Charles Coburn

Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer.[1] He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times in The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), The More the Merrier (1943), and The Green Years (1946) winning for his performance in The More the Merrier. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 for his contribution to the film industry.

Charles Coburn
Coburn from a trailer for Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
Born(1877-06-19)June 19, 1877
DiedAugust 30, 1961(1961-08-30) (aged 84)
Resting placeBonaventure Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1901–1960
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
(m. 1906; died 1937)
    Winifred Natzka
    (m. 1959)
    Children7

    Biography

    Charles Coburn in Road to Singapore (1940)

    Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia,[2] the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman (May 11, 1838 Springfield, Ohio – November 12, 1896 Savannah, Georgia) and Moses Douville Coburn (April 27, 1834 Savannah – December 27, 1902 Savannah). 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.[2][3] He later became an actor, making his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with actress Ivah Wills in 1905.[2][3] 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 his roles in Kings Row and Wilson showed his dramatic 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.

    Political activity

    Coburn with Helen Walker in Impact (1949)

    In the 1940s, Coburn served as vice president of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a group opposed to leftist infiltration and proselytization in Hollywood during the Cold War.[4] Born and raised in the southern state of Georgia, Coburn was a member of the states' rights network of groups known as the Citizens' Councils.[5][6]

    A staunch Republican, Coburn supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.[7]

    Personal life

    Coburn married Ivah Wills on January 29, 1906, in Atlanta, Georgia. They had six children.[8] Coburn married Winifred Natzka on June 30, 1959, in Los Angeles. She was the widow of the New Zealand bass opera singer Oscar Natzka. They had one child,[8] a daughter.

    In the 1940s, Coburn made his home at the National Arts Club in New York City. His late wife's mother lived there with him.[9]

    Coburn died of a heart attack on August 30, 1961, at age 84 in New York City. He was interred at Bonaventure Cemetery.[10]

