Boris Karloff’s Distinctive Voice Made Him a Radio Horror Star Despite a Childhood Speech Impediment

Boris Karloff‘s acting career involved every medium and spanned six decades. Quite an accomplishment when you consider that as a young boy, he stuttered and had a lisp. Karloff overcame his stutter but not his lisp, which was noticeable throughout his career. You’d think having a lisp would keep him from landing roles during the golden age of radio, but that wasn’t so.

As early as 1933, Karloff could be heard on radio shows, mostly with horror themes, including scenes from “Death Takes a Holiday” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”.