Charles Coburn
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 18, 1877
- Died
- August 30, 1961
- Birthplace
- Macon, Georgia, USA
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.
Filmography
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line 1997
as Self (archive footage)
It's Showtime 1976
as Self (archive footage)
Pepe 1960
as Charles Coburn
John Paul Jones 1959
as Benjamin Franklin
A Stranger in My Arms 1959
as Vance Beasley
The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker 1959
as Grampa Pennypacker
The Story of Mankind 1957
as Hippocrates
How to Murder a Rich Uncle 1957
as Uncle George Clitterbern
Town on Trial 1957
as Dr. John Fenner
Around the World in 80 Days 1956
as Steamship Company Clerk
The Power and the Prize 1956
as Guy Eliot
How to Be Very, Very Popular 1955
as Dr. Tweed
The Long Wait 1954
as Gardiner
The Rocket Man 1954
as Mayor Ed Johnson
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953
as Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman
Trouble Along the Way 1953
as le Père Matthew William Burke
Monkey Business 1952
as Oliver Oxley
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? 1952
as Samuel Fulton / John Smith
The Highwayman 1951
as Lord Walters
Mr. Music 1950
as Alex Conway
Peggy 1950
as Professor Brookfield
Louisa 1950
as Mr. Burnside
Everybody Does It 1949
as Major Blair
The Doctor and the Girl 1949
as Dr. John Corday
Yes Sir, That's My Baby 1949
as Jason Hartley
The Gal Who Took the West 1949
as General Michael O'Hara
Impact 1949
as Lieutenant Quincy
Green Grass of Wyoming 1948
as Beaver Greenway
B.F.'s Daughter 1948
as Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton
The Paradine Case 1947
as Sir Simon Flaquer
Lured 1947
as Harley Temple
The Green Years 1946
as Alexander Gow
Colonel Effingham's Raid 1946
as Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham
Shady Lady 1945
as Col. John Appleby
Over 21 1945
as Robert Drexel Gow
Rhapsody in Blue 1945
as Max Dreyfus
A Royal Scandal 1945
as Nicolai Iiyitch
Together Again 1944
as Jonathan Crandall Sr
The Impatient Years 1944
as William Smith
Wilson 1944
as Professor Henry Holmes
Knickerbocker Holiday 1944
as Peter Stuyvesant
My Kingdom for a Cook 1943
as Rudyard Morley
Princess O'Rourke 1943
as Uncle Holman
Heaven Can Wait 1943
as Hugo Van Cleve
The Constant Nymph 1943
as Charles Creighton
The More the Merrier 1943
as Benjamin Dingle
Breakdowns of 1942 1942
as Self
George Washington Slept Here 1942
as Stanley Menninger
In This Our Life 1942
as William Fitzroy
Kings Row 1942
as Henry Gordon
H.M. Pulham, Esq. 1941
as John Pulham
Unexpected Uncle 1941
as Seton Mansley
Our Wife 1941
as Professor Drake
The Devil and Miss Jones 1941
as John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins
The Lady Eve 1941
as 'Colonel' Harrington
Three Faces West 1940
as Dr. Karl Braun
The Captain is a Lady 1940
as Captain Abe Peabody
Florian 1940
as Dr. Johannes Hofer
Edison, the Man 1940
as General Powell
Road to Singapore 1940
as Joshua Mallon IV
Stanley and Livingstone 1939
as Lord Tyce
In Name Only 1939
as Richard Walker
Bachelor Mother 1939
as J. B. Merlin
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell 1939
as Gardner Hubbard
Made for Each Other 1939
as Joseph Doolittle
Idiot's Delight 1939
as Dr. Hugo Waldersee
Lord Jeff 1938
as Captain Briggs
Yellow Jack 1938
as Dr. Finlay
Vivacious Lady 1938
as Mr. Morgan
Of Human Hearts 1938
as Dr. Charles Shingle
The People's Enemy 1935
as Judge
Credits from TMDB.