(1887 - 1969)
 The
life of Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt, was predetermined
for him he was a child. Having seven brothers and one sister,
and growing up in a very diplomatic family, little William
was thrust into King's College and expected to pursue the
family trade. With his school interests dwindling and his
love for drama growing, little William dropped out of school
and decided to become an actor. After his family gave William
the boot, Vancouver had the privilege of hosting little
Williams' next few years. During these years, William failed
in his endeavors of being a real estate agent and as a farmhand.
It was during these times when he reevaluated his reasons
for leaving London that he came upon an ad in the newspaper
that stated that a theatrical agent, stationed in Seattle,
was looking for some actors. That was, as they say, THAT!
William packed his bags, and left for the States. When put
in front of the agent, William lied about all his theatrical
experience in order to get roles. It was during this time
that William came up with the stage name Boris Karloff,
which was a hybrid of a Russian last name of his mother's
ancestry and a very authentic, powerful first name.
A few years later, while situated in a theatre in North
Dakota where he played up to 105 roles in a 53-week run,
Karloff came to the realization that playing character roles
and heavies were the only roles that he could get, mainly
due to his persona and his bowed legs, which gave off a
very creepy feeling.
 It was during this time, when Karloff
was in Los Angeles for a small role that he got, that James
Whale gazed upon Karloff while he was eating, and was drawn
to Karloff's unusually large and misshapen head--Hollywood
had its FRANKENSTEIN! While filming the movie, the studio wanted to keep Karloff's
identity secret. Even during the credits, "The Monster"
was accredited to "?." When the movie broke out,
44-year old Karloff stole the show from Colin Clive, the
movie's lead role. Karloff went on to create more scares
throughout the 1930s. When Hollywood's Monster craze died
out, Karloff returned to the stage. It was in 1956 that
Karloff received a Tony nomination for his role in "The
Lark."
Interesting note: Karloff is the great-grandnephew of Anna
Leonowens, who is the real life inspiration for the widely
read book, and subsequent movie, "Anna and the King."
This collection embodies his many guest appearances and roles in various old time radio radio programs including Bergen & McCarthy, Creeps by Night, Duffy's Tavern, Inner Sanctum, Information Please, Jack Benny Program, Lights Out, Martin and Lewis, NBC University Theater, Suspense, Theater Guild on the Air and many others.
See also Peter Lorre Collection, Orson Welles, Bela Lugosi, and Vincent
Price Collection.
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