History Creator / BorisKarloff

In an ironic twist the actor would have appreciated, for more than a decade after his death, he continued to entertain readers of the eponymous ''Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery'' comic book from Gold Key/Western Comics as he was depicted introducing each issue, Creator/RodSerling-style, becoming a PosthumousCharacter. Between this and the fact ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' continued to air like clockwork every holiday well into the 21st century, it often comes as a shock to younger people to learn he died nearly a half-century ago.

* ''Film/Madhouse1974'', (archive footage from ''Film/TheRaven1963'')

* ''Series/OutOfThisWorld'', as the HorrorHost (1962)

!!Some notable films Boris Karloff appeared in include:

* ''The Criminal Code'', as prison inmate Ned Galloway (1931)

* ''[[Film/{{Frankenstein 1931}} Frankenstein]]'', as the Monster (1931) -- The first time Karloff played the part.
* ''[[Film/{{Scarface 1932}} Scarface]]'', as Gaffney (1932)

* ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]'', as the Mummy, Imhotep, AKA Ardeth Bey (1932)

* ''[[Film/TheRaven1935 The Raven]]'', as Edmond Bateman (1935) -- Note this is the ''first'' Karloff film of this name.

* ''The Walking Dead'', as John Ellman (1936)
* ''Juggernaut'', as Dr. Victor Sartorius (1936)
* ''The Man Who Changed His Mind'', as Dr. Laurience (1936)

* ''West of Shanghai'', as General Wu Yen Fang (1937)
* ''The Invisible Menace'', as Mr. Jevries, AKA Dolman (1938)
* ''Mr. Wong, Detective'', as Mr. James Lee Wong (1938) -- Like Film/CharlieChan, and Creator/PeterLorre's Mr. Moto, an Oriental detective played by an Occidental actor. Karloff would play the part three more times.
* ''Devil's Island'', as Dr. Charles Gaudet (1939)

* ''The Mystery of Mr. Wong'', as Mr. James Lee Wong (1939)
* ''Mr. Wong in Chinatown'', as Mr. James Lee Wong (1939)
* ''The Man They Could Not Hang'', as Dr. Henryk Savaard (1939)
* ''Tower of London'', as Mord, UsefulNotes/RichardIII's torturer (1939)
* ''Doomed to Die'', as Mr. James Lee Wong (1940)
* ''The Fatal Hour'', as John Jasper (1940)
* ''British Intelligence'', as Valdar (1940)
* ''Black Friday'', as Dr. Ernest Sovac (1940)
* ''The Man with Nine Lives'', as Dr. Leon Kravaal (1940)
* ''Before I Hang'', as Dr. John Garth (1940)
* ''The Ape'', as Dr. Bernard Adrian (1940)

* ''The Devil Commands'', as Dr. Julian Blair (1941)
* ''The Boogie Man Will Get You'', as Prof. Nathaniel Billings (1942)
* ''The Climax'', as Dr. Friedrich Hohner (1944)

* ''Unconquered'', as Guyasuta, chief of the Seneca Indians (1947) -- No, really. It's a Gary Cooper Western.
* ''Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome'', as Gruesome (1947)
* ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff'', as Swami Talpur (1949) -- Dire as it is, it's better than the next outing with the comedy duo.
* ''Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)

* ''The Ghoul'', as Professor Morlant (1933)

[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boris_karloff.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280:"When I was nine I played the demon king in ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' and it launched me on a long and happy life of being a monster."]]

* ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'', as Dr. Hugo Hollingshead (1947)

!! Tropes Associated With Boris Karloff
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: He is known for playing some of the most infamous monsters of all time and plays the VillainProtagonist the Grinch in Creator/ChuckJones's animated classic. Karloff himself, however, was a very kind and generous man who constantly donated to charity just out of the sake of helping others.

Born William Henry Pratt, [[StageNames Boris Karloff]] (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) was a [[RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor much-beloved]] English-born character actor who worked in a [[HeAlsoDid variety of genres]] and whose career spanned fifty years (albeit all too often in films that were [[MoneyDearBoy criminal wastes]] of his talents). He is most remembered, however, for his work in {{horror}} films (perhaps most particularly the Franchise/UniversalHorror cycles of the 1930s and 1940s), where his distinctively sinister lisping voice and gaunt, heavy-browed appearance were a definite advantage.

[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BorisKarloff_5674.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:263:"When I was nine I played the demon king in ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' and it launched me on a long and happy life of being a monster."]]

Born William Henry Pratt, [[StageNames Boris Karloff]] (1887-1969) was a [[RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor much-beloved]] English-born character actor who worked in a [[HeAlsoDid variety of genres]] and whose career spanned fifty years (albeit all too often in films that were [[MoneyDearBoy criminal wastes]] of his talents). He is most remembered, however, for his work in {{horror}} films (perhaps most particularly the Franchise/UniversalHorror cycles of the 1930s and 1940s), where his distinctively sinister lisping voice and gaunt, heavy-browed appearance were a definite advantage.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: He is known for playing some of the most infamous monsters of all time and plays the VillainProtagonist the Grinch in ChuckJones's animated classic. Karloff himself, however, was a very kind and generous man who constantly donated to charity just out of the sake of helping others.

* ''The Comedy of Terrors'', as Amos Hinchley (1963) -- Another American-International comedy-horror outing with [[Creator/VincentPrice Price]] and [[Creator/PeterLorre Lorre]], this time adding Creator/BasilRathbone to the mix.
* ''Bikini Beach'', as the Art Collector (1963) -- Bet you never dreamed that Karloff co-starred with Frankie and Annette, did you?

* ''[[Franchise/CharlieChan Charlie Chan at the Opera]]'', as the mad opera singer, Gravelle (1936) -- No, he did not sing; he was dubbed.

* ''Mr. Wong, Detective'', as Mr. James Lee Wong (1938) -- Like Franchise/CharlieChan, and Creator/PeterLorre's Mr. Moto, an Oriental detective played by an Occidental actor. Karloff would play the part three more times.

* ''FilmFrankenstein1970'', as Baron Victor von Frankenstein (1958)

* ''Frankenstein 1970'', as Baron Victor von Frankenstein (1958)

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: He is known for playing some of the most infamous monsters of all time and plays the VillainProtagonist the Grinch in ChuckJones's animated classic. Karloff himself was a very kind and generous man who constantly donated to charity just out of the sake of helping others.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: He is known for playing some of the most infamous monsters of all time and plays the VillainProtagonist the Grinch in ChuckJones's animated film. Karloff himself was a very kind and generous man who constantly donated to charity just out of the sake of helping others.

* ''The House of Rothschild'', as Count Ledrantz (1934)

* ''The Black Room'', as Baron Gregor de Berghman, AKA Anton de Berghman (1935)

* ''Film/TwoArabianKnights'' (1927) -- small role as a ship's purser
* ''Film/FiveStarFinal'' (1931) -- as scumbag [[{{Paparazzi}} paparazzo]] reporter Isopod

Nearing the end of his career and life, he achieved a personal [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in the PeterBogdanovich nail-biter ''Film/{{Targets}}'', playing... Byron Orlock, a veteran horror-movie actor nearing the end of his career and life. An earlier RealLife Crowning Moment Of Awesome occurred in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1912, when as an unknown actor in a travelling theatre troupe he led fundraising efforts to help the victims of a devastating tornado - and ended up raising more money for the victims than the federal government.

* ''Isle of the Dead'', as Gen. Nikolas Pherides (1945)
* ''Film/{{Bedlam}}'', as George Sims, master of the [[BedlamHouse Bedlam insane asylum]] (1946)