Basil Rathbone

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Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone Signed Photo from the Movie “Rio” - 1939

Origial vintage black and white glossy photograph signed by Basil Rathbone, featuring a scene from his 1939 Universal film Rio, directed by John Brahm. Large, bold signature in black; slight tear at top left edge and minor folds otherwise very good condition given its age.

PHILIP ST. JOHN BASIL RATHBONE, MC (1892-1967) was a South African-born British actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers and, occasionally, horror films.

Rathbone frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters, such as Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935) and Sir Guy of Gisbourne in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). His most famous role, however, was heroic—that of Sherlock Holmes in fourteen Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946 and in a radio series. His later career included roles on Broadway, as well as self-ironic film and television work. He received a Tony Award in 1948 as Best Actor in a Play. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards and won three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

FILM SYNOPSIS
French financier Paul Reynard (Basil Rathbone) is sentenced to a ten-year term in a South American penal colony for bank fraud. His wife Irene (Sihrid Gurie) and Paul’s faithful servant Dirk (Victor McLaglen) travel to Rio de Janeiro to arrange for Paul’s escape. But once she’s landed in the Brazilian capital, Irene falls in love with American engineer Bill Gregory (Robert Cummings). After his escape Paul realizes that he’s lost his wife forever to a better man. Seeking revenge, he prepares to shoot Bill in cold blood, but Dirk intervenes and kills Reynard instead.