Few horror monsters are as iconic as the sunken-faced walking pile of sewn-up corpses that was Frankenstein's monster. Mary Shelly's classic novel evolved into a major horror franchise in early Hollywood, and the monster immediately became one of Universal's most successful horror franchises along with The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
The image of the monster that people are most familiar with is the one from the original Universal series, and the man who brought the character to life was Boris Karloff. Karloff held nothing back when playing the monster, he even took out his dental implants to give the monster his famous sunken-cheek look. In his later years, Karloff's career would have some ups and downs, but ultimately Boris Karloff is an icon of horror who deserves to be recognized for the role that he made into the legend it is to this day.
7 Boris Karloff Started In Theater And Silent Film
Karloff was born in London in 1887, in 1909 he left for North America to explore the U.S. and Canada, and acting was far from his mind. He originally worked odd jobs, mostly manual labor, as he drifted around the continent. Eventually, he found himself acting in the theater and in 1911 he began touring with the Jeanne Russell Theater Company. However, even with his new acting career he still found himself doing manual labor to make ends meet. But Karloff soon made it to Hollywood and began working in silent films. His first role was in a film titled The Lightning Raider ,but only incomplete snippets of the film survive in the Library of Congress. His first starring role was in 1920's The Hope Diamond Mystery.
6 Boris Karloff Brought Frankenstein To Life And Became An Icon
During the 1920s Karloff did several movies and often he would play non-white characters (such as Asian or Arab characters) mostly because of his dark hair and eyes. He did 80 movies before a chance meeting with another horror icon, Lon Chaney Sr. (AKA The Man With 1,000 Faces) inspired the actor to pursue more horror parts because the genre was quickly gaining popularity. In 1931, Karloff was cast as Frankenstein's monster, and the rest is history.
5 Boris Karloff Acted In Countless Other Horror Films
Karloff acted in over 200 movies throughout his career, his final film being released in 1971. After the success of the first Frankenstein, he starred in horror and suspense films like The Ghoul, The Mask of Fu Manchu, and Night World. But he would also bring another Universal horror icon to life besides Frankenstein, playing the evil Imhotep in The Mummy in 1932. He would play Frankenstein's monster two other times, in Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein. In House of Frankenstein, he played the mad doctor instead of the monster.
4 Boris Karloff Worked With Other Horror Icons
Karloff had a close working relationship with Bela Lugosi, who played the vampire in Dracula. The two started working together in The Black Cat, a movie that was censored after its release because of its disturbing content. They were also partnered in The Gift of Gab and Son of Frankenstein where Lugosi played the first onscreen version of Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's demented assistant. In his later years, while working with B-movie mogul Roger Corman, he would act opposite Vincent Price and Peter Lorre.
3 Boris Karloff's Grave Is Very Modest
Karloff died in 1969 after catching bronchitis and his last film would not be released until 2 years after his death. Although the man created the live-action version of one of the most iconic characters in the history of literature and film, the man's final resting place is incredibly modest. Karloff's body was cremated and his ashes buried under a small tree in his hometown in London, England. A small placard, barely a few inches wide, bears the words "In Memory of Boris Karloff." This modest marker is all that exists to mark the final resting place of the man who made horror the genre that it is today.
2 Boris Karloff Had A Heart Of Gold
Get ready to cry. Karloff was an incredibly charitable man, and he loved children. Every year, during Christmastime, Karloff would dress up as Santa Claus and hand out presents to children in a hospital in Baltimore. Yes, he really did that. We're not crying, you're crying!
1 Boris Karloff Was Worth $20 Million When He Died
In addition to his work on stage and screen, Karloff also did several radio serials and even had his own radio program in the 1940s. He dabbled in a few books, mostly horror anthologies, with fellow horror icon Sir Basil Rathbone, aka Sherlock Holmes. Karloff is a classic Hollywood rags-to-riches story. The man who started as a manual laborer became an icon worshipped by horror fans to this very day and for years to come. When he passed, Karloff had $20 million to his name.
