Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff – best remembered for his portrayal of monsters in horror films – became a mega star when he played Frankenstein’s monster in the movie, Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939).

Karloff, was born as William Henry Pratt, on the November 23, 1887 in East Dulwich, London, England to parents Edward Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard.

Boris Karlof’s original ambition consisted of joining the Foreign Service, but he went into acting instead. He stuttered, was bow-legged and had a distinct lisp, which he never conquered. Migrating to Canada in 1909, Karloff changed his name from Pratt to Karloff, some citing the character, “Boris Karlov,” from the novel, Drums of Jeopardy as the influence for his name, but one of the main reasons was that he didn’t want his family to be embarrassed about him becoming an actor. On the contrary, his older brothers enjoyed having their photos made with him.

When Karloff made his way to Hollywood he found some work in silent films but had to resort to manual labor like truck driving and digging ditches to make ends meet. Bela Lugosi was originally chosen to play the monster in Frankenstein, but rejected the role – and it was ultimately given to Karloff. His role in Frankenstein made him a star and he later found work in another horror film, The Mummy, in which he played Imhotep. Although Karloff is remembered for his horror films, he also played in such films as Scarface and The Lost Patrol.

In 1942 he appeared on Broadway in the smash hit comedy thriller Arsenic and Old Lace. At the same time this was presented on radio by Screen Guild Theater with Karloff in a leading role.

During the period that Boris Karloff became a film star, he was also a featured guest on many radio programs, including making fun of his monster image with Spike Jones, Fred Allen, Jimmy Durante and on Information Please. He also starred in episodes of Lights Out including Cat Wife and The Dream. Other notable radio programs that Karloff had a part in were Creeps By Night, a horror melodrama, featuring Karloff as the host and Peter Lorre as an occasional star and Inner Sanctum Mysteries another horror anthology series known for dealing with the macabre. He also appeared in epsiodes of Suspense notably Drury's Bones in 1945 and Wet Saturday in 1947.

Karloff wasn’t really a monster in real life – he lived a life of charity, giving generously to children’s causes. He often dressed up as Santa Claus at Christmas and handed out presents to children who were disabled at Baltimore Hospital. Karloff married six times, but only had one child with his fifth wife.

Boris Karloff died of pneumonia after a long struggle with emphysema and arthritis. He was taken from his cottage, “Roundabout” in Bramshott, England to King Edward VII Hospital and while there died at 81 years of age on February 2, 1969. Karloff was cremated and is commemorated with a plaque at the Garden of Remembrance in Surrey, England.

Happy listening my friends,

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