Boris Karloff

ActorCrew Nov 23 (died age 81) Camberwell, London, England, UK 1919–2025 (106 year career)

6.0 avg rating

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 …

Known For

Film

Frankenstein

The Monster

Film

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Narrator / The Grinch (voice)

Film

Bride of Frankenstein

The Monster

Film

Scarface

Gaffney

Film

Black Sabbath

Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")

Film

The Mummy

Imhotep / Ardath Bey

Film

Targets

Byron Orlok

Film

The Black Cat

Hjalmar Poelzig

Filmography

Acting (275)

Movies (238)

Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies

2025

as Self - (archive footage)

The Last Repair Shop

2024

as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.5

The Dark Universe

2023

as Frankenstein (archivo de imagen)

Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story

2022

as Self - Interviewee

10.0

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

2021

as Self (archive footage)

7.0

Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!

2021

as Self (archive footage)

4.7

Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters

2015

as Self (archive footage)

10.0

Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film

2014

as Various roles (archive footage)

7.5

Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

2013

as Self (archive footage)

5.5

A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02)

2013

as Self (archive footage)

The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features

2012

10.0

He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce

2008

as Self (archive footage)

8.4

Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire

2007

as Himself (archive footage)

6.3

Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman

2007

as Self (archive footage)

9.0

Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

2007

as Cabman John Gray (archive footage)

8.0

Karloff: The Gentle Monster

2006

as Self (archive footage)

7.6

Lugosi: The Dark Prince

2006

as Self (archive footage)

7.6

Terror in the Tropics

2006

as Mr. Wong (archive footage)

Monster Movie Trivia Quiz

The Mesmerist

as (archive footage)

Heroes of Horror

as (archive footage)

Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed

2000

as Self (archive footage)

7.0

The American Nightmare

2000

as Self

6.7

The Many Faces of Dracula

2000

as The Monster (archive footage)

3.5

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'

1999

as Self (archive footage)

6.9

The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster

1999

as Self (archive footage)

Universal Horror

as (archive footage)

The Universal Story

as Self (archive footage)

7.7

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition

1994

as (voice - archive footage)

8.1

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld

1994

as Self (archive footage)

7.0

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

1991

as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)

10.0

Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook

1991

as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.

5.7

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

1990

as (archive footage)

9.0

Abbott and Costello in the Movies

1990

as Archival

Transylvania Twist

1989

as Man in Room (archive footage)

5.3

Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies

1988

Creepy Classics

1987

as Dr. Scarabus - (archive footage)

6.3

Going Hollywood: The '30s

1984

as (archive footage)

10.0

The Horror of It All

1983

as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)

8.0

Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

1982

as Self (archive footage)

6.0

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

1980

The Horror Show

1979

as (archive footage)

3.8

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

1975

as Self (archive footage)

6.1

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute

1974

as Self (archive footage)

7.7

Madhouse

1974

as (archive footage)

6.2

Isle of the Snake People

1971

as Carl van Molder / Damballah

3.0

Alien Terror

1971

as Prof. John Mayer

3.4

Hatchet for the Honeymoon

1970

as Gorca (archive footage)

Targets

as Byron Orlok

The Movie Orgy

as Self (archive footage)

6.3

Macabre Serenade

1968

as Matthias Morteval

3.9

Curse of the Crimson Altar

1968

as Professor John Marsh

Fear Chamber

as Dr. Carl Mandel

Cauldron of Blood

as Franz Badulescu

The Sorcerers

as Prof. Marcus Monserrat

6.2

Mad Monster Party?

1967

as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)

6.6

The Venetian Affair

1967

as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud

4.4

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

1966

as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)

The Daydreamer

as The Rat (voice)

Doom of Dracula

as The Madman (archive footage)

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

as The Corpse

Die, Monster, Die!

as Nahum Witley

The Comedy of Terrors

as Amos Hinchley

Bikini Beach

as Art Dealer

Horror!!!

as Self

A Fool's World

as Narrator

Today's Teens

as Narrator

The Terror

1963

as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe

Corridors of Blood

as Dr. Thomas Bolton

The Raven

as Dr. Scarabus

Black Sabbath

as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")

7.2

Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing

Little Lost Robot

as Host

Arsenic & Old Lace

as Jonathan Brewster

The Incredible Doktor Markesan

1962

as Dr. Konrad Markesan

7.0

The Storm

1962

Days of Thrills and Laughter

1961

as Self (archive footage)

