Rondo Hatton

Actor · 1894 – 1946 · Hagerstown, Maryland, USA

Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American actor and journalist known for his work during the 1930's and 40's. Originally taking up work as a sports journalist for the Tampa Tribune, Hatton quickly transitioned into warfront reporting after the start of World War I, documenting the frontlines of both France and the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition before complications from his acromegaly forced him to be honorably discharged shortly after the war. Having previously worked as an extra for films such as Hell Harbor (1930) and Safe in Hell (1931), Hatton moved to Hollywood in 1936 and dedicated his career to acting full-time, starring in films like The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and Universal Pictures' "Brute Man" duology before his untimely death at the age of 51 due to further complications from his acromegaly. While only a mild success in his lifetime, Rondo Hatton's influence on cult cinema continued to thrive even after his death, inspiring the appearance of the character Lothar in the Rocketeer franchise as well as the creation of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards in 2002.

Movies24

Movie7.3
DramaRomance
Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1939 · 227 votes
Movie6.5
AdventureRomance
When notorious pirate Henry Morgan is made governor of Jamaica, he enlists the help of some of his former partners in ridding the Caribbean of buccaneers. When one of them apparently abducts the previous governor's pretty daughter and joins up with the rebels, things are set for a fight.
The Black Swan
1942 · 98 votes
Movie7.7
Western
A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943 · 440 votes
Movie6.9
ComedyAdventure
Princess Margaret is travelling incognito to elope with her true love instead of marrying the man her father has betrothed her to. On the high seas, her ship is attacked by pirates who know her identity and plan to kidnap her and hold her for a king's ransom.
The Princess and the Pirate
1944 · 28 votes
Movie7.1
ThrillerMystery
The famous Borgia Pearl, a valuable gem with a history of bringing murder and misfortune to its owner since the days of the Borgias, is brought to London, thanks in part to Sherlock Holmes. But before long the jewel is stolen, due to an error on Holmes' part, and shortly thereafter, a series of horrible murders begin, the murderer leaving his victims with their spines snapped and surrounded by a mass of smashed china.
The Pearl of Death
1944 · 106 votes
Movie6.7
DramaHistory
The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
In Old Chicago
1938 · 50 votes
Movie6.4
DramaComedy
Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.
Tales of Manhattan
1942 · 39 votes
Movie7.0
WarComedy
A young girl rents an apartment from a man who has recently enlisted in the Marines. The trouble is that he's given out keys to a half-dozen of his friends, and they all keep dropping in.
Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
1944 · 4 votes
Movie6.8
Drama
In 1856, slave Eliza plans to marry George with the consent of the Shelbys, her masters, but George's owner prevents the wedding. A few years later, Eliza flees with her son, Harry, after learning the Shelbys plan to hand them over to a crooked creditor to prevent foreclosure. George also escapes and goes on the run while Eliza and Harry are captured and brought back home. Mother and son are separated as George tries to find them both.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
1927 · 12 votes
Movie6.8
MusicDrama
Classical violinist Roger Grant disappoints his family and teacher when he organizes a jazz band, but he and the band become successful. Roger falls in love with the band's singer, Stella, but his reluctance to lose her leads him to thwart her efforts to become a solo star. When the World War separates them in 1917, Stella marries Roger's best friend and, when Roger returns home after the war, an important concert at Carnegie Hall brings the corners of the romantic triangle together.
Alexander's Ragtime Band
1938 · 34 votes
Movie6.3
Drama
Loosely inspired from Gauguin's life, the story of Charles Strickland, a middle-aged stockbrocker who abandons his middle-classed life, his family, his duties to start painting, what he has always wanted to do. He is from now on a awful human being, wholly devoted to his ideal: beauty.
The Moon and Sixpence
1942 · 19 votes
Movie5.4
Comedy
A washed up baseball player returns to Brooklyn to manage his old team but an old sports reporter is eager to prove that he is a loser.
It Happened in Flatbush
1942 · 5 votes
Movie6.1
RomanceDrama
Lovely Anita dreams of escaping the monotony of her island home and sailing to bustling Havana. But when her abusive father promises her to the greasy local merchant, Anita does everything in her power to make her dream a reality.
Hell Harbor
1930 · 11 votes
Movie6.8
HorrorThriller
A young girl goes to work as a live-in caretaker for a spooky old woman. She doesn't know that every night, the woman drains some blood from her to feed her strange plant.
The Spider Woman Strikes Back
1946 · 13 votes
Movie6.7
ThrillerDrama
To avoid the rigors of the law, Gilda flees New Orleans and hides on a Caribbean island where the worst criminals can ask for asylum. Besieged by the scum of the earth, Gilda will soon find out that she has found refuge in hell.
Safe in Hell
1931 · 47 votes
Movie6.1
HorrorCrime
An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.
House of Horrors
1946 · 40 votes
Movie7.0
RomanceDrama
Country boy joins a circus in the 1840s and falls in love with the bare-back rider. Later he falls in love with another circus runaway.
Chad Hanna
1940 · 4 votes
Movie5.6
HorrorScience Fiction
Once again Paula the ape woman is brought back to life, this time by a mad doctor and his disfigured assistant, who also kidnaps a nurse in order to have a female blood donor.
The Jungle Captive
1945 · 19 votes
Movie5.0
Western
A young doctor rejects his older outlaw brother Johnny who put him through medical school by dubious means. The brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a range war between homesteaders and a crooked cattleman.
The Cyclone Kid
1942 · 2 votes
Movie6.0
Adventure
A young socialite, marooned on a desert island after her passenger ship sinks, is rescued by a sailing vessel looking for salvage and finds herself dealing with a mutinous crew and a semi-insane captain.
Wolves of the Sea
1936 · 2 votes
Movie5.6
AdventureAction
An Irish convict sentenced to hard labor in Australia escapes into the outback, and organizes a band of fellow escapees to fight a corrupt landlord.
Captain Fury
1939 · 9 votes
Movie7.2
ActionWestern
In time-honored fashion, a couple of supporting players -- George Dolenz and Bill Kennedy -- found themselves elevated to starring roles in this minor Universal serial. They played Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers investigating the murder of a miner. The story, of course, was less important than speed and action, which directors Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins delivered in typical slap-dash Universal style. Starlet Daun Kennedy did not make much of an impression as the imperiled leading lady, and former star Robert Armstrong (of King Kong fame) was wasted in a subordinate role. Rondo Hatton, a non-actor whose grotesque appearance (caused by acromegaly, the so-called "Elephant Man" disease) was tastelessly exploited by Universal in the '40s, appeared as one of the outlaws.
The Royal Mounted Rides Again
1945 · 3 votes
Movie
Documentary
An all-new documentary exploring the Universal B-movie classic, THE BRUTE MAN, and how the plotline parallels the tragic life of its star, RONDO HATTON.
Trail of the Creeper: Making The Brute Man
2012
Movie4.6
HorrorThriller
A facially disfigured and mentally unhinged man wreaks his revenge on those he blames for his condition.
The Brute Man
1946 · 33 votes