Charles Laughton

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BIRTHDAY

July 01, 1899

Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

DIED

December 15, 1962

RECENT CREDITS

Advise and Consent (FILM) Jan. 1, 1962

Spartacus (FILM) Oct. 1, 1960

Witness For the Prosecution (FILM) Jan. 1, 1957

The Night of the Hunter (FILM) Jan. 1, 1955

Hobson's Choice (FILM) Mar. 1, 1954

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BIOGRAPHY

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Portly, versatile English stage and screen actor who made his New York theater debut in 1931's "Payment Deferred" and began a successful Hollywood career the following year. The gifted Laughton became one of the most popular actors of the 1930s and 40s, giving some of his greatest performances playing everything from self-indulgent monarchs ("The Private Life of Henry VIII" 1933) to selfless butlers ("Ruggles of Red Gap" 1935) to modest murderers ("The Suspect" 1945) to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939). He sometimes displayed a propensity for eye-rolling ham in the later stages of his career, but it was frequently of a delicious variety, and he was always a compelling performer. Late in life he gave two superb performances in "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957) and "Advise and Consent" (1962). His single directorial effort was 1955's "Night of the Hunter"; it has become a critical and cult favorite thanks to Laughton's intriguing combination of expressionism and realism, a fine script co-written by James Agee and compelling performances by an excellent cast headed by Robert Mitchum as a psychotic preacher and Lillian Gish as a resolute farm woman.

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Headlines

Actor Anthony Quinn dies at 86

Jun. 4, 2001

On Saturday, Anthony Quinn passed away from respiratory failure, robbing Hollywood of a true legend. He was 86. The two-time Academy Award winner's tempestuous screen image matched his much-publicized, unquenchable thirst for life.

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