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