Karloff was born William Henry Pratt on 23 November 1887, at 36 Forest Hill Road, Dulwich, Surrey (now London), England. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, was a British diplomat. Edward John Pratt, Jr. was an Anglo-Indian, from a British father and Indian mother, while Karloff's mother also had some Indian ancestry, thus Karloff had a relatively dark complexion that differed from his peers at the time. His mother's maternal aunt was Anna Leonowens, whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam (now Thailand) were the basis of the musical "The King and I".
Early years
Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff | Early years
Surrey (now London), England. England. Surrey, England. Surrey (now London), England
who played the mummy in the old movies
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Boris Karloff
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has he also acted in any other film?
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Yes - Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939).
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where is he from?
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However, in 1909, he left university without graduating and drifted, departing England for Canada, where he worked as a farm labourer and did various odd itinerant jobs until happening upon acting.
Boris Karloff | Early years
This is the filmography of Boris Karloff. Born as William Henry Pratt, he joined a touring company and adopted the stage name Boris Karloff. During these early stages of his career he was mostly left in obscurity. By 1919, Karloff found regular work as an extra at Universal Studios. Karloff's first significant hit film was in Howard Hawks's "The Criminal Code" (1931). While shooting "Graft", director James Whale convinced Karloff to star as a character in one of his most popular roles as Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" which led to him becoming an overnight superstar. After "Frankenstein" and starring in several high-profile films such as "Bride of Frankenstein" and "Scarface", Karloff spent the remainder of the 1930s continuing to work at an incredible pace, but progressively more into less financially successful films.
Boris Karloff filmography | Introduction
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) and "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in "The Mummy" (1932). In non-horror roles, he is best known to modern audiences for narrating and as the voice of the Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Boris Karloff | Introduction
Karloff acted in eighty movies before being found by James Whale and cast in "Frankenstein" (1931). Karloff's role as Frankenstein's monster was physically demanding – it necessitated a bulky costume with four-inch platform boots – but the costume and extensive makeup produced a lasting image. The costume was a job in itself for Karloff with the shoes weighing each. Universal Studios quickly copyrighted the makeup design for the Frankenstein monster that Jack P. Pierce had created. It took a while for Karloff's stardom to be established with the public – he had small roles in "Behind the Mask" (1932), "Business and Pleasure" (1932) and "The Miracle Man" (1932).
Boris Karloff | "Frankenstein"
Warner Oland played "Boris Karlov" in a film version in 1931. Another possible influence was thought to be a character in the Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy novel "H. R. H. The Rider" which features a "Prince Boris of Karlova", but as the novel was not published until 1915, the influence may be backward, that Burroughs saw Karloff in a play and adapted the name for the character. Karloff always claimed he chose the first name "Boris" because it sounded foreign and exotic, and that "Karloff" was a family name (from Karlov—in Cyrillic, Карлов—a name found in several Slavic countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria).
Boris Karloff | Acting career
Horror films experienced a decline in popularity after the war, and Karloff found himself working in other genres. For the Danny Kaye comedy, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), Karloff appeared in a brief but starring role as Dr. Hugo Hollingshead, a psychiatrist. Director Norman Z. McLeod shot a sequence with Karloff in the Frankenstein monster make-up, but it was deleted from the finished film. Karloff appeared in a film noir, "Lured" (1947), and as an Indian in "Unconquered" (1947). He had support roles in "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" (1947), "Tap Roots" (1948), and "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff".
Boris Karloff | Post-war
Karloff returned to film roles in "The Climax" (1944), an unsuccessful attempt to repeat the success of "Phantom of the Opera" (1943). More liked was "House of Frankenstein" (1944), where Karloff played the villainous Dr. Niemann and the monster was played by Glenn Strange. Karloff made three films for producer Val Lewton at RKO: "The Body Snatcher" (1945), his last teaming with Lugosi, "Isle of the Dead" (1945) and "Bedlam" (1946). In a 1946 interview with Louis Berg of the "Los Angeles Times", Karloff discussed his arrangement with RKO, working with Lewton and his reasons for leaving Universal. Karloff left Universal because he thought the Frankenstein franchise had run its course; the entries in the series after "Son of Frankenstein" were B-pictures.
Boris Karloff | Producer Val Lewton and other films
At Warners he was in "British Intelligence" (1940), then he went to Universal to do "Black Friday" (1940) with Lugosi. Karloff's second and third films for Columbia were "The Man with Nine Lives" (1940) and "Before I Hang" (1940). In between he did a fifth and final Mr Wong film, "Doomed to Die" (1940).
Boris Karloff | "Son of Frankenstein" and horror revival
Once Karloff arrived in Hollywood, he made dozens of silent films, but this work was sporadic, and he often had to take up manual labour such as digging ditches or delivering construction plaster to earn a living. His first on screen role was in a film serial, "The Lightning Raider" (1919) with Pearl White. He was in another serial, "The Masked Rider" (1919), the first of his appearances to survive. Karloff could also be seen in "His Majesty, the American" (1919) with Douglas Fairbanks, "The Prince and Betty" (1919), "The Deadlier Sex" (1920), and "The Courage of Marge O'Doone" (1920).
Boris Karloff | Early films
Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed as Father Christmas every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital. He never legally changed his name to "Boris Karloff." He signed official documents "William H. Pratt, a.k.a. Boris Karloff." He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and he was especially outspoken due to the long hours he spent in makeup while playing Frankenstein's Monster.
Boris Karloff | Personal life
As receipts for "Frankenstein" and "Scarface" flooded in, Universal gave Karloff third billing in "Night World" (1932), with Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke and George Raft.
