Boris Karloff films – he was a very hard working actor, with a great many films to his credit. As you can see below, he worked in film for many years before becoming and “overnight” success with Frankenstein.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1918 | The Lightning Raider | 15-chapter film serial. | |
| 1919 | The Masked Rider | Mexican roughneck in saloon (Ep. 2 only) | 15-chapter film serial. |
| His Majesty, the American | The Spy | Credited as an extra. | |
| The Prince and Betty | Bit part. | ||
| 1920 | The Deadlier Sex | Jules Borney | |
| The Courage of Marge O’Doone | Tavish | ||
| The Last of the Mohicans | Credited as an extra. | ||
| 1921 | The Hope Diamond Mystery | Dakar / High Priest of Temple of Sita | Film serial. |
| Without Benefit of Clergy | Ahmed Khan | ||
| Cheated Hearts | Nil Horned | ||
| The Cave Girl | Baptiste | ||
| 1922 | The Man from Downing Street | Edward Monckton / Maharajah Jehan Deharwar | |
| The Infidel | the Nabob | ||
| The Altar Stairs | Hugo | ||
| Omar the Tentmaker | the Holy Imam Mowaffak | ||
| The Woman Conquers | Raoul Maris | ||
| 1923 | The Gentleman from America | Uncredited bit part. | |
| The Prisoner | Prince Kapolski | ||
| 1924 | Riders of the Plains | ||
| The Hellion | Outlaw | ||
| Dynamite Dan | Tony Garcia | ||
| 1925 | Parisian Nights | Pierre | |
| Forbidden Cargo | Pietro Castillano | ||
| The Prairie Wife | Diego | ||
| Perils of the Wild | |||
| Never the Twain Shall Meet | Villain | Uncredited | |
| Lady Robinhood | Cabraza | ||
| 1926 | The Greater Glory | the Scissors Grinder | |
| Her Honor, the Governor | Snipe Collins | ||
| The Bells | Mesmerist | ||
| The Nickel-Hopper | Big Bohunk | ||
| The Golden Web | Dave Sinclair | ||
| The Eagle of the Sea | Pirate | ||
| Flames | Blackie Blanchett | ||
| Old Ironsides | Saracen Guard | ||
| Flaming Fury | Gaspard | ||
| Valencia | Uncredited Bit part. | ||
| The Man in the Saddle | Robber | Uncredited. | |
| 1927 | Tarzan and the Golden Lion | Ozawa, Waziri Chief | |
| Let It Rain | the Crooks | ||
| The Meddlin’ Stranger | Al Meggs | ||
| The Princess from Hoboken | Pavel | ||
| The Phantom Buster | Ramón | ||
| Soft Cushions | The Chief Conspirator | ||
| Two Arabian Knights | Purser | ||
| The Love Mart | Fleming | ||
| 1928 | The Vanishing Rider | The Villain | Film serial |
| Burning the Wind | Pug Doran | ||
| Vultures of the Sea | Grouchy | Film serial | |
| The Little Wild Girl | Maurice Kent | ||
| 1929 | The Devil’s Chaplain | Boris | |
| The Fatal Warning | Mullins | Film serial | |
| The Phantom of the North | Jules Gregg | ||
| Two Sisters | Cecil | ||
| Anne Against the World | Bit part. | ||
| Behind That Curtain | Sudanese servant | First sound film. | |
| The King of the Kongo | Macklin / Martin | Film serial. | |
| The Unholy Night | Abdoul | ||
| 1930 | The Bad One | Guard | |
| The Sea Bat | Corsican | ||
| The Utah Kid | Baxter | ||
| The Mother’s Cry | Baxter | ||
| 1931 | Sous les verrous (“Pardon Us” – French version) | The Tiger | Famous Laurel and Hardy comedy |
| The Criminal Code | Ned Galloway | ||
| King of the Wild | Mustapha | Final film serial. | |
| Cracked Nuts | Revolutionary | ||
| Young Donovan’s Kid | Cokey Joe | ||
| Smart Money | Sport Williams | ||
| The Public Defender | Professor | ||
| I Like Your Nerve | Luigi | ||
| Graft | Joe Terry | ||
| Five Star Final | “Reverend” Vernon Isopod | A very good movie, about the consequences of yellow journalism, with Karloff as a very unscrupulous reporter | |
| The Yellow Ticket | Orderly | ||
| The Mad Genius | Fedor’s Father | ||
| The Guilty Generation | Tony Ricca | ||
