William Demarest
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 27, 1892
- Died
- December 28, 1983
- Birthplace
- Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
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).
Filmography
- Television: The First Fifty Years
Television: The First Fifty Years 1999
as Charlie O'Casey (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line 1997
as Self (archive footage)
The Millionaire 1978
as Oscar Pugh
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood 1976
as Studio Gatekeeper
The Wild McCullochs 1975
as Father Gurkin
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 1973
as Mr. Harris
That Darn Cat! 1965
as Mr. MacDougall
Viva Las Vegas 1964
as Mr. Martin
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 1963
as Police Chief Aloysius
Son of Flubber 1963
as Mr. Hummel
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon 1961
as Jeb
Twenty Plus Two 1961
as Desmond Slocum
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein 1961
as Henry Hecht
Pepe 1960
as Movie Studio Gateman
The Rawhide Years 1956
as Brand Comfort
The Mountain 1956
as Father Belacchi
Hell on Frisco Bay 1955
as Dan Bianco
Sincerely Yours 1955
as Sam Dunne
Lucy Gallant 1955
as Charles Madden
The Private War of Major Benson 1955
as John
The Far Horizons 1955
as Sgt. Gass
Jupiter's Darling 1955
as Mago
The Yellow Mountain 1954
as Jackpot Wray
Jamboree 1954
as Self
Escape from Fort Bravo 1953
as Campbell
Here Come the Girls 1953
as Dennis Logan
Dangerous When Wet 1953
as Pa Higgins
The Lady Wants Mink 1953
as Harvey Jones
The Blazing Forest 1952
as Syd Jessup
What Price Glory 1952
as Corporal Kiper
Behave Yourself! 1951
as O'Ryan
The Strip 1951
as Fluff
Excuse My Dust 1951
as Harvey Bullitt
The First Legion 1951
as Monsignor Michael Carey
He's a Cockeyed Wonder 1950
as Bob Sears
Never a Dull Moment 1950
as Mears
Riding High 1950
as Happy
When Willie Comes Marching Home 1950
as Herman Kluggs
Red, Hot and Blue 1949
as Charlie Baxter
Jolson Sings Again 1949
as Steve Martin
Sorrowful Jones 1949
as Regret
Whispering Smith 1948
as Bill Dansing
Night Has a Thousand Eyes 1948
as Lt. Shawn
The Sainted Sisters 1948
as Vern Tewilliger
On Our Merry Way 1948
as Floyd
Variety Girl 1947
as Barker
The Perils of Pauline 1947
as George 'Mac' McGuire
The Jolson Story 1946
as Steve Martin
Our Hearts Were Growing Up 1946
as Peanuts Schultz
Pardon My Past 1945
as Chuck Gibson
Hollywood Victory Caravan 1945
as Bill, the Security Guard
Duffy's Tavern 1945
as William Demarest
Along Came Jones 1945
as George Fury
Salty O'Rourke 1945
as Smitty
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek 1944
as Constable Edmund Kockenlocker
Hail the Conquering Hero 1944
as Sgt. Heppelfinger
The Great Moment 1944
as Eben Frost
Once Upon a Time 1944
as Brandt
Nine Girls 1944
as Walter Cummings
True to Life 1943
as Uncle Jake
Dangerous Blondes 1943
as Detective Gatling
Stage Door Canteen 1943
as William Demarest
Johnny Doughboy 1942
as Harry Fabian
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty 1942
as Police Officer
Behind the Eight Ball 1942
as McKenzie
The Palm Beach Story 1942
as First Member Ale and Quail Club
Pardon My Sarong 1942
as Detective Kendall
My Favorite Spy 1942
as Flower Pot Policeman
