Boris Karloff

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 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

Robert Montgomery Presents

Robert Montgomery Presents

The Wild Wild West

Climax!

Climax!

The Red Skelton Show

What's My Line?

Studio One

All Movies (241)

• Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies2025 · as Self - (archive footage)
• The Last Repair Shop2024 · as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story2022 · as Self - Interviewee
• Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster2021 · as Self (archive footage)
• Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!2021 · as Self (archive footage)
• True Fear: The Making of Psycho2015 · as Self
• Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters2015 · as Self (archive footage)
• Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film2014 · as Various roles (archive footage)
• A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02)2013 · as Self (archive footage)
• Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored2013 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features2012
• He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce2008 · as Self (archive footage)
• Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire2007 · as Himself (archive footage)
• Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde2007 · as Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
• Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman2007 · as Self (archive footage)
• Lugosi: The Dark Prince2006 · as Self (archive footage)
• Karloff: The Gentle Monster2006 · as Self (archive footage)
• Terror in the Tropics2006 · as Mr. Wong (archive footage)
• Monster Movie Trivia Quiz2004
• The Mesmerist2003 · as (archive footage)
• Heroes of Horror2001 · as (archive footage)
• The American Nightmare2000 · as Self
• Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed2000 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Many Faces of Dracula2000 · as The Monster (archive footage)
• The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster1999 · as Self (archive footage)
• Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'1999 · as Self (archive footage)
• Universal Horror1998 · as (archive footage)
• The Universal Story1996 · as Self (archive footage)
• Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld1994 · as Self (archive footage)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition1994 · as (voice - archive footage)
• Dracula in the Movies1992 · as (archive footage)
• Halloween Monster Bash1991 · as Baron Von Leppe (archive footage)
• Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook1991 · as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)
• Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook1991 · as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.
• Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To1990 · as (archive footage)
• Abbott and Costello in the Movies1990 · as Archival
• Transylvania Twist1989 · as Man in Room (archive footage)
• Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies1988 · as (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Creepy Classics1987 · as Dr. Scarabus - (archive footage)
• Going Hollywood: The '30s1984 · as (archive footage)
• The Horror of It All1983 · as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
• Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!1982 · as Self (archive footage)
• Monsters on the March (and a Pair of Marvels!)1980
• The Horror Show1979 · as (archive footage)
• Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?1975 · as Self (archive footage)
• Madhouse1974 · as (archive footage)
• The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute1974 · as Self (archive footage)
• Alien Terror1971 · as Prof. John Mayer
• Isle of the Snake People1971 · as Carl van Molder / Damballah
• Hatchet for the Honeymoon1970 · as Gorca (archive footage)
• Curse of the Crimson Altar1968 · as Professor John Marsh
• Targets1968 · as Byron Orlok
• Fear Chamber1968 · as Dr. Carl Mandel
• Macabre Serenade1968 · as Matthias Morteval
• Cauldron of Blood1968 · as Franz Badulescu
• The Movie Orgy1968 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Sorcerers1967 · as Prof. Marcus Monserrat
• Mad Monster Party?1967 · as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas!1966 · as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)
• The Venetian Affair1966 · as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud
• The Daydreamer1966 · as The Rat (voice)
• The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini1966 · as The Corpse
• Doom of Dracula1966 · as The Madman (archive footage)
• Die, Monster, Die!1965 · as Nahum Witley
• Bikini Beach1964 · as Art Dealer
• Today's Teens1964 · as Narrator
• The Comedy of Terrors1964 · as Amos Hinchley
• Horror!!!1964 · as Self
• A Fool's World1964 · as Narrator
• Black Sabbath1963 · as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
• The Terror1963 · as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe
• The Raven1963 · as Dr. Scarabus
• Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing1962
• Little Lost Robot1962 · as Host
• The Incredible Doktor Markesan1962 · as Dr. Konrad Markesan
• Arsenic & Old Lace1962 · as Jonathan Brewster
• The Storm1962
• The Grim Reaper1961 · as Self
• Days of Thrills and Laughter1961 · as Self (archive footage)
• Who Killed Chung Ling Soo?1960 · as Narrator
• The Fatal Impulse1960 · as Self
• Corridors of Blood1958 · as Dr. Thomas Bolton
• Heart of Darkness1958 · as Mr. Kurtz
• Frankenstein 19701958 · as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein
• Grip of the Strangler1958 · as James Rankin
• Destination Nightmare1958 · as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs
• Jack the Ripper1958 · as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason
• The Juggler of Our Lady1957 · as Narrator (voice)
• The Lark1957 · as Bishop Cauchon
• Voodoo Island1957 · as Phillip Knight
• Rendezvous in Black1956 · as Ward Allen
• A Connecticut Yankee1955 · as King Arthur
• Sting of Death1955 · as Mr. Mycroft
• Sabaka1955 · as General Pollegar
• The Island Monster1954 · as Don Gaetano
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1953 · as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
• Colonel March Investigates1953 · as Colonel March
• The Black Castle1952 · as Dr. Meissen
• The Strange Door1951 · as Voltan
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff1949 · as Swami Talpur
