great horror actors
by psychocosmic-1 | created - 06 Feb 2013 | updated - 16 Feb 2013 | PublicAt least three achieved genre titles are necessary to meet the demands of making it into this list.
1. Conrad Veidt
Actor | Casablanca
Conrad Veidt attended the Sophiengymnasium (secondary school) in the Schoeneberg district of Berlin, and graduated without a diploma in 1912, last in his class of 13. Conrad liked animals, theater, cinema, fast cars, pastries, thunderstorms, gardening, swimming and golfing. He disliked heights, ...
Greatest Films? KABINETT OF DR CALIGARI 1920 and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD 1940
2. Lon Chaney
Actor | He Who Gets Slapped
Although his parents were deaf, Leonidas Chaney became an actor and also owner of a theatre company (together with his brother John). He made his debut at the movies in 1912, and his filmography is vast. Lon Chaney was especially famous for his horror parts in movies like e.g. Quasimodo in The ...
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1925 and THE UNKNOWN 1927
3. Bela Lugosi
Actor | Dracula
Bela Lugosi was born Béla Ferenc Dezsö Blaskó on October 20, 1882, Lugos, Hungary, Austria-Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), to Paula de Vojnich and István Blaskó, a banker. He was the youngest of four children. During WWI, he volunteered and was commissioned as an infantry lieutenant, and was wounded ...
DRACULA 1931 and WHITE ZOMBIE 1932 and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN 1939.
4. Boris Karloff
Actor | Bride of Frankenstein
Along with fellow actors Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price, Boris Karloff is recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema, and the actor most closely identified with the general public's perception of the "monster" from the classic Mary Shelley book, "Frankenstein". William Henry ...
FRANKENSTEIN 1931 and THE MUMMY1932 and THE BLACK CAT 1934.
5. Peter Lorre
Actor | M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder
Peter Lorre was born László Löwenstein in Rózsahegy in the Slovak area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Hungarian Jewish parents. He learned both Hungarian and German languages from birth, and was educated in elementary and secondary schools in the Austria-Hungary capitol Vienna, but did ...
Greatest Films? M 1930 and MAD LOVE 1935
6. Lionel Atwill
Actor | To Be or Not to Be
Lionel Atwill was born into a wealthy family and was educated at London's prestigious Mercer School to become an architect, but his interest turned to the stage. He worked his way progressively into the craft and debuted at age 20 at the Garrick Theatre in London. He acted and improved regularly ...
MURDERS IN THE ZOO 1933
7. Dwight Frye
Actor | Bride of Frankenstein
An extremely versatile character actor and originator of several memorable characterizations in the horror film genre, Dwight Frye had a notable theatrical career in the 1920s, moving from juvenile parts to leads before entering film. A favorite actor of Broadway theatrical producer-director Brock ...
DRACULA 1931 and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1935
8. Lon Chaney Jr.
Actor | The Wolf Man
American character actor whose career was influenced (and often overshadowed) by that of his father, silent film star Lon Chaney. The younger Chaney was born while his parents were on a theatrical tour, and he joined them onstage for the first time at the age of six months. However, as a young man,...
THE WOLF MAN 1941 and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN 1943
9. Peter Cushing
Actor | Star Wars
Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. At an early age, Cushing was ...
CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1957 and TALES FROM THE CRYPT 1972.
10. Christopher Lee
Actor | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was perhaps the only actor of his generation to have starred in so many films and cult saga. Although most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it ...
DRACULA 1958 and DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORROR 1965.
11. Vincent Price
Actor | The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Actor, raconteur, art collector and connoisseur of haute cuisine are just some of the attributes associated with Vincent Price. He was born Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri, to Marguerite Cobb "Daisy" (Wilcox) and Vincent Leonard Price, who was President of the National Candy ...
MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH 1964 and THE LAST MAN ON EARTH 1964.
12. Oliver Reed
Actor | Gladiator
Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. His notable films include The Trap (1966), playing Bill Sikes in the Best Picture Oscar winner Oliver! (1968), Women in Love (1969), Hannibal Brooks (1969), The Devils (1971), Revolver (1973), ...
CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF 1961 and THE DEVILS 1971.
13. John Carradine
Actor | The Grapes of Wrath
John Carradine, the son of a reporter/artist and a surgeon, grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. He attended Christ Church School and Graphic Art School, studying sculpture, and afterward roamed the South selling sketches. He made his acting debut in "Camille" in a New Orleans theatre in 1925. ...
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1944 and CHAMBER OF HORRORS 1967.
14. Charles Laughton
Actor | Witness for the Prosecution
Charles Laughton was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, to Eliza (Conlon) and Robert Laughton, hotel keepers of Irish and English descent, respectively. He was educated at Stonyhurst (a highly esteemed Jesuit college in England) and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (received gold medal). ...
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS 1933 and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME 1939.
15. Paul Naschy
Actor | El retorno del Hombre Lobo
Paul Naschy reigns supreme as the true king of Spanish horror cinema. He was born Jacinto Molina Alvarez on September 6, 1934, in Madrid, Spain. His father ran a successful fur business. Naschy grew up during the Spanish Civil War, and sought escape from the real-life horrors around him in ...
LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO 1967 and LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS 1970.
16. Klaus Kinski
Actor | Nosferatu - Phantom der Nacht
Klaus Kinski was born as Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski in Zoppot, Free City of Danzig (now Sopot, Poland), to Susanne (Lutze), a nurse, and Bruno Nakszynski, a pharmacist. He grew up in Berlin, was drafted into the German army in 1944 and captured by British forces in Holland. After the war he began...
