Boris Karloff filmography

Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein

This is the filmography of Boris Karloff. Born as William Henry Pratt, he joined a touring company and adopted the stage name Boris Karloff. During these early stages of his career he was mostly left in obscurity. By 1919, Karloff found regular work as an extra at Universal Studios. Karloff's first significant hit film was in Howard Hawks's The Criminal Code (1931). While shooting Graft, director James Whale convinced Karloff to star as a character in one of his most popular roles as Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein which led to him becoming an overnight superstar. After Frankenstein and starring in several high profile films such as Bride of Frankenstein and Scarface, Karloff spent the remainder of the 1930s continuing to work at an incredible pace, but progressively more into less financially successful films. Karloff starred in a few acclaimed Val Lewton produced horror films of the 1940s and by the mid-1950s, he was a familiar presence on television hosting his own series including Thriller and The Veil and guest starring on such variety programs as The Donald O'Connor Show.

In the 1960s, Karloff was a fixture at Roger Corman's American International Pictures. His final American film was in Peter Bogdanovich's Targets portraying an aging horror film star.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Director	Notes
1916	The Dumb Girl of Portici		Lois Weber	Credited as an extra.
1918	The Lightning Raider		George B. Seitz	15-chapter film serial.
1919	The Masked Rider	Mexican roughneck in saloon (Ep. 2 only)	Aubrey M. Kennedy	15-chapter film serial.
	His Majesty, the American	The Spy	Joseph Henabery	Credited as an extra.
	The Prince and Betty		Robert Thornby	Bit part.
1920	The Deadlier Sex	Jules Borney	Robert Thornby
	The Courage of Marge O'Doone	Tavish	David Smith
	The Last of the Mohicans		Maurice Tourneur, Clarence Brown	Credited as an extra.
1921	The Hope Diamond Mystery	Dakar / High Priest of Temple of Sita	Stuart Paton	Film serial.
	Without Benefit of Clergy	Ahmed Khan	James Young
	Cheated Hearts	Nil Horned	Hobart Henley
	The Cave Girl	Baptiste	Joseph Franz
1922	The Man from Downing Street	Edward Monckton / Maharajah Jehan Deharwar	Edward José
	The Infidel	the Nabob	James Young
	The Altar Stairs	Hugo	Lambert Hillyer
	Omar the Tentmaker	the Holy Imam Mowaffak	James Young
	The Woman Conquers	Raoul Maris	Tom Forman
1923	The Gentleman from America		Edward Sedgwick	Uncredited Bit part.
	The Prisoner	Prince Kapolski	Jack Conway
1924	Riders of the Plains		Jacques Jaccard
	The Hellion	Outlaw	Bruce Mitchell
	Dynamite Dan	Tony Garcia	Bruce Mitchell
1925	Parisian Nights	Pierre	Alfred Santell
	Forbidden Cargo	Pietro Castillano	Tom Buckingham
	The Prairie Wife	Diego	Hugo Ballin
	Perils of the Wild		Francis Ford
	Never the Twain Shall Meet	Villain	Maurice Tourneur
	Lady Robinhood	Cabraza	Ralph Ince
1926	The Greater Glory	the Scissors Grinder	Curt Rehfeld
	Her Honor, the Governor	Snipe Collins	Chet Withey
	The Bells	Mesmerist	James Young
	The Nickel-Hopper	Big Bohunk	Hal Yates
	The Golden Web	Dave Sinclair	Walter Lang
	The Eagle of the Sea	Pirate	Frank Lloyd
	Flames	Blackie Blanchett	Lewis H. Moomaw
	Old Ironsides	Saracen Guard	James Cruze
	Flaming Fury	Gaspard	James Hogan
	Valencia		Dimitri Buchowetzki	Uncredited Bit part.
	The Man in the Saddle	Robber	Clifford S. Smith	Uncredited.
1927	Tarzan and the Golden Lion	Ozawa, Waziri Chief	J. P. McGowan
	Let It Rain	the Crooks	Edward Francis Cline
