(William Henry Pratt Nov. 23, 1887 - Feb. 2, 1969)

English born Boris Karloff is widely recognized as the greatest horror film star of
the 20th century. During his lifetime he had the opportunity to perform in some
remarkable films, as well as many forgettable ones. As a young man Karloff
became a contract player for Universal Pictures. He was virtually unknown for the
first 15 years of his film career, usually playing in supporting "character" roles.
His bid for immortality came when he was offered the role of Frankenstein in
the first ever film version of the Mary Shelly book. Ironically, the role had first
been offered to Bela Lugosi who had turned it down feeling that a non-speaking
part was beneath him following his success as Dracula.

Karloff in a gag publicity photo from the 1950s.	To this day Karloff distinctive voice, with a slight lisp, is known in every English speaking country as the narrator of the television cartoon version of the Dr. Seuss classic "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."
	IMPORTANT BORIS KARLOFF FILMS

"THE BLACK CAT" 1934 Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer Written by Peter Rurick and Edgar G. Ulmer Starring Boris Karloff as Hjalmar Poelzig and Bela Lugosi as Dr. Vitus Verdegast "The Black Cat" remains as powerfully moving and modern today as it was the day it was released. There may be no other film from the 1930s for which this same statement could be made. Several critics have called "The Black Cat" the first American psychological horror film ever made! At the opening of the film the viewer learns that Dr. Verdegast has just been released from a Russian military prison after 15 years. He was captured by the Russian army during the fall of Hungarian Ft. Marmus during the 1st World War. Verdegast is travelling to meet his former commander Hjalmar Poelzig seeking to discover the fate of his wife and child. However, Verdegast knows that Poelzig is a traitor who sold out his countrymen to the Russians. There is a fantastic analysis of this film written by Tim Dirks. Click here to read Mr. Dirk's critique. The indepth article reveals all of the plot and ending of the film and you should SEE THE FILM before reading it. Edgar G. Ulmer directed very few films in Hollywood. Following the making of this film he worked as a free agent, primarily for small B movie companies, as he demanded complete artistic control.

Karloff & Lugosi in publicity photo for "The Black Cat." Publicity photo of Lugosi on the set .

Photo of Karloff on the set of "Targets." Photo scanned from "Cult Movies" magazine No. 24, 1997. The image appears in poor quality in the magazine. Digital quality enhancement and color effect by me.

"Targets" 1968 Written and Directed by Peter Bogdanovich Starring Boris Karloff as Byron Orlok At the age of 81 Boris Karloff acted in one of his last films. It would be the first film for Peter Bogdanovich who had written it expressly for his acting idol. In the film Karloff portrays an aging horror movie star preparing for his retirement. The character was actually based on Karloff. Possibly the first time ever an actor played a fictionalization of themself in a movie. Karloff was very nervous about making this film as it required a significant amount of improvisation and a lengthy monologue by the actor during the climax. He needen't have worried. He is magnificent in the film, and it makes a fitting swan song. Peter Bogdanovich would go on to make several critically acclaimed films including "The Last Picture Show" & "Paper Moon."

Most reference books on Karloff are very bad and the fly-by-night authors copy the
same incorrect information from one book to another. I have seen much of this incorrect
information on several Karloff web sites. For example many of these books and web
sites claim that "Targets" was Karloff's last film. However this is untrue. Late in 1968,
dying from respiratory disease and confined to a wheelchair, Karloff did three days work
for a cheap Mexican B movie. In 1969, after Karloff had died, the scumbag director
edited this single performance into three different films and released all of them as
new Karloff movies. You've gotta hate scum like that.

However, the first ever authorized biography of Boris Karloff recently been published.
It is the culmination of 23 years of research! I must admit I have not had a chance to
read this book yet, but it has an excellent reputation.
"Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life" by Scott Allen Nollen, Midnight Marquee Press.

Click the link below to see some rare images and read about
another great Karloff movie "Isle Of The Dead."