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Quick Facts
- NAME: Boris Karloff
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor
- BIRTH DATE: November 23, 1887
- DEATH DATE: February 02, 1969
- EDUCATION: London University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: London, England
- PLACE OF DEATH: England
- Originally: William Henry Pratt
Best Known For
Boris Karloff was an English-born actor whose name became synonymous with horror movies.
Videos see all videos
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Boris Karloff - Frankenstein (1:11)
Boris Karloff - Frankenstein
Watch a short video about Boris Karloff's happenstance way of becoming Frankenstein.
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Play NowBoris Karloff. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:53, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446.
Boris Karloff. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Boris Karloff." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 12:53 http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446.
"Boris Karloff," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Boris Karloff," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Boris Karloff [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446.
Boris Karloff, http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Boris Karloff. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/boris-karloff-9360446. Accessed May 22, 2013.
Synopsis
When Bela Lugosi refused to take the part, the role of the Monster in 1931's Frankenstein went to Boris Karloff. His performance received huge praise and he became an overnight sensation. His career was mostly spent in popular horror films, where he brought a pathos to the characterization. He is also well known for providing the voice to the 1966 cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Quotes
"The monster was the best friend I ever had."
Profile
Actor. Film star Boris Karloff, whose name became synonymous with the horror genre, was born William Henry Pratt in London, England, on November 23, 1887. He studied at London University, then went to Canada and the United States, aiming become a diplomat like his father, and became involved in acting.
Karloff spent 10 years in repertory companies, went to Hollywood, appearing in forty five silent films for Universal Studios, among them The Last of the Mohicans, Forbidden Cargo and an installment in the popular Tarzan series. When Bela Lugosi refused to take a role in which he would have his face hidden by makeup and have no lines, the role of The Monster in 1931's Frankenstein went to Karloff. His tender, sympathetic performance received enormous critical praise and he became an overnight sensation.
Apart from a notable performance in a World War I story, The Lost Patrol (1934), his career was mostly spent in popular horror films. His performances frequently transcended the crudity of the genre, bringing, as in Frankenstein, a depth and pathos to the characterization.
He is also well known for providing the voice to the 1966 cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Karloff was known within the film industry for his great kindness and gentleness of manner; he was also central to the foundation of the Screen Actors Guild. After battling emphysema for a number of years, Boris Karloff died at his home in England on February 2, 1969.
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