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."
Filmography
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
as Self (archive footage)
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
as Self (archive footage)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
as Self (archive footage)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
as Self (archive footage)
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
as Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
as Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
as Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
as Self (archive footage)
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
as Self (archive footage)
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
as Self (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
as Self (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
as Self (archive footage)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
as Self (archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
as Self (archive footage)
The Horror Show
as (archive footage)
The Horror Show
as (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
The Epic That Never Was
as Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
The Epic That Never Was
as Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
Advise & Consent
as Senator Seabright Cooley
Advise & Consent
as Senator Seabright Cooley
Spartacus
as Sempronius Gracchus
Spartacus
as Sempronius Gracchus
Under Ten Flags
as Admiral Russell
Under Ten Flags
as Admiral Russell
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
as Rabbi Adam Heller
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
as Rabbi Adam Heller
Witness for the Prosecution
as Sir Wilfrid
Witness for the Prosecution
as Sir Wilfrid
Hobson's Choice
as Henry Horatio Hobson
Hobson's Choice
as Henry Horatio Hobson
Young Bess
as King Henry VIII
Young Bess
as King Henry VIII
Salome
as King Herod
Salome
as King Herod
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
as Capt. William Kidd
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
as Capt. William Kidd
O. Henry's Full House
as Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
O. Henry's Full House
as Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
The Strange Door
as Sire Alain de Maletroit
The Strange Door
as Sire Alain de Maletroit
The Blue Veil
as Fred K. Begley
The Blue Veil
as Fred K. Begley
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
as Inspector Jules Maigret
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
as Inspector Jules Maigret
The Art Director
as Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Art Director
as Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Bribe
as J.J. Bealer
The Bribe
as J.J. Bealer
The Girl from Manhattan
as The Bishop
The Girl from Manhattan
as The Bishop
The Big Clock
as Earl Janoth
The Big Clock
as Earl Janoth
Arch of Triumph
as Ivon Haake
Arch of Triumph
as Ivon Haake
On Our Merry Way
as Reverend
On Our Merry Way
as Reverend
The Paradine Case
as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
The Paradine Case
as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
Leben des Galilei
as Galileo Galilei
Leben des Galilei
as Galileo Galilei
Because of Him
as John Sheridan
Because of Him
as John Sheridan
The Suspect
as Philip Marshall
The Suspect
as Philip Marshall
The Canterville Ghost
as Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
The Canterville Ghost
as Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
The Man from Down Under
as Jocko Wilson
The Man from Down Under
as Jocko Wilson
This Land Is Mine
as Albert Lory
This Land Is Mine
as Albert Lory
Forever and a Day
as Bellamy
Forever and a Day
as Bellamy
Stand by for Action
as Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas
Stand by for Action
as Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas
Tales of Manhattan
as Charles Smith
Tales of Manhattan
as Charles Smith
The Tuttles of Tahiti
as Jonas
The Tuttles of Tahiti
as Jonas
It Started with Eve
as Jonathan Reynolds
It Started with Eve
as Jonathan Reynolds
They Knew What They Wanted
as Tony Patucci
They Knew What They Wanted
as Tony Patucci
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
as The Hunchback Quasimodo
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
as The Hunchback Quasimodo
Jamaica Inn
as Sir Humphrey Pengallan
Jamaica Inn
as Sir Humphrey Pengallan
St. Martin's Lane
as Charles Staggers
St. Martin's Lane
as Charles Staggers
Rembrandt
as Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt
as Rembrandt van Rijn
Mutiny on the Bounty
as Captaine Bligh
Mutiny on the Bounty
as Captaine Bligh
Les Misérables
as Inspector Emile Javert
Les Misérables
as Inspector Emile Javert
Ruggles of Red Gap
as Marmaduke Ruggles
Ruggles of Red Gap
as Marmaduke Ruggles
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
as Edward Moulton-Barrett
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
as Edward Moulton-Barrett
White Woman
as Horace H. Prin
White Woman
as Horace H. Prin
The Private Life of Henry VIII
as Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII
as Henry VIII
The Sign of the Cross
as Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
The Sign of the Cross
as Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
Island of Lost Souls
as Dr. Moreau
Island of Lost Souls
as Dr. Moreau
Payment Deferred
as William Marble
Payment Deferred
as William Marble
The Old Dark House
as Sir William Porterhouse
The Old Dark House
as Sir William Porterhouse
Devil and the Deep
as Cmdr. Charles Sturm
Devil and the Deep
as Cmdr. Charles Sturm
Down River
as Captain Grossman
Down River
as Captain Grossman
Wolves
as Captain Job
Wolves
as Captain Job
Piccadilly
as A Continental Visitor
Piccadilly
as A Continental Visitor
Blue Bottles
as Burglar
Blue Bottles
as Burglar
The Tonic
as Father of the Family
The Tonic
as Father of the Family