10 Actors Who Hid That They Were In Famous Movies

3. Boris Karloff - Frankenstein

Boris Karloff only played Frankenstein three times, but it's become his enduring legacy (just like Bela Lugosi after starring as Count Dracula a grand total of one time). It's not just the actor's reputation it dominates, but the entire public image of the monster; although people will always point out how it's not book-accurate, the image of a green-skinned, flat-headed, bolt-necked monster is what immediately comes to mind when thinking of Frankenstein.

This entry's a little different, mainly because it came in a completely different time to the other movies on this list. You see, Karloff's name was featured on the film's posters and trailers rather prominently. In the film itself, however, the identity of the actor behind the monster was kept delightfully ambiguous - in the opening credits there's just a "?" next to the character's name. It helps boost the realism (and horror) of the movie, a period equivalent of calling a found-footage movie real.

This trick was repeated with the film's sequel, Bride Of Frankenstein, with Elsa Lanchester's name replaced with a question mark for her role as the titular mate.