True to the Army 1942
as Sgt. Butts
All Through the Night 1942
as Sunshine
Glamour Boy 1941
as Papa Doran
Sullivan's Travels 1941
as Mr. Jones
Dressed to Kill 1941
as Inspector Pierson
Country Fair 1941
as Stogie McPhee
Ride on Vaquero 1941
as Bartender Barney
Rookies on Parade 1941
as Mike Brady
The Devil and Miss Jones 1941
as First Detective
The Lady Eve 1941
as Muggsy
Little Men 1940
as Constable Tom Thorpe
Christmas in July 1940
as Mr. Bildocker
Comin' Round the Mountain 1940
as Gutsy Mann
The Golden Fleecing 1940
as Swallow
The Great McGinty 1940
as Skeeters - The Politician
The Farmer's Daughter 1940
as Victor Walsh
- Wolf of New York
Wolf of New York 1940
as Bill Ennis
- Laugh It Off
Laugh It Off 1939
as Barney 'Gimpy' Cole
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939
as Bill Griffith
Miracles for Sale 1939
as Quinn
The Cowboy Quarterback 1939
as Rusty Walker
The Gracie Allen Murder Case 1939
as Police Sgt. Ernest Heath
King of the Turf 1939
as Arnold
The Great Man Votes 1939
as Charles Dole
While New York Sleeps 1938
as Red Miller
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus 1938
as Daro
Josette 1938
as Joe, Diner Owner
One Wild Night 1938
as Collins
Romance on the Run 1938
as Police Lt. Eckhardt
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm 1938
as Henry Kipper
Rosalie 1937
as Army Coach
Big City 1937
as Mr. Beecher
Wake Up and Live 1937
as Radio Center Tour Guide
Blonde Trouble 1937
as Paul Sears
Easy Living 1937
as Wallace Whistling
The Great Gambini 1937
as Sergeant Kirby
The Great Hospital Mystery 1937
as Mr. Beatty
The Hit Parade 1937
as Parole Officer
Oh, Doctor 1937
as Marty Short
Don't Tell the Wife 1937
as Larry 'Horace' Tucker
Time Out for Romance 1937
as Willoughby Sproggs
Mind Your Own Business 1936
as Droopy
Charlie Chan at the Opera 1936
as Sergeant Kelly
Love on the Run 1936
as Editor
Wedding Present 1936
as 'Smiles' Benson
The Great Ziegfeld 1936
as Gene Buck (uncredited)
White Lies 1935
as Roberts
Hands Across the Table 1935
as Regi's Date Natty (uncredited)
Diamond Jim 1935
as Harry Hill
Bright Lights 1935
as Detective
The Murder Man 1935
as 'Red' Maguire
The Casino Murder Case 1935
as Auctioneer (uncredited)
After Office Hours 1935
as Police Detective (uncredited)
Fugitive Lady 1934
as Steve Rogers
Many Happy Returns 1934
as Brinker
Fog Over Frisco 1934
as Spike Smith
- Seeing Things
Seeing Things 1930
as The Heir
The Crash 1928
as Louie
The Butter and Egg Man 1928
as Jack McLure
Five and Ten Cent Annie 1928
as Briggs
Pay as You Enter 1928
as 'Terrible Bill' McGovern
A Girl in Every Port 1928
as Man in Bombay (uncredited)
Sharp Shooters 1928
as 'Hi Jack' Murdock
The Night Court 1927
as Defense Counsel
A Reno Divorce 1927
as James, the chauffeur
The Jazz Singer 1927
as Buster Billings (uncredited)
A Sailor's Sweetheart 1927
as Detective
The Bush Leaguer 1927
as John Gilroy
The First Auto 1927
as The Village Cut-Up
What Happened To Father 1927
as Detective Dibbin
The Black Diamond Express 1927
as Train Engine Fireman
Simple Sis 1927
Actor
A Million Bid 1927
as George Lamont
Matinee Ladies 1927
as Man About Town
The Gay Old Bird 1927
as Mr. Fixit
Don't Tell the Wife 1927
as Ray Valerian
Finger Prints 1927
as Cuffs Egan
Credits from TMDB.