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."
75 movies · 11 shows
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014·6.7
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
2014·7.5
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009·7.5
Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter"
2002·0.0
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999·7.3
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
1994·8.5
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991·8.0
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
1988·0.0
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983·7.0
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982·6.7
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
1982·6.0
The Horror Show
1979·3.4
The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton
1978·0.0
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972·7.3
The Epic That Never Was
1969·6.9
Advise & Consent
1962·7.2
Spartacus
1960·7.5
Under Ten Flags
1960·5.7
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
1960·0.0
Witness for the Prosecution
1957·8.2
Hobson's Choice
1954·7.4
Young Bess
1953·5.8
Salome
1953·5.8
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
1952·6.0
O. Henry's Full House
1952·6.9
The Strange Door
1951·6.2
The Blue Veil
1951·6.8
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
1949·5.2
The Art Director
1949·6.7
The Bribe
1949·6.3
The Girl from Manhattan
1948·6.3
The Big Clock
1948·7.3
Arch of Triumph
1948·6.0
On Our Merry Way
1948·5.7
The Paradine Case
1947·6.3
Leben des Galilei
1947·7.0
Because of Him
1946·6.3
Captain Kidd
1945·6.3
The Suspect
1945·6.8
The Canterville Ghost
1944·6.9
The Man from Down Under
1943·7.7
This Land Is Mine
1943·7.1
Forever and a Day
1943·7.5
Stand by for Action
1942·7.0
Tales of Manhattan
1942·6.4
The Tuttles of Tahiti
1942·5.7
It Started with Eve
1941·7.2
They Knew What They Wanted
1940·6.0
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940·6.3
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1939·7.3
Jamaica Inn
1939·6.1
St. Martin's Lane
1938·7.3
Vessel of Wrath
1938·6.9
I, Claudius
1937·10.0
Rembrandt
1936·6.8
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935·7.4
Les Misérables
1935·7.1
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935·7.1
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934·6.2
White Woman
1933·5.8
The Private Life of Henry VIII
1933·6.4
The Clerk
1933·5.0
The Sign of the Cross
1932·6.4
Island of Lost Souls
1932·6.9
If I Had a Million
1932·6.5
Payment Deferred
1932·5.7
The Old Dark House
1932·6.7
Devil and the Deep
1932·5.0
Down River
1931·9.0
Comets
1930·7.0
Wolves
1930·8.0
Piccadilly
1929·6.5
Blue Bottles
1928·7.3
Daydreams
1928·9.0
The Tonic
1928·8.5