Boris Karloff | "Frankenstein"
Berg wrote that the last installment in which Karloff appeared—"House of Frankenstein"—was what he called a " 'monster clambake,' with everything thrown in—Frankenstein, Dracula, a hunchback and a 'man-beast' that howled in the night. It was too much. Karloff thought it was ridiculous and said so." Berg explained that the actor had "great love and respect for" Lewton, who was "the man who rescued him from the living dead and restored, so to speak, his soul."
Boris Karloff | Producer Val Lewton and other films
For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street for motion pictures, and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard for television. Karloff was featured by the U.S. Postal Service as Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy in its series "Classic Monster Movie Stamps" issued in September 1997. In 1998, an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled in his hometown in London. The British film magazine "Empire" in 2016 ranked Karloff's portrayal as Frankenstein's monster the sixth-greatest horror movie character of all time. On June 25, 2019, "The New York Times Magazine" listed Boris Karloff among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Boris Karloff | Legacy
He played an Indian in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1920) and he would often be cast as an Arab or Indian in his early films.
Boris Karloff | Early films
Karloff was reunited with Whale at Universal for "The Old Dark House" (1932), a horror movie based on the novel "Benighted" by J.B. Priestley, in which he finally enjoyed top billing above Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart. He was loaned to MGM to play the titular role in "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (also 1932), for which he gained top billing. Back at Universal, he was cast as Imhotep who is revived in "The Mummy" (1932). It was as successful at the box-office as the other two films and Karloff was now established as a star of horror films.
Boris Karloff | Horror star
Karloff was born William Henry Pratt on 23 November 1887, at 36 Forest Hill Road, Dulwich, Surrey (now London), England. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, was a British diplomat. Edward John Pratt, Jr. was an Anglo-Indian, from a British father and Indian mother, while Karloff's mother also had some Indian ancestry, thus Karloff had a relatively dark complexion that differed from his peers at the time. His mother's maternal aunt was Anna Leonowens, whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam (now Thailand) were the basis of the musical "The King and I".
Boris Karloff | Early years
Although Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant is often referred to as "Igor" in descriptions of the films, he is not so called in the earliest films. In both "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein", Frankenstein has an assistant who is played both times by Dwight Frye who is crippled. In the original 1931 film the character is named "Fritz" who is hunchbacked and walks with the aid of a small cane. Fritz did not originate from the "Frankenstein" novel, and instead originated from the earliest recorded play adaptation, "Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein", where he was played by Robert Keeley. In "Bride of Frankenstein", Frye plays "Karl" a murderer who stands upright but has a lumbering metal brace on both legs that can be heard clicking loudly with every step.
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Frankenstein's assistant
He appeared in "Mad Monster Party?" (1967) and starred in the second feature film of the British director Michael Reeves,"The Sorcerers" (1966).
Boris Karloff | "The Grinch"
Universal found reissuing "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" led to success at the box-office and began to produce horror films again starting with "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). Karloff reprised his role, with Lugosi co starring as Ygor and Basil Rathbone as Frankenstein. After "The Mystery of Mr. Wong" (1939) and "Mr. Wong in Chinatown" (1939) he signed a three-picture deal with Columbia, starting with "The Man They Could Not Hang" (1939). Karloff returned to Universal to make "Tower of London" (1939) with Rathbone, playing the murderous henchman of King Richard III. Karloff made a fourth Mr Wong film at Monogram "The Fatal Hour" (1940).
Boris Karloff | "Son of Frankenstein" and horror revival
Scott Allen Nollen became intrigued with Boris Karloff when his mother had him watch James Whale's "Frankenstein" (1931 film) at the age of five in 1968. He identified with Karloff's "monster", who never spoke in the film, but effectively conveyed a portrait of the misunderstood individual cast out by society. Nollen knew he wanted to write a book about Karloff and had begun in high school. In 1981, Nollen's parents took him to England and Wales as a graduation present. While there, he contacted Karloff's widow, who appreciated Nollen's interest in and respect for Karloff; they remained in correspondence for the twelve years remaining of her life.
Scott Allen Nollen | Life and work
After several disastrous make-up tests (said to resemble that of Paul Wegener in "The Golem"), the "Dracula" star left the project. Although this is often regarded as one of the worst decisions of Lugosi's career, in actuality, the part that Lugosi was offered was not the same character that Karloff eventually played. The initial director was Robert Florey, who had re-characterized the Monster as a simple killing machine, without a touch of human interest or pathos, unlike in the original Shelley novel. This reportedly causing Lugosi to complain, "I was a star in my country and I will not be a scarecrow over here!" Florey later wrote that "the Hungarian actor didn't show himself very enthusiastic for the role and didn't want to play it." However, the decision may not have been Lugosi's in any case, since recent evidence suggests that he was kicked off the project, along with director Robert Florey, when the newly arrived James Whale asked for the property.
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Production
The film was originally titled "The Brain of Frankenstein", but the title was changed during filming to appear like less of a straight horror film and capitalize on Abbott and Costello's marquee value. Costello hated the script. He said that his five-year-old daughter could have written something better, but he later warmed to the film during production. Despite having previously portrayed vampires and similar caped characters in a variety of other films, this was the only time Béla Lugosi reprised his role from "Dracula" (1931) in a feature film. Boris Karloff declined to appear in the film but agreed to promote it for Universal.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | Production
He also starred in a radio adaptation produced by Screen Guild Theatre in 1946.) In 1944, he underwent a spinal operation to relieve a chronic arthritic condition.
Boris Karloff | "Arsenic and Old Lace"
"Frankenstein" was followed by a string of sequels, beginning with "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), in which Elsa Lanchester plays the Monster's bride. The next sequel, "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), was made, like all those that followed, without Whale or Clive (the latter of whom had died in 1937). This film featured Karloff's last full film performance as the Monster. "Son of Frankenstein" featured Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, Bela Lugosi as bearded hunchback Ygor, and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" was released in 1942. The movie features Lon Chaney Jr. as the Monster, taking over from Boris Karloff, who played the role in the first three films of the series, and Bela Lugosi in his second appearance as the demented Ygor.