• Tap Roots1948 · as Tishomingo
• Unconquered1947 · as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
• Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome1947 · as Gruesome
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty1947 · as Dr. Hollingshead
• Lured1947 · as Charles van Druten
• Bedlam1946 · as George Sims
• Isle of the Dead1945 · as Gen. Nikolas Pherides
• The Body Snatcher1945 · as John Gray
• The Mummy's Curse1944 · as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
• House of Frankenstein1944 · as Dr. Gustav Niemann
• The Climax1944 · as Dr. Friedrich Hohner
• The Boogie Man Will Get You1942 · as Prof. Nathaniel Billings
• Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 61942 · as Himself
• The Devil Commands1941 · as Dr. Julian Blair
• Information Please: Series 2, No. 121941 · as Self
• You'll Find Out1940 · as Judge Spencer Mainwaring
• The Ape1940 · as Dr. Bernard Adrian
• The Mummy's Hand1940 · as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)
• Before I Hang1940 · as Dr. John Garth
• Doomed to Die1940 · as James Lee Wong
• The Man with Nine Lives1940 · as Dr. Leon Kravaal
• Black Friday1940 · as Dr. Ernest Sovac
• The Fatal Hour1940 · as James Lee Wong
• Tower of London1939 · as Mord
• British Intelligence1939 · as Valdar
• The Man They Could Not Hang1939 · as Dr. Henryk Savaard
• Mr. Wong in Chinatown1939 · as Mr. James Lee Wong
• The Mystery of Mr. Wong1939 · as James Lee Wong
• Son of Frankenstein1939 · as The Monster
• Devil's Island1939 · as Dr. Charles Gaudet
• Mr. Wong, Detective1938 · as James Lee Wong
• The Invisible Menace1938 · as Jevries
• Breakdowns of 19371937 · as Self
• West of Shanghai1937 · as "General" Wu Yen Fang
• Night Key1937 · as David Mallory
• Cinema Circus1937 · as Himself
• Charlie Chan at the Opera1936 · as Gravelle
• The Man Who Changed His Mind1936 · as Dr. Laurence
• Juggernaut1936 · as Dr. Victor Sartorius
• The Walking Dead1936 · as John Ellman
• The Invisible Ray1936 · as Dr. Janos Rukh
• The Black Room1935 · as Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
• The Raven1935 · as Edmond Bateman
• Hollywood Hobbies1935 · as Himself
• Bride of Frankenstein1935 · as The Monster
• Gift of Gab1934 · as Himself
• The Black Cat1934 · as Hjalmar Poelzig
• The House of Rothschild1934 · as Count Ledrantz
• The Lost Patrol1934 · as Sanders
• Screen Snapshots No. 111934 · as Himself
• The Ghoul1933 · as Prof. Morlant
• The Mummy1932 · as Imhotep / Ardath Bey
• Boo1932 · as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")
• The Mask of Fu Manchu1932 · as Dr. Fu Manchu
• The Old Dark House1932 · as Morgan
• Skyscraper Souls1932 · as Man Approaching Ticket Counter
• Night World1932 · as 'Happy' MacDonald
• Scarface1932 · as Gaffney
• The Miracle Man1932 · as Nikko
• The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood1932 · as Boris Karloff
• Behind the Mask1932 · as Jim Henderson
• Business and Pleasure1932 · as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph
• Frankenstein1931 · as The Monster
• The Guilty Generation1931 · as Tony Ricca
• The Yellow Ticket1931 · as Drunken Orderly
• The Mad Genius1931 · as Fedor's Father (uncredited)
• Five Star Final1931 · as T. Vernon Isopod
• Graft1931 · as Terry
• I Like Your Nerve1931 · as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler
• The Public Defender1931 · as The Professor
• Smart Money1931 · as Sport Williams
• Young Donovan's Kid1931 · as Cokey Joe
• The Vanishing Legion1931 · as The Voice (voice)
• Cracked Nuts1931 · as Boris - First Revolutionary
• King of the Wild1931 · as Mustapha
• Tonight or Never1931 · as Waiter
• The Criminal Code1931 · as Ned Galloway
• The Utah Kid1930 · as Henchman Baxter
• The Sea Bat1930 · as Corsican
• The Bad One1930 · as Monsieur Gaston
• The Unholy Night1929 · as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)
• The King of the Kongo1929 · as Scarface Macklin
• Behind That Curtain1929 · as Beetham's Manservent
• The Phantom of the North1929 · as Jules Gregg
• Anne Against the World1929
• Two Sisters1929 · as Cecil
• The Devil's Chaplain1929 · as Boris
• The Fatal Warning1929 · as Mullins
• Burning the Wind1929 · as Pug Doran
• The Little Wild Girl1928 · as Maurice Kent
• Vultures of the Sea1928 · as Grouchy
• The Vanishing Rider1928 · as The Villain
• Sharp Shooters1928 · as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
• The Love Mart1927 · as Fleming
• Two Arabian Knights1927 · as Purser
• Soft Cushions1927 · as The Chief Conspirator
• The Phantom Buster1927 · as Ramon
• The Meddlin' Stranger1927 · as Al Meggs
• Tarzan and the Golden Lion1927 · as Owaza
• The Princess from Hoboken1927 · as Pavel
• Let It Rain1927 · as Crook
• Old Ironsides1926 · as Saracen Guard (uncredited)
• Flaming Fury1926 · as Gaspard
• The Nickel-Hopper1926 · as Dance Hall Masher
• The Eagle of the Sea1926 · as Pirate (uncredited)
• Flames1926 · as Blackie Blanchette
• The Golden Web1926 · as Dave Sinclair
• The Bells1926 · as The Mesmerist
• Her Honor, the Governor1926 · as Snipe Collins
• The Man in the Saddle1926 · as Robber (uncredited)
• The Greater Glory1926 · as Scissors Grinder
• Without Mercy1925 · as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)
• Parisian Nights1925 · as Pierre
• Never the Twain Shall Meet1925
• Perils of the Wild1925
• Lady Robinhood1925 · as Cabraza
• The Prairie Wife1925 · as Diego
• Forbidden Cargo1925 · as Pietro Castillano
• Dynamite Dan1924 · as Tony Garcia
• Riders of the Plains1924
• The Hellion1924 · as The Outlaw
• The White Panther1924 · as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)
• The Prisoner1923 · as Prince Kapolski
• Omar the Tentmaker1922 · as Imam Mowaffak
• The Altar Stairs1922 · as Hugo
• The Woman Conquers1922 · as Raoul Maris
• The Man from Downing Street1922 · as Maharajah Jehan
• The Infidel1922 · as The Nabob
• Nan of the North1922 · as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
• The Cave Girl1921 · as Baptiste
• Cheated Hearts1921 · as Nei Hamid
• Without Benefit of Clergy1921 · as Ahmed Khan
• The Hope Diamond Mystery1921 · as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
• The Last of the Mohicans1920 · as Indian (uncredited)
• The Courage of Marge O'Doone1920 · as Tavish
• The Woman and the Puppet1920 · as (uncredited)
• The Deadlier Sex1920 · as Jules Borney
• The Prince and Betty1919 · as Undetermined Role
• His Majesty, the American1919 · as Henchman in cloth cap
• The Lightning Raider1919
• Suspense: A Night at an Inn— · as Toff

