Boris Karloff
November 23, 1887 (138 years old) in Camberwell, London, England, UK
William Henry Pratt (November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969), better known as Boris Karloff, was an English-born actor who emigrated to Canada in 1909. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny". His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch in the television special of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Description above from the Wikipedia article Boris Karloff, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage)
- 2024 · The Last Repair Shop as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2022 · Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story as Self - Interviewee
- 2021 · Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! as Self (archive footage)
- 2015 · True Fear: The Making of Psycho as Self
- 2014 · Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film as Various roles (archive footage)
- 2013 · A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02) as Self (archive footage)
- 2012 · The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features as
- 2008 · He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce as Self (archive footage)
- 2007 · Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde as Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
- 2007 · Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · Lugosi: The Dark Prince as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · Karloff: The Gentle Monster as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · Terror in the Tropics as Mr. Wong (archive footage)
- 1999 · Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' as Self (archive footage)
- 1994 · Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld as Self (archive footage)
- 1991 · Halloween Monster Bash as Baron Von Leppe (archive footage)
- 1991 · Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.
- 1991 · Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)
- 1990 · Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To as (archive footage)
- 1990 · Abbott and Costello in the Movies as Archival
- 1983 · The Horror of It All as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
- 1974 · The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute as Self (archive footage)
- 1971 · Alien Terror as Prof. John Mayer
- 1971 · Isle of the Snake People as Carl van Molder / Damballah
- 1968 · Fear Chamber as Dr. Carl Mandel
- 1968 · Cauldron of Blood as Franz Badulescu
- 1966 · The Daydreamer as The Rat (voice)
- 1965 · Die, Monster, Die! as Nahum Witley
- 1962 · Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing as
- 1962 · Arsenic & Old Lace as Jonathan Brewster
- 1962 · The Storm as
- 1961 · Days of Thrills and Laughter as Self (archive footage)
- 1960 · Who Killed Chung Ling Soo? as Narrator
- 1960 · The Fatal Impulse as Self
- 1958 · Heart of Darkness as Mr. Kurtz
- 1958 · Grip of the Strangler as James Rankin
- 1958 · Destination Nightmare as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs
- 1957 · The Juggler of Our Lady as Narrator (voice)
- 1957 · The Lark as Bishop Cauchon
- 1957 · Voodoo Island as Phillip Knight
- 1956 · Rendezvous in Black as Ward Allen
- 1955 · A Connecticut Yankee as King Arthur
- 1955 · Sting of Death as Mr. Mycroft
- 1954 · The Island Monster as Don Gaetano
- 1953 · Colonel March Investigates as Colonel March
- 1949 · Starring Boris Karloff as
- 1945 · Isle of the Dead as Gen. Nikolas Pherides
- 1944 · The Climax as Dr. Friedrich Hohner
- 1942 · The Boogie Man Will Get You as Prof. Nathaniel Billings
- 1942 · Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 as Himself
- 1941 · The Devil Commands as Dr. Julian Blair
- 1941 · Information Please: Series 2, No. 12 as Self
- 1940 · You'll Find Out as Judge Spencer Mainwaring
- 1940 · The Ape as Dr. Bernard Adrian
- 1940 · Doomed to Die as James Lee Wong
- 1940 · The Fatal Hour as James Lee Wong
- 1939 · British Intelligence as Valdar
- 1939 · Mr. Wong in Chinatown as Mr. James Lee Wong
- 1939 · The Mystery of Mr. Wong as James Lee Wong
- 1938 · Mr. Wong, Detective as James Lee Wong
- 1937 · Breakdowns of 1937 as Self
- 1937 · West of Shanghai as "General" Wu Yen Fang
- 1937 · Night Key as David Mallory
- 1937 · Cinema Circus as Himself
- 1936 · Juggernaut as Dr. Victor Sartorius
- 1934 · Gift of Gab as Himself
- 1934 · Screen Snapshots No. 11 as Himself
- 1933 · The Ghoul as Prof. Morlant
- 1932 · Boo as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")
- 1932 · Night World as 'Happy' MacDonald
- 1932 · The Miracle Man as Nikko
- 1932 · The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood as Boris Karloff
- 1932 · Behind the Mask as Jim Henderson
- 1932 · Business and Pleasure as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph
- 1931 · The Guilty Generation as Tony Ricca
- 1931 · The Mad Genius as Fedor's Father (uncredited)
- 1931 · Graft as Terry
- 1931 · I Like Your Nerve as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler
- 1931 · The Public Defender as The Professor
- 1931 · Young Donovan's Kid as Cokey Joe
- 1931 · The Vanishing Legion as The Voice (voice)
- 1931 · King of the Wild as Mustapha
