Boris Karloff
Acting
291
Acting Credits
Biography
William Henry Pratt (November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969), better known as Boris Karloff, was an English-born actor who emigrated to Canada in 1909. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny". His best-known non-horror role is ...
Known For
Filmography
The Orbit of Minor Satellites
2026
as Roger Ashley Norton
Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies
2025
as Self - (archive footage)
The Last Repair Shop
2024
as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
2022
as Self - Interviewee
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters
2015
as Self (archive footage)
True Fear: The Making of Psycho
2015
as Self
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
2014
as Various roles (archive footage)
A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02)
2013
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
2013
as Self (archive footage)
The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features
2012
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
2008
as Self (archive footage)
Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire
2007
as Himself (archive footage)
Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
2007
as Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
2007
as Self (archive footage)
Lugosi: The Dark Prince
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Terror in the Tropics
2006
as Mr. Wong (archive footage)
Karloff: The Gentle Monster
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Monster Movie Trivia Quiz
2004
The Mesmerist
2003
as (archive footage)
Heroes of Horror
2001
as (archive footage)
The American Nightmare
2000
as Self
The Many Faces of Dracula
2000
as The Monster (archive footage)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
2000
as Self (archive footage)
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
1999
as Self (archive footage)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999
as Self (archive footage)
Universal Horror
1998
as (archive footage)
The Universal Story
1996
as Self (archive footage)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition
1994
as (voice - archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
1994
as Self (archive footage)
Dracula in the Movies
1992
as (archive footage)
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
1991
as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
1991
as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.
Halloween Monster Bash
1991
as Baron Von Leppe (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello in the Movies
1990
as Archival
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
1990
as (archive footage)
Transylvania Twist
1989
as Man in Room (archive footage)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
1988
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Creepy Classics
1987
as Dr. Scarabus - (archive footage)
Don't Scream: It's Only a Movie!
1985
as Self
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
as (archive footage)
The Horror of It All
1983
as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
1982
as Self (archive footage)
Monsters on the March (and a Pair of Marvels!)
1980
The Horror Show
1979
as (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
Madhouse
1974
as (archive footage)
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
1974
as Self (archive footage)
Alien Terror
1971
as Prof. John Mayer
Isle of the Snake People
1971
as Carl van Molder / Damballah
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
1970
as Gorca (archive footage)
McCloud
1970
as Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archive footage)
Curse of the Crimson Altar
1968
as Professor John Marsh
Fear Chamber
1968
as Dr. Carl Mandel
Macabre Serenade
1968
as Matthias Morteval
Targets
1968
as Byron Orlok
Cauldron of Blood
1968
as Franz Badulescu
The Name of the Game
1968
as Mikhail Orlov
Mad Monster Party?
1967
as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)
The Sorcerers
1967
as Prof. Marcus Monserrat
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
1966
as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
1966
as The Corpse
The Venetian Affair
1966
as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud
The Daydreamer
1966
as The Rat (voice)
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
1966
as Mother Muffin
Die, Monster, Die!
1965
as Nahum Witley
The Wild Wild West
1965
as Mr. Singh
The Comedy of Terrors
1964
as Amos Hinchley
A Fool's World
1964
as Narrator
Bikini Beach
1964
as Art Dealer
Today's Teens
1964
as Narrator
Horror!!!
1964
as Self
Shindig!
1964
as Self - Guest Host / Singer
The Terror
1963
as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe
Black Sabbath
1963
as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
The Raven
1963
as Dr. Scarabus
Little Lost Robot
1962
as Host
Arsenic & Old Lace
1962
as Jonathan Brewster
The Incredible Doktor Markesan
1962
as Dr. Konrad Markesan
The Storm
1962
Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing
1962
Out of This World
1962
as Host
Days of Thrills and Laughter
1961
as Self (archive footage)
The Grim Reaper
1961
as Self
The Fatal Impulse
1960
as Self
Who Killed Chung Ling Soo?
