Boris Karloff

Only this day in way, way back in 1969, Boris Karloff died at the age of eighty-one. He's probably most famous for his role in Frankenstein, but many kids might recognize his name from How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I found a few interesting facts while reading about him today ...

• His real name was William Henry Pratt.
• His grandmother was related to family of the royal Siam court, which was the basis of the musical The King & I.
• Boris was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy.
• He was very generous to children's charities.
• Boris dressed as Santa every Christmas to give gifts to disabled kids.
• He played Captain Hook in the theatrical play Peter Pan.
• Boris has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• He won a Grammy for his spoken words in The Grinch.
• Boris married 6 times and had only one daughter.
• He died from pneumonia and was cremated in England.

I watch Boris every Halloween in Frankenstein. If you ever get the chance to check out the 75th anniversary edition of that film, do so because there's some great documentary footage on it. It's amazing to think that if he were still alive today, he would be 123 years old. His character will live on forever!