Elsa Lanchester a Taste for the Odd

Elsa Lanchester played the roles of Mary Shelley and The Monster’s Mate in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). In the role of the bride, she had to wear her hair wired up and her eyes taped open. Lanchester was born in England on October 28, 1902. As a child, Elsa wanted to be a dancer. Her mother arranged for her to study at Isadora Duncan’s School in Paris. However, concerns about the coming war in Europe (World War I) cause her to leave Paris. At the age of 12, Elsa was was sent to a co-ed boarding school in Kings Langley. In 1918, at the age of 18, Elsa was employed as a dancing teacher on the Isle of White.

In 1920, Elsa began working as a dancer in musical halls. Following this, she created a children’s theater program and began working on stage herself. From 1924 to 1928 she ran a nightclub in London. She closed the club when her movie career picked up.

She began her movie career in 1927. In 1928 she did three films with Charles Laughton. Elsa signed a contract with MGM in 1932. She married Laughton the following year. Although they remained married until his death in 1962. Rumors continued that Laughton was a homosexual.

After performing in Rembrandt (1936), Elsa went through a slow period in her film career. She was persistently dogged by her role as the bride even 40 years later.

She liked to play quirky roles with a bit of humor. She did this in such films as The Razor’s Edge (1946), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), Mystery Street (1950), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Mary Poppins (1964), That Darn Cat! (1965), and Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968).

Lanchester died in 1986 at the grand age of 84.

Reviewed Films by Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Lanchester on iMDB.com