Person
Charles Laughton
Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
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 Ac…
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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."
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2028
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2014
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2014
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
Movie Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
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2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2002
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1999
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1994
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1991
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Movie actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
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1988
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Movie (archive footage) (uncredited)
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1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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1982
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Movie (in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
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1982
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1979
The Horror Show
Movie (archive footage)
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1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1969
The Epic That Never Was
Movie Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
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1964
The Life of Galileo
Movie Translator
More credits
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1962
Advise & Consent
Movie Senator Seabright Cooley
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1960
Spartacus
Movie Sempronius Gracchus
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1960
Under Ten Flags
Movie Admiral Russell
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1960
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Movie Rabbi Adam Heller
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1959
Startime
TV show Self – Co-Host
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1957
Witness for the Prosecution
Movie Sir Wilfrid
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1957
The Lux Show
TV show Self
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1956
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TV show Self
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1956
The Steve Allen Show
TV show Self - Guest
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1955
MGM Parade
TV show Self
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1955
The Night of the Hunter
Movie Screenplay
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1954
The George Gobel Show
TV show Self
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1954
The Jimmy Durante Show
TV show Self
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1954
Hobson's Choice
Movie Henry Horatio Hobson
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1953
Young Bess
Movie King Henry VIII
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1953
Salome
Movie King Herod
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1953
General Electric Theater
TV show Edwin Kensington
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1952
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Movie Capt. William Kidd
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1952
O. Henry's Full House
Movie Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
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1951
The Strange Door
Movie Sire Alain de Maletroit
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1951
The Blue Veil
Movie Fred K. Begley
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1950
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV show Self
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1950
What's My Line?
TV show Self
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1949
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Movie Inspector Jules Maigret