5.5

The Grim Reaper

1961

as Self

The Fatal Impulse

1960

as Self

1.0

Frankenstein 1970

1958

as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein

5.3

Heart of Darkness

1958

as Mr. Kurtz

Grip of the Strangler

1958

as James Rankin

5.9

Destination Nightmare

1958

as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs

5.5

Jack the Ripper

1958

as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason

6.0

The Juggler of Our Lady

1957

as Narrator (voice)

6.5

The Lark

1957

as Bishop Cauchon

Voodoo Island

1957

as Phillip Knight

4.3

Rendezvous in Black

1956

as Ward Allen

A Connecticut Yankee

as King Arthur

Sabaka

as General Pollegar

Sting of Death

as Mr. Mycroft

The Island Monster

1954

as Don Gaetano

3.0

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1953

as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde

6.3

Colonel March Investigates

as Colonel March

The Black Castle

as Dr. Meissen

The Strange Door

as Voltan

The Emperor's Nightingale

1949

as Narrator (English version)

5.4

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

as Swami Talpur

Tap Roots

as Tishomingo

Unconquered

as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas

6.3

Lured

1947

as Charles van Druten

6.3

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

1947

as Dr Hugo Hollingshead

6.8

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

as Gruesome

Bedlam

as George Sims

The Body Snatcher

as John Gray

House of Frankenstein

1945

as Dr. Gustav Niemann

6.0

Isle of the Dead

1945

as Gen. Nikolas Pherides

6.1

The Mummy's Curse

1944

as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)

5.5

The Climax

1944

as Dr. Friedrich Hohner

5.5

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6

1942

as Himself

6.0

The Boogie Man Will Get You

1942

as Prof. Nathaniel Billings

6.1

Information Please: Series 2, No. 12

1941

as Self

The Devil Commands

as Dr. Julian Blair

Before I Hang

as Dr. John Garth

You'll Find Out

as Judge Spencer Mainwaring

The Fatal Hour

as James Lee Wong

Black Friday

as Dr. Ernest Sovac

Doomed to Die

as James Lee Wong

The Mummy's Hand

as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)

5.7

The Man with Nine Lives

1940

as Dr. Leon Kravaal

6.2

The Ape

1940

as Dr. Bernard Adrian

4.8

Son of Frankenstein

1939

as The Monster

6.7

The Mystery of Mr. Wong

as James Lee Wong

Tower of London

as Mord

Mr. Wong in Chinatown

1939

as Mr. James Lee Wong

5.3

Devil's Island

1939

as Dr. Charles Gaudet

5.4

British Intelligence

1939

as Valdar

5.7

The Man They Could Not Hang

1939

as Dr. Henryk Savaard

Mr. Wong, Detective

as James Lee Wong

The Invisible Menace

as Jevries

Night Key

as David Mallory

Cinema Circus

as Himself

West of Shanghai

1937

as "General" Wu Yen Fang

Breakdowns of 1937

as Self

The Walking Dead

as John Ellman

The Man Who Changed His Mind

1936

as Dr. Laurence

6.1

Charlie Chan at the Opera

as Gravelle

The Invisible Ray

as Dr. Janos Rukh

Juggernaut

as Dr. Victor Sartorius

4.2

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

Gift of Gab

as Himself

The House of Rothschild

as Count Ledrantz

The Black Cat

as Hjalmar Poelzig

The Lost Patrol

as Sanders

Screen Snapshots No. 11

1934

as Himself

The Ghoul

as Prof. Morlant

The Miracle Man

as Nikko

Night World

as 'Happy' MacDonald

Scarface

as Gaffney

The Mummy

as Imhotep / Ardath Bey

The Old Dark House

as Morgan

Skyscraper Souls

as Man Approaching Ticket Counter

5.3

The Mask of Fu Manchu

1932

as Dr. Fu Manchu

5.4

Business and Pleasure

1932

as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph

4.5

Boo

1932

as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")

5.1

Behind the Mask

1932

as Jim Henderson

5.7

The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood

1932

as Boris Karloff

Frankenstein

as The Monster

The Criminal Code

as Ned Galloway

The Yellow Ticket

as Drunken Orderly

The Public Defender

as The Professor

Cracked Nuts

as Boris - First Revolutionary

Graft

as Terry

Smart Money

as Sport Williams

The Mad Genius

as Fedor's Father (uncredited)

Five Star Final

as T. Vernon Isopod

King of the Wild

as Mustapha

The Vanishing Legion

as The Voice (voice)

I Like Your Nerve

as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler

Tonight or Never

as Waiter

Young Donovan's Kid

as Cokey Joe

The Guilty Generation

as Tony Ricca

The Bad One

as Monsieur Gaston

The Utah Kid

as Henchman Baxter

The Sea Bat

as Corsican

The Devil's Chaplain

as Boris

Behind That Curtain

1929

as Beetham's Manservent

3.7

Anne Against the World

1929

The Phantom of the North

1929

as Jules Gregg

The Unholy Night

1929

as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)

