Boris Karloff

Born: 1887-11-23 in Camberwell, London, England, UK

Died: 1969-02-02

Known For: Acting

Biography

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.

Filmography

2026

The Orbit of Minor Satellites as Roger Ashley Norton

2025

Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage)

2024

The Last Repair Shop as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)

2006

Lugosi: The Dark Prince as Self (archive footage)
Terror in the Tropics as Mr. Wong (archive footage)
Karloff: The Gentle Monster as Self (archive footage)

2004

Monster Movie Trivia Quiz

2003

The Mesmerist as (archive footage)

2001

Heroes of Horror as (archive footage)

2000

The American Nightmare as Self
The Many Faces of Dracula as The Monster (archive footage)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed as Self (archive footage)

1999

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' as Self (archive footage)
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

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld as Self (archive footage)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition as (voice - archive footage)

1992

Dracula in the Movies as (archive footage)

1991

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.
Halloween Monster Bash as Baron Von Leppe (archive footage)

1990

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To as (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello in the Movies as Archival

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)

1983

The Horror of It All as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)

1982

Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! as Self (archive footage)

1980

Monsters on the March (and a Pair of Marvels!)

1979

The Horror Show as (archive footage)

1975

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)

1974

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute as Self (archive footage)
Madhouse as (archive footage)

1971

Alien Terror as Prof. John Mayer
Isle of the Snake People as Carl van Molder / Damballah

1970

McCloud as Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hatchet for the Honeymoon as Gorca (archive footage)

1968

The Name of the Game as Mikhail Orlov
Targets as Byron Orlok
The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
Macabre Serenade as Matthias Morteval
Curse of the Crimson Altar as Professor John Marsh
Cauldron of Blood as Franz Badulescu
Fear Chamber as Dr. Carl Mandel

1967

Mad Monster Party? as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)
The Sorcerers as Prof. Marcus Monserrat

1966

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. as Mother Muffin
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)
The Venetian Affair as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini as The Corpse
The Daydreamer as The Rat (voice)
Doom of Dracula as The Madman (archive footage)

1965

The Wild Wild West as Mr. Singh
Die, Monster, Die! as Nahum Witley

1964

Shindig! as Self - Guest Host / Singer
Bikini Beach as Art Dealer
The Comedy of Terrors as Amos Hinchley
Horror!!! as Self
A Fool's World as Narrator
Today's Teens as Narrator

1963

The Raven as Dr. Scarabus
Black Sabbath as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
The Terror as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe

1962

Out of This World as Host
The Incredible Doktor Markesan as Dr. Konrad Markesan
Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing
Arsenic & Old Lace as Jonathan Brewster
The Storm
Little Lost Robot as Host

1961

Days of Thrills and Laughter as Self (archive footage)
The Grim Reaper as Self

1960

Thriller as Clayton Mace
Route 66
The Fatal Impulse as Self
Who Killed Chung Ling Soo? as Narrator

1958

Shirley Temple's Storybook as Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker
The Veil
Frankenstein 1970 as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein
Corridors of Blood as Dr. Thomas Bolton
Grip of the Strangler as James Rankin
Heart of Darkness as Mr. Kurtz
Jack the Ripper as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason
Destination Nightmare as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs

1957

Suspicion as Judge Winthrop Gelsey
DuPont Show of the Month
The Lux Show as Self
Voodoo Island as Phillip Knight
The Lark as Bishop Cauchon
The Juggler of Our Lady as Narrator (voice)

1956

Telephone Time
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
Colonel March of Scotland Yard as Colonel March Of Scotland Yard
The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
Rendezvous in Black as Ward Allen

1955

This Is Your Life as Self
Sabaka as General Pollegar
A Connecticut Yankee as King Arthur
Sting of Death as Mr. Mycroft

1954

Climax! as Dr. Philip Nestri
The George Gobel Show as Self
The Island Monster as Don Gaetano

1953

The United States Steel Hour as George Redford
General Electric Theater as Mr. Blue Ocean
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Colonel March Investigates as Colonel March

1952

The Black Castle as Dr. Meissen

1951

The Red Skelton Show as Professor Townsend
Tales of Tomorrow
Hallmark Hall of Fame as Cauchon
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Charles Brandon
The Strange Door as Voltan
Down You Go as Self

1950

Robert Montgomery Presents as Bennett Kimball
What's My Line? as Self
Lux Video Theatre as Sir Arthur Strangeways

1949

Suspense as Toff
Lights Out
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff as Swami Talpur
Starring Boris Karloff

1948

Studio One as Skaggs
Tap Roots as Tishomingo

1947

Unconquered as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as Dr. Hollingshead
Lured as Charles van Druten
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome as Gruesome

1946

Bedlam as George Sims

1945

The Body Snatcher as John Gray
Isle of the Dead as Gen. Nikolas Pherides

1944

House of Frankenstein as Dr. Gustav Niemann
The Mummy's Curse as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
The Climax as Dr. Friedrich Hohner

1942

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 as Himself
The Boogie Man Will Get You as Prof. Nathaniel Billings

1941

The Devil Commands as Dr. Julian Blair
Information Please: Series 2, No. 12 as Self

