Frank Langella believes in going to the source when it comes to researching his roles. For the role of "Masters of the Universe" villain Skeletor, his research began with a walk into his children's playroom.

"I asked them to tell me all about the 'Masters' characters," says Langella. "Since they watched the cartoon show, they were able to tell me a great deal about how Skeletor should be played. My portrayal of Skeletor is a present for my children."

Langella's present to the "Masters of the Universe" audience is a heavily theatrical portrayal of Skeletor. But the actor, who teethed on the Broadway stage, is quick to point out the other facets of He-Man's arch-nemesis.

"Skeletor is an intelligent, persuasive and very strong individual," he says. "Except for the hero's physical strength, Skeletor and He-Man are evenly matched.

"Skeletor is a very strong-willed presence who is obsessed with obtaining as much power as he can and in controlling He-Man. I took great care in how Skeletor was perceived in this film."

Langella, born in New Jersey, attended Seton Hall and later Syracuse University, where he captured the drama department's best actor award in his senior year. Out in the real world, Langella gravitated to the Broadway stage and his first big time role, Michael in "The Immoralist."

For the next few years, Langella was a fixture in regional and repertory companies, specializing in the works of Edward Albee, Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams. But it remained for Langella's riveting portrayal of Dracula, first in the Broadway play and then in the motion picture version that sent the actor's stock soaring.

Among his other credits are performances in the motion pictures "The Twelve Chairs," "Diary of a Mad Housewife," "Those Lips, Those Eyes" and "The Men's Club." His TV appearances include "The Mark of Zorro," "Sherlock Holmes" and "Liberty."

But none of these roles prepared Langella for the arduous task of playing Skeletor. Being the master villain demanded hours daily in a makeup chair while Michael Westmore applied his intricate makeup. Langella remembers that and much more.

"I must have gone through 40 different costume fittings and I remember Michael coming out to the set more than once to do a repair job," he says. "A tremendous amount of detail and manpower went into creating the illusion of Skeletor."

And to Langella's way of thinking, the result was well worth the effort.

"I'm thrilled with the way that Skeletor turned out," Frank Langella says. "When I was creating the character of Skeletor, I always kept in mind the monsters that scared me in my youth and incorporated elements of my memories of what scared me into him. And I'm glad I did because what scared me then comes across as being pretty scary now."