Boris Karloff: Horror Star
Image Source: Classic-Monsters.com
Boris Karloff is one of the most recognizable names and faces in horror cinema. He is a horror legend who breathed life into characters in a way that no other actor has been able to do. His dedication to each character and the care that he gave his craft resulted in performances that can never be replicated and will never be forgotten. He dominated the silver screen, the stage, and even the small screen during his decades-long career. Let’s get to know this legend a bit better.
He was born William Henry Pratt in Camberwell, London, England, on November 23, 1887. He attended London University, where it was expected that he would go on to pursue a diplomatic career. Instead, he emigrated to Canada in 1909 at the age of 22 and joined a touring company that was based in Ontario. This is where he adopted the stage name Boris Karloff. He spent 10 years touring across the United States doing low-budget stage productions, and eventually chose to stay in Hollywood. He immediately got acting work in silent films such as The Deadlier Sex, Dynamite Dan, and Tarzan and the Golden Lion, as well as a few speaking films that have unfortunately been lost to time. These roles paid very little, so he worked as a truck driver in Los Angeles to help cover expenses while he continued to look for work.
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Image Source: CultureSlate
He got his big break in 1931 when he was cast as Frankenstein’s Monster in Universal’s Frankenstein. This film showed the depth of his talent and his ability to communicate a plethora of emotions with very little actual spoken dialogue. The studio also create an air of mystery around him by listing him as “?” in the opening credits, leaving audiences to wonder who was portraying the Monster. The film was a massive success with audiences and critics alike, which helped to launch him to the top in Hollywood. His next roles would be in dark films such as Scarface, The Old Dark House, and The Mask of Fu Manchu.
During this time, he would get his next major horror role, playing Im-ho-tep in The Mummy. This role gave him another opportunity to show the depths of his talent. Similarly to the Monster, Im-ho-tep spends very little time speaking, but Boris Karloff is able to expertly convey complex emotions. He would go on to play Frankenstein’s Monster two more times in Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein.
The majority of his film credits are in horror and thriller films, which is why he will forever be known as one of the Masters of Horror. His later work is less talked about among fans because critics began to accuse the actor of overacting, but many people feel that this was simply because he refused to take himself too seriously. The last film he appeared in before his death was The Crimson Cult, where he shared the screen with Sir Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele.
Although he is most notably known for his darker roles, he was also an incredible stage actor and breathed life into one of the most beloved Christmas characters of all time. In 1966, he worked with Chuck Jones to voice both the narrator and titular character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. This was not his only work for children, as he actually did many recordings for children towards the end of his life. He won a few awards for his work across different entertainment media, including a Grammy for his work on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, a Photoplay Award for his work on Frankenstein, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both motion picture and television, and he was given the Fangoria Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Unfortunately, Boris Karloff passed away on February 2, 1969, from pneumonia, but his performances will live on forever.
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