Growing Up
 Philip St. John Basil Rathbone's life began on
June 13, 1892, in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1895 his family had to flee to escape the
Boers because Rathbone's father was accused of being a British spy. In his autobiography
Rathbone admits that he doesn't know whether or not his father really was a spy--he had
never asked his father! What is known is that his father, Edgar Philip Rathbone, was a
mining engineer, and his mother, Anna Barbara Rathbone, a violinist. Basil was the eldest
of three children. He had a younger sister Beatrice and a younger brother John.
 Rathbone grew up in England and attended the Repton School*
from 1906-1910. More interested in sports than studying, Rathbone (called
"Ratters" by his friends) excelled in sports. While at school, he developed a
love of the theater. When he left school, he told his father he wanted to make the theater
his profession. His father persuaded him to agree to work for one year at an insurance company
(and hoped that Rathbone would forget about the theater.) After the obligatory year,
Rathbone visited his cousin Frank Benson, an accomplished actor and manager of his own
company. Cousin Frank gave him a job, but did not bestow favors upon him. Rathbone had to
learn acting and earn the good parts. Rathbone started acting in the No. 2 company, but by
1913 he had been promoted to the #1 company and was playing all the juvenile leads.
*To learn more about Repton School,
visit www.repton.org.uk/.
Marriage
While acting in various Shakespeare plays with Frank Benson's company, Rathbone met
and fell in love with a fellow performer, Marion Foreman. They married in October of 1914,
and the following July their son Rodion was born.
Early in 1916 Rathbone left the stage to join World War I. He
last saw his mother when he said goodbye to her at Victoria Station. She died in 1917.
World War I
 Rathbone served
Great Britain as a
captain, an intelligence officer, with the
Liverpool Scottish, second battalion in World War I, and his younger brother John died in
that war. In an interview with Edward R. Murrow in 1957, Rathbone related
the story of how he disguised himself as a tree to get near the enemy camp
to obtain information. "I went to my commanding officer and I said
that I thought we'd get a great deal more information from the enemy if we
didn't fool around in the dark so much . . . and I asked him whether I
could go out in daylight. I think he thought we were a little crazy. . .
. I said we'd go out camouflaged -- made up as trees -- with
branches sticking out of our heads and arms . . . . We brought back an
awful lot of information, and a few prisoners, too." Basil Rathbone
received the British Military Cross for outstanding bravery. (Click
here to read his citation from the London Gazette.) Rathbone's service to
Britain and his brother's sacrifice contributed to his
decision later on in his life to remain a British subject even though he had been living
in the United States for many years.
Early Career
After his return from WWI, Rathbone's theatre career picked up and he performed in
Stratford on Avon, and in London. His marriage, however, broke up. Rathbone chose not to
reveal why this happened--it just did. He left Marion and set up house on his own.
Although he was not making much money, Rathbone struggled to pay for two households. He
did not want his wife and son to suffer financially because of his decision to leave them.
During this time Rathbone wrestled with a sense of guilt with regard to his son. He
writes: "Self-condemnation fought bitterly with self- justification, and there was no
one to turn to and talk with about such intimate personal matters. ... my son was missing
his father." (In and Out of Character, page 17)
Henry Daniell (who later played Moriarty in "The Woman in Green," one of the
Sherlock Holmes films) was a fellow actor at that time. Rathbone acted in
many
Shakespeare plays then, and loved many different women.
New York
The next phase of Basil Rathbone's career began in 1923, when he came to New York City
to perform in "The Swan." In November of that year, Rathbone met Ouida Bergere,
a scriptwriter. They fell in love and made plans to marry. Before that could happen,
however, Rathbone needed to get a divorce from Marion Foreman. He traveled back to England
for that purpose, and also saw his father for the last time. Rathbone's father died on
June 13, 1924.
Basil and Ouida were married on April 18, 1926, in
New York. Their marriage was by all accounts a very happy one, and lasted until Rathbone's
death in 1967. They shared a love of reading books and watching boxing. Both of them
thought that Sugar Ray Robinson was wonderful. Basil was also a baseball fan and an
enthusiastic golfer. Although he tried, Rathbone never succeeded in getting Ouida
interested in golf.
 The Rathbones
also shared a love of dogs. Pictured to the right is Basil with his favorite dog Moritz.
In his biography of Basil Rathbone, Michael Druxman relates an amusing story about Moritz:
"One evening, Rathbone was walking with the dog along New York's 46th street, when
Moritz, unable to find a lamp post, decided to relieve himself on the leg of a woman
pedestrian. Basil, red-faced and at a loss for words, could barely sputter out an apology.
