Boris Karloff facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Boris Karloff
Karloff c. 1940s
Born	William Henry Pratt (1887-11-23)23 November 1887 Dulwich, Surrey, England
Died	2 February 1969(1969-02-02) (aged 81) Midhurst, Sussex, England
Resting place	Guildford Crematorium, Godalming, Surrey, England
Alma mater	King's College London
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1909–1969
Spouse(s)	Grace Harding (m. 1910; div. 1913) Olive de Wilton (m. 1916; div. 1919) Montana Laurena Williams (m. 1920; div. 1922) Helene Vivian Soule (m. 1924; div. 1928) Dorothy Stine (m. 1930; div. 1946) Evelyn Hope Helmore (m. 1946)
Children	Sara Karloff
Relatives	Anna Leonowens (great-aunt)

Theatrical teaser poster for Frankenstein

William Henry Pratt (born November 23, 1887 – died February 2, 1969), known to the world as Boris Karloff, was a famous English actor. He became a true horror icon for playing Frankenstein's monster in the movie Frankenstein (1931). He played the monster again in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939).

Karloff also starred as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932). Later, he voiced the Grinch and narrated the animated TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), which won him a Grammy Award. He acted in 174 films, many stage plays, and lots of radio and TV shows. For his amazing work, Boris Karloff has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life and Beginnings

English Heritage Blue plaque at 36 Forest Hill Road, London, marking Karloff's birthplace

William Henry Pratt was born in Dulwich, England, on November 23, 1887. His parents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Sara. Both his parents passed away when he was young. His older brothers and a half-sister raised him. His father had Indian heritage, giving Karloff a darker complexion than many people around him at the time. His great-aunt, Anna Leonowens, wrote stories about the royal court of Siam (now Thailand). These stories later inspired the famous musical The King and I.

As a child, William had a lisp and a stutter. He learned to control his stutter, but his lisp stayed with him throughout his acting career. He went to several schools, including King's College London. He planned to work for the British Government. However, in 1909, he left college and moved to Canada. There, he worked many different jobs, like a farm worker and truck driver. Eventually, he found his way into acting.

Becoming Boris Karloff

Karloff in 1913

William Pratt started acting in plays in Canada in 1911. This is when he chose his stage name: Boris Karloff. He said he picked "Boris" because it sounded foreign and exciting. He claimed "Karloff" was a family name, but his daughter, Sara, later said she didn't know of any Slavic relatives with that name.

Some people think he got the name from a character called "Boris Karlov" in a book. But that book came out after he was already using the name. Another idea is that he took it from "Prince Boris of Karlova" in a different novel.

One big reason for changing his name was to avoid embarrassing his family. His brothers were important diplomats. William worried they might not approve of him becoming an actor. He didn't see his family again until he went back to England in 1933. He was worried they would be upset about his new fame as a "monster" actor. Instead, his brothers were very proud and wanted to take pictures with him! This story became one of Karloff's favorites.

While trying to become an actor, Karloff did a lot of hard manual labor in Canada and the U.S. He laid railway tracks, dug ditches, and shoveled coal. This tough work caused him back problems for the rest of his life. Because of his health, he did not fight in World War I.

Early Hollywood Career

Karloff as Fu Manchu in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932).

When Karloff first arrived in Hollywood, he got small parts in many silent films. Work was hard to find, so he often had to do other jobs, like digging ditches, to earn money. His first known film role was in a series called The Lightning Raider (1919).

He often played characters like Arabs or Indians in his early movies. His first big role was in another film series, The Hope Diamond Mystery (1920). He appeared in many films, often as a villain or a mysterious character.

A movie that helped Karloff get noticed was The Criminal Code (1931). In this prison drama, he played a dramatic role he had done on stage. Around the same time, he had a supporting role in the gangster film Scarface (1932).

Becoming a Star

Colin Clive and Karloff in Frankenstein (1931)

Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Karloff had acted in 81 films before director James Whale chose him for Frankenstein (1931). Playing Frankenstein's monster was physically tough. He wore a heavy costume with special boots that weighed 11 pounds each! This made his back problems even worse. But the costume and makeup created a truly unforgettable image.

After Frankenstein became a huge hit, Universal Studios started billing Karloff simply as "KARLOFF" in their movies. This showed how famous he had become. He reunited with James Whale for The Old Dark House (1932), where he finally got top billing. He also played the main character in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932).

Karloff in The Mummy (1932)

Back at Universal, he starred as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932). This movie was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. The Mummy was also a big success, making Karloff a top star in horror films.

Karloff returned to England for The Ghoul (1933). Then he made a non-horror film, The Lost Patrol (1934), where his acting was highly praised.

Horror movies became Karloff's main focus. He often worked with Bela Lugosi, another famous horror actor. They made many classic films together, starting with The Black Cat (1934). Karloff played Frankenstein's monster again in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He and Lugosi then starred in The Raven (1935).

Because of new rules for movies in 1934, horror films became less popular. Karloff started working in other types of movies. He made two films in Britain, Juggernaut (1936) and The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936). He also played a Chinese detective in the Mr. Wong, Detective series (1938).

