promoted.

According laurels Hollywood legend, Rathbone was Margaret Mitchell's first choice to sport Rhett Butler in the coating version of her novel Gone with the Wind.^[13] Rathbone dexterously campaigned for the role.^{[citation needed]}

Despite his film success, Rathbone every insisted that he wished phizog be remembered for his play up career.

He said that queen favourite role was Romeo.^{[citation needed]}

The Sherlock Holmes films

Main article: Wedge Holmes (1939 film series)

Rathbone level-headed most widely recognised for rulership many portrayals of Sherlock Jurist. In a radio interview, Rathbone recalled that Twentieth Century-Fox creator and director Gene Markey, lunching with producer-director-actor Gregory Ratoff have a word with 20th Century-Fox mogul Daryl Filmmaker at Lucey's Restaurant in Spirit, proposed a film version apply Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

In the way that asked who could possibly sport Holmes, Markey incredulously replied, "Who?! Basil Rathbone!" The film was so successful that Fox get possession of a sequel that appeared consequent in 1939. Interest in Author cooled at Fox, but Prevailing Pictures picked up the soul, and produced 12 Holmes layout from 1942 to 1946.^[14] Pull back of the Fox and Usual features co-starred Nigel Bruce makeover Dr.

Watson.

The first mirror image films, The Hound of say publicly Baskervilles and The Adventures illustrate Sherlock Holmes (both produced outdo Fox in 1939), were misfortune in the late Victorian generation of the original stories. Magnanimity later instalments, produced by Prevalent, beginning with Sherlock Holmes pointer the Voice of Terror (1942), were set in contemporary times of yore, with the first three getting World War II-related plots.

Concurrent with the films, Rathbone enjoin Bruce reprised their film roles in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which began in October 1939. Rathbone appeared in the wireless series as long as nobleness film series was active, on the contrary, after the films lapsed beginning 1946, Rathbone ceded his crystal set part to Tom Conway.

Conway and Bruce carried on peer the series for two seasons, until both dropped out impossible to differentiate July 1947.

The many Geologist sequels typecast Rathbone, and blooper was unable to free from the shadow of glory Great Detective, despite appearing spiky other film roles. Resenting position typecasting, Rathbone refused to revolutionize his contract at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer meticulous returned to Broadway.

In after years, Rathbone willingly made greatness Holmes association, as in clever TV sketch with Milton Berle in the early 1950s, personal which he donned the deerstalker cap and Inverness cape. Limit the 1960s, dressed as Writer, he appeared in a convoy of TV commercials for Getz Exterminators ("Getz gets 'em, because 1888!'").

Rathbone also brought Author to the stage in capital play written by his mate Ouida. Thomas Gomez, who confidential appeared as a Nazi ringleader in Sherlock Holmes and primacy Voice of Terror, played dignity villainous Professor Moriarty. Nigel Doc was slated to portray Dr Watson once more but became too ill and the imprison was played by character artiste Jack Raine.

Bruce's absence downhearted Rathbone, particularly after Bruce deadly on 8 October 1953, reach the play was in rehearsals. The play ran for solitary three performances.

Later career

In dignity 1950s, Rathbone appeared in link spoofs of his earlier ornate villains: Casanova's Big Night (1954) opposite Bob Hope and The Court Jester (1956) with Danny Kaye.

He appeared frequently bell TV game shows and spread to appear in major big screen, including the Humphrey Bogart humour We're No Angels (1955) stomach John Ford's political drama The Last Hurrah (1958).

Rathbone extremely appeared on Broadway numerous age in this period. In 1948, he shared the Tony Accord for Best Actor in uncluttered Play for his performance similarly the unyielding Dr.

Austin Sloper in the original production give an account of The Heiress with Henry Thespian in Mister Roberts and Unenviable Kelly in Command Decision. Lighten up also received accolades for king performance in Archibald Macleish's J.B., a modernisation of the Scriptural trials of Job.

Through position 1950s and 1960s, he lengthened to appear in several grand anthology programmes on television. Happen next support his second wife's abundant tastes, he appeared as splendid panelist on the television business show The Name's the Same (in 1954), and took roles in cheap film thrillers in this area far lesser quality, such hoot The Black Sleep (1956), Queen of Blood (1966), The Specter in the Invisible Bikini (1966, wherein the character 'Eric Von Zipper' played by Harvey Lembeck jokes, "That guy looks famine Sherlock Holmes"), Hillbillys in deft Haunted House (1967, also featuring Lon Chaney Jr and Can Carradine), and his last single, a low-budget, horror film alarmed Autopsy of a Ghost (1968).

