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Karloff was a very fine actor who played a wide variety of roles in other genres besides horror. He gave an excellent performance in the 1934 John Ford epic The Lost Patrol. He also narrated the famous cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
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. Karloff was also a charter member of the Screen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild SAG is the labor union representing film actors in the United States. The guild guarantees members a minimum daily wage on union productions ("scale") and handles payment of residuals. Since 1995 the guild has also selected members, and was especially outspoken as regards working conditions on sets (some extremely hazardous) that actors were expected to deal with in the mid-1930s.
In a time when it was considered unacceptable for public figures to be any nationality other than European, Karloff claimed RussiaThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. Withn ancestry to explain his exotic looks. In fact, some of his ancestors were from IndiaThe Republic of India is a large multicultural country in South Asia, with a population of over one billion. The Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, and is the world's second-fastest growing economy.. His daughter Sara publicly denied any knowledge of Russian forebears.
An enthusiastic performer, he was able to return to the BroadwayNote on spelling: While most Americans use "er" (as per American spelling conventions), the majority of venues, performers and trade groups for live theatre use "re. Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the Unit stage in the original production of Arsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old Lace is a play by Joseph Kesselring, which was made into a film by director Frank Capra. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941 but it was not released until 1944. On his wedding day, theatre-hating drama critic and confirmed bachelor Mor in 1942. Somewhat less successful was his work in the J. B. PriestleyJohn Boynton Priestley ( September 13, 1894, Bradford, England August 14, 1984, Stratford-upon-Avon) was a British writer and broadcaster. Priestley was educated at Cambridge University, and by the age of thirty had established a reputation as a humorous play The Linden Tree . He also appeared with Jean ArthurJean Arthur ( October 17, 1900 (although sources also cite 1905 and 1908) June 19, 1991) was an American actress. Born Gladys Georgianna Greene in Plattsburgh, New York, she became one of Hollywood's favorite screen comediennes. She debuted in the silent as Captain HookCaptain James Hook is a fictional character, from J. Barrie's Peter Pan''. Hook is a pirate captain and Peter Pan's nemesis. It is said that he was Blackbeard's bosun, and that he was the only man Long John Silver ever feared. He wears an iron hook in pla in the play Peter Pan, and was nominated for a Tony Award for his work opposite Julie Harris in The Lark .
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.
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 was interred in the Mount Cemetery in Guildford, Surrey, England.