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Charles Laughton on stage and screen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Laughton in 1940.

Charles Laughton was an English actor known for his intense and varied roles across stage and screen. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death.

Laughton made his film debut in a 1928 short film entitled, The Tonic before taking minor roles in feature-length films in the early 1930s. Laughton later earned the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character in the historical drama The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). He earned further Academy Award nominations for his roles as Captain William Bligh in the action adventure Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and an irascible barrister in the courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution (1957).

Among Laughton's biggest film hits were romance drama The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), the comedy Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), the biographical drama Rembrandt (1936), the thriller Jamaica Inn (1939), the drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), the noir-thriller The Big Clock (1948), the historical drama Young Bess (1953), the romance Hobson's Choice (1954) and the adventure epic Spartacus (1960). His final film role was in the political drama Advise & Consent (1962).

Acting credits

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Filmography

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Unless otherwise stated the films are U.S. productions in black and white.

Year Title Role Notes
1928 The Tonic Father of the Family Filmed in Englan; Short, (film debut)
Daydreams Lecherous Boarder
Ram Das in Dream Sequence 		Filmed in England; Short
Blue Bottles Burglar Filmed in England; Short
1929 Piccadilly A Nightclub Diner Filmed in England
1930 Comets Himself Filmed in England
Wolves Captain Job Filmed in England
1931 Down River Captain Grossman Filmed in England
1932 Devil and the Deep Commander Charles Sturm
The Old Dark House Sir William Porterhouse
Payment Deferred William Marble
If I Had A Million Phineas V. Lambert
The Sign of the Cross Emperor Nero
Island of Lost Souls Dr. Moreau
1933 The Private Life of Henry VIII King Henry VIII Filmed in England
Academy Award for Best Actor
White Woman Horace H. Prin
1934 The Barretts of Wimpole Street Edward Moulton-Barrett
1935 Ruggles of Red Gap Marmaduke Ruggles
Les Misérables Inspector Javert
Mutiny on the Bounty Captain William Bligh
1936 Rembrandt Rembrandt van Rijn Filmed in England
1937 I, Claudius Claudius Filmed in England

Unfinished and abandoned

1938 Vessel of Wrath Ginger "Ted" Wilson Produced by Laughton via Mayflower Pictures; Filmed in England[a]
St. Martin's Lane Charles Staggers Produced by Laughton via Mayflower Pictures; Filmed in England[b]
1939 Jamaica Inn Sir Humphrey Pengallan Produced by Laughton via Mayflower Pictures; Filmed in England
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo
1940 They Knew What They Wanted Tony Patucci
1941 It Started with Eve Jonathan Reynolds
1942 The Tuttles of Tahiti Jonas Tuttle
Tales of Manhattan Charles Smith
Stand By for Action Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas
1943 Forever and a Day Bellamy (Dexter's Butler)
This Land is Mine Albert Lory
The Man From Down Under Jocko Wilson
1944 Passport to Destiny Sgt. Major Henry Albert Muggins Photo; Uncredited
The Canterville Ghost Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
The Suspect Philip Marshall
1945 Captain Kidd Captain William Kidd
1946 Because of Him John Sheridan
1947 The Paradine Case Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
Leben des Galilei Galileo Galilei A 30-minute 'short'.[c]
1948 A Miracle Can Happen Reverend John B. Dunne Laughton's scenes cut in American release[d][e]
Arch of Triumph Ivon Haake
The Big Clock Earl Janoth
The Girl from Manhattan The Bishop
1949 The Bribe J. J. Bealer
The Man on the Eiffel Tower Inspector Jules Maigret Anscocolor
1951 The Blue Veil Fred K. Begley
The Strange Door Sire Alain de Maletroit
1952 O. Henry's Full House Soapy Segment: "The Cop and the Anthem"
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd Capt. William Kidd SuperCinecolor
1953 Salome King Herod Technicolor
Young Bess King Henry VIII Technicolor
1954 Hobson's Choice Henry Horatio Hobson Filmed in England
1955 The Night of the Hunter — Directed by Laughton
1957 Witness for the Prosecution Sir Wilfrid Robarts
1960 Sotto dieci bandiere Admiral Russell Filmed in Italy[f]
Spartacus Sempronius Gracchus Super Technirama 70
Technicolor
1962 Advise & Consent Sen. Seabright Cooley Final film role

Television

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Laughton guest starred in a few television shows.

