biography
Born William Henry Pratt in London, England, on November 23, 1887, actor Boris Karloff was born into a family of British diplomats. Following his secondary education
Karloff enrolled at King's College London but left the school without graduating at age 20. He drifted to Canada afterward, where he
eventually developed an interest in the stage and honed his skills as an actor while supporting himself through manual labor jobs. Fearful that his family would not
approve of his choice of vocation, he quickly changed his name to Boris Karloff to avoid embarrassing them. Following his divorce from second wife Olive, he made his film
bow in 1919 in the Pathe serial The Lightning Raider (1919; with Pearl White) and was soon appearing in films frequently. Throughout the 1920s, Karloff acted in
dozens of films but never had the breakthrough role he needed. 
But in 1931, when Bela Lugosi turned down the role of the monster in the Universal Studios film Frankenstein,
Karloff was cast and found success at age 43. Universal's horror films kept the struggling studio afloat in the difficult times of
Depression-era America. Studio executives hit upon the idea of putting their two most famous horror actors, Karloff and
Bela Lugosi, in a film to boost box office revenues. Karloff and Lugosi first costarred
in the 1934 film The Black Cat. The film was indeed a success, ensuring Karloff and Lugosi would be teamed again.
In total, they made seven films together, including The Raven (1935), The Invisible Ray (1936), and
Black Friday (1940). Their final film teaming came in the RKO release The Body Snatcher (1945).
Karloff's personal life is not as well documented as his career. Married at least six times beginning with his first brief marriage to wife Grace Harding in 1910, Karloff had no children until his fifth wife, Dorothy, gave birth to their daughter Sara in 1938. Dorothy and Karloff divorced in 1946, and he married Dorothy's best friend Evelyn Hope the next day. |
the films of boris karloffFrankenstein (1931)   
Karloff in Universal's FrankensteinThe Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)
Boris Karloff begins to torture Charles Starrett in MGM's horror flick The Mask of Fu ManchuThe Mummy (1932)  
From Universal's The Mummy, my favorite Karloff film. RIGHT: With Zita Johann. CENTER and RIGHT: As Imhotep, aka Ardath BeyThe Black Cat (1934)
Still from Universal's The Black Cat, the studio's top earner for 1934The Lost Patrol (1934)
As a prisoner in RKO's The Lost PatrolThe Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 
From The Bride of Frankenstein. LEFT: Horror make-up artists softened the look of Frankenstein's monster to make him look less menacing and more deserved of sympathy. RIGHT: Karloff has a smoke on the setMr. Wong, Detective (1938)
As the title character, Karloff made five films in Monogram's Mr. Wong series; this photo is from the first, Mr. Wong, DetectiveDevil's Island (1939)
Karloff in an uncharacteristic role as the victim in the drama Devil's IslandSon of Frankenstein (1939) 
LEFT: Bela Lugosi as Ygor supports Boris Karloff in his last outing as Frankenstein's monster in the stylish Son of Frankenstein. RIGHT: With Basil RathboneBlack Friday (1940) From Universal's noirish horror flick Black FridayThe Fatal Hour (1940)
As Chinese detective Mr. Wong in Monogram's The Fatal HourYou'll Find Out (1940)
With Peter Lorre and Bela Lugosi in the RKO comedy You'll Find OutThe Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)
From the backlot Columbia comedy The Boogie Man Will Get You with Maxie Rosenbloom, Jeff Donnell, Larry Parks, and Peter LorreThe Body Snatcher (1945)
From RKO's The Body SnatcherIsle of the Dead (1945)
With Marc Cramer in RKO's horror flick Isle of the DeadBedlam (1946)
From the RKO thriller Bedlam with Robert Clarke, Anna Lee, and Billy HouseThe Black Castle (1952)
As Doctor Meissen in Universal's The Black CastleFrankenstein 1970 (1958)
From the Allied Artists' release Frankenstein 1970Corridors of Blood (1962)
As Dr. Thomas Bolton in the effective thriller Corridors of BloodThe Comedy of Terrors (1963)
Campy promotional shot from American International's comedy/horror flick The Comedy of Terrors with Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, and Vincent PriceThe Terror (1963)
With Jack Nicholson in AIP's cult favorite The Terrorlater years
Although in his later years he was very ill and often confined to a wheelchair, into the 1960s Boris Karloff worked steadily, often for American International Pictures (AIP) in
such films as The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966; with Aron Kincaid and Tommy Kirk)
and Bikini Beach (1964; with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello).
One of his final acting assignments came in the brilliant low-budget Peter Bogdanovich effort Targets (1968), in which Bogdanovich also acted. Karloff passed away at
age 81 on February 2, 1969, after a long battle with emphysema. A few Mexican and Spanish-made films, shot between 1966 and 1968, were released after his death, including
Cauldron of Blood (1970; with Jean-Pierre Aumont). |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered August 27, 2001.
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