Boris Karloff

William Henry Pratt
1887 - 1969 (emphysema)
British /American born New York City

Nickname Billy, The Uncanny . Height 5' 11" (1.80 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 with very little money to his name. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff secured 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).His big break came in 1931 when he was cast as "the monster" in the Universal production of Frankenstein (1931), directed by James Whale. The aura of mystery surrounding Karloff was highlighted in the credits, as he was listed as simply "?". The film was a commercial and critical success, and Karloff was instantly established as a hot property in Hollywood. He quickly appeared in several other sinister roles, including Scarface (1932), 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 donned the signature make-up, neck bolts and asphalt spreader's boots again to play the Frankenstein monster in the sensational Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and the less thrilling Son of Frankenstein (1939). 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 superb 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, the low point of the Universal 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 Show" (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).His career experienced something of a revival in the 1960s thanks to indie director Roger Corman, with Karloff contributing wonderful performances in The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963), the ultra-eerie Tre volti della paura, I (1963) and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Die, Monster, Die! (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). 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 great actor. Renowned as a kind and warm-hearted gentleman, with a sincere affection for children and their welfare, Karloff passed away on February 2, 1969, from emphysema. 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 Evelyn Hope Helmore (11 April 1946 - 2 February 1969) (his death), Dorothy Stine (1928 - 1946) (divorced) 1 daughter Sarah, Helene Vivian Soule (3 February 1924 - 1928) (divorced), Montana Laurena Williams (1920 - ?) (divorced), Olive de Wilton (1915 - ?) (divorced), Grace Harding (23 February 1910 - 8 January 1913) (divorced).

The Fear Chamber (1972) , The Incredible Invasion (1971) , Muerte viviente, La (1971) , Coleccionista de cadáveres, El (1970) , Mad Monster Party? (1969) , "The Name of the Game" (1968) , Targets (1968) , House of Evil (1968) , Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) , The Sorcerers (1967) , "I Spy" (1967) , The Venetian Affair (1967) , "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E." (1966) , "The Wild Wild West" (1966) , The Daydreamer (1966) , The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) , Die, Monster, Die! (1965) , Bikini Beach (1964) , The Comedy of Terrors (1964) , Tre volti della paura, I (1963) , The Terror (1963) , The Raven (1963), The Paradine Case (1962) , "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1957) , "Thriller" (1960) , The Secret World of Eddie Hodges (1960) , "Playhouse 90" (1956) , "Sunday Showcase" (1960), "The DuPont Show of the Month" (1960) , "General Electric Theater" (1955) , Corridors of Blood (1958) , The Veil (1958) , Frankenstein - 1970 (1958) , Grip of the Strangler (1958) , The Juggler of Our Lady (1958) , "Studio One" (1951) , Destination Nightmare (1958) , "Shirley Temple's Storybook" (1958) , "Telephone Time" (1958) , Jack the Ripper (1958) , "The Veil" (1958) , "Suspicion" (1957) ,"Lux Video Theatre" (1951) , Voodoo Island (1957) , "Climax!" (1954) , "The Alcoa Hour" (1956) , "Colonel March of Scotland Yard" (1956) , "The United States Steel Hour" (1955) , "The Elgin Hour" (1955) , "The Best of Broadway" (1955) , A Connecticut Yankee (1955) , Sabaka (1954) , Mostro dell'isola, Il (1954) , Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) , "Suspense" (1949) , "ABC Album" (1953) , "Tales of Tomorrow"(1952) ,"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1951) , "Hollywood Opening Night" (1953) , The Black Castle (1952) , "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars" (1952) , "Curtain Call" (1952) , "CBS Television Workshop" (1952) , Colonel March Investigates (1952), The Strange Door (1951) , "Lights Out" (1950) , "Masterpiece Playhouse" (1950) , Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) , "The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre"(1949) , Cisaruv slavík (1949) , "The Ford Theatre Hour"(1949) , Tap Roots (1948) , Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) , Unconquered (1947) , Lured (1947) , The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) , Bedlam (1946) , Isle of the Dead (1945) , The Body Snatcher (1945) , House of Frankenstein (1944) , The Climax (1944) , The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) , The Devil Commands (1941) , You'll Find Out (1940) , The Ape (1940) , Before I Hang (1940) , Doomed to Die (1940) , The Man with Nine Lives (1940) , Black Friday (1940) , British Intelligence (1940) , The Fatal Hour (1940) , Tower of London (1939) , The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) , Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939) , The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) , Son of Frankenstein (1939) , Devil's Island (1939) , Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) , The Invisible Menace (1938) , West of Shanghai (1937) , Night Key (1937) , Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) , The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936/I) , The Walking Dead (1936) , The Invisible Ray (1936) , Juggernaut (1936) , The Black Room (1935) , The Raven (1935) , Bride of Frankenstein (1935) , Gift of Gab (1934) , The Black Cat (1934) , The House of Rothschild (1934) , The Lost Patrol (1934) , The Ghoul (1933) , The Mummy (1932) , The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) , The Old Dark House (1932) , Night World (1932) , The Miracle Man (1932) , Scarface (1932) , Business and Pleasure (1932) , Behind the Mask (1932) , Alias the Doctor (1932) , Tonight or Never (1931) , Frankenstein (1931) , The Guilty Generation (1931) , The Mad Genius (1931) , The Yellow Ticket (1931) , Five Star Final (1931) , Graft (1931) , I Like Your Nerve (1931) , The Public Defender (1931) , Smart Money (1931) , Young Donovan's Kid (1931) , The Vanishing Legion (1931) , Cracked Nuts (1931) , Dirigible (1931) , King of the Wild (1931) , The Criminal Code (1931) , Sous les verrous (1931) , The Utah Kid (1930) , The Sea Bat (1930) , The Bad One (1930) , The Unholy Night (1929) , The King of the Kongo (1929) , Behind That Curtain (1929) , The Phantom of the North (1929) , Anne Against the World (1929) ,Two Sisters (1929) , The Devil's Chaplain (1929) , The Fatal Warning (1929) , Burning the Wind (1929) , The Little Wild Girl (1928) , Vultures of the Sea (1928) , The Vanishing Rider (1928) , Sharp Shooters (1928) , The Love Mart (1927) , Two Arabian Knights (1927) , Soft Cushions (1927) , The Phantom Buster (1927) , The Meddlin' Stranger (1927) , The Princess from Hoboken (1927) , Let It Rain (1927) , Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927) , Valencia (1926) ,Old Ironsides (1926) , The Nickel-Hopper (1926) , Flaming Fury (1926) , The Eagle of the Sea (1926) , Flames (1926) , The Golden Web (1926) , The Bells (1926) , Her Honor, the Governor (1926) , The Man in the Saddle (1926) , The Greater Glory (1926) , Perils of the Wild (1925) ,Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925) , Lady Robinhood (1925) , Parisian Nights (1925) , The Prairie Wife (1925) , Forbidden Cargo (1925) , Dynamite Dan (1924) , Riders of the Plains (1924) , The Hellion (1924) , The Prisoner (1923) , The Gentleman from America (1923) ,The Woman Conquers (1922) , Omar the Tentmaker (1922) , The Altar Stairs (1922) , The Infidel (1922) , The Man from Downing Street (1922) , Nan of the North (1922) , The Cave Girl (1921) , Cheated Hearts (1921) , Without Benefit of Clergy (1921) , The Hope Diamond Mystery (1921) , The Last of the Mohicans (1920) , The Courage of Marge O'Doone (1920) , The Deadlier Sex (1920) , The Prince and Betty (1919) , His Majesty, the American (1919) , The Masked Rider (1919) , The Lightning Raider (1919)