Elsa Lanchester, Herself

Being known as “The Bride of Frankenstein” is an unusual form of fame, but for Elsa Lanchester the unusual came naturally. Born to radical socialist parents, Elsa attended an all-boys school and later “studied” in Paris with dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. At 17, she opened her own theater, which was frequented by writers such as H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and Evelyn Waugh. She began performing with and then fell in love with a brilliant young actor named Charles Laughton. Soon after their marriage he revealed his homosexuality. Though it made their union shaky at times, it did not overshadow their common love of art, music, and nature, and their marriage endured for 36 years until Laughton’s death. Elsa Lanchester, Herself presents the story of a woman ahead of her time: independent, iconoclastic, liberated. It is the chronicle of a life filled with famous people (from Bertolt Brecht to Henry Fonda), and of a career that spanned almost seven decades. It is also a warm, truthful account of a very special marriage. Witty and wise, Elsa Lanchester’s account of her life and times is a delight.

While best known as the Bride of Frankenstein, Elsa Lanchester (1902–1986) also played Anne of Cleves in The Private Life of Henry VIII, Katie Nanna in Mary Poppins, the eccentric painter in The Big Clock, and the British cleaning lady who tries to kill Hitler in Passport to Destiny. She was twice nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award and also enjoyed an extremely distinguished stage career. Mara Wilson is an actor, a playwright, and the author of Where Am I Now?