Universal Studios started making horror films again in 1939. Karloff played the monster one last time in Son of Frankenstein (1939). This time, Basil Rathbone played Dr. Frankenstein, and Bela Lugosi played Ygor.

Expanding His Career

Karloff with Margaret Lindsay in British Intelligence (1940)

Karloff was a very busy actor. He returned to the Broadway stage in 1941 for the play Arsenic and Old Lace. In this play, he acted as a gangster who was often mistaken for Boris Karloff himself!

In 1944, he had surgery on his spine for a long-term arthritis problem. He returned to films with The Climax (1944). He also starred in House of Frankenstein (1944), where he played a mad scientist. This was his last time playing the monster.

Karloff made three films for producer Val Lewton at RKO, including The Body Snatcher (1945), his final movie with Bela Lugosi. He left Universal because he felt the Frankenstein movies were becoming too silly. He preferred working with Lewton, who he felt "rescued him from the living dead."

After World War II, horror films were not as popular. Karloff worked in other genres, like the comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and the film noir Lured (1947).

Karloff had his own weekly children's radio show "Boris Karloff's Treasure Chest" on WNEW, New York, in 1950. He played children's music and told stories and riddles.

Karloff was a frequent guest on radio shows. He often made fun of his horror image. In 1949, he hosted and starred in Starring Boris Karloff, a radio and TV show. He also played the villainous Captain Hook in a stage musical of Peter Pan in 1950.

He returned to horror films with The Strange Door (1951) and The Black Castle (1952). He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the play The Lark.

Boris Karloff as Captain Hook in Peter Pan (1950)

Karloff played a foreign scientist on The Red Skelton Show in 1954.

In the 1950s, he starred in the British TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard. He played a detective who solved impossible crimes. He also appeared with Christopher Lee in the film Corridors of Blood (1958). Karloff even sang on The Gisele MacKenzie Show and appeared in a Frankenstein parody on The Red Skelton Show with Vincent Price.

Karloff made more horror films in the late 1950s, like Voodoo Island (1957) and Frankenstein 1970 (1958). In 1962, he put on the Frankenstein Monster makeup one last time for a Halloween episode of the TV series Route 66. He also hosted and acted in TV series like Thriller.

Later Career and Final Roles

Karloff continued to act in films, including Black Sabbath (1963) and The Raven (1963). He also starred in The Terror (1963) with Jack Nicholson. In the 1960s, he was often in pain due to his health issues.

In 1966, Karloff played a Maharajah in The Wild Wild West. In 1967, he played a Spanish professor who thought he was Don Quixote in an episode of I Spy.

One of his most famous later roles was narrating the animated TV film of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1966. He also provided the voice for the Grinch. This earned him a Grammy Award for "Best Recording For Children".

Karloff starred in Targets (1968), a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. In this movie, Karloff played an older horror film actor named Byron Orlok, who was a lot like Karloff himself.

He finished his career by appearing in four low-budget Mexican horror films. His scenes for these movies were filmed in Los Angeles because he was too sick to travel. He had emphysema and severe arthritis, and only half of one lung was working. He needed oxygen between takes. These films were released after his death.

Recordings and Books

Boris Karloff recorded many spoken word albums. He narrated Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. For children, he recorded Three Little Pigs and Other Fairy Stories and Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.

He was also credited with editing several horror story collections, like Tales of Terror (1943). His name was used on other horror anthologies too, even if he didn't personally edit them all.

Personal Life

Karloff was married six times. His last marriage, to Evelyn Hope Helmore, began in 1946 and lasted happily until his death 23 years later. He had one child, a daughter named Sara Karloff, born on his 51st birthday in 1938.

Starting in 1940, Karloff dressed as Father Christmas every Christmas. He would visit a hospital in Baltimore to give presents to children with physical disabilities.

He never officially changed his name to "Boris Karloff." On legal papers, he signed as "William H. Pratt, a.k.a. Boris Karloff." He was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild, a group that helps actors. He spoke up about the very long hours he spent in makeup for his monster roles.

Death

Boris Karloff moved back to England in 1959. He had emphysema from being a heavy smoker for many years. In late 1968, he got bronchitis and was hospitalized. He passed away from pneumonia on February 2, 1969, at the age of 81.

His body was cremated in Guildford, England. A plaque remembers him there. There is also a memorial plaque at St Paul's, Covent Garden in London, known as "the Actors' Church."

Legacy

After his TV show Thriller ended, a comic book called Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery was created. An illustrated picture of Karloff introduced each issue for over ten years after he died.

For his contributions to film and television, Boris Karloff has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1997, the U.S. Postal Service featured him as Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy on "Classic Monster Movie Stamps." In 1998, a special English Heritage blue plaque was placed on his childhood home in London. In 2016, Empire magazine ranked his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster as the sixth-greatest horror movie character ever.

Images for kids

Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Karloff and Ernest Thesiger in Bride of Frankenstein
Karloff, Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi in Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Gloria Stuart and Karloff in The Old Dark House (1932)
Karloff and Gloria Stuart in The Old Dark House (1932)
Elsa Lanchester and Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
L–R: Marjorie Reynolds, Boris Karloff (seated), Raymond Hatton and Grant Withers in Doomed to Die (1940)
Karloff played detective Colonel March on Colonel March of Scotland Yard in 1955.