William Henry Pratt was born in Camberwell, London, England on Nov. 23, 1887 and died Feb. 2, 1969 in Midhurst, Sussex, England. He attended London University where his siblings pushed him toward a career in government service, but he turned to acting instead. He immigrated to Canada in 1909, joined a touring company based in Ontario, took the stage name Boris Karloff and then spent ten years doing Repertory Theater touring back and forth across the USA in a variety of low-budget theater shows and eventually ending up in Hollywood with very little money to his name. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff got occasional acting work in the fledgling silent film industry, appearing in more than 45 films including a handful of serials (the majority of which have not survived). Karloff supplemented his meager film income by working as a truck driver in Los Angeles, which allowed him enough time off to pursue acting roles. His most notable role was Frankenstein in Frankenstein (1931) and the aura of mystery surrounding Karloff was highlighted in the opening credits where he was listed as "?". He was considered such an anonymous actor by Universal that he wasn't invited to the Dec. 6, 1931 premiere of the film.

Some of his other well-known films include: Five Star Final (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Lost Patrol (1934), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966). One of his finest performances was in Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets in 1967 – his final film. Targets was performed when Mr. Karloff was in great pain because of the many years of wearing very heavy makeup and costumes yet it does not show in the movie. Mr. Karloff was dedicated to the art of film and was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild.

1920 The Deadlier Sex – Jules Borney

1922 Omar the Tentmaker – Imam Mowaffak

1924 Dynamite Dan – Tony Garcia

1927 Tarzan and the Golden Lion – Owaza

1931 Frankenstein – Frankenstein (The monster)

1931 Five Star Final – Isopod

1931 The Criminal Code – Ned Galloway

1932 Scarface – Tom Gaffney

1932 The Old Dark House – Morgan

1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu – Dr. Fu Manchu

1932 The Mummy – Im-ho-tep

1933 The Ghoul – Professor Morlant

1934 The Lost Patrol – Sanders, a religious fanatic

1934 The Black Cat – Hjalmar Poelzig (as Karloff)

1935 The Bride of Frankenstein – The Monster

1936 The Walking Dead – John Ellman

1936 Charlie Chan at the Opera – Gravelle

1939 The Son of Frankenstein – The Monster

1939 Devil’s Island – wrongly condemned doctor

1939 Tower of London – Mord the Merciless

1940 The Ape – misguided scientist

1944 House of Frankenstein – crazed scientist

1945 The Body Snatcher – Cabman John Gay

1945 Isle of the Dead – Gen. Nikolas Pherides

1949 Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff – Swami Talpur

1954 Sabaka – Gen. Pollgar

1957 Voodoo Island – Phillip Knight

1958 The Haunted Strangler / Grip of the Strangler (original title) – James Rankin

1958 Corridors of Blood – Dr. Thomas Bolton

1958 Frankenstein - 1970 – Baron Victor von Ffrankenstein

1963 The Raven – Dr. Scarabus

1963 The Terror – Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe

1963 Black Sabbath – Gorca (segment The Wurdalak)

1965 Monster of Terror – Nahum Witley

1966 How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Narrator / The Grinch (Voice)

1968 Targets – Byron Orlok

2013 Classic Film Hall of Fame: Awarded May 12, 2013 at the Rheem Theatre in Moraga, California

1968 Grammy Award: (Shared with Dr. Suess, Albert Hague, Eugene Poddany, and June Foray) Best Recording for Children “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (1966)

1960 Walk of Fame: Motion Picture Awarded February 8, 1960 at 1737 Vine Street.
Television Awarded February 8, 1960 at 6664 Hollywood Blvd.