The Fatal Warning

as Mullins

Two Sisters

as Cecil

The King of the Kongo

1929

as Scarface Macklin

7.0

Burning the Wind

1929

as Pug Doran

Vultures of the Sea

1928

as Grouchy

The Little Wild Girl

1928

as Maurice Kent

Sharp Shooters

1928

as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)

The Vanishing Rider

1928

as The Villain

The Phantom Buster

1927

as Ramon

Soft Cushions

1927

as The Chief Conspirator

Tarzan and the Golden Lion

1927

as Owaza

4.9

Let It Rain

1927

as Crook

Two Arabian Knights

1927

as Purser

5.8

The Love Mart

1927

as Fleming

The Princess from Hoboken

1927

as Pavel

The Meddlin' Stranger

1927

as Al Meggs

The Eagle of the Sea

1926

as Pirate (uncredited)

The Bells

1926

as The Mesmerist

6.2

The Golden Web

1926

as Dave Sinclair

Flames

1926

as Blackie Blanchette

The Greater Glory

1926

as Scissors Grinder

The Nickel-Hopper

1926

as Dance Hall Masher

7.0

Old Ironsides

1926

as Saracen Guard (uncredited)

6.2

The Man in the Saddle

1926

as Robber (uncredited)

Her Honor, the Governor

1926

as Snipe Collins

Flaming Fury

1926

as Gaspard

Without Mercy

1925

as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)

Perils of the Wild

1925

The Prairie Wife

1925

as Diego

Never the Twain Shall Meet

1925

6.0

Forbidden Cargo

1925

as Pietro Castillano

Lady Robinhood

1925

as Cabraza

Parisian Nights

as Pierre

Dynamite Dan

as Tony Garcia

Riders of the Plains

The White Panther

as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)

The Hellion

1924

as The Outlaw

The Prisoner

1923

as Prince Kapolski

The Woman Conquers

1922

as Raoul Maris

Omar the Tentmaker

1922

as Imam Mowaffak

The Man from Downing Street

1922

as Maharajah Jehan

Nan of the North

1922

as Undetermined Role (uncredited)

The Infidel

1922

as The Nabob

The Altar Stairs

1922

as Hugo

Without Benefit of Clergy

1921

as Ahmed Khan

The Cave Girl

1921

as Baptiste

Cheated Hearts

1921

as Nei Hamid

The Hope Diamond Mystery

1921

as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar

The Woman and the Puppet

1920

as (uncredited)

The Last of the Mohicans

1920

as Indian (uncredited)

6.3

The Courage of Marge O'Doone

1920

as Tavish

The Deadlier Sex

1920

as Jules Borney

5.0

The Lightning Raider

1919

His Majesty, the American

1919

as Henchman in cloth cap

5.8

The Prince and Betty

1919

as Undetermined Role

7.5

Television (37)

McCloud

1970

as Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.1

The Name of the Game

1968

as Mikhail Orlov

6.8

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

as Mother Muffin

The Wild Wild West

as Mr. Singh

Shindig!

as Self - Guest Host / Singer

Out of This World

as Host

Route 66

Thriller

as Self - Host

Thriller

as Clayton Mace

Shirley Temple's Storybook

1958

as Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker

The Veil

as Dr. Pierre

Suspicion

as Judge Winthrop Gelsey

5.9

DuPont Show of the Month

The Lux Show

as Self

Tony Awards

as Self - Nominee

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

as Self

Telephone Time

Colonel March of Scotland Yard

1956

as Colonel March Of Scotland Yard

7.3

The Rosemary Clooney Show

1956

as Self

This Is Your Life

as Self

Climax!

as Dr. Philip Nestri

The George Gobel Show

1954

as Self

7.3

The United States Steel Hour

1953

as George Redford

6.2

General Electric Theater

as Mr. Blue Ocean

Quick as a Flash

as Self

The Red Skelton Show

as Professor Townsend (Spy)

7.4

Tales of Tomorrow

1951

6.0

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951

as Cauchon

8.6

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

1951

as Charles Brandon

7.2

Down You Go

1951

as Self

Robert Montgomery Presents

as Bennett Kimball

What's My Line?

as Self

Lux Video Theatre

as Sir Arthur Strangeways

Suspense

as Toff

Lights Out

Starring Boris Karloff

1949

Studio One

1948

as Skaggs

5.0

Crew (1)

Movies (1)

Bikini Beach

1964

Thanks

5.5