Tortured but brilliant British actor
Charles Laughton's unique performances
made him a compelling performer both on
stage and in film. After starting his career
as an hotel manager, Laughton switched to
acting. His performances in London's West
End plays brought him early acclaim, which
eventually led him to the Old Vic, Broadway
and Hollywood.
When he repeated his stage success in
The Private Life of Henry VIII for
Alexander Korda on film in 1933, he won
a Best Actor Oscar. Known both for his
fascination with the darker side of human
behavior and for his comic touch, Laughton
should be watched as a frightening Nero in
Sign of the Cross (1932), the
triumphant employee in If I Had a Million
(1932), the evil doctor in Island of Lost
Souls (1932), the incestuous father in
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
(1934), the irrepressible Ruggles in
Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), the
overbearing Captain Bligh in Mutiny on
the Bounty (1935), which garnered him
another Oscar nomination, and the haunted
hunchback in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1939), with a very young Maureen O'Hara.
During the war years, he played some light
roles in Tales of Manhattan (1942),
Forever and a Day (1943) and The
Canterville Ghost (1944), among others.
By the late '40s, Laughton sought
greater challenges and returned to the stage
in {+The Life of Galileo}, which he
translated from Bertolt Brecht's
original and co-directed.
As stage director and/or performer, he made
{+Don Juan in Hell} in 1951, {+John Brown's
Body} in 1953, {+The Caine Mutiny Court
Martial} in 1954, and Shaw's {+Major
Barbara} in 1956, all in New York. When he
returned to England in 1959, he appeared in
Stratford-upon-Avon productions of {+A
Midsummer Night's Dream}, and {+King Lear}.
Later film appearances include O. Henry's
Full House (1952), Hobson's Choice
(1954), Witness for the Prosecution
(1957) (which gave him another Oscar
nomination), Spartacus (1960) and
Advise and Consent (1962). Laughton
was married from 1929 to his death to
actress Elsa Lanchester, with whom he
occasionally appeared.
His direction of the film The Night of
the Hunter (1955) is critically
acclaimed. ~ All Movie Guide.
