Elsa Lanchester
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 28, 1902
- Died
- December 26, 1986
- Birthplace
- Lewisham, London, England, UK
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (October 28, 1902 – December 26, 1986) was a British actress with a long career in theatre, film and television and former dancer. Lanchester studied dance as a child and after the First World War 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). Laughton's success in American films resulted in the couple moving to Hollywood, where Lanchester played small film roles. Her role as the bride in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), brought her recognition, and came to be one of the roles most closely associated with her throughout her life. Lanchester 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). Description above from the Wikipedia article Elsa Lanchester, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Filmography
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance 2028
as Self (archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood 2018
as Self (archive footage)
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film 2014
as Mary Shelley / The Monster's Mate (archive footage)
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman 2007
as Self (archive footage)
The American Nightmare 2000
as Self
Universal Horror 1998
as (archive footage)
Turnabout: The Story of the Yale Puppeteers 1993
as Self
Commercial Entertainment Product 1992
as The Monster's Bride
- Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook 1991
as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley / The Monster's Mate
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies 1988
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage 1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Die Laughing 1980
as Sophie
Murder by Death 1976
as Jessica Marbles
Arnold 1973
as Hester
Terror in the Wax Museum 1973
as Julia Hawthorn
Willard 1971
as Henrietta Stiles
In Name Only 1969
as Gertrude Caruso
My Dog, the Thief 1969
as Mrs. Formby
Me, Natalie 1969
as Miss Dennison
Rascal 1969
as Mrs. Satterfield
Blackbeard's Ghost 1968
as Emily Stowecroft
Mondo Hollywood 1967
Actor
Easy Come, Easy Go 1967
as Madame Neherina
That Darn Cat! 1965
as Mrs. MacDougall
Mary Poppins 1964
as Katie Nanna
Pajama Party 1964
as Aunt Wendy
Honeymoon Hotel 1964
as Chambermaid
Noah and the Flood 1962
as Noah's wife
Bell, Book and Candle 1958
as Aunt Queenie Holroyd
Witness for the Prosecution 1957
as Miss Plimsoll
Alice in Wonderland 1955
as Red Queen
Heidi 1955
as Fräulein Rottenmeier
The Glass Slipper 1955
as Widow Sonder
3 Ring Circus 1954
as The Bearded Lady
Hell's Half Acre 1954
as Lida O'Reilly
The Girls of Pleasure Island 1953
as Thelma
Androcles and the Lion 1952
as Megaera
Les Miserables 1952
as Madame Magloire
Dreamboat 1952
as Mathilda Coffey
Frenchie 1950
as Countess
The Petty Girl 1950
as Dr. Crutcher
Mystery Street 1950
as Mrs. Smerrling
Buccaneer's Girl 1950
as Madame Brizar
The Inspector General 1949
as Maria
Come to the Stable 1949
as Amelia Potts
The Secret Garden 1949
as Martha
The Big Clock 1948
as Louise Patterson
The Bishop's Wife 1947
as Matilda
Northwest Outpost 1947
as Princess 'Tanya' Tatiana
The Razor's Edge 1946
as Miss Keith
The Spiral Staircase 1946
as Mrs. Oates
Passport to Destiny 1944
as Ella Muggins
Lassie Come Home 1943
as Mrs. Helen Carraclough
Thumbs Up 1943
as Emily "Emmy" Ffinch
Forever and a Day 1943
as Mamie
Tales of Manhattan 1942
as Mrs. Smith
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake 1942
as Bristol Isabel
Ladies in Retirement 1941
as Emily Creed
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards 1940
as Self
Vessel of Wrath 1938
as Martha Jones
Rembrandt 1936
as Hendrickje Stoffels
The Ghost Goes West 1935
as Miss Shepperton
Bride of Frankenstein 1935
as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley / The Monster's Mate
Naughty Marietta 1935
as Madame d'Annard
David Copperfield 1935
as Clickett
The Private Life of Henry VIII 1933
as Anne of Cleves
- The Officers' Mess
The Officers' Mess 1931
as Cora Melville
Potiphar's Wife 1931
as Thérèse
The Stronger Sex 1931
as Thompson
The Love Habit 1931
as Matilde
- Ashes
Ashes 1930
as Girl
Comets 1930
as Herself
- Mr. Smith Wakes Up
Mr. Smith Wakes Up 1929
as Their Daughter
Blue Bottles 1928
as Elsa
The Tonic 1928
as Elsa
Daydreams 1928
as Elsa / Heroine in Dream Sequence
The Constant Nymph 1928
as Lady
- One of the Best
One of the Best 1927
as Kitty
The Scarlet Woman: An Ecclesiastical Melodrama 1924
as Beatrice de Carolle
Credits from TMDB.