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Sequels
Karloff appeared in "Black Sabbath" (1963) directed by Mario Bava. He made "The Raven" (1963) for Roger Corman and American International Pictures (AIP). Corman used Karloff in "The Terror" (1963) playing a baron who murdered his wife. He made a cameo in AIP's "Bikini Beach" (1964) and had a bigger role in that studio's "The Comedy of Terrors" (1964), directed by Jacques Tourneur and "Die, Monster, Die!" (1965). British actress Suzan Farmer, who played his daughter in the film, later recalled Karloff was aloof during production "and wasn’t the charming personality people perceived him to be". In 1966, Karloff also appeared with Robert Vaughn and Stefanie Powers in the spy series "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.", in the episode "The Mother Muffin Affair," Karloff performed in drag as the titular character.
Boris Karloff | American International Pictures (AIP)
Karloff returned to England to star in "The Ghoul" (1933), then made a non-horror film for John Ford, "The Lost Patrol" (1934), where his performance was highly acclaimed.
Boris Karloff | Horror star
The central metaphor is The Frankenstein Monster trying to grasp light when he first sees it, representing Boris, and all of God's bumbling creatures, trying to reach and understand more than they are capable of comprehending. The play premiered in Salem, Oregon, November 14, 2014, at Level B Theater Pub. Boris Karloff's only child, Sara Jane Karloff, attended both performances of the show's opening weekend. The play was developed with Stephen Jacobs, author of the biography "Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster"," as the script's dramaturg.
Karloff (play) | Introduction
Pratt was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He learned how to manage his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable throughout his career in the film industry. Pratt spent his childhood years in Enfield, in the County of Middlesex. He was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He received his early education at Enfield Grammar School, and later at the public schools of Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School. After this, he attended King's College London where he took studies aimed at a career with the British Government's Consular Service.
Boris Karloff | Early years
Because the Motion Picture Production Code (known as the Hays Code) began to be seriously enforced in 1934, horror films suffered a decline in the second half of the 1930s. Karloff worked in other genres, making two films in Britain, "Juggernaut" (1936) and "The Man Who Changed His Mind" (1936). He returned to Hollywood to play a supporting role in "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (1936) then did a science fiction film, "Night Key" (1937). At Warners, he did two films with John Farrow, playing a Chinese warlord in "West of Shanghai" (1937) and a murder suspect in "The Invisible Menace" (1938).
Boris Karloff | Non-horror period
An actor may receive "last billing", which usually designates a smaller role played by a famous name. They are usually credited after the rest of the lead cast, prefixed with "and" (or also "with" if there is more than one, as Samuel L. Jackson was in the latter two "Star Wars" prequels and several Marvel Cinematic Universe films). In some cases, the name is followed by "as" and then the name of the character (sometimes called an "and-as" credit). This is not the case if that character is unseen for most of the movie (see Ernst Stavro Blofeld). An early last billing credit in a film's opening simply listed a question mark (?) as portraying the monster in the 1931 classic "Frankenstein", which still lists it that way today, although the reissued prints seen today add actor Boris Karloff to the end credit listings, as the film made him a huge star such that the credits of the film's first sequel "The Bride of Frankenstein" credits him only by his last name.
Billing (performing arts) | Last billing
Both characters would be killed by Karloff's monster in their respective films. It was not until "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) that a character called "Ygor" first appears (here played by Bela Lugosi and revived by Lugosi in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) after his apparent murder in the earlier film). This character – a deranged blacksmith whose neck was broken and twisted due to a botched hanging – befriends the monster and later helps Dr. Wolf Frankenstein, leading to the "hunchbacked assistant" called "Igor" commonly associated with "Frankenstein" in popular culture. Frye also appears in later films in the series, such as in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943).
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Frankenstein's assistant
(Karloff was in a very poor mood that day, apparently depressed and in poor health. This encounter led to a posthumously produced film biography on Naschy being entitled "Paul Naschy: The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry".) In 1968, at age 34, he wrote a screenplay for a werewolf movie entitled "The Mark of the Wolfman" (about a Polish werewolf named Count Waldemar Daninsky) and managed to interest a Spanish film company called Maxper Producciones Cinematograficas into financing it. Naschy never intended to play "El Hombre Lobo" (as the doomed lycanthrope came to be called in Spain), he just wound up with the part when the producer could not find a suitable actor.
Paul Naschy | Biography
"The Body Snatcher" was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were "Isle of the Dead" (1945) and "Bedlam" (1946). In a 1946 interview with Louis Berg of the "Los Angeles Times", Karloff discussed his reasons for leaving Universal Pictures and working with Lewton. Achieving stardom with "Frankenstein" (1931), he felt that the franchise had run its course. He called "House of Frankenstein" (1944), the last installment, a "monster clambake" that includes Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, The Wolf Man and a hunchback.
The Body Snatcher (film) | Production
The actor Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt in London, lived in retirement in Bramshott until his death in 1969.
Bramshott | Notable people
"Cauldron of Blood," shot in Spain in 1967 and co-starring Viveca Lindfors, was also released after Karloff's death. While shooting his final films, Karloff suffered from emphysema. Only half of one lung was still functioning and he required oxygen between takes.
Boris Karloff | Final films
Pratt began appearing in theatrical performances in Canada, and during this period he chose Boris Karloff as his stage name. Some have theorised that he took the stage name from a mad scientist character in the novel "The Drums of Jeopardy" called "Boris Karlov". However, the novel was not published until 1920, at least eight years after Karloff had been using the name on stage and in silent films, opening the possibility that the Karlov character might have been named after Karloff after the novel's author noticed it in a cast listing and liked the sound of it rather than simply being a coincidence.