Luckily, the woman was so impressed at meeting Basil Rathbone, that she told him to forget
the whole matter and went on her way." (Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films,
page 25-26)
From Theater to Films
During the 1920s most of Basil Rathbone's work was in the theater. Many of his
Broadway roles were that of the suave, sophisticated seducer of women--so different from
the Baker Street detective he played later in his career! One of these plays, "The
Captive," caused Rathbone to be arrested. Rathbone was cast in the role of Jacques, a
young man engaged to be married. In the play Jacques discovers that his fiancée is in
love with someone else--a woman! Since homosexuality was such a controversial topic during
the 1920s, the entire cast was charged with offending public morals, and the play was
closed. The charges were eventually dropped, but Rathbone was very angry about the
censorship. He and many others involved with the play felt that "The Captive"
was a great play, which addressed an issue important to society, something people needed
to know about.
Rathbone made eight films during the 1920s. "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney" was a
great success in 1929 and made film producers sit up and take notice of Rathbone. He was
in demand for several films after that and also continued to do stage plays in the early
1930s. Rathbone made seven films in 1930 alone! He also made three films in England during
1933. The Rathbones and their seven dogs finally moved to Hollywood in 1935.
The Hollywood Years
The Rathbones gained a reputation for throwing lavish (and expensive!) parties, which
the biggest stars in Hollywood attended. At one such party Errol Flynn got drunk, followed
a young lady home and passed out on her living room sofa. Later that night, the woman's
father brought the unconscious Flynn back to the Rathbone's house and dumped him on the
lawn.
"The next morning, Basil and Ouida were having breakfast on the patio, when the
gardener turned on the sprinklers. Who should spring up from the grass, but a hung-over
Errol Flynn. The Rathbones sat--mouths agape--as Errol bid them a cheery 'Good morning,'
then departed for home." (quoted in Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films,
page 21)
Rathbone made many great films during the 1930s. In most of them he played the role of
the villain, including one of his best-known roles: Sir Guy of Gisbourne
("The Adventures of Robin Hood"). The swashbuckling adventure roles were the
most fun for Rathbone, and he trained to become an accomplished swordsman.
"I enjoyed swordsmanship more than anything because it was beautiful. I
thought it was a wonderful exercise, a great sport. But I would not put it
under the category of sport; I would put it under the category of the arts.
I think it's tremendously skillful and very beautiful. . . . The only actor
I actually fought with on the screen was Flynn, and that's the only time I
was really scared. I wasn't scared because he was careless but because he
didn't know how to protect himself." (quoted in Castle of
Frankenstein, 1969 issue, pages 31-32)
During his film career, Rathbone was twice nominated for an Academy Award in
the category of Best Supporting Actor. One was for the role of Tybalt in "Romeo and
Juliet" and the other was for the role of the King in "If I Were King."
Both times the award went to Walter Brennan instead of to Rathbone.
| In the late
1930s, Rathbone's son Rodion joined the family in Hollywood. Ouida had made friends with
Rathbone's first wife and sought to reunite father and son. During the two years that
Rodion lived with them, he and his father became close. Rodion even appeared in two films
with his father: He played the role of Russell (a young pilot) in "The Dawn Patrol" and Lord
DeVere in "The Tower of London." When Britain entered WWII, Rodion returned to
England to serve in the military. |
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In 1939 the Rathbones adopted a baby girl named Cynthia. By all accounts, Rathbone was
a very devoted father and spent a lot of time with his daughter. When Cynthia was older
she even accompanied her father on his summer stock tours. |
The War Years
In 1939 England declared war on Germany. Rathbone wished to serve his country, but due
to his age (47), the war office in London turned him down. So, Basil spent the war years
serving as President of the Los Angeles chapter of British War Relief and also the War
Chest Executive Committee. He also founded the RAF Benevolent Fund and
helped organize the United Nations War Relief. Rathbone entertained troops in California,
visited army hospitals, and volunteered his help in
the Hollywood Canteen.
 1939 was also the year that Basil Rathbone made his
first Sherlock Holmes film: "The
Hound of the Baskervilles." After making the first two Holmes films, Basil
Rathbone and Nigel Bruce began doing Sherlock Holmes stories on radio. They continued
playing Holmes and Watson on radio and in films for seven years.
