BS
Basil Sydney
Actor
Died January 10, 1968 (73 years)
Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit Romance by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in the 1920 silent film of the play. The couple married in 1918, and when Keane revived Romance in New York City in 1921, Sydney made his Broadway debut in the parts. He stayed in New York for over a decade playing classical roles such as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (1922), Richard Dudgeon in The Devil's Disciple (1923), the title role in Hamlet (1923), Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part I (1926), and Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew (1927).[citation needed] In 1937 he starred in the murder mystery Blondie White in the West End.
He made over 50 screen appearances, most memorably as Claudius in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet. He also appeared in classic films like Treasure Island (1950), Ivanhoe (1952), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), but the focus of his career was the stage on both sides of the Atlantic.
He made over 50 screen appearances, most memorably as Claudius in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet. He also appeared in classic films like Treasure Island (1950), Ivanhoe (1952), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), but the focus of his career was the stage on both sides of the Atlantic.
Known For
Filmography
| 1993 | Last Action Hero · as Claudius |
| 1962 | Suspense (1962) (TV Series) · as Captain Joe Turner |
| 1960 | A Story of David: The Hunted · as King Saul |
| 1960 | The Hands of Orlac · as Maurice Seidelman |
| 1960 | The 3 Worlds of Gulliver · as Emperor Of Lilliput |
| 1959 | No Hiding Place (TV Series) |
| 1959 | The Devil's Disciple · as Lawyer Hawkins |
| 1959 | John Paul Jones · as Sir William Young |
| 1958 | A Question of Infidelity · as Sir John Loring |
| 1957 | Sea Wife · as Bulldog |
| 1957 | Island in the Sun · as Julian Fleury |
| 1957 | Mayerling · as The Emperor Franz Joseph |
| 1956 | Around the World in 80 Days · as Reform Club Member |
| 1956 | Armchair Theatre (TV Series) · as Aylmer Ross |
| 1955 | ITV Play of the Week (TV Series) · as Joseph |
| 1955 | ITV Television Playhouse (TV Series) · as Gen. Sir Higson Barchard |
| 1955 | The Dam Busters · as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris G.c.b., O.b.e., A.f.c. |
| 1955 | Simba · as Mr Crawford |
| 1954 | Producers' Showcase (TV Series) · as Emperor Franz Joseph |
| 1954 | Hell Below Zero · as Bland |
| 1954 | Star of India · as King Louis Xiv |
| 1953 | Salome · as Pontius Pilate |
| 1953 | Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Presents (TV Series) · as Doctor Graham |
| 1952 | Ivanhoe · as Waldemar Fitzurse |
| 1951 | The Magic Box · as William Fox-Talbot |
| 1950 | Treasure Island · as Captain Smollett |
| 1950 | The Angel with the Trumpet · as Francis Alt |
| 1950 | Sunday Night Theatre (TV Series) · as Captain Elijah Cadman |
| 1948 | |
| 1947 | Jassy · as Nick Helmar |
| 1947 | The Smugglers · as Sir Henry Merriman |
| 1947 | Meet Me at Dawn · as Georges Vermorel |
| 1945 | Caesar and Cleopatra · as Rufio |
| 1942 | Black Sheep of Whitehall · as Costello |
| 1942 | Went the Day Well? · as Major Hammond / Kommandant Orlter |
| 1942 | The Next of Kin · as Naval Captain |
| 1942 | The Big Blockade · as Bit Part |
| 1941 | Ships with Wings · as Capt. Fairfax |
| 1941 | Three Wise Brides · as James |
| 1941 | The Farmer's Wife · as Samuel Sweetland |
| 1939 | The Secret Four · as Frank Snell |
| 1936 | |
| 1936 | Accused · as Eugene Roget |
| 1936 | The Amateur Gentleman · as Louis Chichester |
| 1936 | Rhodes · as Dr. Jim Jameson |
| 1935 | Transatlantic Tunnel · as Mostyn |
| 1935 | The Riverside Murder · as Inspector Philip Winton |
| 1934 | Dirty Work · as Hugh Stafford |
| 1932 | Midshipmaid Gob · as Cmdr. Fosberry |