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Boris Karloff 1887 - 1969

Boris Karloff of Glendale, Los Angeles County, California was born on November 23, 1887 in Camberwell, Greater London County, England United Kingdom, and died at age 81 years old on February 2, 1969 in Midhurst, West Sussex County. Boris Karloff was buried at Has a marker in The Garden of Remembrance Guildford. Guildford Crematorium., in Guildford Borough, Surrey County England.

Boris Karloff

Billy, William Henry Pratt

Glendale, Los Angeles County, California 91207

November 23, 1887

Camberwell, Greater London County, England, United Kingdom

February 2, 1969

Midhurst, West Sussex County, England, GU29, United Kingdom

Male

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Boris Karloff Boris Karloff (1887 - 1969)

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Boris Karloff's History: 1887 - 1969

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Introduction

Nobody expected Boris Karloff to become a star after being in ‘Frankenstein’ Karloff didn’t get billing in the movie’s promotion, and in the opening credits, a question mark was used to tell audiences who played Frankenstein’s monster. While this was assumed to be a promotional gimmick, Sara Karloff, Karloff’s daughter told BBC America that her father wasn’t even invited to the premiere of the movie! He didn’t get a starring role in Hollywood until he was 43 years old If you’ve always wanted to be a Hollywood star but haven’t succeeded just yet, don’t give up! Karloff wasn’t in Frankenstein until he was 43, and as noted before, nobody even thought the movie would launch his career. Picture of Added by Old Friend Picture of Added by Sean McKim Boris Karloff Famous memorial Original Name William Henry Pratt Birth 23 Nov 1887 Camberwell, London Borough of Southwark, Greater London, England Death 2 Feb 1969 (aged 81) Midhurst, Chichester District, West Sussex, England Burial Guildford Crematorium Guildford, Guildford Borough, Surrey, England Plot Garden of Remembrance, his name is on a marker under a rose bush. Plot 2, on the left hand side. Memorial ID 2212 · View Source Memorial Photos 4 Flowers 2k+ Actor. For over four decades, he terrified movie audiences by playing monsters, mad scientists and other menacing characters. Karloff will be forever remembered for his portrayal of Frankenstein's creation "The Monster" in the classic 1931 picture "Frankenstein." He repeated the role in the sequel "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). In real life, Karloff (who possessed a memorable, gentle voice) was a charming, sweet and good nature person. A contrast to his on-screen characters. Born William Henry Pratt, in the London, England suburb of Dulwich his father Edward was a civil servant who died during William's early youth. He studied at King's College in London, initially preparing for a career as a diplomat, however he developed an interest in the theatre and after marrying for the first time, he relocated to Canada in 1910. During this period, he took the name Boris Karloff (the last name was from his mother's side) and worked his way to Western Canada, as he held such occupations as a land-clearer on a farm, shoveling coal and laying tracks for street- cars. After settling in Vancouver, he joined his first repertory company and would go on to perform in scores of plays in Canada and the United States over the next several years. During a stay in Los Angeles, he made his motion picture debut as an extra in the film "The Dumb Girl of Portici" (1916). For the next fifteen years, he played a wide range of parts, in scores of films, before achieving stardom as the "Frankenstein Monster." It took legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce several hours each day to perfect Karloff's appearance in preparation for filming. After the success of "Frankenstein," a rivalry between Bela Lugosi ("Dracula") and Karloff resulted. During the course of their careers, they collaborated on the films "The Black Cat" (1934), "The Raven" (1935), "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), "Black Friday" (1940), "You'll Find Out" (1940) and "The Body Snatcher" (1945). Karloff played the title role in the film "The Mummy" (1932), however he expanded his versatility with the character, the detective "Mr. Wong" from the film series. Other notable films during the 1930s include "Scarface" (1932), "The Lost Patrol" (1934) and "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (1936). In addition to films, he also appeared frequently on radio. He made his first impression on the Broadway stage with his origination of 'John Brewster' in the production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1941 to 1944). During the 1940s, he had memorable roles in the films "Bedlam" (1946), "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947) and "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" (as 'Gruesome'). He showed a flair for comedy in "The Boogie Man Will Get You" (1942) and as the menacing 'Swami Talpur' in the Abbott and Costello picture "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff" (1949). He was reunited with the comedy duo in the film "Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1953). He had memorable performances playing 'Doctor Hook' in the Broadway production of "Peter Pan" (1950 to 1951) and received a Tony Award nomination for the play "The Lark" (1955 to 1956). He appeared less frequently in films during the 1950s, however he would have memorable roles in the pictures "The Haunted Strangler" (1957) and "Corridors of Blood" (1958), the later co-starred Christopher Lee who Karloff would share the screen with years later in the film "Curse of the Crimson Altar" (1968). In 1962, novelty singer Bobby Pickett scored a gold single with his impersonation of Karloff on the hit "Monster Mash." In 1963, Karloff was reunited with old friends Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone in the film "The Comedy of Terrors." He had worked with them in previous films; Price and Rathbone in "The Tower of London" (1939) and Lorre in "You'll Find Out" (1940) and "The Boogie Man Will Get You" (1942). During the 1960s, Karloff found himself more in demand thanks to a series of Roger Corman pictures which include "The Terror" (1963) and "The Raven" (1963). Other films include "Black Sabbath" (1964), "Die Monster Die!" (1965), "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" (1965) and "Targets" (1968). Additionally during the decade, he hosted the popular TV series "Thriller" (1960 to 1962) and appeared as a guest star in such television programs as "The Wild, Wild West" (1966) and "I Spy" (1967). In 1967, he narrated the TV special "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and received a Grammy Award for his effort. Karloff's last films were a series of international pictures in which his scenes were filmed in a studio and later edited in. They include "The Snake People" (1968), "Cauldron of Blood" (1968) and "The Incredible Invasion" (1968). A longtime cigarette smoker, Karloff suffered from emphysema for which reduced his breathing capacity down to one half of functioning lung. During his last few pictures, he required breaks in order to intake oxygen. He died in a hospital in his native England. He was cremated at Guildford Crematorium and his ashes were placed in their Garden of Remembrance. Karloff was the recipient of two stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame for his work in film and television. Bio by: C.S. Inscription In Loving Memory of BORIS KARLOFF Family Members Parents Edward John Pratt 1826–1897 Eliza Sarah Millard Pratt 1848–1906 Spouses Montana Laurena Williams Karloff Clarke 1895–1985 (m. 1920) Dorothy Stine Pratt-Rowe 1900–1991 (m. 1930) Evelyn Hope Karloff 1904–1993 (m. 1946) Flowers • 2796
11/23