1960
as Narrator
Route 66
1960
Thriller
1960
as Clayton Mace
Thriller
1960
as Self - Host
Thriller
1960
as Pop Jenkins / Col. Jackson Beauregard Finchess
Thriller
1960
as Dr. Thorne
Thriller
1960
as Doktor Konrad Markesan
Thriller
1960
as Dr. Albert Farnham
Frankenstein 1970
1958
as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein
Corridors of Blood
1958
as Dr. Thomas Bolton
Grip of the Strangler
1958
as James Rankin
Jack the Ripper
1958
as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason
Destination Nightmare
1958
as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs
Heart of Darkness
1958
as Mr. Kurtz
The Veil
1958
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker
Voodoo Island
1957
as Phillip Knight
The Lark
1957
as Bishop Cauchon
The Juggler of Our Lady
1957
as Narrator (voice)
DuPont Show of the Month
1957
Suspicion
1957
as Judge Winthrop Gelsey
The Lux Show
1957
as Self
Rendezvous in Black
1956
as Ward Allen
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
Colonel March of Scotland Yard
1956
as Colonel March Of Scotland Yard
Telephone Time
1956
The Rosemary Clooney Show
1956
as Self
Sting of Death
1955
as Mr. Mycroft
A Connecticut Yankee
1955
as King Arthur
Sabaka
1955
as General Pollegar
This Is Your Life
1955
as Self
The Island Monster
1954
as Don Gaetano
Climax!
1954
as Dr. Philip Nestri
The George Gobel Show
1954
as Self
Climax!
1954
as Vicar Tellworth
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1953
as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Colonel March Investigates
1953
as Colonel March
General Electric Theater
1953
as Mr. Blue Ocean
General Electric Theater
1953
as Henry E. Church
The United States Steel Hour
1953
as George Redford
The Black Castle
1952
as Dr. Meissen
The Strange Door
1951
as Voltan
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Cauchon
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Charles Brandon
Down You Go
1951
as Self
Tales of Tomorrow
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Jonathan Brewster
The Red Skelton Show
1951
as Professor Townsend
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Sir Arthur Strangeways
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
as Bennett Kimball
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Montgomery Royle
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Larkin
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
What's My Line?
1950
as Self
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
1949
as Swami Talpur
Suspense
1949
as Toff
Lights Out
1949
Starring Boris Karloff
1949
Suspense
1949
Suspense
1949
as Bronson
Suspense
1949
as Rasputin
Tap Roots
1948
as Tishomingo
Studio One
1948
as Skaggs
Studio One
1948
as Professor Koernig
Studio One
1948
as King Arthur
Lured
1947
as Charles van Druten
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
1947
as Dr. Hollingshead
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
1947
as Gruesome
Unconquered
1947
as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
Bedlam
1946
as George Sims
The Body Snatcher
1945
as John Gray
Isle of the Dead
1945
as Gen. Nikolas Pherides
House of Frankenstein
1944
as Dr. Gustav Niemann
The Mummy's Curse
1944
as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
The Climax
1944
as Dr. Friedrich Hohner
The Boogie Man Will Get You
1942
as Prof. Nathaniel Billings
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
1942
as Himself
Information Please: Series 2, No. 12
1941
as Self
The Devil Commands
1941
as Dr. Julian Blair
Doomed to Die
1940
as James Lee Wong
The Man with Nine Lives
1940
as Dr. Leon Kravaal
Before I Hang
1940
as Dr. John Garth
Black Friday
1940
as Dr. Ernest Sovac
The Ape
1940
as Dr. Bernard Adrian
The Mummy's Hand
1940
as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)
You'll Find Out
1940
as Judge Spencer Mainwaring
The Fatal Hour
1940
as James Lee Wong
Son of Frankenstein
1939
as The Monster
Devil's Island
1939
as Dr. Charles Gaudet
The Man They Could Not Hang
1939
as Dr. Henryk Savaard
Tower of London
1939
as Mord
British Intelligence
1939
as Valdar
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
1939
as Mr. James Lee Wong
The Mystery of Mr. Wong
1939
as James Lee Wong
Mr. Wong, Detective
1938
as James Lee Wong
The Invisible Menace
1938
as Jevries
Night Key
1937
as David Mallory
Cinema Circus
1937
as Himself
West of Shanghai
1937
as "General" Wu Yen Fang
