Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boris Karloff (1887–1969) was an English actor. He became known for his role as Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 Frankenstein (his 82nd film), leading to a long career in film, radio, and television.
Born William Henry Pratt in England,[1] he emigrated to Canada in 1909 as a young man and eventually joined a Canadian touring company, adopting the stage name Boris Karloff. By 1919, Karloff moved to Hollywood[1] where he found regular work as an extra at Universal Studios. Although he appeared in numerous silent films, Karloff's first significant roles were in Howard Hawks's The Criminal Code (1931) and Mervyn LeRoy's Five Star Final (1931). While shooting Graft, director James Whale convinced Karloff to star as Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein, which led to him becoming an overnight superstar. After Frankenstein and starring in several high-profile films such as Bride of Frankenstein (1935)[2] and The Mummy (1932), Karloff spent the remainder of the 1930s working at an incredible pace, but getting progressively involved in lower budget films. In the 1940s, he began to get stereotyped into playing "mad scientist" roles.
Karloff starred in a few highly acclaimed Val Lewton-produced horror films in the 1940s, and by the mid-1950s, he was a familiar presence on both television and radio, hosting his own TV series including Starring Boris Karloff, Colonel March of Scotland Yard, Thriller, Out of This World (British TV series) and The Veil, and guest starring on such programs as Suspense, The Donald O'Connor Show, I Spy and Route 66. He also played Detective Wong (five times) in the 1930s Mister Wong film series. In the 1960s, Karloff worked for Roger Corman at American International Pictures. He also made films in England, Italy and Spain. All told, he appeared in 174 motion pictures. His final American film was Peter Bogdanovich's Targets (1968), in which he portrayed an aging horror film star much like himself.
Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1919 | The Lightning Raider | Extra | George B. Seitz | 15-chapter film serial starring Pearl White an incomplete print exists |
The Masked Rider | Mexican Roughneck | Aubrey M. Kennedy | 15-chapter film serial (Karloff appeared in Episode 2 only) an incomplete print exists | |
His Majesty, the American | Extra | Joseph Henabery | starring Douglas Fairbanks a complete print exists | |
The Prince and Betty | Extra | Robert Thornby | considered a lost film | |
1920 | The Deadlier Sex | Jules Borney, fur trader | Robert Thornby | This film was restored in 2014 |
The Courage of Marge O'Doone | Buck Tavish, a mountain man | David Smith | considered a lost film | |
The Last of the Mohicans | Huron Indian brave (extra) | Maurice Tourneur, Clarence Brown | a complete print exists | |
1921 | The Hope Diamond Mystery | Dakar: High Priest of Kama-Sita | Stuart Paton | 15-chapter film serial; Karloff's first major screen credit a complete print exists |
Without Benefit of Clergy | Ahmed Khan | James Young | Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling a complete print exists | |
Cheated Hearts | Nei Hamid | Hobart Henley | considered a lost film | |
The Cave Girl | Baptiste, the half-breed | Joseph Franz | considered a lost film | |
1922 | The Man from Downing Street | dual role as Dell Monckton/ Maharajah Jehan Dharwar | Edward José | considered a lost film |
Nan of the North | Extra (Uncredited) | Duke Worne | considered a lost film[3] | |
The Infidel | The Nabob of Menang | James Young | considered a lost film | |
The Altar Stairs | Hugo | Lambert Hillyer | considered a lost film | |
The Woman Conquers | Raoul Maris | Tom Forman | considered a lost film | |
Omar the Tentmaker | Holy Imam Mowaffak | James Young | Based on the play Omar Khayyam considered a lost film | |
1923 | The Gentleman from America | Extra (Uncredited) | Edward Sedgwick | starring Hoot Gibson considered a lost film |
The Prisoner | Prince Kapolski | Jack Conway | considered a lost film | |
1924 | The White Panther | Native | Alan James | considered a lost film[4] |
The Hellion | Outlaw | Bruce Mitchell | considered a lost film | |
Riders of the Plains | Extra (Uncredited) | Jacques Jaccard | 15-chapter film serial considered a lost film | |
Dynamite Dan | Tony Garcia | Bruce Mitchell | available on DVD | |
1925 | Forbidden Cargo | Pietro Castellano | Tom Buckingham | considered a lost film |
