Basil Rathbone, The Great Sherlock Holmes

Basil Rathbone was a British actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Only two actors have done justice to the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, the first Rathbone and the other Jeremy Brett. Rathbone is most widely recognized for his starring role as Sherlock Holmes in fourteen movies between 1939 and 1946, all of which co-starred Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. The first two films, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles were set in the late-Victorian times of the original stories. Later installments beginning with Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, were set in contemporary times, and some had World War II-related plots. Rathbone and Bruce also reprised their film roles in a radio series, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Basil Rathbone died of a heart attack in New York City in 1967 at age 75.