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 as the Grinch in the television special of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Description above from the Wikipedia article Boris Karloff, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

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

Appearances as themselves (43)

• 2025Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story — Self - Interviewee
• 2021Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! — Self (archive footage)
• 2015Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters — Self (archive footage)
• 2015True Fear: The Making of Psycho — Self
• 2013A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02) — Self (archive footage)
• 2013Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored — Self (archive footage)
• 2008He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce — Self (archive footage)
• 2007Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire — Himself (archive footage)
• 2007Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman — Self (archive footage)
• 2006Karloff: The Gentle Monster — Self (archive footage)
• 2006Lugosi: The Dark Prince — Self (archive footage)
• 2000Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed — Self (archive footage)
• 2000The American Nightmare — Self
• 1999Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' — Self (archive footage)
• 1999The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster — Self (archive footage)
• 1996The Universal Story — Self (archive footage)
• 1994Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld — Self (archive footage)
• 1985Don't Scream: It's Only a Movie! — Self
• 1982Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! — Self (archive footage)
• 1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)
• 1974The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute — Self (archive footage)
• 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archive footage)
• 1964Horror!!! — Self
• Shindig! — Self - Guest Host / Singer
• 1961Days of Thrills and Laughter — Self (archive footage)
• 1961The Grim Reaper — Self
• 1960The Fatal Impulse — Self
• The Lux Show — Self
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
• The Rosemary Clooney Show — Self
• This Is Your Life — Self
• The George Gobel Show — Self
• Down You Go — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• 1942Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 — Self
• 1941Information Please: Series 2, No. 12 — Self
• 1937Breakdowns of 1937 — Self
• 1937Cinema Circus — Himself
• 1935Hollywood Hobbies — Himself
• 1934Gift of Gab — Himself
• 1934Screen Snapshots No. 11 — Himself