	The Meddlin' Stranger	Al Meggs	Richard Thorpe
	The Princess from Hoboken	Pavel	Allan Dale
	The Phantom Buster	Ramón	William Bertram
	Soft Cushions	The Chief Conspirator	Edward Francis Cline
	Two Arabian Knights	Purser	Lewis Milestone
	The Love Mart	Fleming	George Fitzmaurice
1928	The Vanishing Rider	The Villain	Ray Taylor	Film serial
	Burning the Wind	Pug Doran	Henry MacRae, Herbert Blaché
	Vultures of the Sea	Grouchy	Richard Thorpe	Film serial
	The Little Wild Girl	Maurice Kent	Frank Mattison
1929	The Devil's Chaplain	Boris	Duke Worne
	The Fatal Warning	Mullins	Richard Thorpe	Film serial
	The Phantom of the North	Jules Gregg	Harry S. Webb
	Two Sisters	Cecil	Scott Pembroke
	Anne Against the World		Duke Worne	Bit part.
	Behind That Curtain	Sudanese servant	Irving Cummings	First sound film.
	The King of the Kongo	Macklin / Martin	Richard Thorpe	Film serial.
	The Unholy Night	Abdoul	Lionel Barrymore
1930	The Bad One	Guard	George Fitzmaurice
	The Sea Bat	Corsican	Wesley Ruggles
	The Utah Kid	Baxter	Richard Thorpe
	The Mother's Cry	Baxter	Hobart Henley
1931	Sous les verrous ("Pardon Us" - French version)	The Tiger	James Parrott
	The Criminal Code	Ned Galloway	Howard Hawks
	King of the Wild	Mustapha	B. Reeves Eason, Richard Thorpe	Final film serial.
	Cracked Nuts	Revolutionary	Edward F. Cline
	Young Donovan's Kid	Cokey Joe	Fred Niblo
	Smart Money	Sport Williams	Alfred E. Green
	The Public Defender	Professor	J. Walter Ruben
	I Like Your Nerve	Luigi	William McGann
	Graft	Joe Terry	William Christy Cabanne
	Five Star Final	"Reverend" Vernon Isopod	Mervyn LeRoy
	The Yellow Ticket	Orderly	Raoul Walsh
	The Mad Genius	Fedor's Father	Michael Curtiz
	The Guilty Generation	Tony Ricca	Rowland V. Lee
	Frankenstein	The Monster	James Whale
	Tonight or Never	The Waiter	Mervyn LeRoy
1932	Behind the Mask	Jim Henderson	John Francis Dillon
	Alias the Doctor	Autopsy Surgeon	Lloyd Bacon, Michael Curtiz
	Business and Pleasure	Sheikh	David Butler
	Scarface	Gaffney	Howard Hawks
	The Miracle Man	Nikko	Norman Z. McLeod
	Night World	"Happy" MacDonald	Hobart Henley
	The Old Dark House	Morgan	James Whale	Billed as KARLOFF
	The Mask of Fu Manchu	Dr. Fu Manchu	Charles J. Brabin, Charles Vidor, King Vidor
	The Mummy	Imhotep/Ardath Bey	Karl Freund	Billed as KARLOFF
1933	The Ghoul	Prof. Morlant	T. Hayes Hunter
1934	The Lost Patrol	Sanders	John Ford
	The House of Rothschild	Count Ledrantz	Alfred L. Werker
	The Black Cat	Hjalmar Poelzig	Edgar G. Ulmer	Billed as KARLOFF
	Gift of Gab	Cameo Appearance (as Karloff)	Karl W. Freund	Billed as KARLOFF
1935	Bride of Frankenstein	The Monster	James Whale	Billed as KARLOFF
	The Raven	Edmond Bateman	Lew Landers	Billed as KARLOFF
	The Black Room	Baron Gregor de Berghmann / Anton de Berghmann	Roy William Neill
1936	The Invisible Ray	Dr. Janos Rukh	Lambert Hillyer	Billed as KARLOFF
	The Walking Dead	John Ellman	Michael Curtiz
	Juggernaut	Victor Sartorius	Michael Curtiz
	The Man Who Changed His Mind	Dr. Laurence	Robert Stevenson
	Charlie Chan at the Opera	Gravelle	H. Bruce Humberstone
1937	Night Key	Dave Mallory	Lloyd Corrigan	Billed as KARLOFF
	West of Shanghai	Gen. Wu Yen Fang	John Farrow
1938	The Invisible Menace	Mr. Jevries a.k.a. Dolman	Lloyd Corrigan
	Mr. Wong, Detective	James Lee Wong	William Nigh
1939	Devil's Island	Dr. Charles Gaudet	William Nigh
	Son of Frankenstein	The Monster	Rowland V. Lee
	The Mystery of Mr. Wong	James Lee Wong	William Nigh
	Mr. Wong in Chinatown	James Lee Wong	William Nigh
	The Man They Could Not Hang	Dr. Henryk Savaard	Nick Grinde
	Tower of London	Mord the Executioner	Rowland V. Lee
