Acting

Charles Laughton

Born June 30, 1899 · Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Died December 15, 1962 · aged 63

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 …

Known For

Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution · 1957

Witness for the Prosecution

MovieDramaMystery

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

Spartacus

Spartacus · 1960

MovieHistoryDrama

The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter · 1955

The Night of the Hunter

MovieCrimeDrama

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1939

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

MovieDramaRomance

Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid · 1982

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

MovieComedyMystery

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny on the Bounty · 1935

Mutiny on the Bounty

MovieAdventureDrama

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.

Jamaica Inn

Jamaica Inn · 1939

MovieCrimeAdventure

In early 19th-century Cornwall, young Mary Yellan travels to live with her aunt and uncle at the remote Jamaica Inn, where she discovers the inn is a front for a violent gang of wreckers who lure ships to their doom along the coast. As she becomes entangled in their crimes, Mary must fight to survive and uncover the truth behind the terror that haunts the moors.

The Paradine Case

The Paradine Case · 1947

The Paradine Case

MovieDramaMystery

In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her blind husband. Though happily married, Keane becomes infatuated with his enigmatic client and convinced of her innocence. His obsession clouds his judgment as he builds a defense implicating her servant, André Latour—an act that leads to devastating consequences both in court and at home.

Filmography

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Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution · 1957

Witness for the Prosecution

MovieDramaMystery

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

Sir Wilfrid

Spartacus

Spartacus · 1960

MovieHistoryDrama

The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.

Sempronius Gracchus

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter · 1955

The Night of the Hunter

MovieCrimeDrama

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

Screenplay

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1939

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

MovieDramaRomance

Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.

The Hunchback Quasimodo

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid · 1982

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

MovieComedyMystery

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

(in "The Bribe") (archive footage)

Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny on the Bounty · 1935

Mutiny on the Bounty

MovieAdventureDrama

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.

Captaine Bligh

Jamaica Inn

Jamaica Inn · 1939

MovieCrimeAdventure

In early 19th-century Cornwall, young Mary Yellan travels to live with her aunt and uncle at the remote Jamaica Inn, where she discovers the inn is a front for a violent gang of wreckers who lure ships to their doom along the coast. As she becomes entangled in their crimes, Mary must fight to survive and uncover the truth behind the terror that haunts the moors.

Producer

The Paradine Case

The Paradine Case · 1947

The Paradine Case

MovieDramaMystery

In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her blind husband. Though happily married, Keane becomes infatuated with his enigmatic client and convinced of her innocence. His obsession clouds his judgment as he builds a defense implicating her servant, André Latour—an act that leads to devastating consequences both in court and at home.

Judge Lord Thomas Horfield

Hobson's Choice

Hobson's Choice · 1954

Hobson's Choice

MovieComedyDrama

A widower refuses to let his three daughters marry in order to avoid paying settlements, so they'll just have to outsmart him.

Henry Horatio Hobson

Island of Lost Souls

Island of Lost Souls · 1932

Island of Lost Souls

MovieScience FictionHorror

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Dr. Moreau

Advise & Consent

Advise & Consent · 1962

Advise & Consent

Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffingwell appears before a Senate committee, chaired by the idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, which must decide whether he is the right person for the job.

Senator Seabright Cooley

The Big Clock

The Big Clock · 1948

MovieCrimeThriller

George Stroud, a crime magazine's crusading editor, has to postpone a vacation with his wife - again - when a glamorous blonde is murdered and he is assigned by his publishing boss to find the killer. As the investigation proceeds to its conclusion, Stroud must try to disrupt his ordinarily brilliant investigative team as they increasingly build evidence that he is the killer.

Earl Janoth

The Old Dark House

The Old Dark House · 1932

The Old Dark House

MovieDramaHorror

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

Sir William Porterhouse

O. Henry's Full House

O. Henry's Full House · 1952

O. Henry's Full House

MovieComedyDrama

Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".

Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")

The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross · 1932

The Sign of the Cross

MovieDramaHistory

A Roman soldier becomes torn between his love for a Christian woman and his loyalty to Emperor Nero.

Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar

Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd · 1945

MovieActionAdventure

Cutthroat pirate William Kidd captures Admiral Blayne's treasure ship and hides the bounty in a cave. Three years later, Kidd, posing as a respectable merchant captain, offers his services to the King of England. Seeking a social position, Kidd also negotiates for Blayne's title and lands, provided he can prove Blayne was associated with piracy. Launched upon his royal mission, Kidd is unaware that Blayne's son Adam is among the crew, determined to clear his father's name.

Captain Kidd

Les Misérables

Les Misérables · 1935

Les Misérables

MovieDramaHistory

In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

Inspector Emile Javert

The Private Life of Henry VIII

The Private Life of Henry VIII · 1933

The Private Life of Henry VIII

MovieHistoryDrama

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second betrothed, executed on charges of treason, Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that wedded bliss also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the tyrannical king chooses German-born Anne of Cleves, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and so Henry's reign of spousal terror continues.

Henry VIII

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost · 1944

The Canterville Ghost

MovieComedyFantasy

The descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying courage when under duress.

Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost

Tales of Manhattan

Tales of Manhattan · 1942

Tales of Manhattan

MovieDramaComedy

Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.

Charles Smith

The Horror Show

The Horror Show · 1979

The Horror Show

MovieHorrorDocumentary

A history of horror movies.

(archive footage)

If I Had a Million

If I Had a Million · 1932

If I Had a Million

MovieDramaComedy

An elderly business tycoon, believed to be dying, decides to give a million dollars each to eight strangers chosen at random from the phone directory.

Phineas V. Lambert

Arch of Triumph

Arch of Triumph · 1948

Arch of Triumph

MovieDramaRomance

In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black shadows of night, trying to evade deportation. One such is Dr. Ravic, who practices medicine illegally and stalks his old Nazi enemy Haake with murder in mind. One rainy night, Ravic meets Joan Madou, a kept woman cast adrift by her lover's sudden death. Against Ravic's better judgment, they become involved in a doomed affair.

Ivon Haake

The Blue Veil

The Blue Veil · 1951

A World War I widow loses her only child and spends the rest of her life as a children's nurse.

Fred K. Begley

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater · 1953

General Electric Theater

SeriesComedyDrama

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.

Edwin Kensington