    Complete filmography

    Year Film Role Director Notes
    1933 Boss Tweed Boss Tweed
    1935 The People's Enemy Judge Hays Crane Wilbur
    1938 Of Human Hearts Dr. Charles Shingle Clarence Brown
    1938 Vivacious Lady Mr. Morgan George Stevens
    1938 Yellow Jack Dr. Finlay George B. Seitz
    1938 Lord Jeff Captain Briggs Sam Wood
    1939 Idiot's Delight Dr. Hugo Waldersee Clarence Brown
    1939 Made for Each Other Judge Joseph M. Doolittle John Cromwell
    1939 The Story of Alexander Graham Bell Gardner Hubbard Irving Cummings
    1939 Bachelor Mother J. B. Merlin Garson Kanin
    1939 Stanley and Livingstone Lord Tyce Otto Brower (safari sequences)
    1939 In Name Only Mr. Walker John Cromwell
    1940 Road to Singapore Joshua Mallon IV Victor Schertzinger
    1940 Edison, the Man General Powell Clarence Brown
    1940 Florian Dr. Johannes Hofer John E. Burch (assistant)
    1940 The Captain Is a Lady Captain Abe Peabody Robert B. Sinclair
    1940 Three Faces West Dr. Karl Braun Bernard Vorhaus
    1941 The Lady Eve 'Colonel' Harrington Preston Sturges
    1941 The Devil and Miss Jones Merrick Sam Wood Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
    1941 Our Wife Professor Drake John M. Stahl
    1941 Unexpected Uncle Seton Mansley aka Alfred Crane Peter Godfrey
    1941 H. M. Pulham, Esq. Mr. Pulham Sr. King Vidor
    1942 Kings Row Dr. Henry Gordon Sam Wood
    1942 In This Our Life William Fitzroy John Huston
    1942 George Washington Slept Here Uncle Stanley J. Menninger William Keighley
    1943 Forever and a Day Sir William (scenes cut) [1]
    1943 The More the Merrier Benjamin Dingle George Stevens Winner - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
    1943 The Constant Nymph Charles Creighton Edmund Goulding
    1943 Heaven Can Wait Hugo Van Cleve Ernst Lubitsch
    1943 Princess O'Rourke Holman - Maria's Uncle Norman Krasna
    1943 My Kingdom for a Cook Rudyard Morley Richard Wallace
    1944 Knickerbocker Holiday Peter Stuyvesant Harry Joe Brown
    1944 Wilson Professor Henry Holmes Henry King
    1944 The Impatient Years William Smith Irving Cummings
    1944 Together Again Jonathan Crandall Sr Charles Vidor
    1945 A Royal Scandal Chancellor Nicolai Iiyitch Ernst Lubitsch
    1945 Rhapsody in Blue Max Dreyfus Irving Rapper
    1945 Over 21 Robert Drexel Gow Charles Vidor
    1945 Shady Lady Col. John Appleby George Waggner
    1946 Colonel Effingham's Raid Col. Will Seaborn Effingham Irving Pichel
    1946 The Green Years Alexander Gow Victor Saville Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
    1947 Lured Inspector Harley Temple Douglas Sirk
    1947 The Paradine Case Sir Simon Flaquer Alfred Hitchcock
    1948 B.F.'s Daughter B.F. Fulton Robert Z. Leonard
    1948 Green Grass of Wyoming Beaver Greenway Louis King
    1949 Impact Lt. Tom Quincy Arthur Lubin
    1949 Yes Sir That's My Baby Professor Jason Hartley George Sherman
    1949 The Gal Who Took the West Gen. Michael O'Hara Frederick de Cordova
    1949 The Doctor and the Girl Dr. John Corday Curtis Bernhardt
    1949 Everybody Does It Major Blair Edmund Goulding
    1950 Louisa Abel Burnside Alexander Hall
    1950 Peggy Professor 'Brooks' Brookfield Frederick De Cordova
    1950 Mr. Music Alex Conway Richard Haydn
    1951 The Highwayman Lord Walters Lesley Selander
    1952 Has Anybody Seen My Gal? Samuel Fulton / John Smith Douglas Sirk
    1952 Monkey Business Mr. Oliver Oxley Howard Hawks
    1953 Trouble Along the Way Father Burke Michael Curtiz
    1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman Howard Hawks
    1954 The Rocket Man Mayor Ed Johnson Oscar Rudolph
    1954 The Long Wait Gardiner Victor Saville
    1954 Country Doctor
    1955 How to Be Very, Very Popular Dr. Tweed Nunnally Johnson
    1956 The Power and the Prize Guy Eliot Henry Koster
    1956 Around the World in 80 Days a Hong Kong steamship company clerk Michael Anderson
    1957 Town on Trial Dr. John Fenner John Guillermin
    1957 How to Murder a Rich Uncle Uncle George Nigel Patrick
    1957 The Story of Mankind Hippocrates Irwin Allen
    1959 The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker Grampa Pennypacker Henry Levin
    1959 A Stranger in My Arms Vance Beasley Helmut Kautner
    1959 John Paul Jones Benjamin Franklin John Farrow
    1960 Pepe Himself George Sidney

    Radio appearances

    YearProgramEpisode/source
    1946Academy AwardThe Devil and Miss Jones[11]

    See also

    References

    1. Obituary Variety, September 6, 1971.
    2. "Charles Coburn (1877–1961)". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2006.
    3. "Charles Coburn Collection". University of Georgia Libraries – Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
    4. Doyle Greene, The American Worker on Film: A Critical History, 1909-1999 (Jefferson NC: MacFarland, 2010), 80-82. ISBN 9780786457762
    5. "Citizens Council". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
    6. "The Bend Bulletin from Bend, Oregon on June 13, 1959 · Page 5". Newspapers.com.
    7. Critchlow, Donald T. (October 21, 2013). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. ISBN 9781107650282.
    8. "Oscar Profile #104: Charles Coburn". CinemaSight. September 20, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
    9. "Mrs. Anna K. Wills". New York Times. April 19, 1944. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
    10. Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
    11. "Charles Coburn Is 'Academy' Star". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. October 19, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved September 29, 2015 via Newspapers.com. open access

    Further reading

    • Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Charles Coburn". The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age (softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 68–71. ISBN 978-1-7200-3837-5.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.