Basil Ruysdael

Basil Ruysdael, born Basil Spaulding Millspaugh on July 24, 1878, in Jersey City, New Jersey, was an American actor, opera singer, and voice teacher whose career spanned stage, film, radio, and television. He died on October 10, 1960, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 82, following complications from surgery. He was survived by his third wife, Kathleen, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska.

The son of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Millspaugh, Ruysdael graduated from Waverly High School before enrolling at Cornell University from 1898 to 1899 as a special student in mechanical engineering. During his time there he sang with the Cornell University Glee Club. He later performed as a bass-baritone at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1910 to 1918, taking on secondary roles in the German repertoire alongside opera stars including Leo Slezak and Geraldine Farrar.

Ruysdael's Broadway career extended from 1902 to 1927 and included productions across multiple genres. His stage credits include Robin Hood (1912), Topsy and Eva (1924), The Cocoanuts (1925), and Enchanted Isle (1927), as well as The Consul and other productions. He originated the role of Detective Hennessy in the 1925 stage production of The Cocoanuts, a role he reprised in the 1929 Marx Brothers film adaptation of the same title.

In 1923, Ruysdael relocated to California to teach voice. His most prominent student was baritone Lawrence Tibbett. His film work as a character actor was extensive and included Pinky, Colorado Territory, Broken Arrow, Blackboard Jungle, The Last Hurrah, The Horse Soldiers, and Carrie, among others. In 1938 he served as narrator for The Romance of Iron and Steel, a sponsored film produced by Cinécraft Productions for the American Rolling Mill Company. His final on-screen appearance came in The Story of Ruth in 1960.

Ruysdael was also active in television. In 1955 he portrayed General Andrew Jackson in the Disney miniseries Davy Crockett. He appeared as Joseph in "The Policeman's Gun," a 1958 episode of Official Detective, and his final television role was as Henry W. Dameron in the 1959 Perry Mason episode "The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma."

His radio career was equally substantial. He narrated the NBC Blue Network series Stones of History, broadcast in 1934 and 1935, and served as announcer on a 1939 syndicated program for Rexall. In 1940 he became the commercial spokesman for DuPont on Cavalcade of America on the NBC Blue Network. By 1941 he was a representative for Lucky Strike cigarettes, which sponsored programs including Your Hit Parade, Information Please, and The Jack Benny Show. He appeared on the latter program from October 1, 1944, through November 28, 1948. Ruysdael also announced the 1944 CBS summer replacement program Mother and Dad, starring Parker Fennelly, and Radio Reader's Digest on CBS in 1946.