Sterling Hayden

He appeared in many films, among them:. Three films Karloff shot in Mexico just prior to his death were released over a two-year period after his passing, but were dismissed as undistinguished efforts by critics. He died of cancer in 1986. He was interred in the Mount Cemetery in Guildford, Surrey, England. Both books were well received. After battling emphysema for a number of years, Boris Karloff died from its complications at his home in Midhurst, Sussex, England on February 2, 1969 at the age of 81. He wrote his autobiography Wanderer in 1963 and an adventure novel of the tall ships, Voyage: A Novel of 1896 in 1976. In the 1960s, Karloff successfully spoofed his image in the 1963 cult classic film The Terror, directed by Roger Corman, and appeared as "retired horror film actor" Byron Orlok (a lightly-disguised version of himself) in Peter Bogdanovich's critically acclaimed 1968 film Targets which was one of his final film appearances.

He defied a court order once and sailed to Tahiti with his children following a divorce. In later years, Karloff hosted and acted in a number of television series, most notably Thriller and The Veil, the latter of which was never broadcast and only came to light in the 1990s. He professed distaste for film acting, claiming that he did it mainly to pay for his sailing vessels. He also appeared with Jean Arthur as Captain Hook in the play Peter Pan, and was nominated for a Tony Award for his work opposite Julie Harris in The Lark. Ever after regretted this action, holding himself in enormous contempt for what he considered 'ratting'.". B. Priestley play The Linden Tree. According to his IMDB biography (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001330/bio), "As Red Scare deepens in U.S., he cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee, confessing his brief Communist ties. Somewhat less successful was his work in the J.

His admiration for the Communist partisans led to a brief involvement with the Communist Party. An enthusiastic performer, he was able to return to the Broadway stage in the original production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1942. He won the Silver Star and a commendation from Yugoslavia's Marshall Tito. His daughter Sara publicly denied any knowledge of Russian forebears. His World War 2 service included running guns through German lines to the Yugoslav partisans and parachuting into Croatia. In fact, some of his ancestors were from India. He also joined the Marines under the name John Hamilton. In a time when it was considered unacceptable for public figures to be any nationality other than European, Karloff claimed Russian ancestry to explain his exotic looks.

After only two film roles, however, he left Hollywood to serve as an undercover agent with the with William J. Donovan's COI office and remained after it became the OSS. Karloff was also a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and was especially outspoken as regards working conditions on sets (some extremely hazardous) that actors were expected to deal with in the mid-1930s. His first film role starred Madeleine Carroll, with whom he fell in love and married. In contrast to the characters he played on screen, Karloff was known in real life as a very kindly gentleman who gave generously especially to children's charities. He became a print model and eventually was signed to a contract with Paramount Studios, who dubbed the 6' 5" (1.96 m) actor The Most Beautiful Man in the Movies and The Beautiful Blond Viking God. Grinch" but this was in fact voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft. After serving as sailor and fireman on larger vessels, he was awarded his first command at 19, and sailed around the world several times. Due to an error in the credits, it is sometimes erroneously stated that Karloff sang the famous song "You're a Mean One, Mr.

He ran away to sea at 17, as a ship's boy, then later was a fisherman on the Grand Banks. He also narrated the famous cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Hayden was a genuine adventurer and man of action, not dissimilar from many of his movie parts. He gave an excellent performance in the 1934 John Ford epic The Lost Patrol. As a child, he lived in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Maine, where he attended Wassookeag School in Dexter, Maine. Karloff was a very fine actor who played a wide variety of roles in other genres besides horror. After his father died, he was adopted at the age of nine by James Hayden and renamed Sterling Walter Hayden. He made several silent films, before appearing as the Monster in Frankenstein (1931), the film that made his name.

Hayden's parents were George and Frances Walter, who named him Sterling Relyea Walter. In 1908, he travelled to Canada and the USA, changing his name to something more in keeping with his new vocation. He also played the Irish policeman, Captain McCluskey, who was gunned down by Al Pacino, in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather in 1972. Born in London and educated at Uppingham School and the University of London, Karloff's first goal in life was to become a diplomat, but instead he fell into acting. Strangelove (1964). Boris Karloff (November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969), born William Henry Pratt, was a famous actor in horror films. Ripper in Dr.

Zero Hour!(1957). Ten Days to Tulara (1958). Terror in a Texas Town (1958). Strangelove (1964).

Dr. Carol for Another Christmas TV (1964). Hard Contract (1969). Ternos Cacadores (1969).