Born in Dudley, England, in 1889 and died in Hollywood in 1957, James Whale was the son of an ironworker who became a stage designer and director after the First World War. He moved to Hollywood and made the classics of Universal horror, Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), mixing gothic atmosphere with black humour and camp. He also made the musical Show Boat (1936). He lived openly as a gay man and retired in 1941. His last years were dramatised in Gods and Monsters (1998).
Filmography
- Journey's End (1930)
- Frankenstein (1931)
- Waterloo Bridge (1931)
- The Old Dark House (1932)
- The Invisible Man (1933)
- The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- Show Boat (1936)
- The Road Back (1937)
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)