William Henry Pratt alias Boris Karloff, 1887-1969

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William Henry Pratt alias BORIS KARLOFF Anatolia

KARLOFF, BORIS, (alias for) PRATT, William Henry, (1887-1969),
Actor, was born here.
36 Forest Hill Road, East Dulwich, SE22
Southwark 1998 [+]

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82 Responses to William Henry Pratt alias Boris Karloff, 1887-1969

  1. lance clack says:

    my grandfather who is from hershireville england god rest his soul says boris is one of his uncles does anyone know if thier are clack’s in the blood line ive heard this my whole life ( names clack or penn)

  2. Pablo says:

    Boris Karloff the man himself lived round the corner from me? Awesome. To think that I was planning to go all the way to the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to see his footprints. I’m just going to on my slipper down to East Dulwich instead. Charlie Chaplin was also born around there. I wonder is they met.

  3. kim says:

    My mother has pictures of William Pratt with two of his brothers, one of which was my great grandfather, who had been a judge in India.

  4. Eaton Fallows says:

    My grandfather is believed to be Wiliam Henry’s cousin. I am named after my grandfather who was Eaton Boyce Pratt, if anyone has come across that name in their research it would be nice to know.

  5. heather says:

    hi! I was wondering if anyone knows about orvil pratt, ted pratt, herb pratt, luella pratt, dorothy pratt, and joe pratt all siblings for family tree?

  6. Kacey says:

    In reply to the very lengthy family tree posted (years ago)…

    Boris Karloff was my Great Grandpa.

    My Grandma Sara married Richard Cotten (with an E)
    they had my uncle David Cotten 1960 and my Dad Mike Cotten born 1959.
    David had 2 kids, Kyle & Mackenzie (neither of which have any children as they’re barely in high school)
    and Mike Cotten married Abby Rizzo born 1960(daughter of Jilly Rizzo) and had (me) Kacey 1986.
    My parents divorced and my Dad remarried Jodi Cotten…

    and that’s as far as it goes for now, I’m definitely going to always be an only child and I won’t give Boris any great great grandchildren for a while ;)

  7. kim says:

    Dear Stephen,

    We have a box containing odds and ends from the Boris brother, my great grand father. It is in store but could include letters if you have any interest. My mother was nee Pratt.

  8. Hi, Kim

    Yes.. I would be most interested in any letters, documents etc. Can you please contact me at email@morethanamonster.com

    I look forward to hearing from you.
    Regards

    Stephen

  9. Rose (nee Pratt) says:

    William – it appears that you and I come from the same area. The name Pratt is very common in Denmead, Hambledon Boarhunt and Portsmouth and it seems impossible to make any progress as they all have the same names ie George, William, Charles, James, and Henry !
    I have also heard that there was a butcher called Pratt in Denmead and I was also told that Julia Pratt – William Pratts sister had a wool shop there as well ?
    As for the London connection apparently my Grandfather used to travel to London on occasion (?) and used to stay with some friends of his – where I don’t know but they had a daughter born around 1924ish that my dad knew as Dickie Doughnut, I have a photo of her and her parents with my grandfater taken about 1935 so if that name rings a bell with anyone let me know
    Happy searching

  10. Johanna Keene says:

    Hi everyone,
    I had always heard that my maternal great grandmother, Eleanor Cora Pratt, was related to William Henry pratt, but I’m not sure how. Would love any information!
    Thanks

  11. 0ren says:

    Hi,

    Few years ago my grandmother told me an interesting tale- Boris Karloff was some kind of a blood relative of hers, and that he tried to hide his Jewish Origins by changing his name from karlofsky to Karloff.

    At first, after reading Boris Karloff’s profile in Wikipedia, I was pretty skeptical. But now, after noticing the great controversy surrounding the true origins of Boris Karloff, I’m starting to suspect that my grandmother’s tale can actually be true.

    My great grandmother’s name was Sara Karlofsky. She was born in Russia (Kiev), her mother’s name was Mayta Freda, and her half brother’s name was Abe Balington. She migrated to Canada after spending few years in England.

  12. Kacey says:

    As a direct blood relative (Great Granddaughter), I would say it’s HIGHLY unlikely that as an Anglo Indian, his mother Eliza was of Jewish faith. My Grandmother, Sara Karloff, has done extensive genealogy research and that has never come up. It’s true he changed his name, but as far as I know that’s the extent of it. I remember my Great Grandma Dorothy and she never mentioned it either.

  13. Kacey,

    I’m pleased to say your grandmother {Boris Karloff’s daughter) Sara has authorised my new biography of her father – Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster – which is due to be published later this year or early next by Tomahawk Press. In all the research I have done on his family’s history I have found no mention of the Jewish faith anywhere. Eliza Sara Pratt (Karloff’s mother), like the rest of her family, was Church of England/Anglican, although a few of Karloff’s siblings did convert to Roman Catholicism.