- 1931 · Tonight or Never as Waiter
- 1930 · The Sea Bat as Corsican
- 1930 · The Bad One as Monsieur Gaston
- 1929 · The Unholy Night as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)
- 1929 · Behind That Curtain as Beetham's Manservent
- 1929 · Two Sisters as Cecil
- 1929 · The Fatal Warning as Mullins
- 1928 · The Little Wild Girl as Maurice Kent
- 1928 · Vultures of the Sea as Grouchy
- 1928 · The Vanishing Rider as The Villain
- 1927 · Two Arabian Knights as Purser
- 1927 · Tarzan and the Golden Lion as Owaza
- 1927 · The Princess from Hoboken as Pavel
- 1926 · Old Ironsides as Saracen Guard (uncredited)
- 1926 · The Bells as The Mesmerist
- 1926 · Her Honor, the Governor as Snipe Collins
- 1926 · The Greater Glory as Scissors Grinder
- 1925 · Without Mercy as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)
- 1925 · Perils of the Wild as
- 1924 · Riders of the Plains as
- 1922 · The Man from Downing Street as Maharajah Jehan
- Future · Suspense: A Night at an Inn as Toff
- 2026 · The Orbit of Minor Satellites as Roger Ashley Norton
- 2015 · Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters as Self (archive footage)
- 2013 · Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored as Self (archive footage)
- 2007 · Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire as Himself (archive footage)
- 2004 · Monster Movie Trivia Quiz as
- 2003 · The Mesmerist as (archive footage)
- 2001 · Heroes of Horror as (archive footage)
- 2000 · The American Nightmare as Self
- 2000 · Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed as Self (archive footage)
- 2000 · The Many Faces of Dracula as The Monster (archive footage)
- 1999 · The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster as Self (archive footage)
- 1998 · Universal Horror as (archive footage)
- 1996 · The Universal Story as Self (archive footage)
- 1994 · How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition as (voice - archive footage)
- 1992 · Dracula in the Movies as (archive footage)
- 1989 · Transylvania Twist as Man in Room (archive footage)
- 1988 · Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1987 · Creepy Classics as Dr. Scarabus - (archive footage)
- 1984 · Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
- 1982 · Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! as Self (archive footage)
- 1980 · Monsters on the March (and a Pair of Marvels!) as
- 1979 · The Horror Show as (archive footage)
- 1975 · Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
- 1974 · Madhouse as (archive footage)
- 1970 · Hatchet for the Honeymoon as Gorca (archive footage)
- 1970 · McCloud as Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1968 · Curse of the Crimson Altar as Professor John Marsh
- 1968 · The Name of the Game as Mikhail Orlov
- 1968 · Targets as Byron Orlok
- 1968 · Macabre Serenade as Matthias Morteval
- 1968 · The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
- 1967 · The Sorcerers as Prof. Marcus Monserrat
- 1967 · Mad Monster Party? as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)
- 1966 · How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)
- 1966 · The Venetian Affair as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud
- 1966 · The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. as Mother Muffin
- 1966 · The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini as The Corpse
- 1966 · Doom of Dracula as The Madman (archive footage)
- 1965 · The Wild Wild West as Mr. Singh
- 1964 · Shindig! as Self - Guest Host / Singer
- 1964 · Bikini Beach as Art Dealer
- 1964 · Today's Teens as Narrator
- 1964 · The Comedy of Terrors as Amos Hinchley
- 1964 · Horror!!! as Self
- 1964 · A Fool's World as Narrator
- 1963 · Black Sabbath as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
- 1963 · The Terror as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe
- 1963 · The Raven as Dr. Scarabus
- 1962 · Little Lost Robot as Host
- 1962 · Out of This World as Host
- 1962 · The Incredible Doktor Markesan as Dr. Konrad Markesan
- 1961 · The Grim Reaper as Self
- 1960 · Route 66 as
- 1960 · Thriller as Clayton Mace
- 1960 · Thriller as Self - Host
- 1960 · Thriller as Dr. Thorne
- 1960 · Thriller as Dr. Albert Farnham
- 1960 · Thriller as Pop Jenkins / Col. Jackson Beauregard Finchess
- 1960 · Thriller as Doktor Konrad Markesan
- 1958 · Corridors of Blood as Dr. Thomas Bolton
- 1958 · Frankenstein 1970 as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein
- 1958 · Jack the Ripper as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason
- 1958 · Shirley Temple's Storybook as Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker
- 1958 · The Veil as
- 1957 · Suspicion as Judge Winthrop Gelsey
- 1957 · DuPont Show of the Month as
- 1957 · The Lux Show as Self
- 1956 · The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
- 1956 · The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
- 1956 · Telephone Time as
- 1956 · Colonel March of Scotland Yard as Colonel March Of Scotland Yard
- 1955 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1955 · Sabaka as General Pollegar
- 1954 · Climax! as Dr. Philip Nestri
- 1954 · Climax! as Vicar Tellworth
- 1954 · The George Gobel Show as Self
