- Born
- 23 November 1887, London, United Kingdom
- First work
- 1919: The Lightning Raider
- Peak
- 1931 to 1939 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1968: Targets
- Died
- 2 February 1969, Midhurst, United Kingdom; aged 81; illness
Boris Karloff
Film: actor, United Kingdom
Boris Karloff was an English actor whose gentleness and cultured voice contrasted strikingly with his status as horror cinema's foremost icon. After emigrating to Canada and labouring through dozens of silent film parts, his breakthrough arrived as the Monster in James Whale's Frankenstein in 1931. He infused the role with tender, tragic humanity and continued to define the genre in The Mummy and Bride of Frankenstein. Karloff also enjoyed success on the Broadway stage and in television, notably narrating How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Following a poignant final performance in Peter Bogdanovich's Targets, Karloff died of pneumonia in Midhurst, Sussex, in 1969.
Who else was born on 23 November or who died on 2 February.
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Signature works
- Frankenstein film1931
- The Old Dark House film1932
- The Mummy film1932
- The Black Cat film1934
- Bride of Frankenstein film1935
- The Body Snatcher film1945
- Targets film1968
Honours
- Two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1960
Groups: Universal Pictures.