KARLOFF, BORIS

original name William Henry Pratt, or Charles Edward Pratt born Nov. 23, 1887, London, Eng. died Feb. 3, 1969, Midhurst, West Sussex English actor who became internationally famous for his sympathetic and chilling portrayal of the monster in the classic horror film Frankenstein (1931). The king of horror films for more than 20 years, he also achieved success on Broadway in roles as evil characters. Karloff emigrated to Canada in 1909 and in 1910 joined a touring company. A motion-picture extra as well as a stage actor from 1918, he played minor roles in silent films until he earned recognition for his portrayal of a convict turned killer in the sound film The Criminal Code (1931), a part he had played on Broadway in 1930. Frankenstein, Hollywood's first important monster film, brought Karloff overnight fame. Typecast as a villain, Karloff followed with the sequels Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939), and with other famous characterizations in his traditional speechless robotlike style, such as that of the deaf-mute killer in The Old Dark House (1932) and the preserved corpse in The Mummy (1932), who reawakens to claim his reincarnated lover in one of the screen's most chilling scenes. He also played the sinister Fu Manchu in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) and the Chinese detective in the Mr. Wong series (193839). Returning to the stage in 1941, Karloff appeared on Broadway in Arsenic and Old Lace and later as Captain Hook in Peter Pan (1950). He also made frequent radio and television appearances.