Boris Karloff was born on November 23, 1887 in Camberwell, London, in England. His father was a diplomat, and Boris initially wanted to follow in his footsteps, beginning to study a diplomatic career. However, from a very young age he felt a great vocation for the world of acting, so he abandoned his career and went to Canada to try his luck in the theater.
There, he joined a theater company, while also working as a farmer to survive, since his secondary roles in the company did not give him for it. He had bad times when they didn’t give him roles to play, and he started working as a truck driver. Little by little he was combining this work with different appearances without much importance in films of the Universal.
The arrival of talkies made things easier for him, since he was a person with a great culture and a perfect modulation in his voice. In 1931 he took part in the film “The criminal code“Directed by Howard Hawks. His performance received rave reviews and Boris began to make a name for himself.
His great success and his professional launch would come this year, when he was offered the role of monster in the film Frankenstein, directed by James Whale. The director had offered the role to Bela Lugosi, but he rejected it, arguing that with so much makeup he could not be recognized, and the role was then offered to Boris Karloff.
The film not only launched him to international fame but also pigeonholed him in horror films, of which he played a large number of tapes, including the sequels to which he had become famous, which were “The bride of Frankenstein” Y “The son of Frankenstein”. He also starred in “The Mummy” Y “The Raven”, With a great success also at the box office.
Despite the fact that he shot the odd feature film belonging to other genres, he will always be remembered as one of the great actors in horror movies. In his real life he had a reputation for being a kind, educated and generous person, performing many acts in favor from childhood.
He earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Boris Karloff died on February 2, 1969, in Midhurst, Sussex.
Among the rest of his filmogafía we can highlight “Satan“,”The lost patrol“,”The tower of London“,”The gypsy and the monsters“Or”Island of the dead”, Among many others.