Charles Laughton

Acting · Born 1899-06-30 in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Biography

Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English-American stage and film actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Laughton was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death. He played a wide range of classical and modern parts, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. His film career took him to Broadway and then Hollywood, but he also collaborated with Alexander Korda on notable British films of the era, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits…

Filmography

• Spartacus as Sempronius Gracchus
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame as The Hunchback Quasimodo
• Mutiny on the Bounty as Captaine Bligh
• Witness for the Prosecution as Sir Wilfrid
• Island of Lost Souls as Dr. Moreau
• O. Henry's Full House as Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
• The Old Dark House as Sir William Porterhouse
• The Paradine Case as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
• Jamaica Inn as Sir Humphrey Pengallan
• The Suspect as Philip Marshall

TV

• The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
• General Electric Theater as Edwin Kensington
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
• The Steve Allen Show as Self - Guest
• Startime
• General Electric Theater as Henry Denry
• General Electric Theater as M. Hamel
• The Lux Show as Self
• What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest