Elsa Lanchester

6.9	Listal rating

Stats

Birth Name: Elizabeth Lanchester Sullivan

Born: 28 October 1902 Died: 26 December 1986

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Height: 5' 5"

Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Relationship Status: Married

Partner: Charles Laughton

Lists

97 votes

My Favourite Old Hollywood Hairstyles (519 items)
list by Blue Pineapple

Published 2 years, 7 months ago

17 comments

87 votes

Iconic Hairstyles (22 items)
list by tartan_skirt

Published 2 years, 3 months ago

16 comments

48 votes

Scream Queens (97 items)
list by Hexenkult

Published 2 years, 10 months ago

14 comments

38 votes

Exceptional Movie Hairstyles (41 items)
list by SFG¿mystic

Published 8 months, 2 weeks ago

7 comments

35 votes

1001 Performances To See Before You Die! (343 items)
list by Happy Vader

Published 1 year, 6 months ago

3 comments

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Photos

9 votes

6 votes

3 votes

1 vote

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Elsa Lanchester Videos

Elsa Lanchester sings "Don't Tell My Mother I'm Living in Sin"

6 Views

Added 4 days ago

Movie Legends - Elsa Lanchester

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Added 4 days ago

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About: Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was an English-American character 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 Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was an English-American character 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).

In March 1983, Lanchester released her 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 while performing burlesque. Lanchester admitted in her autobiography that she had had two abortions in her youth (one of whom was sired by Laughton), but it is not clear if these 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."

Not long after the release of her autobiography, Lanchester's health took a turn for the worse. Within 30 months, she suffered two strokes, becoming totally incapacitated and requiring constant care. She was confined to bed. In March 1986, the Motion Picture and Television Fund filed to become conservator of Lanchester and her estate which was valued at $900,000.

Lanchester died in Woodland Hills, California on 26 December 1986, aged 84, at the Motion Picture Hospital from bronchopneumonia. Her body was cremated on 5 January 1987, at the Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles and her ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean. ... (more)

British (3), English (2), 1940s (1), 1930s (1), Supporting Actress (1), Died 1986 (1), Born 1902 (1), Actress (1), Female (1), Deceased (1), American (1), 1970s (1), 1960s (1), 1950s (1)

Movies

1. Mary Poppins (1964)

Rating:

7.3

1952 Watched

2. Bride of Chucky (1998)

Rating:

4.8

811 Watched

3. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Rating:

7.7

382 Watched

4. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Rating:

8.2

249 Watched

5. Murder by Death (1976)

Rating:

7.2

174 Watched

View all Elsa Lanchester movies (46 more)

TV

1. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

Rating:

7.5

40 Watched

2. The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)

Rating:

8.9

18 Watched

3. Mannix (1967)

Rating:

6.6

14 Watched

4. The Bill Cosby Show (1969)

Rating:

7.4

13 Watched

5. Nanny and the Professor (1970)

Rating:

7.7

13 Watched

View all Elsa Lanchester TV (8 more)

Updates feed

Onion Jack added this to a list 4 days, 16 hours ago

She Who Would Be Queen (200 person items)

" 28 October 1902 26 December 1986 The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) "

mutoscope posted a video 4 days, 20 hours ago

Elsa Lanchester sings "Don't Tell My Mother I'm Living in Sin"

mutoscope posted a video 4 days, 21 hours ago

Movie Legends - Elsa Lanchester

mutoscope voted for 2 images 4 days, 21 hours ago

mutoscope posted 36 images [View All] 4 days, 21 hours ago

Holy Godiva voted for an image 3 weeks, 4 days ago

Onion Jack added this to a list 3 weeks, 5 days ago

My Husband Says That Monsters Mash (104 person items)

"The Monster's Bride Bride of Frankenstein (1935) "

garfield2710 added this to a list 5 months ago

AFI's Female Legends Nominations (250 person items)

SFG¿mystic added this to a list 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Exceptional Movie Hairstyles (41 person items)

"The Bride of Frankenstein "

Mortal Storm added this to a list 1 year, 2 months ago

Actresses (193 person items)

Happy Vader added this to a list 1 year, 3 months ago

1001 Performances To See Before You Die! (343 person items)

"The Bride The Bride of Frankenstein "

diabolical dr voodoo added this to a list 1 year, 8 months ago

Directed by John Sturges (462 person items)

"Mystery Street"

Happy Vader added this to a list 1 year, 10 months ago

500 Actors / Actresses - (Defunct) (439 person items)

"Movies seen: Bride Of Frankenstein Come To The Stable"

tartan_skirt added this to a list 2 years, 1 month ago

Iconic Hairstyles (22 person items)

Blue Pineapple added this to a list 2 years, 7 months ago

My Favourite Old Hollywood Hairstyles (519 person items)

Hexenkult added this to a list 2 years, 10 months ago

Scream Queens (97 person items)

"Bride of Frankenstein (1935) The Ghost Goes West (1935) The Spiral Staircase (1945) Bell Book and Candle (1958) The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964-TV Series): "The McGregor Affair" episode Pajama Party (1964) Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) Willard (1971) Night Gallery (1972-TV Series): "Green Fingers/The Funeral/The Tune in Dan's Cafe" episode Terror in the Wax Museum (1973) Arnold (1973)"