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Basil Sydney

Basil Sydney

Actor · Died January 10, 1968, aged 73 · Essex, England, UK

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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 23, 1894
Died
January 10, 1968 (aged 73)
From
Essex, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 51 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 18% in 30 days

What are Basil Sydney's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
37%
Self
19%
Bonds
17%
Power
9%
Survival
7%
Society
7%
Ideas
5%
Loyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Shadow
2 of 4
Mentor
1 of 4
Threshold guardian
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Thrilling
2
Dread
3
Melancholic
3
Romantic
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Basil Sydney's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Basil Sydney's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

51 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Thursday Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir Norman Tullis

  • Silent Evidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 6 episodes · as Dr. Martin Westlake

  • Drama 61-67 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Mourtzinos

  • A Story of David: The Hunted(1960)

    as King Saul

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Hands of Orlac(1960)

    as Maurice Seidelman

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The 3 Worlds of Gulliver(1960)

    as Emperor of Lilliput

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • No Hiding Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Devil's Disciple(1959)

    as Lawyer Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • John Paul Jones(1959)

    as Sir William Young

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • A Question of Adultery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Sir John Loring

  • Sea Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Bulldog

  • Island in the Sun(1957)

    as Julian Fleury

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Mayerling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as The Emperor Franz Joseph

  • Around the World in 80 Days(1956)

    as Reform Club Member

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Pastor Manders

  • The Dam Busters(1955)

    as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris G.C.B., O.B.E., A.F.C.

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Simba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Mr Crawford

  • Hell Below Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Bland

  • Star of India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as King Louis XIV

  • Three's Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Dr. Graham

  • Salome(1953)

    as Pontius Pilate

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Ivanhoe(1952)

    as Waldemar Fitzurse

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as William Fox-Talbot

  • Treasure Island(1950)

    as Captain Smollett

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Angel with the Trumpet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Francis Alt

  • Hamlet(1948)

    as Claudius - The King

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Jassy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Nick Helmar

  • The Man Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Sir Henry Merriman

  • Meet Me at Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Georges Vermorel

  • Caesar and Cleopatra(1945)

    as Rufio

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Went the Day Well?(1942)

    as Major Hammond / Kommandant Orlter

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Next of Kin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Naval captain

  • The Black Sheep of Whitehall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Costello

  • Ships with Wings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Capt. Fairfax

  • The Farmer's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Samuel Sweetland

  • Spring Meeting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as James

  • Bits of Our Aircraft Are Missing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as (uncredited)

  • The Secret Four(1939)

    as Frank Snell

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Accused (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Eugene Roget

  • Talk of the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Actor

  • Crime Over London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as 'Joker' Finnigan

  • Rhodes of Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Dr. Jim Jameson

  • The Amateur Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Louis Chichester

  • Blind Man's Bluff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Dr. Peter Fairfax

  • The Tunnel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mostyn

  • The Riverside Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Inspector Philip Winton

  • Dirty Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Hugh Stafford

  • The Third Clue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Reinhardt Conway

  • The Midshipmaid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Cmdr. Fosberry

  • Red Hot Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Rowland Stone

  • Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 51 titles from 1920 to 1964.

Biggest box office

Treasure Island (1950)

$4.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Went the Day Well? (1942)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Treasure Island (1950)

Film career

Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.

  • 1935Screen debut· The Tunnel

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting51 of 51: 51 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59th

By decade

1920s2 · acting1930s12 · acting1940s12 · acting1950s19 · acting1960s6 · acting

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Basil Sydney's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 15 titles divides audiences: 8 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most loved · actor

Went the Day Well? (1942)

Midcredits 92nd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Basil Sydney's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Profanity3 titlesmedian 12 · minimalMedian of all films: 36

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Basil Sydney work with?

People who share at least 2 of Basil Sydney's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Bernard Shaw shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers