Sara Karloff

Sara Karloff , actually Sara Jane Karloff (born November 23, 1938 in Los Angeles ) is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur . She is the daughter and estate administrator of the famous horror film actor Boris Karloff ( Frankenstein ).

life and work

Sara Jane was the first and only child of Boris Karloff and his fourth wife Dorothy Stine. Coincidentally, the day of her birth, November 23rd, was also her father's birthday and at the same time the day of shooting the Karloff film Frankenstein's Son . When the now 51-year-old new father received the news of the birth of his daughter, he hurried - to the horror of the nurses - to the nearby hospital without taking off the famous monster mask , as he later told the daughter.

As an adolescent, she says it wasn't always easy as the daughter of a famous movie monster and she was often bullied at school. She never wanted to be an actress and had little connection to the film world in Hollywood , but occasionally accompanied her father to the set and to stage performances such as Peter Pan , where the actor once did not play the monster .

That only changed decades later and began with a German feature film : In the strip My lovely Monster about a silent monster she played alongside u. a. Ferdy Mayne , Matthias Fuchs , Forrest J Ackerman and Silvio Francesco (!). Himself The film from Germany, although one was flop , but from now on was Sara Karloff as a consultant and contributors, mostly in US documentaries , television - and video productions to active today. It is almost always films about her father or the history of horror films in general. As an actress of a role she does not appear, but always as herself.

Sara Karloff has dedicated herself to the care of the memory of her father and its marketing since the 1990s : According to recent California law, the heirs of a famous person on the basis of the California Celebrity Rights Act retain the rights to names, imitation, Voice, signature and person under the Federal Trademark Laws for trademark- like rights with no time limit. In 1993 she founded the company Karloff Enterprises (TM) and does not forgive since only licenses around the person Boris Karloff, but also markets a technology developed by her Boris Karloff line with devotional objects of all kinds - from busts and portrait drawings on posters and art postcards through to wristwatches , mugs , caps and T-shirts with the likeness of their father. In 2000, she filed a lawsuit against the film studio Universal Studios for millions of euros due to non-compliance with license agreements, the end of which is still open: The son of Count Dracula actor Bela Lugosi , a lawyer specializing in such cases, litigated Universal for twelve years because of the rights to his father long before a comparison was made.

Sara Karloff is with the families of the other two great horror film legends Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. befriends and occasionally runs joint campaigns with them, such as issuing special postage stamps with the likeness of the three in cooperation with the US Federal Post Office . She maintains contact with fan clubs , takes on patronage at festivals and exhibitions , gives lectures and writes forewords for books and videos not only about her father, but about horror film in general and is considered one of the leading figures in the American culture of remembrance of the great horror era - classic films .

Sara Karloff has two sons and lives with her husband on a ranch in California . Her great-grand aunt was Anna Leonowens , a historical role model for Anna and the King .

literature

Larry Meredith: Keeping the Legend Alive. In: Professional Stamp Experts , October 29, 1999

Filmography (selection)

My lovely Monster (feature film), written and directed by Michael Bergmann, with u. a. Ferdy Maine ("Dance of the Vampires"), Germany 1990
Halloween ... The Happy Haunting of America! (Documentary with games) Director: Daniel Roebuck (also book), Chuck Williams, with u. a. Alice Cooper , USA 1997
Universal Horror (TV documentary), written and directed by Kevin Brownlow , with u. a. Kenneth Branagh (speaker), Ray Bradbury , Carla Laemmle (“Phantom of the Opera”) and Fay Wray (“King Kong”), Great Britain 1998
She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein (documentary), written and directed by David J. Skal, with u. a. Joe Dante ("Gremlins"), USA 1999

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Karloff, Sara
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Karloff, Sara Jane
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American filmmaker and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH	November 23, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH	los Angeles