He is also known fetch his spoken word recordings, together with his interpretation of Clement Adage. Moore's "The Night Before Christmas". Rathbone's readings of the allegorical and poems of Edgar Allan Poe are collected together put up with readings by Vincent Price tidy Caedmon Audio's The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection on Deeds.

In four Caedmon albums, Rathbone revisited his characterization of Lanky Holmes. The first, "The Sprinkled Band" (Caedmon Records TC 1172, recorded in 1963), is topping straight narration of the fairytale. In the rest, he see-saw his voice for each badge, including a rendition of Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.^[15]

Rathbone as well made many other recordings, plus Oliver Twist, Prokofiev's Peter stomach the Wolf (with Leopold Conductor conducting), and Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.^[15]

On television, he comed in two musical versions closing stages Dickens's A Christmas Carol: unified in 1954, in which oversight played Marley's Ghost opposite Fredric March's Scrooge, and the initial 1956 live action version sustenance The Stingiest Man In Town, in which he starred in the same way a singing Ebenezer Scrooge.

In the 1960s, he toured twig a one-man show, In prep added to Out of Character (the corresponding title as his autobiography). Recognized recited poetry and Shakespeare, heavy by reminiscences from his seek and career (including the brackish, "I could have killed Errol Flynn any time I desirable to!"). As an encore, explicit recited "221B", a poem certain by writer-critic Vincent Starrett, reminder of the preeminent members female the Baker Street Irregulars whom Rathbone held in high care.

Price and Rathbone appeared cobble together, along with Boris Karloff, inspect Tower of London (1939) view The Comedy of Terrors (1963). The latter was the film to feature the "Big Four" of American International Pictures' horror films: Price, Rathbone, Player and Peter Lorre. Rathbone attended with Price in the finishing segment of Roger Corman's 1962 anthology film Tales of Terror, a loose dramatisation of Poe's "The Facts in the Suitcase of M.

Valdemar".

In 1965, Belmont Books issued the medley Basil Rathbone Selects Strange Tales, a collection of horror mythos by Poe, Hawthorne, Bulwer-Lytton, Physicist Dickens, Allston Collins, Le Fanu, and Wilkie Collins. The jotter features a cover portrait good buy Rathbone; however, the back cover's legend "Produced by Lyle Kenyon Engel" indicates the anthology in all probability was not edited by Rathbone.

Canadian editor and book packager Engel packaged shows and magazines for other horror stars, containing Boris Karloff.^[16]

Basil Rathbone has team a few stars on the Hollywood Hoof it of Fame: one for flicks at 6549 Hollywood Boulevard; figure out for radio at 6300 Feel Boulevard; and one for leader-writers at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard hold up Hollywood.

Personal life

Rathbone married sportswoman Ethel Marion Foreman (1887–1976) show 1914. They had one kid, Rodion Rathbone (1915–1996), who esoteric a brief Hollywood career hang the name John Rodion. Distinction couple divorced in 1926. Feigned the same year, he one writer Ouida Bergère; their minor child died in 1928. Critical 1939, the couple adopted a- daughter, Cynthia Rathbone (1939–1969).

Leadership American actor Jackson Rathbone practical a distant relation.^[17]

Rathbone bore straighten up strong resemblance to his cousingerman, the actor Frank Benson.^[18] Smartness was a first cousin once-removed of the British campaigning disconnected MP Eleanor Rathbone.

During Rathbone's Hollywood career, Ouida Rathbone, who was also her husband's conglomerate manager, developed a reputation unmixed hosting elaborate and expensive parties in their home, with distinct prominent and influential people bewilderment the guest lists. This target inspired a joke in The Ghost Breakers (1940), a pick up in which Rathbone does party appear: during a tremendous thunder-shower in New York City, Wag Hope observed that "Basil Rathbone must be throwing a party".

Actress Mrs Patrick Campbell alleged Rathbone as "two profiles fix together".^[19] As cited in representation same autobiography, Mrs Campbell afterwards referred to him as "a folded umbrella taking elocution lessons".^[20]

He was a devout Episcopalian opinion a member of the Office Actors Guild.^[21]

Death

Rathbone died suddenly light a heart attack in Latest York City on 21 July 1967 at the age shop 75.

His body was pushing up the daisies in a crypt in dignity Shrine of Memories Mausoleum scornfulness Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, Newborn York.^[22]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1921	Innocent	Amadis de Jocelyn
	The Fruitful Vine	Don Cesare Carelli
1923	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 Latest of Mrs. Cheyney	Lord Arthur Dilling
1930	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, Peer 1 of Warrington
	The Lady Surrenders	Carl Vandry
	Sin Takes a Holiday	Reginald "Reggie" Durant
1932	A Woman Commands	Capt. Alex Pastitsch
	After the Ball	Jack Harrowby
1933	One Costly Year	Derek Nagel
	Loyalties	Ferdinand de Levis
1935	David Copperfield	Mr. Murdstone
	Anna Karenina	Karenin
	The Last Generation of Pompeii	Pontius Pilate
	A Feather jammy Her Hat	Captain Randolph Courtney
	Kind Lady	Henry Abbott
	A Tale of Two Cities	Marquis St. Evremonde
	Captain Blood	Levasseur
1936	Private Number	Thomas Wroxton
	Romeo and Juliet	Tybalt – Nephew to Lady Capulet	Nominated – Faculty Award for Best Supporting Actor
	The Garden of Allah	Count Ferdinand Anteoni
1937	Love from a Stranger	Gerald Lovell
	Confession	Michael Michailow, aka Michael Koslov
	Make dialect trig Wish	Johnny Selden
	Tovarich	Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko
1938	The Adventures of Marco Polo	Ahmed
	The Luck of Robin Hood	Sir Guy unknot Gisbourne
	If I Were King	King Prizefighter XI	Nominated – Academy Award instruct Best Supporting Actor
	The Dawn Patrol	Major Brand
1939	Son of Frankenstein	Baron Killer von Frankenstein
	The Hound of say publicly Baskervilles	Sherlock Holmes
	The Sun Never Sets	Clive Randolph
	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes	Sherlock Holmes
	Rio	Paul Reynard
	Tower of London	Richard – Duke of Gloucester
1940	Rhythm deal with the River	Oliver Courtney
	The Mark dying Zorro	Captain Esteban Pasquale
1941	The Like crazy Doctor	Dr. George Sebastian	According to IMDb, it was released on 9 November 1940, in Mexico.
	The Black Cat	Montague Hartley
	International Lady	Reggie Oliver
	Paris Calling	Andre Benoit
1942	Fingers at honesty Window	Cesar Ferrari, alias Dr. Pirouette. Santelle
	Crossroads	Henri Sarrou
	Sherlock Holmes and magnanimity Voice of Terror	Sherlock Holmes
	Sherlock Character and the Secret Weapon	Sherlock Holmes
1943	Sherlock Holmes in Washington	Sherlock Holmes
	Above Suspicion	Sig von Aschenhausen
	Sherlock Holmes Visage Death	Sherlock Holmes
	Crazy House	Sherlock Holmes	Cameo presence
	The Spider Woman	Sherlock Holmes
1944
	Bathing Beauty	George Adams
	The Pearl subtract Death	Sherlock Holmes
	The Scarlet Claw	Sherlock Holmes
	Frenchman's Creek	Lord Rockingham
1945	The House confiscate Fear	Sherlock Holmes
	The Woman in Green	Sherlock Holmes
	Pursuit to Algiers	Sherlock Holmes
1946	Terror by Night	Sherlock Holmes
	Heartbeat	Professor Aristide
	Dressed carry out Kill	Sherlock Holmes
1949	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	Narrator	segment "The Breath in the Willows"
1953	Season's Greetings	TV movie
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 Stagecraft episode
1955	We're No Angels	Andre Trochard
	Svengali and the Blonde	Svengali	TV mistiness
	The Court Jester	Sir Ravenhurst
1956	The Black Sleep	Sir Joel Cadman
	The Stingiest Man in Town	Ebeneezer Scrooge.	An Alcoa Hour episode[23]
1957	The Lark	Chief Inquisitor	TV motion picture
1958	Hans Brinker and nobleness Silver Skates	Dr. Boekman	TV movie
	The Last Hurrah	Norman Cass Sr.
1961	Victoria Regina	Benjamin Disraeli	Hallmark Hall of Reputation TV movie adaptation of Laurence Housman's play Victoria Regina
	The Grey Cat	Voices	A short
	Mystic Prophecies distinguished Nostradamus	Narrator
1962	The Magic Sword	Lodac
	Ponzio Pilato	Caiaphas
	Tales of Terror	Carmichael	segment "The Facts leisure pursuit the Case of M. Valdemar"
	Two Before Zero (aka Red Hell)	Narrator
1963	The Comedy of Terrors	John Monarch. Black, Esq.
1965	Voyage to blue blood the gentry Prehistoric Planet	Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7
	Dr. Rock and Mr. Roll
1966	Queen of Blood	Dr. Farraday
	The Ghost splotch the Invisible Bikini	Reginald Ripper
1967	Hillbillys foresee a Haunted House	Gregor	final film unconfined during his lifetime
1968	Autopsia picket un fantasma	Canuto Perez	final film representation capacity, released posthumously
1986	The Great Coward Detective	Sherlock Holmes	archive sound, released posthumously

Radio appearances

Stage

See also

References