| Frankenstein | The Monster | after 13 years of working in the film industry, Karloff became an overnight star with his portral of the monster | |
| Tonight or Never | The Waiter | ||
| 1932 | Behind the Mask | Jim Henderson | |
| Alias the Doctor | Autopsy Surgeon | ||
| Business and Pleasure | Sheikh | ||
| Scarface | Gaffney | ||
| The Miracle Man | Nikko | ||
| Night World | “Happy” MacDonald | ||
| The Old Dark House | Morgan | Billed as KARLOFF | |
| The Mask of Fu Manchu | Dr. Fu Manchu | ||
| The Mummy | Imhotep/Ardath Bey | Billed as KARLOFF – an excellent performance | |
| 1933 | The Ghoul | Prof. Morlant | The Egyptologist who hopes to enter the Egyptian afterlife … unless someone steals the amulet from his dead hand! |
| 1934 | The Lost Patrol | Sanders | |
| The House of Rothschild | Count Ledrantz | ||
| The Black Cat | Hjalmar Poelzig | One of Karloff’s finest performances; his first, and best, team up with Bela Lugosi | |
| Gift of Gab | Cameo Appearance (as Karloff) | Billed as KARLOFF | |
| 1935 | Bride of Frankenstein | The Monster | Karloff’s second appearance as Frankenstein’s moster, making the creature more empathetic, especially during his time with the hermit |
| The Raven | Edmond Bateman | Again teamed up with Bela Lugosi, this time as an unwilling minion. Another portrayal of a sympathetic “monster”. | |
| The Black Room | Baron Gregor de Berghmann / Anton de Berghmann | A riveting performance, with Karloff in a dual role as twins – one evil, one good. And the good twin vows his revenge, even from beyond the grave. | |
| 1936 | The Invisible Ray | Dr. Janos Rukh | The scientist who discovers a new type of radiation – but loses his health, his mind, and his wife. And seeks revenge. Another team-up with Bela Lugosi. |
| The Walking Dead | John Ellman | ||
| Juggernaut | Victor Sartorius | ||
| The Man Who Changed His Mind | Dr. Laurence | ||
| Charlie Chan at the Opera | Gravelle | ||
| 1937 | Night Key | Dave Mallory | Billed as KARLOFF |
| West of Shanghai | Gen. Wu Yen Fang | A riveting performance as the corrupt, greedy warlord – with a code of honor. | |
| 1938 | The Invisible Menace | Mr. Jevries a.k.a. Dolman | |
| Mr. Wong, Detective | James Lee Wong | ||
| 1939 | Devil’s Island | Dr. Charles Gaudet | |
| Son of Frankenstein | The Monster | One more appearance as Frankenstein’s monster. With Basil Rathbone as the titular Son of Frankenstein, and Bela Lugosi as the treacherous Ygor. | |
| The Mystery of Mr. Wong | James Lee Wong | ||
| Mr. Wong in Chinatown | James Lee Wong | ||
| The Man They Could Not Hang | Dr. Henryk Savaard | ||
| Tower of London | Mord the Executioner | ||
| 1940 | The Fatal Hour | James Lee Wong | |
| British Intelligence | Valdar | a.k.a. “Enemy Agent” | |
| Black Friday | Dr. Ernest Sovac | ||
| The Man with Nine Lives | Dr. Leon Kravaal | ||
| Doomed to Die | James Lee Wong | ||
| Before I Hang | Dr. John Garth | Another excellent performance, as a doctor on death row for a mercy killing. But he’s researching immortality … | |
| The Ape | Dr. Bernard Adrian | ||
| You’ll Find Out | Judge Mainwaring | ||
| 1941 | The Devil Commands | Dr. Julian Blair | |
| 1942 | The Boogie Man Will Get You | Prof. Nathaniel Billings | |
| 1944 | The Climax | Dr. Hohner | |
| House of Frankenstein | Dr. Gustav Niemann | No longer the monster, but a mad scientist in this first Universal “monster mash” | |
| 1945 | The Body Snatcher | John Gray | A wonderful performance as the despicable “body snatcher” … who loves to taunt “Toddy”. Bela Lugosi in a secondary role |
| Isle of the Dead | Gen. Nikolas Pherides | A good performance, as the sympathetic military man trying to keep the various individuals alive. | |
