Director · Actor
Charles Laughton
Born 30 June 1899 · Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK — died 15 December 1962
Charles Laughton was an English-born actor, stage director and film director, trained at RADA. He was known for larger-than-life roles, from kings to villains and misfits. He won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Henry VIII and directed one film, The Night of the Hunter, now regarded as a classic.
Key films
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
His Oscar-winning turn as the king made him an international star and a landmark of British cinema.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
His domineering Captain Bligh became one of the screen's most famous villains.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
His moving, heavily made-up Quasimodo remains one of the best-known versions of the role.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
His only film as director, a visually striking thriller later recognised as a masterpiece.
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
A celebrated late performance as a sharp-witted barrister in Billy Wilder's courtroom drama.
Key awards
- 1934 (6th Academy Awards): Academy Award for Best Actor, The Private Life of Henry VIII
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 76
- 1928Blue Bottles · as BurglarActor
- 1928The Tonic · as Father of the FamilyActor
- 1928Daydreams · as Lecherous Boarder / Ram Das in Dream SequenceActor
- 1929Piccadilly · as A Continental VisitorActor
- 1930Comets · as HimselfActor
- 1930Wolves · as Captain JobActor
- 1931Down River · as Captain GrossmanActor
- 1932The Old Dark House · as Sir William PorterhouseActor
- 1932Island of Lost Souls · as Dr. MoreauActor
- 1932The Sign of the Cross · as Emperor Nero Claudius CaesarActor
- 1932If I Had a Million · as Phineas V. LambertActor
- 1932Payment Deferred · as William MarbleActor
- 1932Devil and the Deep · as Cmdr. Charles SturmActor
- 1933The Private Life of Henry VIII · as Henry VIIIActor
- 1933White Woman · as Horace H. PrinActor
- 1933The Clerk · as Phineas V. LambertActor
- 1934The Barretts of Wimpole Street · as Edward Moulton-BarrettActor
- 1935Mutiny on the Bounty · as Captaine BlighActor
- 1935Ruggles of Red Gap · as Marmaduke RugglesActor
- 1935Les Misérables · as Inspector Emile JavertActor
- 1936Rembrandt · as Rembrandt van RijnActor
- 1937I, Claudius · as ClaudiusActor
- 1938St. Martin's Lane · as Charles StaggersActor
- 1938Vessel of Wrath · as Ginger TedActor
- 1939Jamaica Inn · as Sir Humphrey PengallanActor
- 1939The Hunchback of Notre Dame · as The Hunchback QuasimodoActor
- 1940They Knew What They Wanted · as Tony PatucciActor
- 1940Cavalcade of the Academy Awards · as SelfActor
- 1941It Started with Eve · as Jonathan ReynoldsActor
- 1942Tales of Manhattan · as Charles SmithActor
- 1942Stand by for Action · as Rear Admiral Stephen ThomasActor
- 1942The Tuttles of Tahiti · as JonasActor
- 1943This Land Is Mine · as Albert LoryActor
- 1943Forever and a Day · as BellamyActor
- 1943The Man from Down Under · as Jocko WilsonActor
- 1944The Canterville Ghost · as Sir Simon de Canterville / The GhostActor
- 1945The Suspect · as Philip MarshallActor
- 1945Captain Kidd · as Captain KiddActor
- 1946Because of Him · as John SheridanActor
- 1947The Paradine Case · as Judge Lord Thomas HorfieldActor
- 1947Leben des Galilei · as Galileo GalileiActor
- 1948The Big Clock · as Earl JanothActor
- 1948Arch of Triumph · as Ivon HaakeActor
- 1948On Our Merry Way · as ReverendActor
- 1948The Girl from Manhattan · as The BishopActor
- 1949The Bribe · as J.J. BealerActor
- 1949The Man on the Eiffel Tower · as Inspector Jules MaigretActor
- 1949The Art Director · as Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1951The Strange Door · as Sire Alain de MaletroitActor
- 1951The Blue Veil · as Fred K. BegleyActor
- 1952O. Henry's Full House · as Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")Actor
- 1952Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd · as Capt. William KiddActor
- 1953Salome · as King HerodActor
- 1953Young Bess · as King Henry VIIIActor
- 1954Hobson's Choice · as Henry Horatio HobsonActor
- 1955The Night of the HunterDirector
- 1957Witness for the Prosecution · as Sir WilfridActor
- 1960Spartacus · as Sempronius GracchusActor
- 1960Under Ten Flags · as Admiral RussellActor
- 1960In the Presence of Mine Enemies · as Rabbi Adam HellerActor
- 1962Advise & Consent · as Senator Seabright CooleyActor
- 1969The Epic That Never Was · as Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)Actor
- 1972Hollywood: The Dream Factory · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1979The Horror Show · as (archive footage)Actor
- 1982Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid · as (in "The Bribe") (archive footage)Actor
- 1982Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1983Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1988Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies · as (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1991Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker · as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1994Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1999Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2002Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of The Hunter" · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 20091939: Hollywood's Greatest Year · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film · as Dr. Moreau (archive footage)Actor
- 2028Charmed Lives: A Family Romance · as Self (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.