Charles Coburn
Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American film and theatre actor. Best known for his work in comedies, Coburn received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1943's The More the Merrier. Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scotch-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman (May 11, 1838 Springfield, Ohio – November 12, 1896 Savannah, Georgia) and Moses Douville Coburn (April 27, 1834 Savannah, Georgia – December 27, 1902 Savannah, Georgia). Growing up in Savannah, he started out at age 14 doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs, ushering, or being the doorman. By age 17 or 18, he was the theater manager. He later became an actor, making his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with actress Ivah Wills in 1905. They married in 1906. In addition to managing the company, the couple performed frequently on Broadway. After his wife's death in 1937, Coburn relocated to Los Angeles, California and began film work. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a retired millionaire playing Cupid in The More the Merrier in 1943. He was also nominated for The Devil and Miss Jones in 1941 and The Green Years in 1946. Other notable film credits include Of Human Hearts (1938), The Lady Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942), The Constant Nymph (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943), Wilson (1944), Impact (1949), The Paradine Case (1947), Everybody Does It (1950), Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952), Monkey Business (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and John Paul Jones (1959). He usually played comedic parts, but Kings Row and Wilson were dramatic parts, showing his versatility. For his contributions to motion pictures, in 1960, Coburn was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Coburn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 1997 · Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line as Self (archive footage)
- 1986 · Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend as Self (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [1953]) (archive footage)
- 1985 · George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1976 · It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- 1963 · Marilyn as Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1960 · Pepe as Charles Coburn
- 1959 · John Paul Jones as Benjamin Franklin
- 1959 · A Stranger in My Arms as Vance Beasley
- 1959 · The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker as Grampa Pennypacker
- 1957 · The Story of Mankind as Hippocrates
- 1957 · Town on Trial as Dr. John Fenner
- 1957 · How to Murder a Rich Uncle as Uncle George Clitterbern
- 1956 · Around the World in Eighty Days as Steamship Company Clerk
- 1956 · The Power and the Prize as Guy Eliot
- 1956 · The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
- 1955 · How To Be Very, Very Popular as Dr. Tweed
- 1954 · December Bride as
- 1954 · The George Gobel Show as Self
- 1954 · Studio 57 as
- 1954 · The Long Wait as Gardiner
- 1954 · The Rocket Man as Mayor Ed Johnson
- 1953 · Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Sir Francis Beekman
- 1953 · Trouble Along the Way as le Père Matthew William Burke
- 1952 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1952 · Monkey Business as Oliver Oxley
- 1952 · Has Anybody Seen My Gal? as Samuel Fulton / John Smith
- 1951 · The Highwayman as Lord Walters
- 1950 · Mr. Music as Alex Conway
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Pa Harrington
- 1950 · The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- 1950 · Peggy as Professor Brookfield
- 1950 · Louisa as Mr. Burnside
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1949 · Everybody Does It as Major Blair
- 1949 · The Doctor and the Girl as Dr. John Corday
- 1949 · Yes Sir, That's My Baby as Professor Jason Hartley
- 1949 · The Gal Who Took the West as General Michael O'Hara
- 1949 · Impact as Lieutenant Quincy
- 1948 · Studio One as Louis Hurst
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · Green Grass of Wyoming as Beaver Greenway
- 1948 · B.F.'s Daughter as Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton
- 1947 · The Paradine Case as Sir Simon Flaquer
- 1947 · Lured as Harley Temple
- 1946 · The Green Years as Alexander Gow
- 1946 · Colonel Effingham's Raid as Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham
- 1945 · Shady Lady as Col. John Appleby
- 1945 · Over 21 as Robert Drexel Gow
- 1945 · Rhapsody in Blue as Max Dreyfus
- 1945 · A Royal Scandal as Nicolai Iiyitch
- 1944 · Together Again as Jonathan Crandall Sr
- 1944 · The Impatient Years as William Smith
- 1944 · Wilson as Professor Henry Holmes
- 1944 · Knickerbocker Holiday as Peter Stuyvesant
- 1943 · My Kingdom for a Cook as Rudyard Morley
- 1943 · Princess O'Rourke as Uncle Holman
- 1943 · Heaven Can Wait as Hugo Van Cleve
- 1943 · The Constant Nymph as Charles Creighton
- 1943 · The More the Merrier as Benjamin Dingle
- 1942 · Breakdowns of 1942 as Self
- 1942 · George Washington Slept Here as Stanley Menninger
- 1942 · In This Our Life as William Fitzroy
- 1942 · Kings Row as Henry Gordon
- 1941 · H.M. Pulham, Esq. as John Pulham
- 1941 · Unexpected Uncle as Seton Mansley
- 1941 · Our Wife as Professor Drake
- 1941 · The Devil and Miss Jones as John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins
- 1941 · The Lady Eve as 'Colonel' Harrington
- 1940 · Three Faces West as Dr. Karl Braun
- 1940 · The Captain Is a Lady as Captain Abe Peabody
- 1940 · Florian as Dr. Johannes Hofer
- 1940 · Edison, the Man as General Powell
- 1940 · Road to Singapore as Joshua Mallon IV
- 1939 · In Name Only as Richard Walker
- 1939 · Stanley and Livingstone as Lord Tyce
- 1939 · Bachelor Mother as J. B. Merlin
- 1939 · The Story of Alexander Graham Bell as Gardner Hubbard
- 1939 · Made for Each Other as Judge Joseph M. Doolittle
- 1939 · Idiot's Delight as Dr. Hugo Waldersee
- 1938 · Lord Jeff as Captain Briggs
- 1938 · Yellow Jack as Dr. Finlay
- 1938 · Vivacious Lady as Mr. Morgan
- 1938 · Of Human Hearts as Dr. Charles Shingle
- 1935 · The People's Enemy as Judge