Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life (Paperback)

~ Scott A. Nollen (Author) "Nineteen twenty-six was a busy year for Boris Karloff..." (more)
Key Phrases: dramatic anthology, skit titled, musical variety, New York, Sara Jane, Boris Karloff (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Highly recommended for existing fans and new fans, as well as anyone interested in the history of acting and Hollywood. -- WritersNet

Highly recommended for existing fans and new fans, as well as anyone interested in the history of acting and Hollywood. --WritersNet

I can highly recommend [this] biograph[y] -- Sara Jane Karloff

I can highly recommend [this] biograph[y] --Sara Jane Karloff

Product Description

Being able to know and work with Sara Jane Karloff on this project has been a highlight of my career. Hopefully this book is the most thorough, accurate and entertaining chronicle of her father, Boris Karloff''s, fascinating life. Perhaps a few Karloff mysteries have been solved.—Scott Allen Nollen

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Midnight Marquee PR (July 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887664238
• ISBN-13: 978-1887664233
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #701,792 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing the man beneath the makeup., March 26, 1999

By A Customer

Much has been written about Boris Karloff in terms of the characters he played. Until now,very few have known, much less understood, Karloff's passion for the craft and vocation of acting, his profound work ethic, and the dedication, depth and humanity he brought to even his least celebrated roles. Until now, virtually nothing was known about the man's personal life and loves.

Scott Allen Nollen fills a deep gap in the legacy left to us by the distinguished British actor, who was instrumental in the establishment of the horror genre of film, the Screen Actors Guild, and even the popularization of television as an entertainment medium. And he does it beautifully.

"Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life" takes us behind the outlandish makeup jobs, the B-movie schtick and the "official" histories, to the place from which the essential humanity of Frankenstein's "creature" comes. It reveals a truly gentle - and genteel - soul, whose love for the theatre and for film was the source of both his greatest joys, and greatest sorrows.

This is a very important book for Karloff fans, film buffs, and readers who appreciate solid biography tastefully done. A breakthrough book for an emerging author whose time has come.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very well researched portrait of the gentle craftsman, March 20, 2000

By	J. Remington "John Remington" (Adams, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author has done a most commendable job researching and developing his central thesis: That Mr. Karloff was indeed not only a fine actor who was truly dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in his craft, but also a concerned and active gentleman who pursued a dignified union to protect the profession he loved. This book is highly reccomended for not only the existing fans (who will already know much of the information present in this volume) but also to the new Karloff fans as well as anyone interested in the history of acting and Hollywood. The author also makes a strong case that Karloff needs to be rightly placed along side the other greats of Hollywood and Broadway history. A good entertaining and enlightening read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what BIOGRAPHY should be!, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

I long have been a fan of the great actor Boris Karloff, but I now have an entirely different perspective of him as a HUMAN BEING after reading Scott Allen Nollen's BORIS KARLOFF: A GENTLEMAN'S LIFE. One always thought of such stories as rumor, but Nollen's book PROVES what a WONDERFUL man Karloff was, while simultaneously scaring the hell out of us! Anyone interested in the power of film should read this book. What a fascinating life, as well as film career!