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Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton

33 movies on Netflix

Biography

An English actor and director, Charles Laughton was born in Scarborough and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his professional stage debut in 1926. After London theater work, including Shakespeare at the Old Vic, he moved to Broadway and then Hollywood, where he became known for historical and costume roles as well as monsters and misfits. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor as the title character in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was later Oscar-nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His other notable films included Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), Rembrandt (1936), Jamaica Inn (1939), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Big Clock (1948), Hobson's Choice (1954), Spartacus (1960) and Advise & Consent (1962). He directed The Night of the Hunter (1955), later staged The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial and Don Juan in Hell, and died in 1962.

63years old at death

  • Born Scarborough
  • Died Hollywood
  • Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22

Movie Career

Films
33
Career span
85 years1929 to 2014

Genres

Photos

  • Charles Laughton, photo 1 of 3
  • Charles Laughton, photo 2 of 3
  • Charles Laughton, photo 3 of 3

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  1. A first

    In 1936 Laughton became the first English actor to appear at the Comédie-Française, performing Sganarelle in Molière's Le Médecin malgré lui in French and receiving an ovation.

  2. A role that slipped away

    Laughton signed to play Micawber in David Copperfield but asked to be released after a few days of shooting and was replaced by W. C. Fields.

  3. First role

    Laughton played Osip in the comedy The Government Inspector at the Barnes Theatre on 28 April 1926, his first professional appearance. He took the same part at London's Gaiety Theatre that May.

  4. Getting ready for a role

    For his role as a Southern US Senator in Advise & Consent, Laughton studied recordings of Mississippi Senator John C. Stennis to get the accent.

Charles Laughton movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. Witness for the Prosecution1957 Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thrilleras Sir Wilfrid Roberts

    IMDb rating 8.4164K votes

  2. Spartacus1960 Adventure, Drama, Historyas Sempronius Gracchus

    IMDb rating 7.9152K votes

  3. Mutiny on the Bounty1935as Bligh

    IMDb rating 7.627K votes

  4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame1939as The Hunchback Quasimodo

    IMDb rating 7.813K votes

  5. Jamaica Inn1939as Sir Humphrey Pengallan

    IMDb rating 6.312K votes

  6. Island of Lost Souls1932as Dr. Moreau

    IMDb rating 7.312K votes

  7. Hobson's Choice1954as Henry Horatio Hobson

    IMDb rating 7.710K votes

  8. The Old Dark House1932as Sir William Porterhouse

    IMDb rating 7.015K votes

Most often with

Alfred Hitchcock directed two of these films, William Dieterle two and Alexander Korda two. Elsa Lanchester appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Films together

Box office

What Charles Laughton's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$88.4 million

9 of the 33 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 33 films: 9 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 23 figure not found.

  • 9Worldwide figure
  • 1US gross only
  • 23Figure not found

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Spartacus1960as Sempronius Gracchus
    $60M67.9% of the total
  2. 2
    Witness for the Prosecution1957as Sir Wilfrid Roberts
    $9.0M10.2% of the total
  3. 3
    The Hunchback of Notre Dame1939as The Hunchback Quasimodo
    $6.9M7.8% of the total
  4. 4
    $4.5M5.0% of the total
  5. 5
    The Sign of the Cross1932as Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
    $2.7M3.1% of the total
  6. 6
    The Paradine Case1947as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
    $2.1M2.4% of the total
  7. 7
    Advise & Consent1962as Senator Seabright Cooley
    $2.0M2.3% of the total
  8. 8
    $1.0M1.1% of the total
Hobson's Choice (1954), $210,000

$210,000from the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total

Awards

Four awards and honors from 1934 to 1962, two of them major.

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Charles Laughton's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Academy Awards
1934Best ActorThe Private Life of Henry VIIIWon
Grammy Awards
1962Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling RecordingWon
Other honors
David di Donatello for Best Foreign ActorWon
Star on Hollywood Walk of FameHonored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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