Boris Karloff | Acting career
Karloff's daughter, Sara, publicly denied any knowledge of Slavic forebears, "Karloff" or otherwise. One reason for the name change was to prevent embarrassment to his family. Whether or not his brothers (all dignified members of the British Foreign Service) actually considered young William the "black sheep of the family" for having become an actor, Karloff apparently worried they felt that way. He did not reunite with his family until he returned to Britain to make "The Ghoul" (1933), extremely worried that his siblings would disapprove of his new, macabre claim to world fame. Instead, his brothers jostled for position around him and happily posed for publicity photographs.
Boris Karloff | Acting career
Around the same time, he played occult expert Professor Marsh in a British production titled "The Crimson Cult" ("Curse of the Crimson Altar", also 1968), which was the last Karloff film to be released during his lifetime. He ended his career by appearing in four low-budget Mexican horror films: "Isle of the Snake People," "The Incredible Invasion," "Fear Chamber" and "House of Evil." This was a package deal with Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara. Karloff's scenes were directed by Jack Hill and shot back-to-back in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968. The films were then completed in Mexico. All four were released posthumously, with the last, "The Incredible Invasion," not released until 1971, two years after Karloff's death.
Boris Karloff | Final films
Baron Victor von Frankenstein (Boris Karloff) has suffered torture and disfigurement at the hands of the Nazis as punishment for not cooperating with them during World War II. Horribly disfigured, he nevertheless continues his work as a scientist. Needing funds to support his experiments, the Baron allows a television crew to shoot a made-for-television horror film about his monster-making family at his castle in Germany. This arrangement gives the Baron enough money to buy an atomic reactor, which he uses to create a living being, modeled after his own likeness before he had been tortured. When the Baron runs out of body parts for his work, however, he proceeds to kill off members of the crew, and even his faithful butler, for more spare parts.
Frankenstein 1970 | Plot
That same year, he also played an Indian Maharajah on the installment of the adventure series "The Wild Wild West" titled "The Night of the Golden Cobra".
Boris Karloff | American International Pictures (AIP)
The role of Mord the Executioner was made for Boris Karloff who had signed on to the studio for two additional features after "Son of Frankenstein". Initially, his character was to have a full black beard but this concept was removed in favour of a nearly hairless look.
Tower of London (1939 film) | Pre-production
Frankstein's full name in the film is Baron Charles Frankenstein, unlike Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein or the classic Universal Studios movie's Henry Frankenstein. The dwarf in the film is named Rinaldo, after the name of blacklisted "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" screenwriter Frederic I. Rinaldo, who also wrote the scripts for several Universal films, including "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951); "Hold That Ghost" (1941); "The Black Cat" (1941) and "The Invisible Woman" (1940). Some scenes were shot amidst the statuary at the Gardens of Bomarzo in Lazio, Italy.
The Bride (1985 film) | Production notes
By December 24, filming had not completed and the cast and crew were working until 6:15pm in the evening, opposed to the usual completion by noon. Production on the film was completed only on January 5, 1939. Dunagan spoke about how the film took a toll on Karloff stating that the Monster make-up "was punishing him" due to its weight, and that "when we got through with that movie, my sense was that he did not like that role. And I can "promise" you he didn't like the costume, which had to hurt him physically" Karloff never portrayed on the Monster again in the series and only performed again on a few one off appearances on "Route 66" and at an all-star baseball game.
Son of Frankenstein | Production
Directed by Victor Fleming, it featured Fairbanks, Ruth Renick, and Wallace Beery and was distributed by the newly created company United Artists. It is said that during this same time, a young Boris Karloff, who previously had a few uncredited movie roles, chose his stage name for his first screen credit during 1920 from the MacGrath novel "The Drums of Jeopardy", which had also been published by "The Saturday Evening Post" in January of that year and which featured a Russian mad scientist character named Boris Karlov. The name Boris Karlov was used from MacGrath's book for the 1922 Broadway play, but by 1923 with actor Boris Karloff using the similar-sounding variation, the character for the first film version was renamed Gregor Karlov.
Harold MacGrath | Biography
Karloff starred in a few acclaimed Val Lewton produced horror films of the 1940s and by the mid-1950s, he was a familiar presence on television hosting his own series including "Thriller" and "The Veil" and guest starring on such variety programs as "The Donald O'Connor Show". He also was Detective Wong in the 1930s. In the 1960s, Karloff was a fixture at Roger Corman's American International Pictures. His final American film was Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets", portraying an aging horror film star.
Boris Karloff filmography | Introduction
Dwight Frye's hunchbacked lab assistant in the first film of the "Frankenstein" series (1931) is the main source for the "Igor" of public imagination, though this character was actually named Fritz. Fritz did not originate from the "Frankenstein" novel, but instead originated from the earliest recorded play adaptation, "Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein", where he was played by Robert Keeley. The second and third sequel films "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) and "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) featured a character named Ygor (portrayed by Bela Lugosi). This character is neither a hunchback nor a lab assistant, but a blacksmith with a broken neck and twisted back as the result of a botched hanging.
Igor (character) | Origins
In addition to his stage career, Kerr also appeared in 19 films between 1916 and 1933. He is best known as the old Baron Frankenstein in "Frankenstein" (1931).
Frederick Kerr | Film career
He played the elegant, somewhat hot-tempered General Nicholas Strenovsky-Petronovich in "International House" (1933). Regardless of controversy, five films at Universal — "The Black Cat" (1934), "The Raven" (1935), "The Invisible Ray" (1936), "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), "Black Friday" (1940), plus minor cameo performances in "Gift of Gab" (1934) and two at RKO Pictures, "You'll Find Out" (1940) and "The Body Snatcher" (1945) — paired Lugosi with Boris Karloff. Despite the relative size of their roles, Lugosi inevitably received second billing, below Karloff. There are contradictory reports of Lugosi's attitude toward Karloff, some claiming that he was openly resentful of Karloff's long-term success and ability to gain good roles beyond the horror arena, while others suggested the two actors were — for a time, at least — good friends.