1887

Birthday

November 23, 1887

Birthdate

Camberwell, Greater London County, England United Kingdom

Birthplace

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Professional Career

Nobody expected him to become a star after being in ‘Frankenstein’ Karloff didn’t get billing in the movie’s promotion, and in the opening credits, a question mark was used to tell audiences who played Frankenstein’s monster. While this was assumed to be a promotional gimmick, Sara Karloff, Karloff’s daughter told BBC America that her father wasn’t even invited to the premiere of the movie! He was one of the first members of the Screen Actors Guild The union still exists today under the name SAG-AFTRA. It was started by six actors in March 1933 and within three months, it has a board of directors that included Karloff, as well as James and Lucile Webster Gleason, Claude King and Morgan Wallace. He didn’t get a starring role in Hollywood until he was 43 years old If you’ve always wanted to be a Hollywood star but haven’t succeeded just yet, don’t give up! Karloff wasn’t in Frankenstein until he was 43, and as noted before, nobody even thought the movie would launch his career. He did the mash According to IMDb, Karloff told a friend of Bobby Pickett — the man who sang “The Monster Mash” — that he enjoyed the song very much. Pickett says that someone who’s played such legendary monsters liking his tune was the greatest compliment he’s ever received. He knew a lot abut fairy tales In 1956, Karloff was a the celebrity contestant on The $64,000 Question and audiences learned he knew a lot about children’s fairy tales. He quit after winning the $32,000 level — apparently due to tax considerations, according to IMDb. ‘Frankenstein’ messed up his back Karloff had to have three back surgeries after making the film and had chronic back pain the rest of his life. This was due not only to the scene in which he had to carry Colin Clive up stairs, but also because of the large, heavy brace he had to wear in the film, to give him that stiff look. The spooky guys in Hollywood all got along Though there were always rumors that he and Bela Lugosi had a rivalry, that actually was not true. They were quite friendly. In fact, had Lugosi not turned down the role as the Monster in Frankenstein, Karloff may not have reached the star status he did. Christopher Lee (Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Wicker Man) was also Karloff’s neighbor for many years! He spent a lot of time in the makeup chair Part of the reason Lugosi turned down the role of Frankenstein’s monster was that he didn’t want to wear so much makeup. For good reason — it’s a long process! However, the longest time Karloff had to spend in the makeup chair was actually for 1932’s The Mummy. The website Bloody Disgusting reported that the process of turning Karloff into the Mummy was eight hours long. He’d begin having his makeup applied at 11 a.m. and finishing at 7 p.m., and then they would film until 2 a.m. Frankenstein’s Monster wasn’t his only green character In the 1966 Christmast classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Karloff voiced both the narrator and the grumpy Grinch.
Personal Life & Family

