Charles Cahill Wilson
Born: 1894-07-28 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: 1948-01-07
Known For: Acting
Biography
Charles Cahill Wilson (July 29, 1894 – January 7, 1948) was an American screen and stage actor. He appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of Hollywood from the late 1920s to late 1940s. Born in New York City in 1894, the white-haired, burly actor was often typecast as an earnest police officer, newspaper editor or principal. He appeared in over 250 films between 1928 and 1948, mostly playing small supporting roles with a few sentences. Charles Wilson began his acting career at the theatre, including roles in six Broadway plays between 1918 and 1931. In 1928, he directed the Hollywood comedy Lucky Boy (1928), where he also made his film debut. According to the Internet Movie Database, Lucky Boy was Wilson's only film as a director. His most notable role was probably Clark Gable's "wonderfully aggravated" newspaper boss in Frank Capra's comedy It Happened One Night, which won five Academy Awards in 1935. He was also cast in small roles in other Capra movies such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Shortly before his death, Wilson appeared as the boss of the Three Stooges in the two-reel comedy Crime on Their Hands (1948).
Filmography
1956
- Commotion on the Ocean as J.L. Cameron - Managing Editor (archive footage)
1948
- Big Town Scandal as Editor of the Chronicle (uncredited)
- Crime on Their Hands as J.L. Cameron
- Blazing Across the Pecos as Mayor Ace Brockway
1947
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- Key Witness as Warden (uncredited)
- Meet Mr. Mischief as Harry's Boss
1946
- It's a Wonderful Life as Charlie (uncredited)
- Road to Utopia as Official Policeman (uncredited)
- Passkey to Danger as Police Sergeant
- Crime of the Century as Police Lieutenant
- Blonde for a Day as Chief of Police Will Gentry (as Charles Wilson)
- Larceny in Her Heart as Chief Gentry (as Charles Wilson)
- Gas House Kids as Inspector Shannon
1945
- Scarlet Street as Watchman (uncredited)
- Two O'Clock Courage as Brant - City Editor (uncredited)
- Week-End at the Waldorf as Hi Johns
- A Gun in His Hand as Chief of Police (uncredited)
1944
- Crime by Night as District Attorney Hyatt
- Hey, Rookie as Sam Jonas
- The Missing Juror as Mac Ellis (uncredited)
1943
- Batman as Captain Arnold
- Silver Spurs as Mr. Hawkins
1942
- This Gun for Hire as Police Captain
- Gentleman Jim as Gurney (uncredited)
- Dr. Broadway as District Attorney McNamara
- Rings on Her Fingers
- The Secret Code as Desk Sgt. Cullen
- Blondie Goes to College as Police Sergeant
- Lady Gangster as Detective
- The Man Who Returned to Life as Inspector Mensil
- Escape from Crime as C.L. Reardon - Managing Editor (as Charles Wilson)
1941
- Meet John Doe as Charlie Dawson
- The Face Behind the Mask as Chief O'Brien
- Dressed to Kill as Newspaper Editor
- Out of the Fog
- Broadway Limited as Detective (as Charles Wilson)
- The Officer and the Lady as Police Captain Hart
- Federal Fugitives as Bruce Lane
1940
- They Drive by Night as Mike Williams (uncredited)
- City for Conquest as Bill - Man Behind MacPherson at Fight (uncredited)
- Knute Rockne All American as Gambler (uncredited)
- Lady with Red Hair as George Martin (uncredited)
- He Married His Wife as Warden
- Public Deb No. 1 as Sergeant
- Gangs of Chicago
- Charter Pilot as Owen
- Millionaires in Prison as R.J. Reynolds, Sunday Editor (uncredited)
- Tin Pan Alley as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- Girl in 313 as Vincent Brady, Commissioner of Police
- Sandy Is a Lady as Sergeant
1939
- The Roaring Twenties as Policeman (uncredited)
- The Return of Doctor X as Det. Kincaid
- Invisible Stripes as Arresting Officer (uncredited)
- Rose of Washington Square as Mike Cavanaugh
- Smashing the Money Ring as Capt. Kilrane
- Hotel for Women as Albert
- Fighting Thoroughbreds as Spencer Bogart
- The House of Fear as Police Chief
- The Cowboy Quarterback as Coach Hap Farrell
- Here I Am a Stranger as Managing Editor
1938
- Angels with Dirty Faces
- Gateway as Inspector
- Sally, Irene and Mary as Covered Wagon Cafe Manager
- When Were You Born as Inspector Jim C. Gregg
- The Spider's Web as Chase
- Prison Farm as Reardon
- State Police as Captain Halstead
- Tenth Avenue Kid as Commissioner
- The Night Hawk as Lonigan
