Charles Laughton
Acting
- Born:
- 1899-06-30
- Died:
- 1962-12-15
- Place of birth:
- 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 to kings. Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Big Clock. In his later career, he took up stage directing, notably in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell, in which he also starred. He directed one film, the thriller The Night of the Hunter. Daniel Day-Lewis cited Laughton as one of his inspirations, saying: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time. He had something quite remarkable. His generosity as an actor, he fed himself into that work. As an actor, you cannot take your eyes off him."
Known For
Filmography
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
The Horror Show
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
The Epic That Never Was
Advise & Consent
Spartacus
Under Ten Flags
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Startime
Witness for the Prosecution
The Lux Show
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
The Steve Allen Show
MGM Parade
The Jimmy Durante Show
The George Gobel Show
Hobson's Choice
Young Bess
Salome
General Electric Theater
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
O. Henry's Full House
The Strange Door
The Blue Veil
The Colgate Comedy Hour
What's My Line?
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
The Art Director
The Bribe
The Girl from Manhattan
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Big Clock
Arch of Triumph
On Our Merry Way
The Paradine Case
Leben des Galilei
Because of Him
Captain Kidd
The Suspect
The Canterville Ghost
The Man from Down Under
This Land Is Mine
Forever and a Day
Stand by for Action
Tales of Manhattan
The Tuttles of Tahiti
It Started with Eve
They Knew What They Wanted
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Jamaica Inn
St. Martin's Lane
Vessel of Wrath
I, Claudius
Rembrandt
Mutiny on the Bounty
Les Misérables
Ruggles of Red Gap
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
White Woman
The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Clerk
Island of Lost Souls
The Sign of the Cross
If I Had a Million
Payment Deferred
The Old Dark House
Devil and the Deep
Down River
Comets
Wolves
Piccadilly
Blue Bottles
Daydreams
The Tonic