Summary

• Boris Karloff's portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster in the Universal movies is considered the finest, establishing key characterizations and tropes that influenced all subsequent performances.
• Robert De Niro delivers an impressive and faithful interpretation of Frankenstein's Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, capturing the heartbreak and anguish of the character.
• Christopher Lee's performance in The Curse of Frankenstein offers a unique and terrifying interpretation of the Monster.

Dozens of actors have portrayed Frankenstein's Monster, but only one can be considered the best. Frankenstein's Monster originated in Mary Shelley's classic science-fiction novel Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus. Shelley's novel chronicled the creation of a monstrous creature, constructed from dead bodies and reanimated by the titular scientist. The novel explores themes of death, rebirth, and paternity through its horrifying narrative and dramatic conclusion. As such, several renditions have become icons in the horror genre.

Several famed adaptations have depicted Frankenstein's Monster and became impressive entrants into the horror genre's pantheon of monsters. Notable examples include the Universal Classic Monsters franchise, which also depicted Dracula and the Wolf Man, and the movies made by Hammer Film Productions. However, there have been a slew of other films that depicted the notorious monster with varying degrees of success.

10 David Prowse

Appearances: Casino Royale (1967), The Horror Of Frankenstein (1970), And Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell (1974)

David Prowse was best known for being the man inside the Darth Vader costume in Star Wars. However, he also portrayed Frankenstein's monster on three occasions. The first was during a brief cameo in the 1967 James Bond parody, Casino Royale. Subsequently, Prowse starred as the monster in two Hammer Horror movies: The Horror of Frankenstein and Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell. Prowse's depiction lacked the emotional depth and subtlety of the other actors to play Frankenstein's monster but nonetheless produced a visually striking and compelling performance. Prowse was the last actor to play the Monster in a Hammer Horror movie, making him particularly memorable.

9 Clancy Brown

Appearances: The Bride (1985)

Franc Roddam's 1985 period horror movie The Bridge adapted the second half of Mary Shelley's novel. It focused on Frankenstein creating the eponymous Bride to appease his monstrous creation, who was already sentient and living in the woods. The Bride was a staggeringly quintessential 1980s horror movie filled with delightfully poor sound and visual effects. It even starred Sting as Dr. Frankenstein. Clancy Brown offered a masterful and imposing Frankenstein's Monster, which draws from the lumbering precedent set by earlier actors. Brown's Monster was effective but lacked any real originality, and as such, ranks lower than many other renditions.

8 Lon Chaney Jr.

The Ghost Of Frankenstein (1942)

Lon Chaney Jr. starred as the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's Monster, and Dracula throughout the Universal Classic Monsters franchise. Chaney played the Monster in 1942's House of Frankenstein, inheriting the role from Boris Karloff after his legendary tenure. The film depicted the Monster and Frankenstein's former assistant Ygor seeking a Frankenstein descendant to continue his experiments. Chaney's interpretation was entertaining and, at points, quite frightening. However, Chaney's depiction was mostly an imitation of Karloff, but without the acting ability to match his predecessor's nuance and sensitivity. Chaney's performance in The Ghost of Frankenstein was greatly bolstered by famed Dracula actor, Bela Lugosi, playing Ygor.

7 Peter Boyle

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein was the pinnacle of horror parodies. It deftly mocked and celebrated the source material and the Universal Classic Monsters series. Young Frankenstein starred Gene Wilder as a Frankenstein relative, who stumbled upon his ancestor's research and built his own creature. The Monster was brought to life by Peter Boyle and bore a striking resemblance to David Prowse's Monster. As such, Boyle proffered a humorous retrospective of numerous Frankenstein portrayals and the wider horror genre. Boyle's Monster was both a misunderstood monster and a comedy character, with his performance of "Puttin' on the Ritz" being a particular highlight.

6 Fred Gwynne

The Munsters (1964-1966)

One of the most celebrated versions of Frankenstein's Monster appeared in the beloved television series The Munsters and its movies. The series depicted a family of classic movie monsters, with the patriarch a Frankenstein's Monster named Herman. Herman Munster was a lovable, oafish interpretation of the Monster deftly performed by Fred Gwynne. Gwynne's Herman fully entered popular culture as a recognizable example of the Monster, based primarily on the Universal Classic Monsters depiction, including elements of the revered make-up and costume. Despite this horrifying visage, Gwynne's Herman was incredibly endearing and became one of the most iconic variations of Frankenstein's Monster.

5 Glenn Strange

House Of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945), And Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The final actor to play Frankenstein's Monster in the Universal Classic Monsters was Glenn Strange. Strange appeared in the two crossover movies, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, in which Strange's Monster was less intelligent and more violent. As a result, Strange's Monster created several of the common associations with the characters, including the mindless malevolent creature compelled to kill, rather than the misunderstood giant from Shelley's novel. The use of Jack Pierce's original make-up greatly facilitated Strange's Monster, which fully developed the stereotypical characterization in 1948's horror-comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

4 Bela Lugosi

Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)

Bela Lugosi is most famous for starring as the eponymous Count in Dracula. However, he also appeared as Frankenstein's Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Interestingly, Lugosi was offered the part before Boris Karloff but declined the role in Frankenstein, lambasting the role and the character's minimal dialogue. Lugosi appeared in two earlier Frankenstein movies as Ygor before finally playing the Monster himself. Ironically, Lugosi's Monster had even less dialogue than Karloff's but was nevertheless an intimidating presence. It was a testament to Lugosi's talent, which fostered a sinister tension throughout. Lugosi was not the most effective Monster, but his prestige and presence compensated substantially.

3 Christopher Lee

The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957)

Christopher Lee only appeared in the first of Hammer Horror's Frankenstein movies, The Curse of Frankenstein. Despite this, Lee gave a highly memorable performance as the terrifying creature, which truly demonstrated Lee's impressive horror acting talent. Lee's portrayal was distinct from other previous renditions, offering a unique yet terrifying interpretation that maintained a more human Monster. However, Lee's imposing figure still lent the creature a looming, monstrous presence, but delivered in Lee's urbane and noble style, which added an alternative emotional inflection to the character. While not perfect, Lee's Monster is one of the best and endures as a British horror paradigm.

2 Robert De Niro

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was the best adaptation of the novel, offering a faithful retelling of the science-fiction masterpiece. It also featured the second-best portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster. Robert De Niro delivered an unsurprisingly brilliant variation of the hideous creation, truly encapsulating the heartbreak and anguish inherent in Shelley's original character. De Niro also managed to be genuinely frightening throughout, even with a much more diminutive stature than others. Like the whole movie, the Monster was adapted faithfully and, therefore, was not a giant lumbering monster, but a reanimated man. This more grounded version was incredibly effective, with De Niro's Monster nearly ranking as the best.

1 Boris Karloff

Frankenstein (1931), Bride Of Frankenstein (1935), And Son Of Frankenstein (1939)

Boris Karloff's acclaimed performance as Frankenstein's Monster was unequivocally the finest. Karloff portrayed the Monster in three Universal movies, including the two most famous, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Karloff's version became synonymous with the Monster, establishing several key characterization and tropes that resonated throughout cinema and directly influenced every single subsequent performer. Karloff deftly combined sensitivity and innocence into his foreboding presence, presenting the most emotionally compelling Monster ever. Karloff was the only Monster whom audiences sympathized with until 1994. Consequently, Karloff's Frankenstein movies fully explored Shelley's themes to a far greater degree and proffered the definitive rendition of Frankenstein's Monster.