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Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton

Actor · 1899 – 1962 · 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 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."

Movies24

  • Movie7.5

    Spartacus

    1960 · 2.5K votes

  • Movie8.2

    Witness for the Prosecution

    1957 · 1.8K votes

  • Movie7.3
  • Movie7.4

    Mutiny on the Bounty

    1935 · 407 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Advise & Consent

    1962 · 127 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

    1982 · 464 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Paradine Case

    1947 · 271 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Island of Lost Souls

    1932 · 274 votes

  • Movie6.9

    O. Henry's Full House

    1952 · 48 votes

  • Movie7.3

    The Big Clock

    1948 · 189 votes

  • Movie6.7

    The Old Dark House

    1932 · 310 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Jamaica Inn

    1939 · 257 votes

  • Movie6.4

    The Sign of the Cross

    1932 · 53 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Arch of Triumph

    1948 · 40 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Captain Kidd

    1945 · 38 votes

  • Movie7.1

    This Land Is Mine

    1943 · 72 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie5.8

    Salome

    1953 · 50 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Hobson's Choice

    1954 · 171 votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie5.7

    On Our Merry Way

    1948 · 18 votes

  • Movie5.1

    Devil and the Deep

    1932 · 16 votes

  • Movie6.5

    If I Had a Million

    1932 · 51 votes

  • Movie6.0

Series11

  • TV7.0

    What's My Line?

    1950 · 29 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV6.2

    The Steve Allen Show

    1956 · 6 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

    1950 · 13 votes

  • TV6.4
  • TV6.8

    Startime

    1959 · 4 votes

  • TV7.5

    MGM Parade

    1955 · 2 votes

  • TV7.8

    The George Gobel Show

    1954 · 4 votes

  • TV10.0

    The Jimmy Durante Show

    1954 · 1 votes

  • TV6.0

    The Lux Show

    1957 · 1 votes

  • TV6.8