Parisian Nights | Pierre, a French Apache | Alfred Santell | A print exists in a Belgian archive[5] | |
The Prairie Wife | Diego | Hugo Ballin | considered a lost film | |
Lady Robinhood | Cabraza, a Spaniard | Ralph Ince | Only the trailer exists in the Library of Congress | |
Perils of the Wild | Extra (Uncredited) | Francis Ford | 15-chapter film serial based on the novel Swiss Family Robinson considered a lost film | |
Without Mercy | Henchman | George Melford | considered a lost film[6] | |
Never the Twain Shall Meet | Villain (bit part) | Maurice Tourneur | considered a lost film remade by MGM in 1931[7] | |
1926 | The Greater Glory | Scissors grinder | Curt Rehfeld | aka The Viennese Medley considered a lost film[8] |
The Man in the Saddle | Robber | Clifford S. Smith | starring Hoot Gibson and Fay Wray; considered a lost film[9] | |
Her Honor, the Governor | Snipe Collins, drug addict | Chet Withey | aka The Second Mrs. Fenway A complete print survives | |
The Bells | The Mesmerist | James Young | co-starring Lionel Barrymore; available on DVD | |
The Golden Web | Dave Sinclair, a blackmailer | Walter Lang | considered a lost film[10] | |
Flames | Blackie Blanchett, a bandit | Lewis H. Moomaw | Only one reel survives in the Library of Congress The film's climax was filmed in color | |
The Eagle of the Sea | Pirate | Frank Lloyd | Based on a novel Captain Sazarac An incomplete print exists | |
The Nickel-Hopper | Big Bohunk, a masher | Hal Yates | co-starring Oliver Hardy | |
Flaming Fury | Gaspard, the half-breed | James Hogan | co-starring Ranger, the Wonder Dog A complete print exists in the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique | |
Old Ironsides | Saracen Guard | James Cruze | aka Sons of the Sea; starring Wallace Beery; a complete print exists | |
Valencia | Bit part (uncredited) | Dimitri Buchowetzki | aka The Love Song; considered a lost film[11] | |
1927 | Let It Rain | Crook | Edward Francis Cline | considered a lost film |
The Princess from Hoboken | Pavel, a Frenchman | Allan Dale | considered a lost film | |
Tarzan and the Golden Lion | Owaza, the Waziri native chieftain | J. P. McGowan | starring James Pierce as "Tarzan"; available on DVD | |
The Meddlin' Stranger | Al Meggs | Richard Thorpe | considered a lost film[12] | |
The Phantom Buster | Ramón, a smuggler | William Bertram | considered a lost film[13] | |
Soft Cushions | Chief Conspirator | Edward Francis Cline | considered a lost film[14] | |
Two Arabian Knights | Ship's Purser | Lewis Milestone | produced by Howard Hughes A print exists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas | |
The Love Mart | Fleming | George Fitzmaurice | considered a lost film[15] | |
1928 | Sharp Shooters | Cafe Owner | John G. Blystone | A print of this film survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archives |
The Vanishing Rider | Villain | Ray Taylor | 10-chapter film serial considered a lost film[16] | |
Vultures of the Sea | Grouchy, a pirate | Richard Thorpe | 10-chapter film serial considered a lost film[17] | |
The Little Wild Girl | Maurice Kent | Frank Mattison | Prints of this film are held at UCLA Film & TV and at the Library of Congress.[18] | |
Burning the Wind | Pug Doran | Henry MacRae, Herbert Blaché | starring Hoot Gibson considered a lost film | |
1929 | The Fatal Warning | Mullins | Richard Thorpe | 10-chapter film serial considered a lost film[19] |
The Devil's Chaplain | Boris | Duke Worne | Survival status unknown | |
Two Sisters | Cecil | Scott Pembroke | considered to be lost | |
Anne Against the World | Extra (Uncredited) | Duke Worne | Survival status unknown | |
The Phantom of the North | Jules Gregg, fur thief | Harry S. Webb | Karloff's last silent film An incomplete print is available on DVD[20] | |
Behind That Curtain | a Sudanese servant | Irving Cummings | Karloff's first sound film features a cameo by Charlie Chan Available on DVD | |
The King of the Kongo | dual role as Scarface Macklin and Martin | Richard Thorpe | 10-chapter film serial A kickstarter project is under way to restore this serial | |
The Unholy Night | Abdoul | Lionel Barrymore | Based on a story called The Doomed Regiment A complete print exists | |
1930 | The Bad One | Monsieur Gaston, a guard | George Fitzmaurice | |
The Sea Bat | Corsican | Wesley Ruggles | Originally written in 1929 as a Lon Chaney/Tod Browning collaboration[21] | |