NOSFERATU-PHANTOM DER NACHT 1979 and CRAWLSPACE 1984.
17. Richard Carlson
Actor | Creature from the Black Lagoon
The son of an attorney, Richard Carlson had an introspective quality to his performances and looked every inch the academic he first aspired to be. Following his graduation from the University of Minnesota with a Master's Degree in English, the tall, dark-haired youth had a brief stint as a drama ...
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE 1953 and CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON 1954.
18. Michael Gough
Actor | Batman Forever
Tony Award-winning English actor Michael Gough, best known for playing the butler Alfred Pennyworth in the first four Batman (1989, 1992, 1995 & 1997) movies and for playing the arch-criminal Dr. Clement Armstrong in The Avengers (1961) episode "The Cybernauts", was an accomplished performer on ...
HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM 1959 and THE BLACK ZOO 1963
19. Ray Milland
Actor | The Lost Weekend
Ray Milland became one of Paramount's most bankable and durable stars, under contract from 1934 to 1948, yet little in his early life suggested a career as a motion picture actor.
Milland was born Alfred Reginald Jones in the Welsh town of Neath, Glamorgan, to Elizabeth Annie (Truscott) and Alfred ...
X-THE MAN WITH X-RAY EYES 1963 and THE UNCANNY 1977.
20. Per Oscarsson
Actor | Sult
Per Oscarsson was born on January 28, 1927 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He was an actor and writer, known for Hunger (1966), The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) and Ronia: The Robber's Daughter (1984). He was married to Gerd Hegnell and Kia Östling. He died on December 31, 2010 in Skara, ...
VAXDOCKAN (THE DOLL)1962 and VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN 1975.
21. Donald Pleasence
Actor | Halloween II
Balding, quietly spoken, of slight build and possessed of piercing blue eyes -- often peering out from behind round, steel-rimmed glasses -- Donald Pleasence had the essential physical attributes which make a great screen villain. In the course of his lengthy career, he relished playing the ...
THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS 1959 and OUTER LIMITS´ THE MAN WITH THE POWER 1963 and FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE 1974 and HALLOWEEN 1978.
22. Basil Rathbone
Actor | The Adventures of Robin Hood
Basil Rathbone was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1892, but three years later his family was forced to flee the country because his father was accused by the Boers of being a British spy at a time when Dutch-British conflicts were leading to the Boer War. The Rathbones escaped to England, ...
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN 1939 and QUEEN OF BLOOD 1966.
23. Donald Sutherland
Actor | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The towering presence of Canadian actor Donald Sutherland is often noticed, as are his legendary contributions to cinema. He has appeared in almost 200 different shows and films. He is also the father of renowned actor Kiefer Sutherland, among others.
Donald McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint ...
DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORRORS 1965 and DON´T LOOK NOW! 1973 and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS 1978.
24. Paul Wegener
Actor | Der Golem
Paul Wegener was born in Arnoldsdorf, West Prussia, part of the German Empire. His birthplace is currently part of Poland, under the name "Jarantowice". Wegener's family included a number of scientists, the most notable being his cousin Alfred Wegener (1880-1930). Alfred is remembered as the ...
STUDENT VON PRAGUE 1914 and GOLEM 1920 and ALRAUNE 1928.
25. Colin Clive
Actor | Frankenstein
Who could forget Colin Clive's "It's Alive! It's Alive!" as he melted to the floor mumbling the same over and over in ecstasy after his success at animating the Monster in the first sound version of Frankenstein (1931). Film history - horror film history - but part of a short history for actor ...
FRANKENSTEIN 1931 and MAD LOVE 1935
26. Jack Palance
Actor | City Slickers
Jack Palance quite often exemplified evil incarnate on film, portraying some of the most intensely feral villains witnessed in 1950s westerns and melodrama. Enhanced by his tall, powerful build, icy voice, and piercing eyes, he earned two "Best Supporting Actor" nominations early in his career. It ...
TORTURE GARDEN 1967 and ALONE IN THE DARK 1982.
27. Anthony Hopkins
Actor | The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins was born on December 31, 1937, in Margam, Wales, to Muriel Anne (Yeats) and Richard Arthur Hopkins, a baker. His parents were both of half Welsh and half English descent. Influenced by Richard Burton, he decided to study at College of Music and Drama and graduated in 1957. In 1965, ...
MAGIC 1978 and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1992.
28. Sydney Lassick
Actor | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Chubby, antsy, and distinctive character actor Sydney Lassick was born on July 23, 1922 to Jewish Russian immigrant parents in Chicago, Illinois. Lassick first began acting in both films and TV shows in the late 50s. Portly and bespectacled, with a high-pitched voice and a nervous disposition, ...
Greatest Film? THE UNSEEN 1980
29. Bradford Dillman
Actor | The Enforcer
Dark-haired, Ivy League-looking Bradford Dillman, whose white-collar career spanned nearly five decades, possessed charm and confident good looks that were slightly tainted by a bent smile, darting glance and edgy countenance that often provoked suspicion. Sure enough, the camera picked up on it ...
Greatest Films? FEAR NO EVIL TVM 1969 and PIRANHA 1978
30. Brad Dourif
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Gaunt character actor Brad Dourif was born Bradford Claude Dourif on March 18, 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia. He is the son of Joan Mavis Felton (Bradford) and Jean Henri Dourif, a French-born art collector who owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif was three years old, ...
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