15 Fun Facts About Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt, is a name widely remembered in cultures throughout the world. He is popularly remembered for his portrayal of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and voicing The Grinch in the cartoon classic. Here are 15 fun facts about Boris Karloff!

1. Boris Goes to the Grammy’s
   Boris Karloff has been nominated for not one, but two Grammy awards, and actually won one of them! He was nominated both times under the “Best Recording For Children” category at the 5th and 10th annual Grammy Awards. He won in 1967 for Dr. Seuss: How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Fellow winners at the 10th annual award show included The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, and Bobbie Gentry.
2. Live to Give
   From 1940 and on, Boris spent each Christmas making appearances dressed as Santa Claus and bringing gifts to sick and handicapped children in a Baltimore hospital. It is well documented just how much Boris loved children.
3. 5 out of 1001
   Five films featuring Boris Karloff are on the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list! The five on the list are Frankenstein (1931), Scarface (1932), The Black Cat (1934), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Targets (1968).
4. ‘Hooked’ on Broadway
   Boris Karloff participated in five Broadway shows – Arsenic and Old Lace (Jan. 10, 1941 – June 17, 1944) as Jonathan Brewster, The Linden Tree (March 2, 1948 – March 6, 1948) as Professor Linden, The Shop At Sly Corner (Jan. 18, 1949 – Jan. 22, 1949) as Descius Heiss, Peter Pan (April 24, 1950 – Jan. 27, 1951) as Mr. Darling/James Hook, and The Lark (Nov. 17, 1955 – June 2, 1956) as Cauchon).
   1956 saw Karloff be nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in Play based on his work in The Lark.
5. Too Much Star Power for Just One
   Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One star was awarded for his contribution to film and the other for television.
6. Happy Birthday, Mr. Karloff
   The birth of Boris’ only child, a daughter named Sara, took place on his birthday while filming Son of Frankenstein. It’s said that he rushed from set straight to the hospital while still in costume. 
7. Stamp of Approval
   Before Boris Karloff, only US Presidents had been honored on a third US commemorative stamp. He was first featured on two September 30, 1997, as both of his iconic monster figures. The third feature came about in 2003
8. Hollywood Cricket Club
   What do Boris Karloff, Errol Flynn, and Elizabeth Taylor all have in common? They were all members of a prestigious club for the British members of the entertainment industry called the Hollywood Cricket Club. English grass seed was imported and $30,000 was invested in the clubhouse to perfect the space and ensure a proper game of cricket could be played.
9. Perfectly Imperfect
   It has been reported that Boris Karloff was born bow-legged with a stutter and a lisp. None of these traits stopped him from pursuing his ambitious goals. Embracing the traits that make people human is incredibly important.
10. The Ghoul
    A classic film of Karloff’s is the 1933 British horror film titled The Ghoul. This movie was the first British film to be labeled ‘horrific’ and the first British ‘talkie’ in the horror genre. The footage was lost for many years and miraculously recovered when a subtitled version was found in Prague and later, an uncut British print was recovered and digitally restored.
11. A Founding Father
    The filming of Frankenstein wasn’t always safe. After a 25-hour shoot day, Boris Karloff filed a complaint with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and took a special interest in a movement to unionize screen actors. Boris was the 9th member of the Screen Actors Guild and served as a board member from 1933 to 1949.
12. He Did The Mash
    Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers created a now-iconic tune titled the “Monster Mash” in 1962. Boris Karloff himself enjoyed the song and was caught picking up a copy of his own at a record store, Wallach’s Music City. Pickett is quoted sharing that Boris told him how much he loved the record. Boris himself performed the song on TV in 1965. The footage is lost, but a reel-to-reel tape was shared on YouTube in 2007 sharing the audio for the first time since it aired on television.
13. Pig in a Sweater
    Boris had a wide variety of pets throughout his life. At one point in the ‘30s, Karloff amassed a pair of Scotties named Whisky and Soda, two Bedlington Terriers named Agnus Dei and Silly Bitch, a tortoise named Lightning Bill, a parrot, two ducks named Donald, chickens, turkeys, a cow named Elsie, and a huge (said to be 400 lbs) Poland China sow named Violet who was gifted a colorful sweater and wander throughout the garden with Boris.
14. The Infamous Rose Garden
    There are few things Boris Karloff enjoyed more than gardening. One of the most infamous “stories” in Hollywood lure is that his former rose garden is a haunted destination due to the fact that he had scattered many of his friends’ ashes there. Sara Karloff has debunked this rumor, likely many times, but she’s recorded acknowledging this in a 2018 audio recording shared by The Huntington.
15. Once a Vampire
    Black Sabbath is the only film where Boris Karloff plays a vampire. The metal band, Black Sabbath, is named after this film.

At Breakfast At Dominique’s, we have the most respect and admiration for Boris Karloff. We are incredibly proud to be creating the Officially Licensed Signature Coffee Blend of Boris Karloff. The Master of Horror Blend will be an African dark roasted coffee. Keep an eye on our website for additional information to be shared soon!

Sources: No Rest for the Wicket: Hollywood Cricket Club, Official Boris Karloff Website, IBDB, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, The Stuttering Foundation, The Ghoul, How Frankenstein and Dracula created a Union, Behind the song Monster Mash, Boris’ Pets, Additional Information on pets, The Huntington