Charles Coburn
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.
Born: June 18, 1877
Place of Birth: Macon, Georgia, USA
Known For
Filmography
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Charles Coburn
as Benjamin Franklin
as Vance Beasley
as Grampa Pennypacker
as Hippocrates
as Uncle George Clitterbern
as Dr. John Fenner
as Steamship Company Clerk
as Guy Eliot
as Dr. Tweed
as Gardiner
as Mayor Ed Johnson
as Sir Francis Beekman
as le Père Matthew William Burke
as Self
as Oliver Oxley
as Samuel Fulton / John Smith
as Lord Walters
as Alex Conway
as Self
as Professor Brookfield
as Mr. Burnside
as Self
as Major Blair
as Dr. John Corday
as Professor Jason Hartley
as General Michael O'Hara
as Lieutenant Quincy
as Louis Hurst
as Self
as Beaver Greenway
as Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton
as Sir Simon Flaquer
as Harley Temple
as Alexander Gow
as Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham
as Col. John Appleby
as Robert Drexel Gow
as Max Dreyfus
as Nicolai Iiyitch
as Jonathan Crandall Sr
as William Smith
as Professor Henry Holmes
as Peter Stuyvesant
as Rudyard Morley
as Uncle Holman
as Hugo Van Cleve
as Charles Creighton
as Benjamin Dingle
as Self
as Stanley Menninger
as William Fitzroy
as Henry Gordon
as John Pulham
as Seton Mansley
as Professor Drake
as John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins
as 'Colonel' Harrington
as Dr. Karl Braun
as Captain Abe Peabody
as Dr. Johannes Hofer
as General Powell
as Joshua Mallon IV
as Richard Walker
as Lord Tyce
as J. B. Merlin
as Gardner Hubbard
as Judge Joseph M. Doolittle
as Dr. Hugo Waldersee
as Captain Briggs
as Dr. Finlay
as Mr. Morgan
as Dr. Charles Shingle
as Judge