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Basil Ruysdael (July 24, 1888 - October 10, 1960) was an American film actor and opera singer. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and started as a bass-baritone in the Metropolitan Opera Company from 1910 to 1918. In the World War One era, he was the leading basso at The Met, appearing with such stars as Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar. Starting in 1918, he appeared on the New York stage. He moved to California in 1923 to teach voice. His most famous pupil was opera star Lawrence Tibbett. Ruysdael appeared as Detective Hennessey in the 1929 Marx Brothers comedy The Cocoanuts. He... MORE

Basil Ruysdael (July 24, 1888 - October 10, 1960) was an American film actor and opera singer. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and started as a bass-baritone in the Metropolitan Opera Company from 1910 to 1918. In the World War One era, he was the leading basso at The Met, appearing with such stars as Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar. Starting in 1918, he appeared on the New York stage. He moved to California in 1923 to teach voice. His most famous pupil was opera star Lawrence Tibbett. Ruysdael appeared as Detective Hennessey in the 1929 Marx Brothers comedy The Cocoanuts. He also appeared in Pinky, The File on Thelma Jordon, Colorado Territory, Broken Arrow, People Will Talk, Carrie, The Violent Men, Blackboard Jungle, and The Horse Soldiers. In 1955, Ruysdael played General Andrew Jackson in the ABC miniseries Davy Crockett, broadcast on the Disneyland television series. His last on-screen role was in The Story of Ruth in 1960. His last film role was One Hundred and One Dalmatians, in which he provided a voice characterization; the film itself was released one year after his death. Ruysdael narrated the NBC Blue Network series Stones of History which was broadcast in LESS