Basil Rathbone

“I think it is a pity that we do not have a Public Defender's office to protect the rights of the poor.”

“To be a good actor you have to be something of a scholar.”

“I was never a celebrity — I was a working actor.”

“I have always felt that the essence of a great performance is to be able to make the audience believe in the character you are playing.”

“The camera is a cruel instrument.”

“My voice was my most valuable asset.”

“An actor's life is a kind of military campaign.”

“Villains are more interesting than heroes.”

“I'm afraid I'm a little old-fashioned. I still believe in good manners.”

“I wanted to be a Shakespearean actor. That was my one and only ambition.”

“The stage is a world of illusion, but it must be based on truth.”

“Type-casting is a fearsome monster.”

“I do not want to be a personality. I want to be an actor who is a personality.”

“When I'm in the theatre, I'm in heaven.”

“Sherlock Holmes has been both a blessing and a curse.”

“The most difficult thing in the world is to be yourself.”

“My thirty-seven years in motion pictures have been very rewarding.”

“I played villains because they were the best roles.”