Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton
Promotional portrait of Charles Laughton for The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)
Born	(1899-07-01)1 July 1899 Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	15 December 1962(1962-12-15) (aged 63) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
Citizenship	United Kingdom - United States
Education	Scarborough College Stonyhurst College
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupations	Actor director producer screenwriter
Years active	1926–1962
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elsa Lanchester ​ (m. 1929)​

Charles Laughton (/ˈlɔːtən/;^[1] 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British-American actor. He 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.

Laughton played a wide range of classical and modern roles, 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 received two further nominations for his roles in Mutiny on the Bounty and Witness for the Prosecution, and reprised the role of Henry VIII in Young Bess. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits to kings.^[2] Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Big Clock, and Spartacus. 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."^[3]

In his later career, Laughton 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, which after an initially disappointing reception is acclaimed today as a film classic.