The Utah Kid | Baxter | Richard Thorpe | Western starring Rex Lease | |
Mothers Cry | Murder victim | Hobart Henley | co-starring Helen Chandler and David Manners; Karloff's involvement is disputed by some sources[22] | |
1931 | Sous les verrous (French version of Pardon Us) |
The Tiger, a jailhouse prisoner | James Parrott | Karloff only appears in the French language version of this Laurel and Hardy film[23] |
The Criminal Code | Ned Galloway, convict | Howard Hawks | The film that brought Karloff to James Whale's attention | |
King of the Wild | Mustapha | B. Reeves Eason, Richard Thorpe | 12-chapter film serial | |
The Last Parade | Prison Warden | Erle C. Kenton | starring Jack Holt; Karloff's appearance is disputed in some sources[24] | |
Cracked Nuts | Boris, a revolutionary | Edward F. Cline | stars the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey[25] | |
The Vanishing Legion | voice of "The Voice", the serial's mystery villain | Ford Beebe and B. Reeves Eason | 12-chapter film serial; only Karloff's voice appears in this film | |
Young Donovan's Kid | Cokey Joe, a drug dealer | Fred Niblo | starring Jackie Cooper | |
Smart Money | Sport Williams, a gambler (uncredited) | Alfred E. Green | starring James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson | |
The Public Defender | The Professor | J. Walter Ruben | based on the novel The Splendid Crime | |
I Like Your Nerve | Luigi | William McGann | starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young | |
Graft | Joe Terry, a gangster | William Christy Cabanne | ||
Five Star Final | "Reverend" T. Vernon Isopod | Mervyn LeRoy | starring Edward G. Robinson | |
The Yellow Ticket | Lecherous orderly | Raoul Walsh | starring Lionel Barrymore and Laurence Olivier | |
The Mad Genius | Fedor's abusive father | Michael Curtiz | starring John Barrymore | |
The Guilty Generation | Tony Ricca, a gangster | Rowland V. Lee | starring Leo Carrillo and Robert Young | |
Frankenstein | Frankenstein's monster | James Whale | starring Colin Clive, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye and Mae Clarke | |
Tonight or Never | Waiter | Mervyn LeRoy | starring Gloria Swanson and Melvyn Douglas | |
1932 | The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood | Himself | Mervyn LeRoy | Karloff and Tom Mix both appear as themselves in cameos[26] |
Behind the Mask | Jim Henderson, a hoodlum | John Francis Dillon | co-starring Jack Holt and Edward Van Sloan | |
Business and Pleasure | Sheikh | David Butler | starring Will Rogers and Joel McCrea | |
Scarface | Tom Gaffney, a gangster | Howard Hawks | produced by Howard Hughes | |
The Miracle Man | Nikko, crooked restaurant owner | Norman Z. McLeod | Remake of a Lon Chaney silent film | |
Night World | "Happy" MacDonald, nightclub owner | Hobart Henley | starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke | |
The Old Dark House | Morgan, the butler | James Whale | Billed for the first time as KARLOFF co-starred Charles Laughton and Ernest Thesiger | |
Alias the Doctor | Autopsy Surgeon | Lloyd Bacon, Michael Curtiz | Karloff's scenes were edited out of the film by the censors due to violence and no longer exist | |
The Mask of Fu Manchu | Dr. Fu Manchu | Charles J. Brabin, Charles Vidor, King Vidor | Based on the Fu Manchu novels by Sax Rohmer | |
The Mummy | dual role as Imhotep and Ardath Bey | Karl Freund | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Edward Van Sloan and Zita Johann | |
1933 | The Ghoul | Professor Morlant | T. Hayes Hunter | This film was shot in England, co-starring Cedric Hardwicke and Ernest Thesiger |
1934 | The Lost Patrol | Sanders, a religious fanatic | John Ford | co-starring Victor McLaglen |
The House of Rothschild | Count Ledrantz, an anti-Semite | Alfred L. Werker | filmed partially in Technicolor | |
The Black Cat | Hjalmar Poelzig, Satanist | Edgar G. Ulmer | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Bela Lugosi | |
Gift of Gab | Himself | Karl W. Freund | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Bela Lugosi | |
1935 | Bride of Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster | James Whale | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Colin Clive, Dwight Frye and Ernest Thesiger |
The Raven | Edmond Bateman | Lew Landers | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Bela Lugosi | |
The Black Room | dual role as Gregor de Berghmann and Anton de Berghmann | Roy William Neill | ||
