William Demarest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known for playing Uncle Charley in My Three Sons. A veteran of World War I, Demarest became a prolific film and television actor, appearing in over 140 films, beginning in 1926 and ending in the 1970s. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles. Demarest started in show business working in vaudeville, appearing with his wife Estelle Collette (real name Esther Zychlin) as "Demarest and Colette", then moved on to Broadway. Demarest worked regularly with director Preston Sturges, becoming part of a "stock" troupe of actors that Sturges repeatedly cast in his films. He appeared in ten films written by Sturges, eight of which were under his direction, including The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Demarest was such a familiar figure at the Paramount studio that just his name was used in the movie Sunset Boulevard as a potential star for William Holden's unsold baseball screenplay. Demarest appeared with veteran western film star Roscoe Ates in the 1958 episode "And the Desert Shall Blossom" of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In the story line, Ates and Demarest appear as old timers living in the Nevada desert. The local sheriff, played by Ben Johnson, appears with an eviction notice, but he agrees to let the pair stay on their property if they can make a dead rosebush bloom within the next month. In 1959 Demarest was named the lead actor of the 18-week sitcom Love and Marriage on NBC in the 1959–1960 season. Demarest played William Harris, the owner of a failing music company who refuses to handle popular rock and roll music, which presumably might save the firm from bankruptcy. Joining Demarest on the series were Jeanne Bal, Murray Hamilton and Stubby Kaye. Demarest appeared as Police Chief Aloysius of the Santa Rosita Police Department in the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), as well as on a memorable episode ("What's in the Box") of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone as a hen-pecked husband driven to the murder of his wife. His most famous television role was in the ABC and then CBS sitcom My Three Sons from 1965 to 1972, playing Uncle Charley O'Casey. He replaced William Frawley, whose failing health had made procuring insurance impossible. Demarest had worked with Fred MacMurray previously in the films Hands Across the Table (1935), Pardon My Past (1945), On Our Merry Way (1948), and The Far Horizons (1955) and was a personal friend of MacMurray. Also, he worked with Irene Dunne in Never a Dull Moment (1950).
Known For
Credits
- 1999 · Television: The First Fifty Years as Charlie O'Casey (archive footage)
- 1997 · Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line as Self (archive footage)
- 1978 · The Millionaire as Oscar Pugh
- 1976 · Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood as Studio Gatekeeper
- 1975 · Ellery Queen as Alexander 'Pop' Denny
- 1975 · The Wild McCullochs as Father Gurkin
- 1973 · Don't Be Afraid of the Dark as Mr. Harris
- 1971 · McMillan and Wife as Cyrus McFee
- 1971 · McMillan and Wife as Andy Kenesaw
- 1965 · That Darn Cat! as Mr. MacDougall
- 1964 · Viva Las Vegas as Mr. Martin
- 1963 · It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Police Chief Aloysius
- 1963 · The Jerry Lewis Show as Self
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Charlie Who
- 1963 · The Greatest Show on Earth as Paul Keller
- 1963 · Son of Flubber as Mr. Hummel
- 1962 · Going My Way as
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- 1961 · Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon as Jeb
- 1961 · Ben Casey as
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Mr. Aimes
- 1961 · Twenty Plus Two as Desmond Slocum
- 1961 · King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein as Henry Hecht
- 1960 · Pepe as Movie Studio Gateman
- 1960 · My Three Sons as Charley O'Casey
- 1959 · The Rebel as Ulysses Bowman
- 1959 · The Twilight Zone as Joe Britt
- 1959 · Love and Marriage as William Harris
- 1959 · Bonanza as Enos Milford
- 1959 · Bonanza as Angus Tweedy
- 1957 · Wagon Train as Mr. Hennessey
- 1957 · Tales of Wells Fargo as Jeb Gaine (credit only)
- 1956 · The Rawhide Years as Brand Comfort
- 1956 · The Mountain as Father Belacchi
- 1955 · Hell on Frisco Bay as Dan Bianco
- 1955 · Sincerely Yours as Sam Dunne
- 1955 · Lucy Gallant as Charles Madden
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Tom Akins
- 1955 · The Private War of Major Benson as John
- 1955 · The Far Horizons as Sgt. Gass
- 1955 · Jupiter's Darling as Mago
- 1954 · The Yellow Mountain as Jackpot Wray
- 1954 · The Wonderful World of Disney as Mr. Hummel (archive footage)
- 1954 · Studio 57 as
- 1953 · Escape from Fort Bravo as Campbell
- 1953 · Here Come the Girls as Dennis Logan
- 1953 · Dangerous When Wet as Pa Higgins
- 1953 · The Lady Wants Mink as Harvey Jones
- 1952 · The Blazing Forest as Syd Jessup
- 1952 · What Price Glory as Corporal Kiper
- 1951 · The Red Skelton Show as Senator Burnside
