Boris Karloff ... Universal monster movies, paying homage to the iconic imagery and storytelling that Karloff helped to ...

Twice. By John Otis One of the actor Boris Karloff’s most lauded roles was his humanizing portrayal of a horror film progenitor: Frankenstein’s monster, based on the novel by Mary Shelley.

Over one hundred years later, in 1931, a hard-working but relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was cast to play Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s now classic movie adaptation.