1936 | The Invisible Ray | Dr. Janos Rukh | Lambert Hillyer | Billed as KARLOFF co-starring Bela Lugosi |
The Walking Dead | John Ellman | Michael Curtiz | ||
Juggernaut | Dr. Victor Sartorius | Henry Edwards | filmed in England | |
The Man Who Changed His Mind | Dr. Laurience | Robert Stevenson | aka The Man Who Lived Again; filmed in England[27] | |
Charlie Chan at the Opera | Gravelle, an opera star | H. Bruce Humberstone | starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan | |
1937 | Night Key | Inventor Dave Mallory | Lloyd Corrigan | Billed as KARLOFF |
West of Shanghai | General Wu Yen Fang, Chinese warlord | John Farrow | ||
1938 | The Invisible Menace | Jevries, a red herring | Lloyd Corrigan | |
Mr. Wong, Detective | James Lee Wong | William Nigh | First of five "Mr. Wong" films Karloff starred in | |
1939 | Devil's Island | Dr. Charles Gaudet | William Nigh | |
Son of Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster | Rowland V. Lee | co-starring Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone and Lionel Atwill | |
The Mystery of Mr. Wong | James Lee Wong | William Nigh | ||
Mr. Wong in Chinatown | James Lee Wong | William Nigh | ||
The Man They Could Not Hang | Dr. Henryk Savaard | Nick Grinde | ||
Tower of London | Mord, the executioner | Rowland V. Lee | co-starring Basil Rathbone and Vincent Price | |
1940 | The Fatal Hour | James Lee Wong | William Nigh | |
British Intelligence | dual role as Valdar and Franz Strendler | Terrell O. Morse | aka Enemy Agent | |
Black Friday | Dr. Ernest Sovac | Arthur Lubin | co-starring Bela Lugosi and written by Curt Siodmak | |
The Man with Nine Lives | Dr. Leon Kravaal | Nick Grinde | ||
Doomed to Die | James Lee Wong | William Nigh | Fifth and final "Mr. Wong" film to star Karloff | |
Before I Hang | Dr. John Garth | Nick Grinde | co-starring Edward Van Sloan | |
The Ape | Dr. Bernard Adrian | William Nigh | co-written by Curt Siodmak | |
You'll Find Out | Judge Spencer Mainwaring | David Butler | co-starring Bela Lugosi and Peter Lorre | |
1941 | The Devil Commands | Dr. Julian Blair | Edward Dmytryk | |
1942 | The Boogie Man Will Get You | Professor Nathaniel Billings | Lew Landers | co-starring Peter Lorre |
1944 | The Climax | Dr. Friedrich Hohner | George Waggner | Karloff's first Technicolor film |
The House of Frankenstein | Dr. Gustav Niemann | Erle C. Kenton | co-starring Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine | |
1945 | The Body Snatcher | John Gray, a body snatcher | Robert Wise | co-starring Bela Lugosi; produced by Val Lewton |
Isle of the Dead | General Nikolas Pherides | Mark Robson | produced by Val Lewton | |
1946 | Bedlam | Master George Sims | Mark Robson | produced by Val Lewton |
1947 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Dr. Hugo Hollingshead | Norman Z. McLeod | starring Danny Kaye |
Lured | Charles Van Druten, an artist | Douglas Sirk | co-starring George Zucco and Lucille Ball | |
Unconquered | Indian chief Guyasuta | Cecil B. DeMille | directed by Cecil B. DeMille; starring Gary Cooper | |
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome | Gruesome | John Rawlins | starring Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy | |
1948 | Tap Roots | Tishomingo, an Indian brave | George Marshall | Filmed in Technicolor; starring Van Heflin |
1949 | Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Swami Talpur | Charles Barton | co-starring Lenore Aubert |
1951 | The Emperor's Nightingale aka Cisaruv Slavik |
Narrator only | Jiří Trnka | Czech animated film; Karloff narrated the English-language version only; filmed in 1949 but released in U.S. in 1951[27] |
The Strange Door | Voltan, the servant | Joseph Pevney | starring Charles Laughton; based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson | |
1952 | The Black Castle | Dr. Meissen | Nathan Juran | co-starring Richard Greene and Lon Chaney Jr. |
1953 | Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde | Charles Lamont | |
Sabaka (aka The Hindu) |
General Pollegar | Frank Ferrin | Filmed partially in India, but Karloff's scenes were filmed in Hollywood; film was previewed in 1953 as The Hindu, and later went into general release in 1955 retitled Sabaka[28][29][27] | |
1954 | The Monster of the Island (Il mostro dell'isola) |
Don Gaetano | Roberto Bianchi Montero | Filmed in Italy; aka The Island Monster |
Colonel March Investigates (Feature film version) |
