Karloff was the youngest of eight children, and his father, Edward Pratt of the Indian Salt Revenue Services, died when Karloff still was a baby. His mother also died when he was young, so he was largely brought up by his brothers and half-sister Emma. His eldest brother, George, was an actor for a time, and this had an influence on the young boy, who tried hard to emulate his brother. In 1909, Karloff went to Canada where he tried himself in several jobs, incl. digging ditches and laying rail track. In 1919, he moved to America and got his first movie jobs as an extra. His first lead part was as murderous prison barber in Howard Hawks' "Criminal Code" (1931). Though he was a regular player of heavies and villains, he will be remembered mainly for his horror movie roles, especially for Universal's "Frankenstein" (1931 - a role that Bela Lugosi turned down) and "The Mummy" (1932). One of his last performances was in Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets" (1968), where Karloff played an aged horror film star whose brand of screen terror pales besides that of a real-life serial killer. He was known as a gentle man who gave generously of himself to needy children, and he read a collection of stories for children that was released on record.