  14. renee says:

    wow, my family has stories that we’re related to WHP too! (on my maternal grandpa’s side). i was wondering if anyone has the names of his siblings? i never wanted to research into this for fear of dispelling the rumors, as i already (sadly) proved we werent related to Yvonne DeCarlo (lily munster) on my maternal grandma’s side.

  15. Renee,

    I posted this info before but since you ask…

    The Pratt siblings:

    Boris’s brothers were: Edward, George, Charles, David, Frederick, John, Richard, and William [Boris himself].
    Boris’s sister was Julia.

    Regards, Stephen

  16. renee says:

    Stephen, thank you so much. i didnt see that up there before.

  17. Nancy says:

    My Great Grandfather is George Washington Pratt married Margaret Elizabeth Lair. Does any one have any information.

  18. Sarah Freds says:

    Hi – just read Jeremy Freds comment (although it was a few years ago) and I think we are related but cant seem to contact him/you. If you are reading this please contact me. William Freds Pratt is my great great grandad. He also had five children and changed his name to Freds. My father was Charles Freds. Please contact me – I think we may be related!!

  19. Kacey says:

    Stephen,
    I remember my Grandma mentioning that there was a new book in progress. As you can imagine things have been a mess these past couple of weeks with the passing of my Grandpa, but I do look forward to reading your book :)

    Kacey

  20. Hello, Kacey

    Yes, your Grandmother Sara is right. My book is due out in the new year.

    I was very sorry to hear of the loss of your Grandfather, Bill. I hope everyone is bearing up at this sad time.

    If you’d like to contact me my email is:
    email@morethanamonster.com

    Regards
    Stephen

  21. Margaret Reece says:

    A message for Johanna Keene,
    Please make contact with me as I have Eleanor Cora PRATT in my family tree.

    Are you from the Scallon,Reece,Saxby or Pratt line?

    Is anyone else related to these families please?
    my email is billdotmargathotmaildotcom
    written like this to avoid spam!

  22. Tim says:

    Does anyone here know what year Richard Septimus Pratt died?

    Richard Septimus Pratt and his brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, were both colleagues (in the British Consular Service in China) of a relative of mine whose life I’m researching. Any info (particularly the year R.S. Pratt died) would be very gratefully received.

    Thanks, Tim.

  23. Elaine Smith says:

    My mother’s name was Pratt before she married. Her father was Walter Maurice Pratt. I have just been told that he was a relation to William Henry Pratt. I am not quite sure how but it would be nice to know more about my maternal family. So if anyone knows more I would love to hear from you.

    Thanks

    e

  24. Stephen Jacobs says:

    Hi, Tim

    Richard Septimus Pratt died in 1975. John Thomas Pratt died in 1970.

    Regards
    Stephen

  25. LS says:

    The Pratts in my family come from Phineas PRATT, who came to America shortly after the pilgrims.

    http://www.pilgrimhall.org/prattphineas.htm

    “Phineas Pratt was a member of a company of men sent from England by Thomas Weston. They arrived in New England in 1622 on three ships : the Sparrow, Charity and Swan (Pratt was a passenger on the Sparrow, the first to arrive). The approximately 67 men, many of them ailing, arrived with no provisions.”

    Regards,
    LS

  26. Randall says:

    Genealogists never die, they just loose their roots.

  27. Welch says:

    For Attention of : ANGELA PLANT ~

    Very interested to read about your family connections, and would love to hear from you about your grandparents family, which is related, I believe. If you would like to contact me sometime my email is famwelch@live.co.uk

    With best wishes,
    F.Welch

  28. kim sawyer says:

    My grandad was a William Henry Pratt born in 1900, and lived around that time in Deptford or South London somewhere. He married my nan Laura May Catchpole and they went on to have 11 children. They lived their latter lives in Downham, Kent and I cant seem to find out anymore about him. I think he was a traveller…. and his father was also a William and his mother a Maltida, any info would be greatly received

    many thanks

  29. David Weddell says:

    My father a David Brading Weddell told me ,as my mother did as well , that William Pratt ( Boris Karloff ) was related to him. I am not sure how we are related , would be grateful for any information.

  30. mark robert pratt says:

    hi has you can see my name is pratt and my grandfathers name is william pratt and he wonce told me a long time ago that boris carlof is his great uncle can any one help thanks mark

  31. mr cope says:

    he was my 3 cousin my on my nanas side and i am from newark notts so it just shows we are most lightly to be related if u were relatet to him

  32. Mark says:

    According to W.S. Bristowe, the author of “Anna and the King of Siam”, Boris’s grandmother was the sister of Anna Leonowens. There is some geneological data on page 29 of the book.

    I would be interested in hearing from any family of Henry Sheldon Pratt, a judge of the High Court in Rangoon, Burma in the 1920′s, and later resident of Maymyo

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