1940

The Mummy's Hand as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)
The Man with Nine Lives as Dr. Leon Kravaal
Before I Hang as Dr. John Garth
Black Friday as Dr. Ernest Sovac
The Ape as Dr. Bernard Adrian
The Fatal Hour as James Lee Wong
Doomed to Die as James Lee Wong
You'll Find Out as Judge Spencer Mainwaring

1939

Son of Frankenstein as The Monster
Tower of London as Mord
The Man They Could Not Hang as Dr. Henryk Savaard
Devil's Island as Dr. Charles Gaudet
British Intelligence as Valdar
The Mystery of Mr. Wong as James Lee Wong
Mr. Wong in Chinatown as Mr. James Lee Wong

1938

Mr. Wong, Detective as James Lee Wong
The Invisible Menace as Jevries

1937

Night Key as David Mallory
Breakdowns of 1937 as Self
West of Shanghai as "General" Wu Yen Fang
Cinema Circus as Himself

1936

The Walking Dead as John Ellman
The Invisible Ray as Dr. Janos Rukh
Charlie Chan at the Opera as Gravelle
The Man Who Changed His Mind as Dr. Laurence
Juggernaut as Dr. Victor Sartorius

1935

Bride of Frankenstein as The Monster
The Raven as Edmond Bateman
The Black Room as Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
Hollywood Hobbies as Himself

1934

The Lost Patrol as Sanders
The Black Cat as Hjalmar Poelzig
The House of Rothschild as Count Ledrantz
Gift of Gab as Himself
Screen Snapshots No. 11 as Himself

1933

The Ghoul as Prof. Morlant

1932

Scarface as Gaffney
The Mummy as Imhotep / Ardath Bey
The Old Dark House as Morgan
The Mask of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Manchu
Skyscraper Souls as Man Approaching Ticket Counter
Behind the Mask as Jim Henderson
Night World as 'Happy' MacDonald
The Miracle Man as Nikko
Business and Pleasure as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood as Boris Karloff
Boo as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")

1931

Frankenstein as The Monster
Five Star Final as T. Vernon Isopod
The Criminal Code as Ned Galloway
Smart Money as Sport Williams
The Public Defender as The Professor
The Mad Genius as Fedor's Father (uncredited)
Cracked Nuts as Boris - First Revolutionary
The Guilty Generation as Tony Ricca
King of the Wild as Mustapha
Graft as Terry
The Yellow Ticket as Drunken Orderly
Tonight or Never as Waiter
Young Donovan's Kid as Cokey Joe
I Like Your Nerve as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler
The Vanishing Legion as The Voice (voice)

1930

The Bad One as Monsieur Gaston
The Sea Bat as Corsican
The Utah Kid as Henchman Baxter

1929

The King of the Kongo as Scarface Macklin
The Unholy Night as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)
Two Sisters as Cecil
Burning the Wind as Pug Doran
The Phantom of the North as Jules Gregg
Behind That Curtain as Beetham's Manservent
The Fatal Warning as Mullins
The Devil's Chaplain as Boris
Anne Against the World

1928

Sharp Shooters as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
The Vanishing Rider as The Villain
The Little Wild Girl as Maurice Kent
Vultures of the Sea as Grouchy

1927

Soft Cushions as The Chief Conspirator
Let It Rain as Crook
The Phantom Buster as Ramon
Two Arabian Knights as Purser
The Love Mart as Fleming
The Meddlin' Stranger as Al Meggs
Tarzan and the Golden Lion as Owaza
The Princess from Hoboken as Pavel

1926

The Greater Glory as Scissors Grinder
Old Ironsides as Saracen Guard (uncredited)
Her Honor, the Governor as Snipe Collins
The Bells as The Mesmerist
The Man in the Saddle as Robber (uncredited)
The Golden Web as Dave Sinclair
The Eagle of the Sea as Pirate (uncredited)
The Nickel-Hopper as Dance Hall Masher
Flames as Blackie Blanchette
Flaming Fury as Gaspard

1925

Perils of the Wild
The Prairie Wife as Diego
Parisian Nights as Pierre
Forbidden Cargo as Pietro Castillano
Lady Robinhood as Cabraza
Without Mercy as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)
Never the Twain Shall Meet

1924

Riders of the Plains
The Hellion as The Outlaw
Dynamite Dan as Tony Garcia
The White Panther as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)

1923

The Prisoner as Prince Kapolski

1922

Omar the Tentmaker as Imam Mowaffak
The Infidel as The Nabob
Nan of the North as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
The Altar Stairs as Hugo
The Man from Downing Street as Maharajah Jehan
The Woman Conquers as Raoul Maris

1921

Without Benefit of Clergy as Ahmed Khan
Cheated Hearts as Nei Hamid
The Hope Diamond Mystery as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
The Cave Girl as Baptiste

1920

The Last of the Mohicans as Indian (uncredited)
The Woman and the Puppet as (uncredited)
The Courage of Marge O'Doone as Tavish
The Deadlier Sex as Jules Borney

1919

His Majesty, the American as Henchman in cloth cap
The Lightning Raider
The Prince and Betty as Undetermined Role