Released September 17th in the US.
The story: Boris Karloff, whose birth name is William "Billy" Henry Pratt, was born in England, on November 23, 1887.
The youngest of seven.
Billy's childhood was not a happy one but at age 9, he discovered theater, which gave him an escape.
As an adult, he was expected to follow in his brothers' footsteps in diplomatic service but he had his own notions.
His brother George, a frustrated actor, believed in his brother's ideas of a different life.
When Billy finished school, he traveled to British Columbia via ship but when there he struggled to find work.
Down to his last 15 cents, he arrived in Vancouver.
There, through the help of an old family friend, Billy began work with the British Columbia Railway.
He met and married his first wife in 1910 there and at 22 years old, he tried settling down.
All Billy really wanted to do for work though was act.
He heard of a talent agent in Seattle and went to meet with him.
Soon he was invited to join the Western Canadian Jeanne Russell Company as an actor.
He traveled with the company all over and got great reviews.
In 1920, he found himself out of work, living in Hollywood.
He grabbed a job as a movie extra but his first real part was in the 1920 film 'The Deadlier Sex' , after which he played roles in many small, forgotten movies but learning all the while.
After taking a break from the film industry, frightened that he was destined to become an extra, he worked as a construction worker.
1927 saw the end of silent films and with this, Billy had an advantage.
In mid-1930, after meeting with his agent, he got a part in 'The Criminal Code and became a member of the new, controversial Screen Actors Guild.
Boris Karloff is primarily known for his horror movies.
So, when asked in interviews about how he got into show business, his answer was often a surprising one.
He always brought up the movie 'The Criminal Code' and his role in it.
After that film, Boris began getting many offers.
While filming the 1931 film 'Graft', the same year Bela Lugosi's 'Dracula' was released, Karloff landed the part of the man-made monster, Frankenstein in the upcoming film.
Bela Lugosi was initially to play this role but was unhappy with its lack of dialogue.
When the movie came out in November of 1931, it was instantly a huge success.
Karloff's next project was the 1932 film, 'The Old Dark House', which didn't do anywhere near as well as 'Frankenstein'
Now, at this time, all the movie production companies wanted to make horror movies, due to the low budgets and entertainment value.
Next, Karloff starred in 1932's 'The Mask of Fu Man Chu' and 'The Mummy'.
Now he really was considered a top Hollywood star.
Stars Guillermo del Toro, Roger Corman, Dick Miller, John Landis, Orson Bean, Joe Dante, Ron Perlman, Gregory M Mank, Norman Jewison, Sharyn Moffett, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Peter Bogdanovich, Caroline Munro, Lee Grant, Nehemiah Persoff, Ian Ogilvy, HM Wynant
Directed by Thomas Hamilton
Not Rated
DOCUMENTARY/BIOGRAPHY/HISTORY
