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