Charles Laughton (1899-1962) was a British actor and director. In 1928 he played Hercule Poirot in the stage play Alibi, making him the first actor to portray the Belgian detective. In 1957 he played Sir Wilfrid Robarts in the Billy Wilder film Witness for the Prosecution, with his wife Elsa Lanchester as Miss Plimsoll in the same film. Their performances in said film earned them both Academy Awards nominations.
His career encompasses classics such as The Island of Lost Souls, The Private Life of Henry VIII (for which he won an Oscar), Mutiny on the Bounty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Spartacus. He directed only one film, 1955's The Night of the Hunter, which is now regarded as one of the best films from that decade.
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- 1928 - Alibi (West End production) as Hercule Poirot
- 1932 - The Fatal Alibi (Broadway production) as Hercule Poirot
- 1943 - The ABC Murders (Suspense episode) as Alexander Bonaparte Cust
- 1957 - Witness for the Prosecution as Wilfrid Robarts
Poster with views of Charles Laughton as Poirot in 1928 play Alibi.