- 1953 · The United States Steel Hour as George Redford
- 1953 · Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Mr. Blue Ocean
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Henry E. Church
- 1952 · The Black Castle as Dr. Meissen
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Cauchon
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Jonathan Brewster
- 1951 · The Strange Door as Voltan
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Charles Brandon
- 1951 · The Red Skelton Show as Professor Townsend
- 1951 · Tales of Tomorrow as
- 1951 · Down You Go as Self
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Sir Arthur Strangeways
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Montgomery Royle
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Larkin
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self
- 1950 · Robert Montgomery Presents as Bennett Kimball
- 1950 · Robert Montgomery Presents as
- 1949 · Lights Out as
- 1949 · Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff as Swami Talpur
- 1949 · Suspense as Toff
- 1949 · Suspense as
- 1949 · Suspense as Bronson
- 1949 · Suspense as Rasputin
- 1948 · Studio One as Skaggs
- 1948 · Studio One as Professor Koernig
- 1948 · Studio One as King Arthur
- 1948 · Tap Roots as Tishomingo
- 1947 · Unconquered as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
- 1947 · Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome as Gruesome
- 1947 · The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as Dr. Hollingshead
- 1947 · Lured as Charles van Druten
- 1946 · Bedlam as George Sims
- 1945 · The Body Snatcher as John Gray
- 1944 · The Mummy's Curse as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
- 1944 · House of Frankenstein as Dr. Gustav Niemann
- 1940 · The Mummy's Hand as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)
- 1940 · Before I Hang as Dr. John Garth
- 1940 · The Man with Nine Lives as Dr. Leon Kravaal
- 1940 · Black Friday as Dr. Ernest Sovac
- 1939 · Tower of London as Mord
- 1939 · The Man They Could Not Hang as Dr. Henryk Savaard
- 1939 · Son of Frankenstein as The Monster
- 1939 · Devil's Island as Dr. Charles Gaudet
- 1938 · The Invisible Menace as Jevries
- 1936 · Charlie Chan at the Opera as Gravelle
- 1936 · The Man Who Changed His Mind as Dr. Laurence
- 1936 · The Walking Dead as John Ellman
- 1936 · The Invisible Ray as Dr. Janos Rukh
- 1935 · The Black Room as Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
- 1935 · The Raven as Edmond Bateman
- 1935 · Hollywood Hobbies as Himself
- 1935 · Bride of Frankenstein as The Monster
- 1934 · The Black Cat as Hjalmar Poelzig
- 1934 · The House of Rothschild as Count Ledrantz
- 1934 · The Lost Patrol as Sanders
- 1932 · The Mummy as Imhotep / Ardath Bey
- 1932 · The Mask of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Manchu
- 1932 · The Old Dark House as Morgan
- 1932 · Skyscraper Souls as Man Approaching Ticket Counter
- 1932 · Scarface as Gaffney
- 1931 · Frankenstein as The Monster
- 1931 · The Yellow Ticket as Drunken Orderly
- 1931 · Five Star Final as T. Vernon Isopod
- 1931 · Smart Money as Sport Williams
- 1931 · Cracked Nuts as Boris - First Revolutionary
- 1931 · The Criminal Code as Ned Galloway
- 1930 · The Utah Kid as Henchman Baxter
- 1929 · The King of the Kongo as Scarface Macklin
- 1929 · The Phantom of the North as Jules Gregg
- 1929 · Anne Against the World as
- 1929 · The Devil's Chaplain as Boris
- 1929 · Burning the Wind as Pug Doran
- 1928 · Sharp Shooters as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
- 1927 · The Love Mart as Fleming
- 1927 · Soft Cushions as The Chief Conspirator
- 1927 · The Phantom Buster as Ramon
- 1927 · The Meddlin' Stranger as Al Meggs
- 1927 · Let It Rain as Crook
- 1926 · Flaming Fury as Gaspard
- 1926 · The Nickel-Hopper as Dance Hall Masher
- 1926 · The Eagle of the Sea as Pirate (uncredited)
- 1926 · Flames as Blackie Blanchette
- 1926 · The Golden Web as Dave Sinclair
- 1926 · The Man in the Saddle as Robber (uncredited)
- 1925 · Parisian Nights as Pierre
- 1925 · Never the Twain Shall Meet as
- 1925 · Lady Robinhood as Cabraza
- 1925 · The Prairie Wife as Diego
- 1925 · Forbidden Cargo as Pietro Castillano
- 1924 · Dynamite Dan as Tony Garcia
- 1924 · The Hellion as The Outlaw
- 1924 · The White Panther as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)
- 1923 · The Prisoner as Prince Kapolski
- 1922 · Omar the Tentmaker as Imam Mowaffak
- 1922 · The Altar Stairs as Hugo
- 1922 · The Woman Conquers as Raoul Maris
- 1922 · The Infidel as The Nabob
- 1922 · Nan of the North as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
- 1921 · The Cave Girl as Baptiste
- 1921 · Cheated Hearts as Nei Hamid
- 1921 · Without Benefit of Clergy as Ahmed Khan
- 1921 · The Hope Diamond Mystery as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
- 1920 · The Last of the Mohicans as Indian (uncredited)
- 1920 · The Courage of Marge O'Doone as Tavish
- 1920 · The Woman and the Puppet as (uncredited)
- 1920 · The Deadlier Sex as Jules Borney
- 1919 · The Prince and Betty as Undetermined Role
- 1919 · His Majesty, the American as Henchman in cloth cap
- 1919 · The Lightning Raider as