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Elsa Lanchester is a Actor British born on 28 october 1902 at London (United-kingdom)

Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Lanchester
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Birth name Elsa Sullivan Lanchester
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 28 october 1902 at London (United-kingdom)
Death 26 december 1986 (at 84 years) at Woodland Hills (USA)

Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was an English actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.

Lanchester studied dance as a child and after World War I began performing in theatre and cabaret, where she established her career over the following decade. She met the actor Charles Laughton in 1927, and they were married two years later. She began playing small roles in British films, including the role of Anne of Cleves with Laughton in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). His success in American films resulted in the couple moving to Hollywood, where Lanchester played small film roles.

Her role as the title character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) brought her recognition. She played supporting roles through the 1940s and 1950s. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Come to the Stable (1949) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957), the last of twelve films in which she appeared with Laughton. Following Laughton's death in 1962, Lanchester resumed her career with appearances in such Disney films as Mary Poppins (1964), That Darn Cat! (1965) and Blackbeard's Ghost (1968). The horror film Willard (1971) was highly successful, and one of her last roles was in Murder By Death (1976).

Biography

Lanchester married Charles Laughton in 1929.

In 1938 Lanchester published a book about her relationship with Laughton, Charles Laughton and I. In March 1983, Lanchester released an autobiography, entitled Elsa Lanchester Herself. In the book she alleges that she and Charles Laughton never had children because Laughton was homosexual. Maureen O'Hara, a friend and co-star of Laughton, denied this was the reason for the couple's childlessness. She claimed Laughton had told her that the reason he and his wife never had children was because of a botched abortion Lanchester had early in her career of performing burlesque. Lanchester admitted in her autobiography that she had had two abortions in her youth (one being Laughton's), but it is not clear if the second left her incapable of becoming pregnant again.

The two women did not like each other. Lanchester once said of O'Hara, "She looks as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, or anywhere else.

Best films

Naughty Marietta (1935)
(Actress)
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
(Actress)

Usually with

Edith Head
Edith Head
(6 films)
Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh
(3 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Elsa Lanchester (60 films)

Display filmography as list

Actress

Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood, 1h20
Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about historical events
Actors Sigourney Weaver, Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Billy Wilder
Roles Self (archive footage)
Rating77% 3.851913.851913.851913.851913.85191
Ce documentaire, mêlant document d'archives, extraits de films et interviews, retrace le parcours de personnalités du cinéma allemand qui à l'arrivée d'Adolf Hitler au pouvoir en 1933, choisissent, plus ou moins forcés, de s'exiler à Hollywood. On découvre comment des hommes et des femmes du cinéma germanophone (Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch, Peter Lorre, Marlène Dietrich, Billy Wilder entre autres) ont dû s'adapter au système hollywoodien et se faire une place dans le cinéma américain. Ils ont grandement contribué à la création du film noir et ont apporté du sang neuf au genre de la comédie.
Bride of Chucky, 1h29
Directed by Ronny Yu
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Horror comedy, Romantic comedy, Horror, Black comedy, Romance, Slasher
Themes Pregnancy films, Jeu, Transport films, Films about automobiles, Child's Play (film series), Serial killer films, Films about toys, Road movies, Comedy horror films
Actors Jennifer Tilly, Ed Gale, Brad Dourif, Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, Alexis Arquette
Rating56% 2.8070652.8070652.8070652.8070652.807065
Shortly after the events of the previous film, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), a former girlfriend and accomplice of serial killer Charles Lee Ray (voice of Brad Dourif), acquires the remains of Chucky from a police evidence locker after bribing and then murdering a police officer with access to the locker. Assuming that Ray's soul still inhabits the doll, Tiffany takes it back to her place. She crudely stitches Chucky back together and reenacts the voodoo ritual which instilled Ray inside the doll ten years ago.
Terror in the Aisles, 1h24
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Fantastic, Documentary, Anthology film, Horror
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about films
Actors Donald Pleasence, Nancy Allen, Bud Abbott, Michael Ironside, Fred Asparagus, Brooke Adams
Roles The Monster's Mate (Archive Footage)
Rating62% 3.148473.148473.148473.148473.14847
Director Andrew J. Kuehn has excerpted brief segments of terror and suspense in a wide variety of suspenseful (including humorously so, ex. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Saturday the 14th) films and strung them together with added commentary, as well as some enacted narrative, to create a compilation of fright-inducing effects. Halloween actor Donald Pleasence and Dressed to Kill star Nancy Allen provide the commentary on topics such as "sex and terror" (Dressed to Kill, Klute, Ms. 45, The Seduction, When a Stranger Calls), loathsome villains (Dracula, Frankenstein, Friday the 13 1 and/or 2, Halloween I and II, Marathon Man, Nighthawks, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Touch of Evil, Vice Squad, Wait Until Dark, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?), "natural terror" (Alligator, The Birds, Frogs, Jaws 1 and 2, Nightwing) and the occult (An American Werewolf in London, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, Carrie, The Shining). In one segment of the anthology, legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock presents his concepts of how to create suspense in a clip from Alfred Hitchcock: Men Who Made The Movies.
Murder by Death, 1h34
Directed by Robert Moore
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime
Actors Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester
Roles Jessica Marbles
Rating72% 3.648813.648813.648813.648813.64881
A group of five renowned detectives, each accompanied by a relative or associate, is invited to "dinner and a murder" by the mysterious Lionel Twain. Having lured his guests to his mansion managed by a blind butler named Jamessir Bensonmum, who is later joined by a deaf-mute cook named Yetta, Twain announces that it is in fact he who is the greatest detective in the world. In order to prove his claim, he challenges the guests to solve a murder which will take place at midnight; a reward of $1 million will be presented to the winner. The house is then electronically sealed off; doors, windows, etc.
Arnold
Arnold (1973)

Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Horror
Actors Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowall, Elsa Lanchester, Shani Wallis, Farley Granger, Victor Buono
Roles Hester
Rating55% 2.7531952.7531952.7531952.7531952.753195
Karen Llewelyn épouse Arnold pendant les funérailles de celui-ci. Leur contrat de mariage prévoit qu'elle continuera de toucher l'argent de son défunt mari tant qu'elle restera auprès du cercueil. Pendant ce temps, des membres de la famille d'Arnold commencent à trouver la mort dans des situations de plus en plus rocambolesques...
Terror in the Wax Museum
Origin USA
Genres Horror
Actors Ray Milland, Elsa Lanchester, Maurice Evans, John Carradine, Lisa Lu, Broderick Crawford
Roles Julia Hawthorn
Rating50% 2.512482.512482.512482.512482.51248
Dans un musée de cire, le directeur et le sculpteur sont confrontés à des modèles qui prennent vie…
Willard
Willard (1971)
, 1h35
Directed by Daniel Mann
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Natural horror films
Actors Bruce Davison, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Dante, Sondra Locke, Joan Shawlee
Roles Henrietta Stiles
Rating61% 3.0989153.0989153.0989153.0989153.098915
Willard is a meek social misfit who later develops a strange affinity for rats. He lives in a large Victorian home, with only his cranky and decrepit mother for company. On his 27th birthday, he is humiliated to come home to a birthday party thrown by his mother, where all of the attendees are her own aging friends. After having left the party in embarrassment, he notices a rat in his backyard and tosses it pieces of his birthday cake. Later, his mother gets upset with him for leaving the party and she scolds him later while also discussing how badly the house is falling apart. The next morning he goes out and feeds another rat (this one has babies with it) while imitating their squeaks. His mother starts telling him that he needs to kill the rats that have been running around their yard, which Willard refuses to do.
Rascal
Rascal (1969)
, 1h25
Directed by Norman Tokar, Christopher Hibler, Arthur J. Vitarelli
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Children's films
Actors Steve Forrest, Bill Mumy, Elsa Lanchester, Henry Jones, Bettye Ackerman, John Fiedler
Roles Mrs. Satterfield
Rating63% 3.187883.187883.187883.187883.18788
The movie is a dramatization of Sterling North's 1963 "memoir of a better era." Born near Edgerton, Wisconsin, North was a former literary editor for newspapers in Chicago and New York City. The movie relates a year in the life of young Sterling North (portrayed by Bill Mumy) and his "ringtailed wonder" pet raccoon, Rascal. Although set in Wisconsin, circa 1917, the movie was filmed in California.
Me, Natalie, 1h51
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Patty Duke, James Farentino, Deborah Winters, Martin Balsam, Elsa Lanchester, Nancy Marchand
Roles Miss Dennison
Rating63% 3.1936753.1936753.1936753.1936753.193675
From childhood, Brooklyn teenager Natalie Miller, with upper front teeth that are slightly bucked and a nose too large for her face, has considered herself homely and she never has subscribed to her mother's determined belief that she will grow up to be pretty. Her best friend Betty is a knockout gorgeous blonde with boyfriends, which further depresses her. Natalie's father, a druggist who doesn't share his wife's optimistic outlook, bribes myopic optometrist Morris to marry her, hoping his nearsightedness will prevent him from seeing she's no beauty.
Blackbeard's Ghost, 1h46
Directed by Robert Stevenson, Paul Cameron, Arthur J. Vitarelli
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films, Ghost films, Children's films
Actors Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Elsa Lanchester, Richard Deacon, Elliott Reid
Roles Emily Stowecroft
Rating67% 3.398043.398043.398043.398043.39804