Bela Lugosi | Typecasting
Boris Tokarev was born in the village of Kiselyovo, Kaluga Oblast, USSR. Some years later the family moved to Moscou where Boris enter a school. When Boris was 12 years old he made his debut in cinema. He played Victor in the Georgy Pobedonostsev's film "The rescued generation". After that when he was 13 he was invited to for playing in a play. Being a schoolboy Boris acted in some films. Being a student of Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography he took parts in some more films: "The way to a sea", "The sixth summer", "Faithfulness".
Boris Tokarev (actor) | Biography
Karloff spoke about the role in 1948, stating "After "Son", I decided the character no longer had any potentialities - the makeup did all the work" and that "Anybody who can take that makeup every morning deserves respect." Post-production units only had a few days before the set January 7 preview dates. The first cut of the film ran over 100 minutes and was cut down with the final cost of the production being $420,000.
Son of Frankenstein | Production
After the photo was taken, Karloff's brothers immediately started asking about getting a copy of their own. The story of the photo became one of Karloff's favorites. Karloff joined the Jeanne Russell Company in 1911 and performed in towns like Kamloops (British Columbia) and Prince Albert (Saskatchewan). After the devastating tornado in Regina on 30 June 1912, Karloff and other performers helped with clean-up efforts. He later took a job as a railway baggage handler and joined the Harry St. Clair Co. that performed in Minot, North Dakota, for a year in an opera house above a hardware store.
Boris Karloff | Acting career
"Son of Frankenstein" was distributed theatrically by Universal Pictures Co. on January 13, 1939. The film performed well in the box office, with the "Hollywood Reporter" proclaiming that the film had repated greater returns than any prior horror film in key city openings. The first weekend receipts in Los Angeles, Boston, and Richmond surpassed all previous Universal film openings in those three cities. A follow-up, "The Ghost of Frankenstein" was announced from Universal Pictures on November 13, 1941 announcing they had been searching for a new lead to play the title role of the monster. The next day, producer George Waggner was instructed to order the same type of make-up that Karloff wore for the new actor portraying the monster with instructions that changing the appearance may "kill the interest of Frankenstein follower." Lon Chaney, Jr.
Son of Frankenstein | Release
Kirsanoff was born Markus David Sussmanovitch Kaplan () on the 5th of March 1899 in Tartu (then Juryev), Estonia, then Russian Empire . In the early 1920s he moved to Paris and became involved in cinema through playing cello in the orchestra at showings. He began making films on his own, and never worked with a production company. He was married to the actress Nadia Sibirskaïa who starred in several of his early films. In the early 1920s after moving to Paris (where he started to study at the
Dimitri Kirsanoff | Early life
In July 2019, he earned his master's degree in film from the Staffordshire University.
Boris Malagurski | Early life and education
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0120439/?ref_=tt_ov_dr https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/301212/
Boris Buneev | External links
His father is the actor Petar Chernev (1934-1993).
Boris Chernev | Early life
Throughout the 19th century, the monster's image remained variable according to the artist. The best-known image of Frankenstein's monster in popular culture derives from Boris Karloff's portrayal in the 1931 movie "Frankenstein," in which he wore makeup applied and designed by Jack P. Pierce. Universal Studios, which released the film, was quick to secure ownership of the copyright for the makeup format. Karloff played the monster in two more Universal films, "Bride of Frankenstein" and "Son of Frankenstein"; Lon Chaney Jr. took over the part from Karloff in "The Ghost of Frankenstein;" Bela Lugosi portrayed the role in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man;" and Glenn Strange played the monster in the last three Universal Studios films to feature the character – "House of Frankenstein," "House of Dracula," and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." But their makeup replicated the iconic look first worn by Karloff.
Frankenstein's monster | Appearance
In 1935 he graduated from the theatre college at the Mossovet Theatre where he studied under Evgeny Lepkovsky and became its actor.
Vladimir Zeldin | Early life
Pokrovsky was born in Moscow, Russian Empire in 1912.
Boris Pokrovsky | Early life
For the latter film, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He often played villains from gangsters in numerous Paramount pictures to mad scientists, such as Dr. Daka in the "Batman" film serial. In the 1940s Naish was a supporting character in a number of horror films. He played Boris Karloff's assistant in "House of Frankenstein" (1944). Of Irish descent, he rarely played an Irishman, explaining, "When the part of an Irishman comes along, nobody ever thinks of me." He portrayed numerous other ethnicities including Southern European, Eastern European, Latin American, Native American, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander—even African American, which earned him the moniker "Hollywood's one-man U.N.".
J. Carrol Naish | Career
On Christmas he often entertained domestic performances and himself participated in them. When a high school senior, V. Denisov has also performed on the stage – he played the Baron in Maxim Gorky's «The Lower Depths» (in a school production) and even considered applying to an acting school. Yet the thirst for words took the upper hand, and in 1962 (just like his grandfather) he entered the philological department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU).
Victor Denisov | Early years
Kosleck was born in Barkotzen in Pomerania, Germany, the son of a forester. His family was "German-Russian". He became interested in acting at an early age. He spent six years in the Max Reinhardt Dramatic School, particularly excelling in Shakespearian roles, and working in revues and musicals in Berlin. At the age of 23, he appeared in his first film, a silent movie directed by Johannes Brandt called "Der Fahnenträger von Sedan". Two years later, he appeared in Lupo Pick's "Napoleon auf St. Helena". Kosleck appeared in two more films in Germany in 1930, the science-fiction thriller "Alraune" (his first sound film) and "Die Singende Stadt".
