Elsa Lanchester
(1902-1986), ActressSitter in 14 portraits
Taking her mother's name as her stage name, in 1921 Lanchester co-founded the Cave of Harmony in Gower Street, a night club devoted to cabaret and avant-garde plays. Her first theatrical appearance was in Thirty Minutes in a Street at the Kingsway Theatre (1922). She married Charles Laughton in 1929, and in 1932 they moved to Hollywood. She co-starred with Laughton in a number of films including The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and Rembrandt (1936), but was best known for the title role in the film The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Post-war films included Mary Poppins. She became an American citizen in 1950.
by Doris Zinkeisen
oil on canvas, exhibited 1925
NPG 6488
Charles Laughton; Elsa Lanchester
by Sasha (Alexander Stewart)
halftone reproduction tear sheet, published 13 February 1929
NPG x193443
Elsa Lanchester; Charles Laughton
by Yvonne Gregory
bromide print, July 1931
NPG x11868
The opening night of 'The Private Life of Henry VIII'
by George Woodbine, for Daily Herald
modern bromide print from original negative, 24 October 1933
NPG x135050
The opening night of 'The Private Life of Henry VIII'
by George Woodbine, for Daily Herald
modern bromide print from original negative, 24 October 1933
NPG x135051
Colin Clive; Elsa Lanchester; Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger in 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
by Universal Studios
bromide print, 1935
NPG x138131
by E.H. Eugene Pizey
film publicity still, 1935
NPG x125034
by Clarence Sinclair Bull
vintage print, 1940s
NPG x194121
Diners at Denham Studios Restaurant
by Anthony Wysard
watercolour and pencil, published 1937
NPG D312
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