Colonel Perceval March | Cyril Endfield | Feature film composed of three "Colonel March" British TV episodes | |
1957 | Voodoo Island | Dr. Phillip Knight | Reginald Le Borg | |
1958 | The Juggler of Our Lady | Narrator only | Al Kouzel | Terrytoons cartoon nominated for a BAFTA Award[27] |
The Creation of the World (aka La creation du monde) |
Narrator (of the English language version only) | Eduard Hofman | An 83-minute Czechoslovakian/French cartoon; Karloff narrated the English language dubbed version only; film was condemned by the Vatican | |
The Haunted Strangler (aka Grip of the Strangler) |
James Rankin | Robert Day | filmed in England; produced by Richard Gordon | |
Frankenstein 1970 | Baron Victor von Frankenstein | Howard W. Koch | ||
Corridors of Blood (aka The Doctor From Seven Dials) |
Dr. Thomas Bolton | Robert Day | filmed in England in 1958, co-starring Christopher Lee; released in U.S. in May 1963[30][31] | |
1960 | Who Killed Chung Ling Soo? | Narrator only | Al Kouzel | Five-minute short subject investigating the death of a true-life Chinese magician in 1900[27][32] |
1962 | Arsenic & Old Lace | Jonathan Brewster | George Schaefer | Hallmark Hall of Fame Made-for-TV film |
1963 | The Raven | The sorcerer Dr. Scarabus | Roger Corman | co-starring Vincent Price and Peter Lorre; written by Richard Matheson |
The Terror | Baron Victor von Leppe | Roger Corman | starring Jack Nicholson and Sandra Knight | |
Black Sabbath (aka I tre volti della paura) |
dual role as Narrator and Gorca the vampire | Mario Bava | Filmed in Italy in 1963; released in U.S. in May 1964 | |
The Comedy of Terrors | Amos Hinchley | Jacques Tourneur | co-starring Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone and Peter Lorre; released in U.S. Christmas Day, 1963[33] | |
1964 | Bikini Beach | Art Dealer | William Asher | starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello |
1965 | Die, Monster, Die! (U.K. title: Monster of Terror) |
Nahum Whitley | Daniel Haller | filmed in England; based on a story by H. P. Lovecraft |
1966 | The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | Hiram Stokely | Don Weis | co-starring Tommy Kirk and Basil Rathbone |
The Daydreamer (animated film) | The Rat | Jules Bass | Rankin-Bass animated film inspired by the stories of Hans Christian Andersen | |
Mondo Balordo (Foolish World) | Narrator only | Roberto Bianchi Montero | documentary filmed in Italy; English-dubbed version was released in U.S. in 1969 | |
1967 | The Venetian Affair | Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud | Jerry Thorpe | co-starring Robert Vaughn, Roger C. Carmel and Elke Sommer |
Mad Monster Party? | Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice only) | Jules Bass | Feature-length puppet animation film[34] | |
The Sorcerers | Professor Marcus Montserrat | Michael Reeves | filmed in England; directed by Michael Reeves | |
Cauldron of Blood (El Coleccionista de cadáveres) aka Blindman's Bluff |
Charles Franz Badulescu, a blind sculptor | Santos Alcocer (credited as Edward Mann) | Filmed in Spain in Spring 1967; released in Spain in 1970 posthumously | |
1968 | Targets | Byron Orlok, aging horror film star | Peter Bogdanovich | released in August, 1968 |
Curse of the Crimson Altar (U.S. title: The Crimson Cult) |
Professor Marsh | Vernon Sewell | Filmed in England; released in U.K. Nov. 24, 1968 (the final film released during Karloff's lifetime); released in U.S. in May, 1970 posthumously | |
Isle of the Snake People (aka La muerte viviente, Snake People and Cult of the Dead) |
dual role as Karl van Molder / Damballah | Juan Ibañez, Jack Hill | Filmed in May 1968; released in March 1971 posthumously[28] | |
The Incredible Invasion (aka Alien Terror, Invasion siniestra and The Sinister Invasion) |
Professor John Mayer | Luis Enrique Vergara, Jack Hill | Filmed in May 1968; released in April 1971 posthumously[28] | |
Fear Chamber (aka La camara del terror and The Torture Zone) |
Dr. Carl Mandel | Juan Ibañez, Jack Hill | Filmed in May 1968; released in 1971 posthumously[28] | |
House of Evil (aka Serenata macabra and Dance of Death) |
Mathias Morteval | Luis Enrique Vergara, Jack Hill | Filmed in May 1968; released in 1972 posthumously[28][27][3] | |
(Major appearances are highlighted in boldface)
Karloff acted in 13 episodes of the "Starring Boris Karloff" anthology TV/ radio series in 1949: this show was broadcast as both a TV show and a radio show simultaneously[39]