Martin Kosleck | Early life
However, the creature has no name in the Universal film series starring Boris Karloff during the 1930s, which was largely based upon Webling's play. The 1931 Universal film treated the creature's identity in a similar way as Shelley's novel: in the opening credits, the character is referred to merely as "The Monster" (the actor's name is replaced by a question mark, but Karloff is listed in the closing credits). Nevertheless, the creature soon enough became best known in the popular imagination as "Frankenstein". This usage is sometimes considered erroneous, but some usage commentators regard the monster sense of "Frankenstein" as well-established and not an error.
Frankenstein's monster | Names
"The House of Frankenstein" marked Glenn Strange's debut as the monster. Strange, a former cowboy, had been a minor supporting player in dozens of low-budget Westerns over the preceding 15 years. He reprised the role in "House of Dracula" and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, who had moved on from playing the monster to playing the mad scientist, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role. The scream that accompanies Daniel's fall from the roof is actually the voice of Karloff, recycled from the scene in "Son of Frankenstein" where the monster howls in anguish at finding Ygor dead.
The House of Frankenstein | Production
The first sound adaptation of the story, "Frankenstein" (1931), was produced by Universal Pictures, directed by James Whale, and starred Boris Karloff as the monster. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Its sequel, "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) was also directed by Whale with Karloff as the monster. It was followed by "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), the last of the three films with Boris Karloff as the monster. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) marked the Universal series' descent into B movie territory; later efforts by the studio combined two or more monsters, culminating in the comedy "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".
Frankenstein in popular culture | Universal Pictures
Writing for "Starburst" in the early 1980s, Phil Edwards stated that "Son of Frankenstein" was "not particularly novel and the somewhat hackneyed story points the way to the sad direction which later Universal horrors would follow." On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95%, based on 37 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Boris Karloff's final appearance as the Monster is a fitting farewell before the series descended into self-parody".
Son of Frankenstein | Reception
Ted Billings (April 7, 1880 – July 5, 1947) was an American character actor of the silent and sound film eras. Born in London, England on April 7, 1880, Billings made his film debut in the role of the Witch, in 1917's "The Babes in the Woods", which starred Francis Carpenter and Virginia Lee Corbin as Hansel and Gretel. Over the course of his career he would appear in over 100 films, mostly in unnamed, un-credited roles. Some of the more notable films in which he appeared include: in the featured role of Ludwig in 1935's "Bride of Frankenstein", starring Boris Karloff; the 1937 version of "The Prince and the Pauper", Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, and Billy and Bobby Mauch; "Stagecoach" (1939), starring John Wayne and Claire Trevor; "Mrs.
Ted Billings | Introduction
Eric Bernay (né Bernstein) was born in Odessa, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire; he came to the United States as an infant.
Eric Bernay | Early life
He recorded the title role of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" for the Shakespeare Recording Society (Caedmon Audio). The recording was originally released in 1962. A download of his performance is available from audible.com. He also recorded the narration for Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra under Mario Rossi. Records he made for the children's market included "Three Little Pigs and Other Fairy Stories", "Tales of the Frightened" (volume 1 and 2), Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories" and, with Cyril Ritchard and Celeste Holm, "Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes", and Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark". Karloff was credited for editing several horror anthologies, commencing with "Tales of Terror" (Cleveland and NY: World Publishing Co, 1943) (compiled with the help of Edmond Speare).
Boris Karloff | Spoken word recordings and horror anthologies
Boris Cebotari was born on 3 February 1975 in Sărăteni.
Boris Cebotari | Early life
Several themes and images are taken from the movie starring Boris Karloff as the monster:
Batman: Castle of the Bat | 1931 "Frankenstein" movie
"Variety" did not so qualify its review. "[It is] one of those rare instances where none can review it, or talk about it, without mentioning the cameraman, art director, and score composer in the same breath as the actors and director." "Variety" also praised the cast, writing that "Karloff manages to invest the character with some subtleties of emotion that are surprisingly real and touching ... Thesiger as Dr Pretorious [is] a diabolic characterization if ever there was one ... Lanchester handles two assignments, being first in a preamble as author Mary Shelley and then the created woman. In latter assignment she impresses quite highly." In another unqualified review, "Time" wrote that the film had "a vitality that makes their efforts fully the equal of the original picture ...
Bride of Frankenstein | Reception
He was born in a middle class Slovene family in Trieste, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today in Italy). He attended private Slovene language schools in Trieste. As a teenager, he attended an intensive English course at the local Berlitz language school, where he was a pupil of the Irish novelist James Joyce. After finishing the German language State gymnasium in Trieste in 1913, he went to study law at the University of Paris. After the break of World War I, he returned to Austria-Hungary, and enrolled in the University of Vienna. He finished his studies at the University of Bologna after the end of World War I.
Boris Furlan | Early life and career
"The Mummy", produced the following year, combines the plot of "Dracula" with the make-up tricks of "Frankenstein", to turn Karloff into an incredibly aged and wrinkled Egyptian prince. Again, Pierce and Karloff's collaboration was critically acclaimed and impressed audiences. That same year, Pierce designed the Satanic make-up for Lugosi in "White Zombie", although this was an independent film, rather than a Universal production. On November 20, 1957, Ralph Edwards got Jack Pierce reunited with a smiling Boris Karloff on the celebrity biography program "This is Your Life". On that night's program, Jack unveiled some memories of working together with Karloff on the Universal film lot.