| 1946 | Bedlam | Master George Sims | A very good performance as the despicable, money-grubbing man running an insane asylum. |
| 1947 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Dr. Hugo Hollingshead | A good appearance in the Danny Kaye comedy. |
| Lured | Charles von Druten | One of the suspects in a series of murders. An enjoyable performance as … a dress designer driven to madness. | |
| Unconquered | Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas | ||
| Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome | Gruesome | ||
| 1948 | Tap Roots | Tishomingo | |
| The Emperor’s Nightingale | Narrator | English-language version only. | |
| 1949 | Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Swami Talpur | A good, funny performance as the hypnotist who tries to have Lou Costello to kill himself – but Lou’s too stupid! |
| 1951 | The Strange Door | Voltan | |
| 1952 | Colonel March Investigates | Col. March | Compiled from episodes of the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard |
| The Black Castle | Dr. Meissen | ||
| 1953 | Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde | A performance as the elderly Dr. Jekyll – who covets his beautiful young ward. |
| 1954 | The Island Monster | ||
| The Hindu | General Pollegar | a.k.a. Sabaka | |
| 1957 | Voodoo Island | Dr. Phillip Knight | |
| 1958 | The Juggler of Our Lady | Narrator | Animated short |
| The Creation of the World | Narrator (USA) | English-language version only. | |
| The Haunted Strangler | James Rankin | ||
| Frankenstein 1970 | Baron Victor von Frankenstein | ||
| Corridors of Blood | Dr. Thomas Bolton | ||
| 1962 | Arsenic & Old Lace | Jonathan Brewster | Hallmark Hall of Fame TV film |
| 1963 | Black Sabbath | Gorca | A good performance as the loving father and family man … who becomes one of the undead. And wants his family to join him. |
| The Terror | Baron Von Leppe | ||
| The Raven | Dr. Scarabus | A good, scary and funny performance as the villain in this horror comedy | |
| 1964 | Bikini Beach | Art dealer | |
| Mondo Balordo | Narrator | ||
| The Comedy of Terrors | Amos Hinchley | A truly hilarious dark comedy! Highly recommended | |
| 1965 | Die, Monster, Die! | Nahum Witley | The elderly father, who wants to undo the evil done by his father. But … |
| (UK: Monster of Terror) | |||
| 1966 | The Daydreamer | The Rat | Voice only |
| The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | The Corpse | ||
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | The Grinch and the Narrator | Animated film. Won Grammy Award for Best Album for Children. | |
| The Wild Wild West | Mr. Singh | 2×02 The Night of the Golden Cobra | |
| 1967 | The Venetian Affair | Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud | |
| Mad Monster Party? | Baron Boris von Frankenstein | Voice only | |
| The Sorcerers | Professor Marcus Montserrat | ||
| 1968 | Targets | Byron Orlok | |
| Curse of the Crimson Altar (aka The Crimson Cult) | Prof. Marshe | ||
| Fear Chamber (aka Torture Zone) | Dr. Carl Mandel | ||
| House of Evil (aka Dance of Death) | Mathias Morteval | ||
| 1970 | Cauldron of Blood (El Coleccionista de cadáveres); aka Blind Man’s Bluff (filmed in 1967) | Franz Badulescu | Released after Karloff’s death; filmed in 1967 |
| 1971 | The Incredible Invasion (aka Alien Terror, aka The Sinister Invasion) | Prof. John Meyer | Released after Karloff’s death; filmed in 1968 |
| Isle of the Snake People (aka Cult of the Dead) | Karl Van Molder / Damballah | Released after Karloff’s death; filmed in 1968 |