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Boris Karloff was the most famous of all horror actors. His memorable portrayal of the Frankenstein monster added a new word to English dictionaries.

This, the first biography, tells of his hard, impoverished life in Canada before answering a chance advertisement (for 'an experienced character actor') in the name of Boris Karloff, Karloff being a distant family name, and of his eventual touring of western Canada and the northern States of America. In 1917 he found himself in Los Angeles - in a district with the magic name of Hollywood.

We follow Karloff's career from stage work to his early films. We learn of his classic creation of the screen monster Frankenstein: the origin of the story; the casting of Karloff; the conception of the unforgettable monster make-up; the filming; the preview (to which Karloff was not invited) and the overwhelming success of this most famous of all horror films.

This work, the result of over four years' research, includes a Discography of recordings made by Karloff, and a unique Appendix, giving a full, chronological record of one hundred and sixty-three films in which he appeared. It also contains many striking photographs.