Jack Pierce (make-up artist) | Collaboration with Karloff
Boris de Fast (July 6, 1890 - ?"after" 1966) was a Russian actor, screenwriter, film editor and make-up artist. Born in Feodosia, Crimea in the Russian Empire, he emigrated to France where he worked in the county's film industry. His only American film was a strange villainous performance in "Tempest"(1928)
Boris de Fast | Introduction
In July 1935, Universal Pictures paired Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff together for a second time in the studio's third Edgar Allan Poe picture. The film was "The Raven". The film was not actually a direct adaptation of the classic 1845 poem, but rather inspired from it. In the film, a brilliant surgeon, played by Bela Lugosi, is obsessed with the writer Edgar Allan Poe. He saves the life of a beautiful dancer but goes mad when he can't have her. Meanwhile, Boris Karloff plays a fugitive murderer on the run from the police. 1935's "The Raven" contains themes of torture, disfigurement, and grisly revenge.
Horror film | 1935: "Bride of Frankenstein" premieres
The Universal Classic Monsters series began in earnest with 1930s' "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi who's performance was instantly lauded, the following years "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff in the role as the monster and "The Mummy" also starring Karloff, this time in the role as the mummy Imhotep, were equally successful and cemented each character as well as their actors as horror icons.
Horror icon | 1930s: Universal Monsters appear
Skossyreff was born on January 12, 1896, in Vilna, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. His later acquired Dutch passport elaborated that his supposed title was Monsieur le Baron Boris de Skossyreff - a possible title, but likely false due to the rarity of Barons in Russia. He was likely from a family of lower nobility, corresponding to his serving as an Officer in World War I.
Boris Skossyreff | Early life
Boris Karloff has the tragedy element nailed down but there are so many versions, including that great screenplay by Frank Darabont that was ultimately not really filmed." He has also cited Bernie Wrightson's illustrations as inspiration, and said the film will not focus on the monster's creation, but be an adventure film featuring the character. Del Toro said he would like Wrightson to design his version of the creature. The film will also focus on the religious aspects of Shelley's tale. In June 2009, del Toro stated that production on "Frankenstein" was not likely to begin for at least four years.
Frankenstein (1931 film) | Cancelled remake
Siritzky was born in New York City in 1942 where his French Jewish family, a dynasty of film producers in France took refuge during World War II. His family moved to Paris when he was a youngster.
Alain Siritzky | Early life
This wartime-published anthology went through at least five printings to September 1945. It has been reprinted recently (Orange NJ: Idea Men, 2007). Karloff's name was also attached to "And the Darkness Falls" (Cleveland and NY: World Publishing Co, 1946); and "The Boris Karloff Horror Anthology" (London: Souvenir Press, 1965; simultaneous publication in Canada - Toronto: The Ryerson Press; US pbk reprint NY: Avon Books, 1965 retitled as "Boris Karloff's Favourite Horror Stories"; UK pbk reprints London: Corgi, 1969 and London: Everest, 1975, both under the original title), though it is less clear whether Karloff himself actually edited these.
Boris Karloff | Spoken word recordings and horror anthologies
Lev Borisovich Helfand was born December 29, 1900in the village Artemivka - died in 1957 New York . He was Soviet Chargé d'affaires to Italy in the End of 1939. He was in Italy during the 1930s, coinciding with the time the National Fascist Party was in power. When he was recalled to Moscow in 1940, he chose to flee to the United States with his wife Sofia Evzarovna Shatsova (Sonia Moore), fearing deportation to Siberia or to be killed at once.
Lev Borisovich Helfand | Introduction
Boris Yelensky was born in Krasnodar, Russia in 1889, near Novorosisk on the Black Sea in the Russian Empire. Born to a capmaker father, he attended a Russian primary school, and worked for his father as a young boy. His family did not practice Judaism, and Boris did not learn to speak or write Yiddish as a child.
Boris Yelensky | Early years
An enthusiastic performer, he returned to the Broadway stage in the original production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" in 1941, in which he played a homicidal gangster enraged to be frequently mistaken for Karloff. Frank Capra cast Raymond Massey in the 1944 film, which was shot in 1941, while Karloff was still appearing in the role on Broadway. The play's producers allowed the film to be made conditionally: it was not to be released until the production closed. (Karloff reprised his role on television in the anthology series "The Best of Broadway" (1955), and with Tony Randall and Tom Bosley in a 1962 production on the "Hallmark Hall of Fame".
Boris Karloff | "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Frankenstein 1970 is a 1958 science fiction/horror film, shot in black and white CinemaScope, starring Boris Karloff and featuring Don "Red" Barry. The independent film was directed by Howard W. Koch, written by Richard Landau and George Worthing Yates and produced by Aubrey Schenck. It was released theatrically in some markets on a double feature with the Zsa Zsa Gabor film "Queen of Outer Space".
Frankenstein 1970 | Introduction
In 1969, "The New York Times" mistakenly published Boris Karloff's obituary with Glenn Strange's picture as the Frankenstein monster.
Glenn Strange | Frankenstein's Monster
For all film appearances of the character thereafter, Pierce instituted a different look entirely, recasting Dracula as a man with graying hair and a mustache. The most significant creation during Pierce's time at the studio was "Frankenstein" (1931), with Lugosi originally cast as the Monster. The preliminary design (from contemporary newspaper accounts and a recollection of the screen test by actor Edward Van Sloan) was similar to Paul Wegener's German film of "" (1920); this is not a surprising idea, since studio head Carl Laemmle Jr. and director Robert Florey were both familiar with German Expressionist films. However, there is some evidence that the Golem look wasn't actually used in a screen test Florey shot with Lugosi.
Jack Pierce (make-up artist) | Early career
Born on 13 August 1882 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, he became interested in acting as a young man, studying in a private master class with the famous Austrian stage actor, Karl Arnau. He made his stage debut at the age of 20 in the municipal theater of Olomouc, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic). Over the next five years he would appear in productions in Meran, South Tyrol, Linz, Upper Austria, and Graz, Austria. In 1908 he would begin a 30-year association with the Deutsche Volkstheater in Vienna. While he concentrated mostly on the theater during his early career, he did appear in a small role in the Austrian film, "Der Unbekannte" ("The Unknown") in 1912.