- Hold That Co-ed as Coach Burke
- Little Miss Thoroughbred as Becker
1937
- You Only Live Once as Police Inspector (uncredited)
- Night Key as Police Capt. Wallace (uncredited)
- The Great O'Malley as Policeman Chiding School Bus Driver (uncredited)
- Broadway Melody of 1938 as Horse Auctioneer (uncredited)
- That’s My Story as Cummings
- Daughter of Shanghai as Schwartz (uncredited)
- The Adventurous Blonde as Mortimer Gray
- Find the Witness as Charley Blair (uncredited)
- The Case of the Stuttering Bishop as Hamilton Burger
- Life Begins in College as Tom Burke
- Murder Goes to College as Police Inspector Simpson
- Roaring Timber as Sam Garvin
- Midnight Court as Police Chief
- One Mile from Heaven as Fletcher
- Woman in Distress as Editor Herbert Claxton
- Partners in Crime as Inspector Simpson
- They Wanted to Marry as Clark
1936
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as County Hospital Guard (uncredited)
- Show Boat
- Big Brown Eyes as Prosecuting Attorney (Uncredited)
- Satan Met a Lady as Detective Pollock
- The Country Doctor as George the Boat Captain (uncredited)
- 36 Hours to Kill as F.B.I. Chief
- Strike Me Pink as Hardie
- Legion of Terror as Colonel McCollum (as Charles Wilson)
- Murder with Pictures as Assistant Editor (uncredited)
- The Return of Jimmy Valentine as Kelley
- Earthworm Tractors as H.J. Russell
- Panic on the Air as Fitzgerald
- The Gentleman from Louisiana as Diamond Jim Brady
- Down the Stretch as Tex Reardon
- Grand Jury as City Editor
- The Mine with the Iron Door as Pitkins
- I'd Give My Life as Warden
- The Magnificent Brute as Murphy
- Mind Your Own Business as Detective
1935
- The Gilded Lily as Managing Editor
- The Glass Key as District Attorney Edward J. Farr
- Murder in the Fleet as Commander Brown (Uncredited)
- We're Only Human as Editor of The Daily Star
- The Case of the Curious Bride as Ferry Captain (uncredited)
- Men of the Hour as Harper
- Waterfront Lady as Jim McFee aka Mac
- Music Is Magic as Decker - Theatre Manager (uncredited)
- Baby Face Harrington as City Editor (uncredited)
- Smart Girl as Morgan (uncredited)
- The Great Hotel Murder as Anthony Wilson
- After the Dance as Chief of Police
- Mary Burns, Fugitive as G-Man at dancehall
- The Case of the Lucky Legs as Police Officer Ricker
- Car 99 as Trooper Captain Ryan
- White Lies as Defense Attorney (uncredited)
- Hitch Hike Lady as Mike - a Racketeer
- The Perfect Clue as District Attorney
- The Nitwits as Police Captain Jennings
- Air Hawks as Newspaper editor
- Show Them No Mercy! as Clifford
- Four Hours to Kill! as Taft
- The Public Menace as First Detective
1934
- It Happened One Night as Joe Gordon
- The 9th Guest as Burke (Uncredited)
- Name the Woman as Joel Walker
- The Hell Cat as Graham
- Fog Over Frisco as Detective Sergeant O'Hagen
- I Believed in You as Magistrate
- Embarrassing Moments as Attorney
- The Human Side as Furniture Buyer (uncredited)
- Here Is My Heart as Captain Dodge (uncredited)
- The St. Louis Kid as Mr. Harris
- Cross Country Cruise as Detective (Uncredited)
- Men of the Night as Benson
- The Circus Clown as Sheldon
- Port of Lost Dreams as Warden
- The Dragon Murder Case as Det. Hennessey
- Murder in the Clouds as Lackey
- Affairs of a Gentleman as Inspector Quillan
- Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen as Chief of Police
1933
- Gold Diggers of 1933 as Deputy (uncredited)
- Female as Private Detective Falihee (Uncredited)
- The Mayor of Hell as Wilson (uncredited)
- The Kennel Murder Case as Detective Hennessy (uncredited)
- Private Detective 62 as Club Bartender (Uncredited)
- Hard to Handle as Jailer (uncredited)
- Mary Stevens, M.D. as Walter Rising
- College Coach as Charles Hauser
- Elmer, the Great as Mr. Wade (as Charles Wilson)
- Havana Widows as Mr. Timberg
- No Marriage Ties as Red Moran, City Desk Editor
- Shadows of Sing Sing
- Disgraced! as Thompson, Assistant District Attorney
1932
- The Trans-Atlantic Mystery as Detective Doyle (uncredited)
- The Campus Mystery as Detective Reardon
1931
- Hot News Margie as Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
- My Sin as Guest in Pool Party
- Stolen Heaven as Detective
1930
- Getting a Ticket as Motorcycle Cop
- Insurance as Doctor (uncredited)
1929
- Song of Love as Traveling Salesman
- Broadway Scandals as Jack
- Lucky Boy ... (Director)
- Acquitted as Nelson