Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
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."
Acted in 65
2010s
- 2014
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
1990s
- 1991
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1980s
- 1988
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
(archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1982
1970s
- 1979
The Horror Show
(archive footage)
1960s
- 1969
The Epic That Never Was
Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
- 1962
Advise & Consent
Senator Seabright Cooley
- 1960
Under Ten Flags
Admiral Russell
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Rabbi Adam Heller
1950s
- 1957
- 1956
Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Shows
TV
- 1954
- 1953
Salome
King Herod
General Electric Theater
Edwin Kensington, Henry Denry, M. Hamel · 1 episode
- 1952
- 1951
The Strange Door
Sire Alain de Maletroit
The Blue Veil
Fred K. Begley
1940s
- 1949
The Bribe
J.J. Bealer
- 1948
The Girl from Manhattan
The Bishop
Arch of Triumph
Ivon Haake
- 1947
Leben des Galilei
Galileo Galilei
- 1946
Because of Him
John Sheridan
- 1945
The Suspect
Philip Marshall
- 1944
The Canterville Ghost
Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
- 1943
The Man from Down Under
Jocko Wilson
This Land Is Mine
Albert Lory
Forever and a Day
Bellamy
- 1942
Stand by for Action
Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas
Tales of Manhattan
Charles Smith
The Tuttles of Tahiti
Jonas
- 1941
It Started with Eve
Jonathan Reynolds
- 1940
They Knew What They Wanted
Tony Patucci
1930s
- 1939
- 1938
St. Martin's Lane
Charles Staggers
Vessel of Wrath
Ginger Ted
- 1937
I, Claudius
Claudius
- 1936
Rembrandt
Rembrandt van Rijn
- 1935
Les Misérables
Inspector Emile Javert
- 1934
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Edward Moulton-Barrett
- 1933
White Woman
Horace H. Prin
The Clerk
Phineas V. Lambert
- 1932
Island of Lost Souls
Dr. Moreau
Payment Deferred
William Marble
The Old Dark House
Sir William Porterhouse
Devil and the Deep
Cmdr. Charles Sturm
- 1931
Down River
Captain Grossman
- 1930
Wolves
Captain Job
1920s
- 1929
- 1928
Daydreams
Lecherous Boarder / Ram Das in Dream Sequence
The Tonic
Father of the Family
Produced 3
1930s
- 1939
- 1938
St. Martin's Lane
Producer
Vessel of Wrath
Producer
Wrote 2
1950s
- 1955
1940s
- 1947
Leben des Galilei
Writer
Directed 1
1950s
- 1955
Other crew 1
1930s
- 1938
St. Martin's Lane
Additional Writing
Appearances19
2020s
- 2028
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Self (archive footage)
2010s
- 2014
2000s
- 2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
- 2002
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
Self (archive footage)
1990s
- 1999
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Self (archive footage)
- 1994
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Self (archive footage)
1980s
- 1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1982
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)
1970s
- 1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
1950s
- 1959
- 1956
- 1955
- 1950
1940s
- 1949
The Art Director
Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1948
- 1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
1930s
- 1930
Comets
Himself