Charles Laughton
Actor1899–1962· Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Charles Laughton

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."

85 acting credits · 1 directing credit

Acting · 85

What's My Line?
7.0
TV

What's My Line?

1950

The Colgate Comedy Hour
6.9
TV

The Colgate Comedy Hour

1950

The Steve Allen Show
6.2
TV

The Steve Allen Show

1956

The Ed Sullivan Show
6.8
TV

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
6.4
TV

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

1956

Startime
6.8
TV

Startime

1959

MGM Parade
9.0
TV

MGM Parade

1955

Witness for the Prosecution
8.2
Film

Witness for the Prosecution

1957

Spartacus
7.5
Film

Spartacus

1960

The George Gobel Show
7.8
TV

The George Gobel Show

1954

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
7.3
Film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1939

General Electric Theater
6.8
TV

General Electric Theater

1953

The Lux Show
6.0
TV

The Lux Show

1957

Mutiny on the Bounty
7.4
Film

Mutiny on the Bounty

1935

The Jimmy Durante Show
10.0
TV

The Jimmy Durante Show

1954

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
6.7
Film

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

1982

Jamaica Inn
6.1
Film

Jamaica Inn

1939

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
6.7
Film

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

2014

Les Misérables
7.1
Film

Les Misérables

1935

The Sign of the Cross
6.4
Film

The Sign of the Cross

1932

Island of Lost Souls
6.9
Film

Island of Lost Souls

1932

Star Time
TV

Star Time

1950

Salome
5.9
Film

Salome

1953

The Paradine Case
6.3
Film

The Paradine Case

1947

This Land Is Mine
7.2
Film

This Land Is Mine

1943

O. Henry's Full House
6.9
Film

O. Henry's Full House

1952

The Horror Show
3.8
Film

The Horror Show

1979

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
8.0
Film

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

1991

Captain Kidd
6.3
Film

Captain Kidd

1945

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
6.5
Film

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
6.0
Film

Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

1982

Hobson's Choice
7.4
Film

Hobson's Choice

1954

The Big Clock
7.3
Film

The Big Clock

1948

Advise & Consent
7.2
Film

Advise & Consent

1962

The Old Dark House
6.7
Film

The Old Dark House

1932

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
7.0
Film

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

The Blue Veil
6.8
Film

The Blue Veil

1951

Tales of Manhattan
6.5
Film

Tales of Manhattan

1942

The Suspect
6.8
Film

The Suspect

1945

If I Had a Million
6.6
Film

If I Had a Million

1932

Hollywood: The Dream Factory
7.3
Film

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972

Ruggles of Red Gap
7.1
Film

Ruggles of Red Gap

1935

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
7.5
Film

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

2009

Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
7.5
Film

Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film

2014

The Barretts of Wimpole Street
6.2
Film

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1934

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
8.5
Film

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld

1994

Forever and a Day
7.5
Film

Forever and a Day

1943

Young Bess
5.8
Film

Young Bess

1953

The Private Life of Henry VIII
6.4
Film

The Private Life of Henry VIII

1933

Piccadilly
6.5
Film

Piccadilly

1929

St. Martin's Lane
7.3
Film

St. Martin's Lane

1938

The Strange Door
6.1
Film

The Strange Door

1951

The Bribe
6.3
Film

The Bribe

1949

The Canterville Ghost
6.9
Film

The Canterville Ghost

1944

It Started with Eve
7.2
Film

It Started with Eve

1941

Stand by for Action
7.1
Film

Stand by for Action

1942

Rembrandt
6.8
Film

Rembrandt

1936

White Woman
5.8
Film

White Woman

1933

Arch of Triumph
6.0
Film

Arch of Triumph

1948

The Tuttles of Tahiti
5.7
Film

The Tuttles of Tahiti

1942

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
7.3
Film

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

1999

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
6.0
Film

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

1952

Devil and the Deep
5.0
Film

Devil and the Deep

1932

They Knew What They Wanted
6.0
Film

They Knew What They Wanted

1940

On Our Merry Way
5.7
Film

On Our Merry Way

1948

The Man on the Eiffel Tower
5.2
Film

The Man on the Eiffel Tower

1949

Payment Deferred
5.7
Film

Payment Deferred

1932

Under Ten Flags
5.7
Film

Under Ten Flags

1960

The Man from Down Under
7.7
Film

The Man from Down Under

1943

The Girl from Manhattan
6.3
Film

The Girl from Manhattan

1948

The Tonic
8.5
Film

The Tonic

1928

Comets
7.0
Film

Comets

1930

Because of Him
6.3
Film

Because of Him

1946

The Epic That Never Was
6.9
Film

The Epic That Never Was

1969

Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Film

Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies

1988

Leben des Galilei
7.0
Film

Leben des Galilei

1947

In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Film

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

1960

Daydreams
9.0
Film

Daydreams

1928

The Art Director
7.0
Film

The Art Director

1949

Vessel of Wrath
6.9
Film

Vessel of Wrath

1938

Blue Bottles
7.3
Film

Blue Bottles

1928

Down River
9.0
Film

Down River

1931

I, Claudius
10.0
Film

I, Claudius

1937

Wolves
8.0
Film

Wolves

1930

The Clerk
5.0
Film

The Clerk

1933

Directing · 1

Charles Laughton — BragThat