After so many years, however, Rathbone grew tired of playing Sherlock Holmes and was
bored with the character. Rathbone states in his autobiography (p. 181-182) that he
yearned to create new characters rather than endlessly repeat a character he had already
created and developed. (Personally, I find this statement difficult to understand, coming
from a man who loved acting in the theater. In a play the actor repeats not only the character, but
also the story and the same lines night after night for as long as the play runs. I would find
that boring.) Rathbone was also annoyed with the character of Holmes: "His perpetual
seeming assumption of infallibility; his interminable success; (could he not fail just
once and prove himself a human being like the rest of us!) . . ." (In and Out of
Character, p. 182). It's just as well I never met Rathbone. We would have argued about
Sherlock Holmes. Although Sherlock Holmes triumphed in the end of the films, he did
misread clues and walk into traps. He nearly died at the hands of Moriarty several times,
and was rescued by Watson! Finally, Rathbone also stated that he felt the Sherlock Holmes
stories were dated and old-fashioned. (Old-fashioned? The stories are still enjoyed by
millions of people, young and old.)
Goodbye, Hollywood (Back to New York!)
In 1946 Rathbone's film and radio contracts expired. Although he was very successful
in films, Basil longed to return to his first love -- the theatre. So he refused to renew
his contracts, and he and Ouida moved back to New York. At first Rathbone had some
difficulty getting parts because of his identification with Sherlock Holmes. In 1947
Rathbone was offered an excellent role in "The Heiress." Rathbone found the role
of Dr. Sloper fascinating. The play was a great success on and off Broadway and Rathbone
received a Tony award for his performance. In 1949 "The Heiress" was made into a
film with Montgomery Clift and Olivia DeHavilland. Rathbone had hoped to repeat the role
of Dr. Sloper in the film and was crushed when the part went to Ralph Richardson.
In 1951 Rathbone felt ready to play Sherlock Holmes again and asked Ouida to write a
play. She wrote a play based on, and using elements from several of Conan Doyle's stories.
The play received the approval of Conan Doyle's son Adrian, and the play opened in 1953.
Unfortunately, it received mediocre reviews and closed after only three performances.
"The Heiress" was Rathbone's last major success. He continued to
appear in plays on and off Broadway throughout the 1950s. He also did television plays and
made recordings (record albums). Rathbone traveled back to Hollywood to make five films
during the 1950s. Rathbone also toured the country doing a one-man show called "An
Evening With Basil Rathbone." In these appearances, Rathbone talked to the audiences
about his experiences and gave dramatic readings.
The Last Years
Basil Rathbone made ten films during the 1960s, some of which he was not proud of,
and
appeared in only for the money. Basil loved his wife Ouida very much, but she spent his
money as fast as he made it, so he was never able to stop working. He continued to live in
New York, but kept himself busy traveling to many cities giving lectures and doing his
one-man show. The website for the Maiwand Jezails (a Scion of the Baker Street Irregulars)
has a page which describes
Basil Rathbone's
visit to the Wayne State College Campus in 1965. It's an interesting story, well worth
reading. Rathbone enjoyed visiting college campuses because the audiences were not
"highbrow."
In 1962 Rathbone wrote his autobiography In and Out of Character. When the
Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes films were shown on television in the 1960s,
Rathbone became known to the younger generation and his popularity increased. Rathbone
also continued to record albums in the 1960s, and he appeared often on television and on
the radio show "Monitor" (NBC). In April, 1963, he gave a dramatic reading at
the White House.
July 21, 1967, at age 75, Basil Rathbone passed away in his den, apparently from a
heart attack. He is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
(Read about a visit to Ferncliff
here.) In 1969, at the all-too-young age of 30, Cynthia (Basil's and Ouida's daughter) died from an
illness. Ouida died in 1974 at age 88. Rodion Rathbone
passed away in 1996 and is survived by three children: Heloise, Richard and
Dounia.
Main Sources:
Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films, by Michael B. Druxman (South Brunswick
and New York: A.S. Barnes), 1975. (out of print)
Mr. Druxman's book is well-researched and
well-written--a "must have" for every Basil Rathbone fan. The book traces the
fascinating life of the actor and provides detailed descriptions of all of Rathbone's
films, including cast, credits, critics' reviews and production notes. The book is no
longer available in bookstores or from the publisher, but Mr. Druxman is making it
available to those who want it. For more information, click the banner below:
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In and Out of Character: An Autobiography, by Basil Rathbone (New York:
Doubleday), 1956, 1962.
Basil Rathbone proves that he is as good a writer as he
was an actor. In his autobiography Rathbone reveals many facts about his personal life,
and also tells anecdotes about fellow actors and actresses he worked with. This book is
currently available. Check out Amazon.com.
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