Charles Laughton

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

86

Gender

Male

Birthday

1899-06-30

Day of death

1962-12-15 (63 years old)

Place of Birth

Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Charles Laughton

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • The Steve Allen Show

    The Steve Allen Show

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • Spartacus

    Spartacus

  • Witness for the Prosecution

    Witness for the Prosecution

  • Startime

    Startime

  • The George Gobel Show

    The George Gobel Show

  • Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film

    Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film

  • The Private Life of Henry VIII

    The Private Life of Henry VIII

  • If I Had a Million

    If I Had a Million

  • Jamaica Inn

    Jamaica Inn

  • The Big Clock

    The Big Clock

  • Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

    Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

  • The Man on the Eiffel Tower

    The Man on the Eiffel Tower

  • Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'

    Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'

  • Island of Lost Souls

    Island of Lost Souls

  • Advise & Consent

    Advise & Consent

  • Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

    Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

  • Devil and the Deep

    Devil and the Deep

  • The Epic That Never Was

    The Epic That Never Was

  • The Strange Door

    The Strange Door

  • Tales of Manhattan

    Tales of Manhattan

  • The Man from Down Under

    The Man from Down Under

  • This Land Is Mine

    This Land Is Mine

  • Vessel of Wrath

    Vessel of Wrath

  • Salome

    Salome

  • The Lux Show

    The Lux Show

  • Les Misérables

    Les Misérables

  • Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

    Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

  • Piccadilly

    Piccadilly

  • The Tuttles of Tahiti

    The Tuttles of Tahiti

  • Leben des Galilei

    Leben des Galilei

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame

    The Hunchback of Notre Dame

  • Because of Him

    Because of Him

  • Star Time

    Star Time

  • O. Henry's Full House

    O. Henry's Full House

  • The Paradine Case

    The Paradine Case

  • The Canterville Ghost

    The Canterville Ghost

  • St. Martin's Lane

    St. Martin's Lane

  • Rembrandt

    Rembrandt

  • The Blue Veil

    The Blue Veil

  • The Girl from Manhattan

    The Girl from Manhattan

  • Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

    Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

  • Hobson's Choice

    Hobson's Choice

  • Forever and a Day

    Forever and a Day

  • Mutiny on the Bounty

    Mutiny on the Bounty

  • The Horror Show

    The Horror Show

  • The Sign of the Cross

    The Sign of the Cross

  • The Jimmy Durante Show

    The Jimmy Durante Show

  • White Woman

    White Woman

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

  • Payment Deferred

    Payment Deferred

  • The Suspect

    The Suspect

  • Ruggles of Red Gap

    Ruggles of Red Gap

  • Under Ten Flags

    Under Ten Flags

  • Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

    Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

  • Captain Kidd

    Captain Kidd

  • Wolves

    Wolves

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Brecht

    Brecht

  • 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

    1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

  • In the Presence of Mine Enemies

    In the Presence of Mine Enemies

  • It Started with Eve

    It Started with Eve

  • Daydreams

    Daydreams

  • The Bribe

    The Bribe

  • Arch of Triumph

    Arch of Triumph

  • They Knew What They Wanted

    They Knew What They Wanted

  • Young Bess

    Young Bess

  • The Art Director

    The Art Director

  • Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

    Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

  • Down River

    Down River

  • The Old Dark House

    The Old Dark House

  • Stand by for Action

    Stand by for Action

  • The Clerk

    The Clerk

  • The Barretts of Wimpole Street

    The Barretts of Wimpole Street

  • Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies

    Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • On Our Merry Way

    On Our Merry Way

  • The Tonic

    The Tonic

  • Comets

    Comets

  • Blue Bottles

    Blue Bottles

  • Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld

    Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld