In the
1940s, actor Basil Rathbone
was Sherlock Holmes, with 15 movies for both
20th Century Fox and
Universal, and 242
radio broadcasts as the
detective between
1939 and
1946. But before he got there, audiences already knew him as one of
cinema’s most brilliant
swordsman, (back in the days when actors knew
swordplay, and didn't need editing to make them look good) in roles such as Sir Guy of Gisbourne in
The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Levasseur in
Captain Blood, and Captain Esteban Pasquale in
The Mark of Zorro .
Born Philip St. John Basil Rathbone in 1892 in Johannesburg, South Africa,
His theatre career began in 1911, and made his debut with the New Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon in 1912.
During World War I he served with the London Scottish &
Liverpool Scottish regiments. He moved to Hollywood in the 1930s. As a film actor, Rathbone was nominated twice for Best Supporting Actor, for his
performance as Tybalt in
Romeo and Juliet (1936) and for the role of Louis XI in If I Were King (1938). Though he appeared in 86 films during his career, it was difficult for him to get screen parts after the Sherlock Holmes films-- he was too closely associated with the role. But he could still wield a sword (Check out the duel with Danny Kaye in The Court Jester (1956)). He died July 21, 1967, in New York.