Elsa Lanchester (1902-1986)was born in Lewisham,London.Her parents were considered Bohemian,and refused to legalise their union in any conventional way to satisfy the era's conservative society. She studied dance as a child and after the 1st WW she began performing in theatre and cabaret,where she established her career over the following decade.She met the actor Charles Laughton in 1927,and they were married two years later.She began playing small roles in British films.The success of her husband in American films resulted in the couple moving to Hollywood,where she played small film roles.Laughton was by now making films in Hollywood so she joined him there,making minor appearances in David Copperfield (1935) and Naughty Marietta (1935).These and her appearances in British films helped her gain the title role in Bride of Frankenstein (1935),the film for which she is now best remembered. The horror film Willard (1971) was highly successful and one of her last roles was in Murder By Death(1976).