Steve Walker (Dean Jones) arrives in a North Carolina seacoast town to take the position of track coach at Godolphin College. The night of his arrival coincides with a charity bazaar at the hotel where he will be boarding — Blackbeard's Inn, named after the notorious English pirate Captain Edward Teach and now run by the Daughters of the Buccaneers, elderly descendants of the pirate's crew. The owners are attempting to pay off their mortgage to keep the inn from being bought by the local crime boss, Silky Seymour (Joby Baker), who wants to build a casino on the land. Steve quickly discovers his track team's shortcomings and runs afoul of the dean of Godolphin College, its football coach, and Seymour. He also makes the acquaintance of attractive Godolphin professor Jo Anne Baker (Suzanne Pleshette), who is anxious to help the elderly ladies save Blackbeard's Inn.
Easy Come, Easy Go, 1h35
Directed by John Rich
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Musical theatre, Adventure, Musical, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Underwater action films, Musical films
Actors Elvis Presley, Pat Priest, Elsa Lanchester, Frank McHugh, Pat Harrington, Jr., Sandy Kenyon
Roles Madame Neherina
Rating52% 2.6095152.6095152.6095152.6095152.609515
Lieutenant Ted Jackson (Elvis Presley) is a former U.S. Navy frogman who divides his time between twin careers as a deep sea diver and nightclub singer. Ted discovers what he believes could be a fortune in Spanish gold aboard a sunken ship and sets out to rescue it with the help of go-go dancing yoga expert Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) and friend Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington, Jr.). Gil Carey (Skip Ward), however, is also after the treasure and uses his girlfriend Dina Bishop (Pat Priest) to foil Ted's plans.
Easy Come, Easy Go, 1h35
Directed by John Rich
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Adventure, Musical, Romance
Actors Elvis Presley, Pat Harrington, Jr., Pat Priest, Frank McHugh, Sandy Kenyon, Read Morgan
Roles Madame Neherina
Rating52% 2.6095152.6095152.6095152.6095152.609515
Alors qu'il effectue une plongée, Ted Jackson, soldat de la Marine américaine, découvre un trésor au fond de l'eau. Savourant sa joie sur le moment, Ted oublie cependant un petit détail : Les descendants du propriétaire du bateau coulé pourraient se manifester, ce qui ne tarde pas à arriver. La jeune et séduisante Jo Symington se présente et réclame sa part, ce que Ted refuse. Commence alors un conflit entre les deux aventuriers...
That Darn Cat!, 1h56
Directed by Robert Stevenson, Joseph L. McEveety, Arthur J. Vitarelli
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Spy, Crime
Themes Films about animals, Films about cats, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, Neville Brand, Frank Gorshin
Roles Mrs. MacDougall
Rating66% 3.3473653.3473653.3473653.3473653.347365
"Darn Cat" or "DC" is a wily, adventurous Siamese tomcat who lives with two young women, suburbanite sisters Ingrid "Inkie" (Dorothy Provine) and Patricia "Patti" Randall (Hayley Mills), whose parents are traveling abroad at the time of the story.
Mary Poppins, 2h19
Directed by Robert Stevenson, Joseph L. McEveety, Tom Leetch, Arthur J. Vitarelli
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
Themes Films about animals, Films about children, Films about families, Films about music and musicians, Films about birds, Musical films, Films about penguins, Children's films
Actors Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber
Roles Katie Nanna
Rating77% 3.897513.897513.897513.897513.89751
In Edwardian London, 1910, Cockney one-man band Bert is entertaining a crowd when he senses a change in the wind. Afterwards, he directly addresses the audience and gives them a tour of Cherry Tree Lane, stopping outside the home of the Banks'. George Banks returns home from his job at the bank to learn from his wife Winifred that their hired nanny, Katie Nanna, has left their service after his children, Jane and Michael, ran away again. They are returned shortly after by the local constable, who reveals that the children were dragged away by their kite. The children ask their father to help build a better kite, but he dismisses them. Taking it upon himself to hire a nanny, George advertises for a stern, no-nonsense nanny. Jane and Michael present their own advertisement for a kinder, sweeter nanny, but George rips up the letter and throws the scraps in the fireplace, which magically float up and out into the air.