Boris Karloff firmly established himself in the history of cinema as one of the most outstanding and famous actors of the horror genre. He began his career early, but became famous far from immediately. He became famous worldwide for the role of the Beast from James Wale's Frankenstein. For more than 50 years of his acting career, he embodied on the screen about two hundred images, which makes him one of those who have traveled the longest career in the field of cinema.
Childhood
William Henry Pratt, that was the name of the boy at birth, was born on November 23, 1887. A large family, in which in addition to William had 7 more children, lived in London, but it is known that the father of the future actor had Indian roots. It is noteworthy that the sister of one of his grandmothers was the very Anna, events from whose life formed the basis of the musical "King and I" and the paintings "Anna and the King." My father worked as a diplomat, so he often traveled. From childhood, little Karloff also wanted to connect his fate with diplomacy, which was deliberately prepared for each member of the family. Having lost his parents early, he was brought up by brothers and sister.
Youth
The young man entered the University of London, at the end of which he thought to follow in the footsteps of his deceased father. The First World War began, but Boris Karloff, still calling himself William, did not take part in it because of health problems. At 22, he moved to Canada, where he worked for some time on a farm. It was at this time that he passionately became interested in theater. Having discovered acting talent, he began touring the country with various troupes. His roles at that time were insignificant, however, in order not to spoil the reputation of the diplomatic family, he took the name Boris Karloff. The filmography of the actor originates in 1916, however, he then played in the background. Ahead of him is still waiting for many years of hard work before he embodies the fateful image on the screen.
Hollywood
3 years after the debut, the aspiring actor moves to Hollywood, like any other who seeks fame and success. There, he actively starred in many minor roles, and at the same time moonlighting in a variety of positions: from a loader to a working opera scene. Each year, a lot of paintings with his participation are released. Among them can be called such as “Masked Rider”, “Dynamite Dan”, “Tarzan and the Golden Lion”, “Criminal Code”, “King of the Congo” and dozens of others. In addition, he tries himself on television in several series, but this does not bring him fame. By 1931, more than 60 paintings were published, the credits of which included Boris Karloff. Films in which he managed to star in the same year, number about 10, but he still could not be in demand.
Frankenstein
Suddenly, in his acting career, an era of serious change sets in, when Bela Lugosi refuses to play the role in the movie Frankenstein because his character has no cues. The director is actively looking for someone who will agree to the role of the Beast, and then Boris Karloff appears before his attention. He successfully auditioned and received the coveted role. Despite the fact that work on the hero was hard, he was interested in gaining such valuable experience. Every day, applying and removing complex makeup took 5 hours. To make the image seem more vivid, Karloff himself proposed to remove the lateral prosthesis from the teeth. Thanks to this, his cheeks seemed hollow, which is very consistent with the image of a monster. It may seem that the actor has a very large physique, but in life he was rather distinguished by leanness. This effect was achieved with the help of a giant, heavy suit, the weight of which together with the make-up totaled about 24 kilograms. The film was a huge box office success, and its characters are still considered cult. It was then, at age 44, that fame came to Boris Karloff, allowing him from now on to star in the lead roles.
The most famous works
The next significant film, released in 1932, is The Mummy. Boris Karloff played Imhotep in it, already firmly rooted in the images of various villains, monsters and monsters. However, sometimes he still discarded his usual role and appeared to the audience in completely unexpected roles. Such, for example, is the painting “The Scarface”, where he played a gangster. Over the long years of his career, he more than once managed to work in a team with no less outstanding genre actors. For example, together with Lugosha, they starred in such films as “Black Cat”, “Raven”, “Black Friday” and “Body Thieves”. He also returns to the image of the Beast in the paintings “The Frankenstein Bride”, which became a sensation, and “The Son of Frankenstein”, already less successful. In addition to the first plans, he still agrees to almost any role. This trait led him to the site of horror comedy films about the adventures of famous heroes of that time: "Abbott and Costello meet the murderer of Boris Karloff" and "Abbot and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Other activities
In addition to active filming in the cinema, he also repeatedly becomes a guest of famous TV shows, including “Voile”, “Donald O'Conner Show”, “Tales of Tomorrow” and dozens of others. In addition, he debuted on Broadway in the play “Arsenic and Old Lace”, which is a parody. After that, he more than once performs on the theater stage in such performances as "Raven", "Die, Monster, Die", "Peter Pan" and "Comedy of Horrors." The last significant role on the screen is the debut film of Peter Bogdanovich “Targets” in 1968.
Death
Over the years, Boris has had problems with his spine, and in his old age he actively struggled with arthritis and emphysema. The last years of his life, he moved with the help of a wheelchair. Having contracted pneumonia at the age of 81, he never recovered, which is why he died in 1969 in the city of Midhurst, in West Sussex. Over his long life, he not only starred in many films, but was married several times, and in old age he became the father of his first and only daughter. However, the legacy of the great actor goes far beyond family life, because his films will live forever.