All TV Shows (50)

• McCloud1970 · as Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Name of the Game1968 · as Mikhail Orlov
• The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.1966 · as Mother Muffin
• The Wild Wild West1965 · as Mr. Singh
• Shindig!1964 · as Self - Guest Host / Singer
• Out of This World1962 · as Host
• Route 661960
• Thriller1960 · as Clayton Mace
• Thriller1960 · as Self - Host
• Thriller1960 · as Dr. Thorne
• Thriller1960 · as Dr. Albert Farnham
• Thriller1960 · as Pop Jenkins / Col. Jackson Beauregard Finchess
• Thriller1960 · as Doktor Konrad Markesan
• Shirley Temple's Storybook1958 · as Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker
• The Veil1958
• Suspicion1957 · as Judge Winthrop Gelsey
• DuPont Show of the Month1957
• The Lux Show1957 · as Self
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show1956 · as Self
• The Rosemary Clooney Show1956 · as Self
• Telephone Time1956
• Colonel March of Scotland Yard1956 · as Colonel March Of Scotland Yard
• This Is Your Life1955 · as Self
• Climax!1954 · as Dr. Philip Nestri
• Climax!1954 · as Vicar Tellworth
• The George Gobel Show1954 · as Self
• The United States Steel Hour1953 · as George Redford
• General Electric Theater1953 · as Mr. Blue Ocean
• General Electric Theater1953 · as Henry E. Church
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Cauchon
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Jonathan Brewster
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Charles Brandon
• The Red Skelton Show1951 · as Professor Townsend
• Tales of Tomorrow1951
• Down You Go1951 · as Self
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Sir Arthur Strangeways
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Montgomery Royle
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Larkin
• What's My Line?1950 · as Self
• Robert Montgomery Presents1950 · as Bennett Kimball
• Robert Montgomery Presents1950
• Starring Boris Karloff1949
• Lights Out1949
• Suspense1949 · as Toff
• Suspense1949
• Suspense1949 · as Bronson
• Suspense1949 · as Rasputin
• Studio One1948 · as Skaggs
• Studio One1948 · as Professor Koernig
• Studio One1948 · as King Arthur