Charles Coburn
Born: 1877-06-18 in Macon, Georgia, USA
Died: 1961-08-30
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
1997
- Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line as Self (archive footage)
1976
- It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
1960
- Pepe as Charles Coburn
1959
- Startime as Colonel Sykes
- John Paul Jones as Benjamin Franklin
- The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker as Grampa Pennypacker
- A Stranger in My Arms as Vance Beasley
1957
- How to Murder a Rich Uncle as Uncle George Clitterbern
- Town on Trial as Dr. John Fenner
- The Story of Mankind as Hippocrates
1956
- Around the World in 80 Days as Steamship Company Clerk
- The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
- The Power and the Prize as Guy Eliot
1955
- How to Be Very, Very Popular as Dr. Tweed
1954
- Studio 57
- December Bride
- The George Gobel Show as Self
- The Long Wait as Gardiner
- The Rocket Man as Mayor Ed Johnson
1953
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Sir Francis Beekman
- Trouble Along the Way as le Père Matthew William Burke
1952
- This Is Your Life as Self
- Monkey Business as Oliver Oxley
- Has Anybody Seen My Gal? as Samuel Fulton / John Smith
1951
- The Highwayman as Lord Walters
1950
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- What's My Line? as Self
- Lux Video Theatre as Pa Harrington
- Peggy as Professor Brookfield
- Louisa as Mr. Burnside
- Mr. Music as Alex Conway
1949
- Impact as Lieutenant Quincy
- The Gal Who Took the West as General Michael O'Hara
- Everybody Does It as Major Blair
- The Doctor and the Girl as Dr. John Corday
- Yes Sir, That's My Baby as Professor Jason Hartley
1948
- Studio One as Louis Hurst
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Green Grass of Wyoming as Beaver Greenway
- B.F.'s Daughter as Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton
1947
- The Paradine Case as Sir Simon Flaquer
- Lured as Harley Temple
1946
- The Green Years as Alexander Gow
- Colonel Effingham's Raid as Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham
1945
- A Royal Scandal as Nicolai Iiyitch
- Rhapsody in Blue as Max Dreyfus
- Over 21 as Robert Drexel Gow
- Shady Lady as Col. John Appleby
1944
- Wilson as Professor Henry Holmes
- Together Again as Jonathan Crandall Sr
- Knickerbocker Holiday as Peter Stuyvesant
- The Impatient Years as William Smith
1943
- Heaven Can Wait as Hugo Van Cleve
- The More the Merrier as Benjamin Dingle
- The Constant Nymph as Charles Creighton
- My Kingdom for a Cook as Rudyard Morley
- Princess O'Rourke as Uncle Holman
1942
- Kings Row as Henry Gordon
- Breakdowns of 1942 as Self
- In This Our Life as William Fitzroy
- George Washington Slept Here as Stanley Menninger
1941
- The Lady Eve as 'Colonel' Harrington
- The Devil and Miss Jones as John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins
- H.M. Pulham, Esq. as John Pulham
- Unexpected Uncle as Seton Mansley
- Our Wife as Professor Drake
1940
- Road to Singapore as Joshua Mallon IV
- Edison, the Man as General Powell
- Florian as Dr. Johannes Hofer
- Three Faces West as Dr. Karl Braun
- The Captain is a Lady as Captain Abe Peabody
1939
- The Story of Alexander Graham Bell as Gardner Hubbard
- Bachelor Mother as J. B. Merlin
- In Name Only as Richard Walker
- Made for Each Other as Judge Joseph M. Doolittle
- Idiot's Delight as Dr. Hugo Waldersee
- Stanley and Livingstone as Lord Tyce
1938
- Vivacious Lady as Mr. Morgan
- Of Human Hearts as Dr. Charles Shingle
- Yellow Jack as Dr. Finlay
- Lord Jeff as Captain Briggs
1935
- The People's Enemy as Judge