Fun Trivia : Karloff, Boris

Structure Sub-topic of: Celebrities K-M Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 15 general entries.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Karloff, Boris

Where was Boris Karloff born?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


Camberwell, London, England. Boris Karloff was born on November 23, 1887 in Camberwell, London, England. He had seven brothers and one sister.



Boris Karloff always wanted to become an actor, even as a child?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


true. He was nine years old when he played his first role in the Enfield parish production of "Cinderella" in December, 1896. He never wanted to attend college but entered Kings College at the insistence of his brothers. As his interest in acting grew, his grades suffered, and he left college and moved to Canada. After running into a theatrical agent in Seattle, Washington, he traveled with various theatrical companies. His first film appearance was as an extra in a Douglas Fairbanks film in 1918.



Karloff was an excellent player in what sport?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


Cricket. He played excellent cricket which is not unusual, as he was raised in England where cricket is as popular as baseball is in the United States.



Karloff, because of his awkardness around women, never married?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


false. Actually, Karloff was married five times: actress Olive Wilton in 1909, Montana Laurena Williams in 1920, Helen Soule in 1924, Dorthy Stine in 1928, and Evelyn Helmore in 1946. He was married to Helmore until his death in 1966.



In the early 1940s Karloff starred in the Broadway play "Arsenic and Old Lace" as the murderous Jonathon Brewster?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


true. Opening on Broadway in January, 1941, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is the hilarious tale of the Brewster sisters, two elderly spinsters who send lonely old men to their eternal rest with arsenic-laced, homemade elderberry wine--as part of their charity work. One of their nephews, Jonathon, is a murderous gangster. When Jonathon's drunken plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein, alters his appearance, he comes out looking like Boris Karloff. Since Karloff plays Jonathon, this is one of the funniest storylines in the play. Erich Von Stroheim later replaced Karloff as Jonathon. The play was very successful and ran over three years on Broadway. In 1944, the film was released with Raymond Massey in the part of Jonathon.



In the 1950s, Boris Karloff revealed what secret on the CBS televsion show "I've Got A Secret"?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


He was afraid of mice.. Karloff told Garry Moore, who hosted the CBS game show from 1952-1967, that he was afraid of mice! He was not the only celebrity to reveal their secrets. Ronald Reagan, George Raft, Joan Bennett, Ida Lupino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Sullivan, Lou Costello, Jesse Owens, and Emmett Kelly are a few who appeared on the show.



Which quote by Karloff described how he really felt about the Frankenstein Monster?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


All are correct. The Monster was good to Karloff. Billed as merely a question mark in "Frankenstein" (1931), a short while later, Boris Karloff was so well known he was billed merely as Karloff.



Karloff detested rival horror king Bela Lugosi?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


false. The did not work together until 1934 when making the first film together "The Black Cat". Karloff said that at first Bela was suspicious of Karloff and was afraid that Karloff would upstage him. Karloff said that when Bela realized this was not happening, the two became friends. They first met at a publicity shoot arranged by Universal in March of 1932 on the set of Karloff's film "Happy MacDonald".



In how many films did Karloff play the Frankenstein Monster?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


3. "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), and "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) are the three films in which Karloff played the Frankenstein Monster.



What is the name of the holiday special first shown on CBS television on December 18, 1966, that was narrated by Boris Karloff and based on the book by Dr. Seuss?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Were you one of the 38,000,000 Americans who watched the first showing of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"? Based on the book by Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel), it was co-produced and directed by Chuck Jones, a friend of Geisel's. It has become one of America's most widely watched holiday specials and is still shown every Christmas season. It was that wonderful, slow, deliberate Karloff voice that makes it so popular. Did you know that Karloff's slow voice delivery, which made him so popluar, was the result of a lisp he had since childhood?



How old was Karloff when his only child, Sara Jane, was born?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


51 years old. She was born to Karloff and his fourth wife Dorthy Stine.



What was Karloff's real name (the one he was given at birth)?

Boris Karloff, More Than 'Frankenstein'


William Henry Pratt. Archibald Alexander Leach was Cary Grant's name, and Leslie Towne Hope was the name of Bob Hope. Boris Karloff's real name was Willaim Henry Pratt. He took his surname from his mother's Russian ancestry and first name because it sounded dramatic. Karloff died of emphysema on September 2, 1969. He was a fine character actor whose long career spanned stage, film, and television. Thank you for taking my quiz. I hope you enjoyed my tribute to one of my favorite actors, the great Boris Karloff.