Known For
Acting
Born
Jun 30, 1899
Died
Dec 15, 1962
Place of Birth
Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Credits
88 titles
Charles Laughton
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
Self (archive footage)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Self (archive footage)
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
Self (archive footage)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Self (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Self (archive footage)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)
The Horror Show
(archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
The Epic That Never Was
Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
The Life of Galileo
Translator
Advise & Consent
Senator Seabright Cooley
Spartacus
Sempronius Gracchus
Under Ten Flags
Admiral Russell
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Rabbi Adam Heller
Startime
Self – Co-Host
Witness for the Prosecution
Sir Wilfrid
The Lux Show
Self
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
The Steve Allen Show
Self - Guest
MGM Parade
Self
The Night of the Hunter
Screenplay
The George Gobel Show
Self
The Jimmy Durante Show
Self
Hobson's Choice
Henry Horatio Hobson
Young Bess
King Henry VIII
Salome
King Herod
General Electric Theater
Edwin Kensington
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Capt. William Kidd
O. Henry's Full House
Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
The Strange Door
Sire Alain de Maletroit
The Blue Veil
Fred K. Begley
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self
What's My Line?
Self
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Inspector Jules Maigret
The Art Director
Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Bribe
J.J. Bealer
The Girl from Manhattan
The Bishop
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
The Big Clock
Earl Janoth
Arch of Triumph
Ivon Haake
On Our Merry Way
Reverend
The Paradine Case
Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
Leben des Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Because of Him
John Sheridan