He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in In , he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester , with whom he lived and worked until his death. Laughton played a wide range of classical and modern roles, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits to kings. Daniel Day-Lewis cited Laughton as one of his inspirations, saying: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time.
He had something quite remarkable. His generosity as an actor; he fed himself into that work. As an actor, you cannot take your eyes off him.
He directed one film, the thriller The Night of the Hunter , which after an initially disappointing reception is acclaimed today as a film classic. He started work in the family hotel, though also participating in amateur theatrical productions in Scarborough. He was permitted by his family to become a drama student at RADA in , where actor Claude Rains was one of his teachers. Pickwick at the Theatre Royal β29 in London. He took the last role across the Atlantic and made his United States debut on 24 September , at the Lyceum Theatre.
Laughton commenced his film career in Great Britain while still acting on the London stage. He also accepted small roles in three short silent comedies starring his wife Elsa Lanchester , Daydreams, Blue Bottles, and The Tonic all , which had been specially written for her by H.
Wells and were directed by Ivor Montagu. He made a brief appearance as a disgruntled diner in another silent film Piccadilly with Anna May Wong in He appeared with Lanchester again in Comets , a film revue featuring assorted British variety acts, in which they sang a duet, " The Ballad of Frankie and Johnnie.