- 1951 · Behave Yourself! as O'Ryan
- 1951 · The Strip as Fluff
- 1951 · Excuse My Dust as Harvey Bullitt
- 1951 · The First Legion as Monsignor Michael Carey
- 1950 · He's a Cockeyed Wonder as Bob Sears
- 1950 · Never a Dull Moment as Mears
- 1950 · Riding High as Happy
- 1950 · When Willie Comes Marching Home as Herman Kluggs
- 1949 · Red, Hot and Blue as Charlie Baxter
- 1949 · Jolson Sings Again as Steve Martin
- 1949 · Sorrowful Jones as Regret
- 1948 · Whispering Smith as Bill Dansing
- 1948 · Night Has a Thousand Eyes as Lt. Shawn
- 1948 · The Sainted Sisters as Vern Tewilliger
- 1948 · On Our Merry Way as Floyd
- 1947 · Variety Girl as Barker
- 1947 · The Perils of Pauline as George 'Mac' McGuire
- 1946 · The Jolson Story as Steve Martin
- 1946 · Our Hearts Were Growing Up as Peanuts Schultz
- 1945 · Pardon My Past as Chuck Gibson
- 1945 · Hollywood Victory Caravan as Bill, the Security Guard
- 1945 · Duffy's Tavern as William Demarest
- 1945 · Along Came Jones as George Fury
- 1945 · Salty O'Rourke as Smitty
- 1944 · Hail the Conquering Hero as Sgt. Heppelfinger
- 1944 · The Great Moment as Eben Frost
- 1944 · Once Upon a Time as Brandt
- 1944 · Nine Girls as Walter Cummings
- 1943 · True to Life as Uncle Jake
- 1943 · The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek as Constable Edmund Kockenlocker
- 1943 · Dangerous Blondes as Detective Gatling
- 1943 · Stage Door Canteen as William Demarest
- 1942 · Johnny Doughboy as Harry Fabian
- 1942 · Life Begins at Eight-Thirty as Police Officer
- 1942 · Behind the Eight Ball as McKenzie
- 1942 · The Palm Beach Story as First Member Ale and Quail Club
- 1942 · Pardon My Sarong as Detective Kendall
- 1942 · My Favorite Spy as Flower Pot Policeman
- 1942 · True to the Army as Sgt. Butts
- 1942 · All Through the Night as Sunshine
- 1941 · Glamour Boy as Papa Doran
- 1941 · Sullivan's Travels as Mr. Jones
- 1941 · Dressed to Kill as Inspector Pierson
- 1941 · Country Fair as Stogie McPhee
- 1941 · Ride on Vaquero as Bartender Barney
- 1941 · Rookies on Parade as Mike Brady
- 1941 · The Devil and Miss Jones as First Detective
- 1941 · The Lady Eve as Muggsy
- 1940 · Little Men as Constable Tom Thorpe
- 1940 · Christmas in July as Mr. Bildocker
- 1940 · The Golden Fleecing as Swallow
- 1940 · Comin' Round the Mountain as
- 1940 · The Great McGinty as Skeeters - The Politician
- 1940 · The Farmer's Daughter as Victor Walsh
- 1940 · Wolf of New York as Bill Ennis
- 1939 · Laugh It Off as Barney 'Gimpy' Cole
- 1939 · Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Bill Griffith
- 1939 · Miracles for Sale as Quinn
- 1939 · The Cowboy Quarterback as Rusty Walker
- 1939 · The Gracie Allen Murder Case as Police Sgt. Ernest Heath
- 1939 · King of the Turf as Arnold
- 1939 · The Great Man Votes as Charles Dole
- 1938 · While New York Sleeps as Red Miller
- 1938 · Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus as Daro
- 1938 · Josette as Joe, Diner Owner
- 1938 · One Wild Night as Collins
- 1938 · Romance on the Run as Police Lt. Eckhardt
- 1938 · Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as Harry Kipper
- 1937 · Rosalie as Army Coach
- 1937 · Big City as Mr. Beecher
- 1937 · Wake Up and Live as Radio Center Tour Guide
- 1937 · Blonde Trouble as Paul Sears
- 1937 · Easy Living as Wallace Whistling
- 1937 · The Great Gambini as Sergeant Kirby
- 1937 · The Great Hospital Mystery as Mr. Beatty
- 1937 · The Hit Parade as Parole Officer
- 1937 · Oh, Doctor as Marty Short
- 1937 · Don't Tell the Wife as Larry 'Horace' Tucker
- 1937 · Time Out for Romance as Willoughby Sproggs
- 1936 · Mind Your Own Business as Droopy
- 1936 · Charlie Chan at the Opera as Sergeant Kelly
- 1936 · Love on the Run as Editor
- 1936 · Wedding Present as 'Smiles' Benson
- 1936 · The Great Ziegfeld as Gene Buck (uncredited)
- 1935 · White Lies as Roberts
- 1935 · Hands Across the Table as Regi's Date Natty (uncredited)
- 1935 · Diamond Jim as Harry Hill
- 1935 · Bright Lights as Detective
- 1935 · The Murder Man as 'Red' Maguire
- 1935 · The Casino Murder Case as Auctioneer (uncredited)
- 1935 · After Office Hours as Police Detective (uncredited)
- 1934 · Fugitive Lady as Steve Rogers
- 1934 · Many Happy Returns as Brinker
- 1934 · Fog Over Frisco as Spike Smith
- 1930 · Seeing Things as The Heir
- 1928 · The Crash as Louie
- 1928 · The Butter and Egg Man as Jack McLure
- 1928 · Five and Ten Cent Annie as Briggs
- 1928 · Pay as You Enter as 'Terrible Bill' McGovern
- 1928 · A Girl in Every Port as Man in Bombay (uncredited)
- 1928 · Sharp Shooters as 'Hi Jack' Murdock
- 1927 · The Night Court as Defense Counsel
- 1927 · A Reno Divorce as James, the chauffeur
- 1927 · The Jazz Singer as Buster Billings (uncredited)
- 1927 · A Sailor's Sweetheart as Detective
- 1927 · The First Auto as The Village Cut-Up
- 1927 · What Happened To Father as Detective Dibbin
- 1927 · The Black Diamond Express as Train Engine Fireman
- 1927 · Simple Sis as
- 1927 · A Million Bid as George Lamont
- 1927 · Don't Tell the Wife as Ray Valerian
- 1927 · Finger Prints as Cuffs Egan