Breakdowns of 1937
1937
as Self
The Man Who Changed His Mind
1936
as Dr. Laurence
Juggernaut
1936
as Dr. Victor Sartorius
The Walking Dead
1936
as John Ellman
The Invisible Ray
1936
as Dr. Janos Rukh
Charlie Chan at the Opera
1936
as Gravelle
Bride of Frankenstein
1935
as The Monster
The Black Room
1935
as Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
The Raven
1935
as Edmond Bateman
Hollywood Hobbies
1935
as Himself
The Black Cat
1934
as Hjalmar Poelzig
The Lost Patrol
1934
as Sanders
The House of Rothschild
1934
as Count Ledrantz
Gift of Gab
1934
as Himself
Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934
as Himself
The Ghoul
1933
as Prof. Morlant
Scarface
1932
as Gaffney
The Mask of Fu Manchu
1932
as Dr. Fu Manchu
The Old Dark House
1932
as Morgan
Business and Pleasure
1932
as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph
Behind the Mask
1932
as Jim Henderson
The Mummy
1932
as Imhotep / Ardath Bey
Night World
1932
as 'Happy' MacDonald
The Miracle Man
1932
as Nikko
Skyscraper Souls
1932
as Man Approaching Ticket Counter
Boo
1932
as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
1932
as Boris Karloff
Frankenstein
1931
as The Monster
King of the Wild
1931
as Mustapha
Five Star Final
1931
as T. Vernon Isopod
The Criminal Code
1931
as Ned Galloway
Smart Money
1931
as Sport Williams
Tonight or Never
1931
as Waiter
The Mad Genius
1931
as Fedor's Father (uncredited)
The Vanishing Legion
1931
as The Voice (voice)
The Public Defender
1931
as The Professor
Graft
1931
as Terry
The Guilty Generation
1931
as Tony Ricca
Cracked Nuts
1931
as Boris - First Revolutionary
The Yellow Ticket
1931
as Drunken Orderly
I Like Your Nerve
1931
as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler
Young Donovan's Kid
1931
as Cokey Joe
The Bad One
1930
as Monsieur Gaston
The Sea Bat
1930
as Corsican
The Utah Kid
1930
as Henchman Baxter
Burning the Wind
1929
as Pug Doran
The Devil's Chaplain
1929
as Boris
Two Sisters
1929
as Cecil
The Fatal Warning
1929
as Mullins
The Unholy Night
1929
as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)
Anne Against the World
1929
Behind That Curtain
1929
as Beetham's Manservent
The King of the Kongo
1929
as Scarface Macklin
The Phantom of the North
1929
as Jules Gregg
The Vanishing Rider
1928
as The Villain
Sharp Shooters
1928
as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
Vultures of the Sea
1928
as Grouchy
The Little Wild Girl
1928
as Maurice Kent
Let It Rain
1927
as Crook
The Princess from Hoboken
1927
as Pavel
The Meddlin' Stranger
1927
as Al Meggs
Soft Cushions
1927
as The Chief Conspirator
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
1927
as Owaza
Two Arabian Knights
1927
as Purser
The Phantom Buster
1927
as Ramon
The Love Mart
1927
as Fleming
The Golden Web
1926
as Dave Sinclair
Flames
1926
as Blackie Blanchette
Flaming Fury
1926
as Gaspard
The Nickel-Hopper
1926
as Dance Hall Masher
The Bells
1926
as The Mesmerist
The Eagle of the Sea
1926
as Pirate (uncredited)
Old Ironsides
1926
as Saracen Guard (uncredited)
The Greater Glory
1926
as Scissors Grinder
Her Honor, the Governor
1926
as Snipe Collins
The Man in the Saddle
1926
as Robber (uncredited)
Forbidden Cargo
1925
as Pietro Castillano
Perils of the Wild
1925
Lady Robinhood
1925
as Cabraza
Never the Twain Shall Meet
1925
Without Mercy
1925
as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)
The Prairie Wife
1925
as Diego
Parisian Nights
1925
as Pierre
The White Panther
1924
as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)
The Hellion
1924
as The Outlaw
Riders of the Plains
1924
Dynamite Dan
1924
as Tony Garcia
The Prisoner
1923
as Prince Kapolski
Nan of the North
1922
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
The Man from Downing Street
1922
as Maharajah Jehan
The Infidel
1922
as The Nabob
Omar the Tentmaker
1922
as Imam Mowaffak
The Woman Conquers
1922
as Raoul Maris
The Altar Stairs
1922
as Hugo
Cheated Hearts
1921
as Nei Hamid
The Cave Girl
1921
as Baptiste
The Hope Diamond Mystery
1921
as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
Without Benefit of Clergy
1921
as Ahmed Khan
The Courage of Marge O'Doone
1920
as Tavish
The Last of the Mohicans
1920
as Indian (uncredited)
The Deadlier Sex
1920
as Jules Borney
The Woman and the Puppet
1920
as (uncredited)
The Lightning Raider
1919
The Prince and Betty
1919
as Undetermined Role
His Majesty, the American
1919
as Henchman in cloth cap