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