He was very active in Hollywood's Cricket Club. He was also an Umpire. He was crazy about cricket. See Photos.
02/2

1969

Death

February 2, 1969

Death date

(emphysema)

Cause of death

Midhurst, West Sussex County, England GU29, United Kingdom
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Has a marker in The Garden of Remembrance Guildford. Guildford Crematorium., in Guildford Borough, Surrey County England
Burial location
Obituary

Boris Karloff - Biography Born November 23, 1887 in Camberwell, London, England, UK Died February 2, 1969 in Midhurst, Sussex, England, UK (emphysema) Birth Name William Henry Pratt Nicknames Billy, The Uncanny, The Hero of Horror Height 5' 11" (1.81 m) Along with fellow actors Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price, Boris Karloff is recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema, and the actor most closely identified with the general public's perception of the "monster" from the classic Mary Shelley book, "Frankenstein". William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England, the son of Edward John Pratt Jr., the Deputy Commissioner of Customs Salt and Opium, Northern Division, Indian Salt Revenue Service, and his third wife, Eliza Sarah Millard. He was educated at London University in anticipation that he would pursue a diplomatic career; however, he emigrated to Canada in 1909 and joined a touring company based out of Ontario and adopted the stage name of "Boris Karloff." He toured back and forth across the USA for over ten years in a variety of low-budget theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood, reportedly with very little money to his name. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff secured occasional acting work in the fledgling silent film industry in such pictures as The Deadlier Sex (1920), Omar the Tentmaker (1922), Dynamite Dan (1924) and Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927), in addition to a handful of serials (the majority of which sadly haven't survived). Karloff supplemented his meager film income by working as a truck driver in Los Angeles, which allowed him enough time off to continue to pursue acting roles. His big break came in 1931 when he was cast as "the monster" in the Universal production of Frankenstein (1931), directed by James Whale, one of the studio's few remaining auteur directors. The aura of mystery surrounding Karloff was highlighted in the opening credits, as he was listed as simply "?". The film was a commercial and critical success for Universal, and Karloff was instantly established as a hot property in Hollywood. He quickly appeared in several other sinister roles, including Scarface (1932) (filmed before Frankenstein (1931)), the black-humored The Old Dark House (1932), as the namesake Oriental villain of the Sax Rohmer novels in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), as undead Im-Ho-Tep in The Mummy (1932) and the misguided Prof. Morlant in The Ghoul (1933). He thoroughly enjoyed his role as a religious fanatic in John Ford's The Lost Patrol (1934), although contemporary critics described it as a textbook example of overacting. He donned the signature make-up, neck bolts and asphalt spreader's boots again to play Frankenstein's monster in the sensational The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and the less thrilling Son of Frankenstein (1939). Karloff, on loan to Fox, appeared in one of the best of the Warner Oland Chan entries, Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936), before beginning his own short-lived Mr. Wong detective series. He was a wrongly condemned doctor in Devil's Island (1939), shaven-headed executioner "Mord the Merciless" in Tower of London (1939), another misguided scientist in The Ape (1940), a crazed scientist surrounded by monsters, vampires and werewolves in House of Frankenstein (1944), a murderous cabman in The Body Snatcher (1945) and a Greek general fighting vampirism in the Val Lewton thriller Isle of the Dead (1945). While Karloff continued appearing in a plethora of films, many of them were not up to the standards of his previous efforts, including appearances in two of the hokey Bud Abbott and Lou Costello monster movies (he had appeared with them in an earlier superior effort, Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (1949), which theater owners often added his name to the marquee), the low point of the Universal-International horror movie cycle. During the 1950s he was a regular guest on many high-profile TV shows including The Milton Berle Show (1948), Tales of Tomorrow (1951), The Veil (1958), The Donald O'Connor Show (1954), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956), to name but a few, and he appeared in a mixed bag of films including Sabaka (1954) and Voodoo Island (1957). On Broadway he appeared as the murderous Brewster brother in the hit, "Arsenic and Old Lace" (his role, or the absence of him in it, was amusingly parodied in the film version) and a decade later he enjoyed a long run in "Peter Pan," perfectly cast as "Captain Hook." His career experienced something of a revival in the 1960s thanks to hosting the TV anthology series Thriller (1960) and indie director Roger Corman, with Karloff contributing wonderful performances in The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963), the ultra-eerie Black Sabbath (1963) and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Monster of Terror (1965). Karloff's last great role was as an aging horror movie star confronting a modern-day sniper in the Peter Bogdanovich film Targets (1968). In 1970, he played the blind sculptor Franz Badulescu in Cauldron of Blood (1970), written, produced, and directed by Edward Mann, who had also come to the art of film from stage theater. His TV career was capped off by achieving Christmas immortality as the narrator of Chuck Jones's perennial animated favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). Three low-budget Mexican-produced horror films starring an ailing Karloff were released in the two years after his death; however, they do no justice to this actor. In retrospect, he never took himself too seriously as an actor and had a tendency to downplay his acting accomplishments. Renowned as a refined, kind and warm-hearted gentleman, with a sincere affection for children and their welfare, Karloff passed away on February 2, 1969 from emphysema. Respectful of his Indian roots and in true Hindu fashion, he was cremated at Guildford Crematorium, Godalming, Surrey, England, where he is commemorated by a plaque in Plot 2 of the Garden of Remembrance. Spouse (6) Evelyn Hope (11 April 1946 - 2 February 1969) ( his death) Dorothy Stine (12 April 1930 - 10 April 1946) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Helene Vivian Soule (3 February 1924 - 6 June 1928) ( divorced) Montana Laurena Williams (1 July 1920 - 1922) ( divorced) Olive de Wilton (1915 - 1919) ( divorced) Grace Harding (23 February 1910 - 8 January 1913) ( divorced)

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Boris Karloff lived 4 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 81.

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17 Memories, Stories & Photos about Boris

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

11/24/2024

Boris Karloff

Perfect Portrait of the actor.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Boris Karloff and daughter Sara Karloff.

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

11/24/2024

Boris Karloff and daughter Sara Karloff.

Very nice portrait.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

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08/30/2023

Boris Karloff by Arthur K. Miller

The MONSTER in Color.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

03/18/2020

Boris Karloff

This is a photo of Boris Karloff added by Amanda S. Stevenson on March 18, 2020.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

11/24/2020

Boris Karloff

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

08/30/2023

Boris Karloff

Another role.

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The Monster was played by Boris Karloff. Painting by Arthur K. Miller.

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

01/22/2023

The Monster was played by Boris Karloff. Painting by Arthur K. Miller.

ON THIS DATE IN 1986, footage from the 1931 "Frankenstein" that had been deleted in 1937 was found. The footage, showing the Monster throwing little Maria into the lake, was originally ordered to be taken out by the Hays Code because it was considered to be too shocking.
And, BTW, young Miss Harris was actually a very good swimmer. Nevertheless, when the director, James Whale wanted to do an additional take of the scene, she refused. After some pleading by Mr. Whale, she would only agree to do it if she was given her favorite treat (hard-boiled eggs) afterward.
“IDYLL: The Monster & Little Maria (Karloff & Marilyn Harris), Frankenstein, 1931” 20x24, 2009.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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