1940	The Fatal Hour	James Lee Wong	William Nigh
	British Intelligence	Valdar	Terrell O. Morse	a.k.a. "Enemy Agent"
	Black Friday	Dr. Ernest Sovac	Arthur Lubin
	The Man with Nine Lives	Dr. Leon Kravaal	Nick Grinde
	Doomed to Die	James Lee Wong	William Nigh
	Before I Hang	Dr. John Garth	Nick Grinde
	The Ape	Dr. Bernard Adrian	William Nigh
	You'll Find Out	Judge Mainwaring	David Butler
1941	The Devil Commands	Dr. Julian Blair	Edward Dmytryk
1942	The Boogie Man Will Get You	Prof. Nathaniel Billings	Lew Landers
1944	The Climax	Dr. Hohner	George Waggner
	House of Frankenstein	Dr. Gustav Niemann	Erle C. Kenton
1945	The Body Snatcher	John Gray	Robert Wise
	Isle of the Dead	Gen. Nikolas Pherides	Mark Robson
1946	Bedlam	Master George Sims	Mark Robson
1947	The Secret Life of Walter Mitty	Dr. Hugo Hollingshead	Norman Z. McLeod
	Lured	Charles von Druten	Douglas Sirk
	Unconquered	Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas	Cecil B. DeMille
	Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome	Gruesome	John Rawlins
1948	Tap Roots	Tishomingo	George Marshall
	The Emperor's Nightingale	Narrator	Jiří Trnka	English-language version only.
1949	Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff	Swami Talpur	Charles Barton
1951	The Strange Door	Voltan	Joseph Pevney
1952	Colonel March Investigates	Col. March	Cy Raker Endfield	Compiled from episodes of the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard
	The Black Castle	Dr. Meissen	Nathan Juran
1953	Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde	Charles Lamont
1954	The Island Monster		Roberto Bianchi Montero
	The Hindu	General Pollegar	Frank Ferrin	a.k.a. Sabaka
1957	Voodoo Island	Dr. Phillip Knight	Reginald Le Borg
1958	The Juggler of Our Lady	Narrator	Al Kouzel	Animated short
	The Creation of the World	Narrator (USA)	Eduard Hofman	English-language version only.
	The Haunted Strangler	James Rankin	Robert Day
	Frankenstein 1970	Baron Victor von Frankenstein	Howard W. Koch
	Corridors of Blood	Dr. Thomas Bolton	Robert Day
1963	Black Sabbath	Gorca	Mario Bava
	The Terror	Baron Von Leppe	Roger Corman
	The Raven	Dr. Scarabus	Roger Corman
1964	Bikini Beach	Art dealer	William Asher
	Mondo Balordo	Narrator	Roberto Bianchi Montero
	The Comedy of Terrors	Amos Hinchley	Jacques Tourneur
1965	Die, Monster, Die! (UK: Monster of Terror)	Nahum Witley	Daniel Haller
1966	The Daydreamer	The Rat	Jules Bass	Voice only
	The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini	The Corpse	Don Weis
	How the Grinch Stole Christmas!	The Grinch and the Narrator	Chuck Jones	Animated film. Won Grammy Award for Best Album for Children.
1967	The Venetian Affair	Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud	Jerry Thorpe
	Mad Monster Party?	Baron Boris von Frankenstein	Jules Bass	Voice only
	The Sorcerers	Professor Marcus Montserrat	Michael Reeves
1968	Targets	Byron Orlok	Peter Bogdanovich
	Curse of the Crimson Altar	Prof. Marshe	Vernon Sewell
	Fear Chamber	Dr. Carl Mandel	Juan Ibañez, Jack Hill
	House of Evil	Mathias Morteval	Luis Enrique Vergara, Jack Hill
1970	Cauldron of Blood (El Coleccionista de cadáveres); aka Blind Man's Bluff (filmed in 1967)	Franz Badulescu	Santos Alcocer, Edward Mann	Released after Karloff's death; filmed in 1967
1971	The Incredible Invasion	Prof. John Meyer	Luis Enrique Vergara, Jack Hill	Released after Karloff's death; filmed in 1968
	Isle of the Snake People	Karl Van Molder / Damballah	Juan Ibañez, Jack Hill	Released after Karloff's death; filmed in 1968

External links

• Boris Karloff at the Internet Movie Database