Karl Ehmann | Career
Born in Sofia Bulgaria in 1935, he moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana as a six-year-old in 1941 he attended high school in Terre Haute and college at Indiana University, graduating with an A.B. in Chemistry from Indiana University and an MBA from IU's Kelley School of Business.
Frank Popoff | Early life
Brusowski is the son of Dora Ivanova, a ballerina and the actor, Nikolay Angelov ("Notes on Bulgarian Uprisings", "Mass Miracle" (1981), "Mister for a Day" (1983), "Margarit and Margarita" (1989) and so on). Brusowski has two children, Alice and Dorothy. Brusowski's first stage appearance was at the age of three in "Richard III" by William Shakespeare. As a child, he played many roles on the stage of the Ruse Theatre, and recorded at the studios of the actor Kosyo Stanev's student theatre. As five- or six-year-old, Brusovski wrote a movie script and used a movie camera.
Ivaylo Brusovski | Family origin and early life
Karloff is a biographical one-man play about the life of film star Boris Karloff, written by Randy Bowser. Using quotes from Boris Karloff, both humorous and serious, on a wide range of topics, the play is a jigsaw puzzle of brief, non-chronologically enacted events in the actor's life. The theme is self-realization. The subject is the art of acting. The story is how William Henry Pratt, whose stage name was Boris Karloff, overcomes physical and cultural handicaps to become an unlikely success in his chosen field of acting by making the most of an equally unlikely opportunity when he's cast in the role of a monster.
Karloff (play) | Introduction
Karloff starred in "Targets" (1968), a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, featuring two separate stories that converge into one. In one, a disturbed young man kills his family, then embarks on a killing spree. In the other, a famous horror-film actor contemplates then confirms his retirement, agreeing to one last appearance at a drive-in cinema. Karloff starred as the retired horror film actor, Byron Orlok, a thinly disguised version of himself; Orlok was facing an end of life crisis, which he resolved through a confrontation with the gunman at the drive-in cinema.
Boris Karloff | "Targets"
In addition, his repertoire included King Mark in "Tristan und Isolde", Hunding in "Die Walküre", Caspar in "Der Freischütz", Don Pizarro in "Fidelio", Sparafucile in "Rigoletto" and Bartolo in "The Marriage of Figaro". In 1957, he returned to Germany, accepting an engagement at the Mannheim National Theatre, which he retained until his retirement in 1970. There, he appeared as Daland in "The Flying Dutchman" and Gurnemanz in "Parsifal" as well as the title role in "Boris Godunov". In 1961 he created Cousin Brandon in Paul Hindemith's "The Long Christmas Dinner".
Frederick Dalberg | Life and career
Graft is a 1931 American pre-Code thriller film, directed by Christy Cabanne, starring Regis Toomey and future talent agent Sue Carol, and featuring Boris Karloff, who appeared in "Frankenstein" during the same year.
Graft (1931 film) | Introduction
Among his notable roles were Nozdryov from Dead Souls, Chatsky from Woe from Wit, Count Almaviva from The Marriage of Figaro, Vassily Solyony from Three Sisters and others. Livanov first appeared in cinema in 1924 as Morozko in the fairy tale adaptation of the same name. In 1927 he performed his first serious roles in two historical-revolution films: "Kastus Kalinovskiy" and "". During the 1930s he played Dubrovsky in the film version of Alexander Pushkin's novel Dubrovsky and Dmitry Pozharsky in the "Minin and Pozharsky" historical epic (he was awarded his first Stalin Prize for this role), although his most famous performance of that time was Mikhail Bocharov in the "Baltic Deputy" biographical movie based on the life of Kliment Timiryazev (portrayed by Nikolay Cherkasov).
Boris Livanov | Biography
In 1956 he entered VGIK to study screenwriting under Valentin Turkin. During the studies he met Alla Demidova, also a student at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, and married her in 1961. Same year he and several other students were expelled from the institute following a grand scandal: it was revealed they had written a parody on a revolutionary drama play that featured Vladimir Lenin. Vladimir later managed to enroll back to VGIK and eventually finished it in 1964 (Yevgeny Gabrilovich's course).
Vladimir Valutsky | Early years
Frankenstein discovers among the castle the remains of the Monster (Boris Karloff) and decides to try save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father right but finds that monster only responds to Ygor's commands. "Son of Frankenstein" was originally announced in August 1938 after a successful theatrical reissue of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein". The film was initially announced under the title of "After Frankenstein". The screenplay written by Willis Cooper was initially rejected and early drafts of the film predominantly only carried the characters that would be used in the final film. The original budget for the film was set at $250,000 but was increased to $300,000 by Lee and had a 27 day shooting schedule.
Son of Frankenstein | Introduction
Shvedoff was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the Russian SFSR. Shvedoff first started his acting career as a theater actor in the Theater of Youth Creativity (1979-1986). He studied acting at the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy from 1987 to 1991, and made his film debut in "The Chekist" in 1992. Shvedoff has lived in Prague since the late 1990s.
Ivan Shvedoff | Biography
The film's running time was heavily cut down before its release, as it faced censorship issues. It was allegedly cut down to only 39 minutes. This is now considered a lost film, with only some production stills and promotional material remaining. It is believed the film disappeared soon after its initial release because it was so heavily edited, little of interest to audiences remained. Producer Albertini, also a well-known Italian actor in his day, played the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein in this version. In 1924, he moved to America and starred in a Hollywood film called "The Iron Man", but afterwards moved back to Italy to resume his acting career there.
The Monster of Frankenstein (film) | Introduction
In Australia and New Zealand, every scene with a corpse was removed prior to distribution. The film was banned in Denmark due to the scene where corpses play cards.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Alternate versions