Boris Karloff Biography

Fast Facts

• Was the ninth member of the Screen Actor's Guild, a union he helped found because his grueling hours and makeup sessions for "Frankenstein" made him realize how important safe working conditions for actors were
• Won a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" in 1968
• After moving to Canada, he got his first job at a repertory theater by saying he was an experienced British actor, even though he had only ever been in the audience at a theater
• His family expected him to join the British Foreign Service as his older brother had done
• His influence in classic holiday programming didn't end at Halloween, as he also narrated and voiced the title character in the 1966 animated television special "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"
• Best known for his work in classic horror films, famously portraying Frankenstein's monster in 1931's "Frankenstein" and its sequels
• His favorite actor was George Kennedy, who, unbeknownst to him, had once seen Karloff coming out of a stage door on Broadway, but hadn't had the nerves to go up and talk to him
• The opening credits of "Frankenstein" didn't even list his name, and he wasn't invited to the premiere, as no one foresaw that he would go down in history as the star of the film
• Enjoyed gardening, cricket and smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches
• Though studios perpetuated rumors that there was a rivalry between Karloff and Bela Lugosi, the two were actually frequent collaborators and had no personal animosity toward each other