Theatre

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Actor

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Year Title Role Playwright Venue Ref.
1926 The Government Inspector Osip Nikolai Gogol Barnes Theatre, London
1926 Pillars of Society Rummel Henrik Ibsen Everyman Theatre, London
1926 The Cherry Orchard Yepi Khodov Anton Chekhov Barnes Theatre, London
1926 Three Sisters Vassily Solyony Anton Chekhov Barnes Theatre, London
1928 Alibi Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
1928 The Silver Tassie Harry Heegan Seán O'Casey Apollo Theater, London
1930 On the Spot Tony Perelli Edgar Wallace Wyndham's Theatre, London
1931 Payment Deferred William Marble C. S. Forester St. James's Theater, London
Lyceum Theater, Broadway
1932 The Fatal Alibi Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie Booth Theater, Broadway
1933 Henry VIII Henry VIII William Shakespeare The Old Vic, London
1933 Measure for Measure Angelo William Shakespeare The Old Vic, London
1933–1934 The Cherry Orchard Lopakhin Anton Chekhov The Old Vic, London
1934 The Tempest Prospero William Shakespeare The Old Vic, London
1934 The Importance of Being Earnest Canon Chasuble Oscar Wilde The Old Vic, London
1934 Love for Love Tattle William Congreve Sadler's Wells, London
1934 Macbeth Macbeth William Shakespeare The Old Vic, London
1936–1937 Peter Pan Captain Hook J. M. Barrie London Palladium, London
1947 Galileo Galileo Bertolt Brecht Maxine Elliott Theatre, Broadway
1950 The Cherry Orchard Gaev Anton Chekhov Stage Theatre, Los Angeles
1956–1957 Major Barbara Andrew Undershaft George Bernard Shaw Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway
1958 The Party Richard Brough Jane Arden The New Theatre, London
1959 A Midsummer's Night Dream Bottom William Shakespeare Stratford-upon-Avon, London
1959 King Lear Lear William Shakespeare Stratford-upon-Avon, London

Director

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Year Title Playwright Venue Ref.
1932 The Fatal Alibi Agatha Christie Booth Theater, Broadway [1]
1947 Galileo Bertolt Brecht Maxine Elliott Theatre, Broadway [2]
1951–1952 Don Juan in Hell George Bernard Shaw Plymouth Theater, Broadway [3]
1953 John Brown's Body Stephen Vincent Benét New Century Theater, Broadway [4]
1954–1955 The Caine Mutiny Court Martial Edward Dmytryk Plymouth Theatre, Broadway [5]
1956–1957 Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway [6]

Producer

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Warner Brothers made three cartoons parodying Laughton's acting:

In Buccaneer Bunny (1948), Bugs Bunny does a brief impression of Laughton's Captain Bligh.

References

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  1. ^ "The Fatal Alibi (Broadway, 1932)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "Galileo (Broadway, 1947)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  3. ^ "Don Juan in Hell (Broadway, 1951)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  4. ^ "John Brown's Body (Broadway, 1953)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  5. ^ "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Broadway, 1954)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Major Barbara (Broadway, 1956)". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  1. ^ Released in the United States as The Beachcomber
  2. ^ Released in the United States as Sidewalks of London
  3. ^ Collaborated on the translation of the play by Bertolt Brecht.
  4. ^ replaced by Lamour sequence
  5. ^ replaced by On Our Merry Way
  6. ^ Released in the United States and UK as Under Ten Flags
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