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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

84

Gender

Male

Birthday

1877-06-18

Day of Death

1961-08-30 (84 years old)

Place of Birth

Macon, Georgia, USA

Also Known As

Charles Douville Coburn

Charles Coburn

Biography

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

Acting

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

1953

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

as

Sir Francis Beekman

The Lady Eve

1941

The Lady Eve

as

'Colonel' Harrington

Lured

1947

Lured

as

Harley Temple

Monkey Business

1952

Monkey Business

as

Oliver Oxley

The Paradine Case

1947

The Paradine Case

as

Sir Simon Flaquer

Together Again

1944

Together Again

as

Jonathan Crandall Sr

Impact

1949

Impact

as

Lieutenant Quincy

In Name Only

1939

In Name Only

as

Richard Walker

Princess O'Rourke

1943

Princess O'Rourke

as

Uncle Holman

Vivacious Lady

1938

Vivacious Lady

as

Mr. Morgan

George Washington Slept Here

1942

George Washington Slept Here

as

Stanley Menninger

Trouble Along the Way

1953

Trouble Along the Way

as

le Père Matthew William Burke

Three Faces West

1940

Three Faces West

as

Dr. Karl Braun

Bachelor Mother

1939

Bachelor Mother

as

J. B. Merlin

The Story of Mankind

1957

The Story of Mankind

as

Hippocrates

The Gal Who Took the West

1949

The Gal Who Took the West

as

General Michael O'Hara

The Long Wait

1954

The Long Wait

as

Gardiner

Rhapsody in Blue

1945

Rhapsody in Blue

as

Max Dreyfus

In This Our Life

1942

In This Our Life

as

William Fitzroy

The Devil and Miss Jones

1941

The Devil and Miss Jones

as

John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins

Edison, the Man

1940

Edison, the Man

as

General Powell

Idiot's Delight

1939

Idiot's Delight

as

Dr. Hugo Waldersee

Made for Each Other

1939

Made for Each Other

as

Judge Joseph M. Doolittle

Heaven Can Wait

1943

Heaven Can Wait

as

Hugo Van Cleve

Green Grass of Wyoming

1948

Green Grass of Wyoming

as

Beaver Greenway

The More the Merrier

1943

The More the Merrier

as

Benjamin Dingle

Pepe

1960

Pepe

as

Charles Coburn

Kings Row

1942

Kings Row

as

Henry Gordon

Has Anybody Seen My Gal?

1952

Has Anybody Seen My Gal?

as

Samuel Fulton / John Smith

John Paul Jones

1959

John Paul Jones

as

Benjamin Franklin

B.F.'s Daughter

1948

B.F.'s Daughter

as

Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton

Wilson

1944

Wilson

as

Professor Henry Holmes

The Constant Nymph

1943

The Constant Nymph

as

Charles Creighton

A Royal Scandal

1945

A Royal Scandal

as

Nicolai Iiyitch

Our Wife

1941

Our Wife

as

Professor Drake

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

1941

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

as

John Pulham

Over 21

1945

Over 21

as

Robert Drexel Gow

The Doctor and the Girl

1949

The Doctor and the Girl

as

Dr. John Corday

The Green Years

1946

The Green Years

as

Alexander Gow

Town on Trial

1957

Town on Trial

as

Dr. John Fenner

Lord Jeff

1938

Lord Jeff

as

Captain Briggs

Mr. Music

1950

Mr. Music

as

Alex Conway

Of Human Hearts

1938

Of Human Hearts

as

Dr. Charles Shingle

Shady Lady

1945

Shady Lady

as

Col. John Appleby

How to Murder a Rich Uncle

1957

How to Murder a Rich Uncle

as

Uncle George Clitterbern

The Rocket Man

1954

The Rocket Man

as

Mayor Ed Johnson

Yellow Jack

1938

Yellow Jack

as

Dr. Finlay

The Impatient Years

1944

The Impatient Years

as

William Smith

The Highwayman

1951

The Highwayman

as

Lord Walters

Unexpected Uncle

1941

Unexpected Uncle

as

Seton Mansley

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend

1986

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend

as

Self (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [1953]) (archive footage)

Florian

1940

Florian

as

Dr. Johannes Hofer

A Stranger in My Arms

1959

A Stranger in My Arms

as

Vance Beasley

Knickerbocker Holiday

1944

Knickerbocker Holiday

as

Peter Stuyvesant

Everybody Does It

1949

Everybody Does It

as

Major Blair

Road to Singapore

1940

Road to Singapore

as

Joshua Mallon IV

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker

1959

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker

as

Grampa Pennypacker

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

1997

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

as

Self (archive footage)

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

1949

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

as

Professor Jason Hartley

My Kingdom for a Cook

1943

My Kingdom for a Cook

as

Rudyard Morley

Around the World in Eighty Days

1956

Around the World in Eighty Days

as

Steamship Company Clerk

Peggy

1950

Peggy

as

Professor Brookfield

Louisa

1950

Louisa

as

Mr. Burnside

The Captain Is a Lady

1940

The Captain Is a Lady

as

Captain Abe Peabody

Colonel Effingham's Raid

1946

Colonel Effingham's Raid

as

Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham

Marilyn

1963

Marilyn

as

Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman (archive footage) (uncredited)

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

1985

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

as

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

It's Showtime

1976

It's Showtime

as

Self (archive footage)

Studio One

Studio One

as

Louis Hurst

Lux Video Theatre

Lux Video Theatre

as

Pa Harrington

Production

Crew

Directing