Actor Boris Karloff

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Boris Karloff, one of the most notable names in 20th century, cinematic horror, is best known for bringing Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" monster to life in the 1931 black-and-white horror film by Universal Studios. The author points out that Karloff did not consider "type casting" to be a curse and thought himself fortunate that audiences and studios had recognized and appreciated his talent for certain parts. The paper lists other major films: "The Mask of Fu Manchu," which required extensive make-up and heavy dialogue; "The Raven," with Bela Lugosi playing another villain with serious deformities; "The Bride of Frankenstein," considered to be the best of the Frankenstein series; and "Son of Frankenstein," the final Frankenstein film starring Karloff as the Monster, although he would actually make appearances in later Frankenstein films.

From the Paper:

"Boris Karloff was not the given name of the famous actor. Born in London, England, his given name was actually far more British than stage-friendly; William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887. He was the youngest of eight children, and it was actually his older brothers that would raise him. His father actually died when he was a young infant. Karloff's father had been a public official in India, and the family expected that the child would follow a similar path and take the place of the father in the family. One of his older brothers, the longest surviving Sir John Pratt, was himself a diplomat. For his early school days, he attended Merchant Taylor's School at Uppingham, a prestigious institution. For higher education, he would attend London University, where he specialized in Chinese customs in the Consular Service program."

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