Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American film and theater actor. Best known for his work in comedies, Coburn received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1943's The More the Merrier.
| Full Name | Charles Coburn |
| Net Worth | $20 Million |
| Date Of Birth | June 19, 1877 |
| Died | August 30, 1961, New York City, New York, United States |
| Place Of Birth | Savannah, Georgia, USA |
| Height | 6' (1.83 m) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Profession | Actor |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Winifred Natzka, Ivah Wills Coburn |
| Children | Charlie Coburn, John Coburn, Marg Coburn, Samuel Coburn, Stephanie Coburn, Margaret Coburn, Holly Coburn |
| Parents | Emma Louise Sprigman, Moses Douville Coburn |
| Nicknames | Charles Coburn, Coburn, Charles |
| IMDB | http://imdb.com/name/nm0002013 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| Movies | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The More the Merrier, The Lady Eve, The Devil and Miss Jones, Heaven Can Wait, Monkey Business, Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, Bachelor Mother, Kings Row, The Paradine Case, Made for Each Other, Vivacious Lady, The Green Years, Around the World in 80 Days, In This Our Life, Of H... |
| TV Shows | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
| Star Sign | Gemini |
| # | Fact |
|---|
| 1 | Said in an interview with local news reporters that his movie career began when he stood on the corner of Broughton Street in downtown Savannah, GA handing out playbills for the two downtown theaters. |
| 2 | According to Piper Laurie in her memoirs (Learning To Love Out Loud), Charles Coburn loved pinching women's bottoms. It was for him like a tic. Every female under one hundred and five had to move fast around. But no one ever considered reporting from sexual harassment. |
| 3 | He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. |
| 4 | In 1928, he opened his own theater, the Coburn Theater, on Manhattan's 63rd Street, but the Depression brought hard times and he was forced to declare bankruptcy in December 1932. |
| 5 | In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he only stayed eight months a year in Hollywood. He returned east each summer to New York, which he considered home. In 1946, he moved to Hollywood full time. |
| 6 | Studied the techniques of such late 19th-century stars as Henry Irving, DeWolf Hopper Sr., John Drew and Richard Mansfield when he was a young theater usher. |
| 7 | He instructed his executor not to have a public funeral or burial. He wished to have his body cremated and his ashes mixed and scattered in various locations with those of his wife, who had died many years before. |
| 8 | The University of Georgia held a special day of celebration on January 30, 1956, as a distinguished native Georgian. The university has his archived library, correspondence, and memorabilia. |
| 9 | When asked by a reporter why he did not wear his omnipresent monocle while eating, he replied, "I once lost one in a bowl of soup.". |
| 10 | Auditioned for the role of Judge Hardy in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's famous Andy Hardy series. Although he did not get the role, he was noticed by director Clarence Brown, who cast him in Of Human Hearts (1938). |
| 11 | Made his Broadway debut in "Up York State" in 1901. |
| 12 | Although he was born in Macon, Georgia, he was often thought to be English. |
| 13 | He always carried a stack of cards with his autograph already written on them to satisfy fan requests. |
| 14 | Loved to play poker. |
| 15 | Formed a repertory company with his actress-wife Ivah Wills, which endured until her death in 1937. |
| 16 | Started as an usher and doorman at a theater in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. By age 17, he had become manager of that establishment. He later turned to acting himself and made his bow on Broadway in 1901. |
| 17 | On February 28, 2012, Coburn's Oscar statuette was auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Memorabilia. It sold for $170,459. |
| 18 | His famous monocle was no affectation, but actually corrected an eye deficiency. "No point having two window panes where one will do," was always his explanation. |
| 19 | One of the few Hollywood actors who actually lived on Hollywood Boulevard. |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| Green Grass of Wyoming | 1948 | | Beaver Greenway |
| B.F.'s Daughter | 1948 | | B.F. Fulton |
| The Paradine Case | 1947 | | Sir Simon Flaquer |
| Lured | 1947 | | Inspector Harley Temple |
| The Green Years | 1946 | | Alexander Gow |
| Colonel Effingham's Raid | 1946 | | Col. Will Seaborn Effingham |
| Shady Lady | 1945 | | Col. John Appleby |
| Over 21 | 1945 | | Robert Drexel Gow |
| Rhapsody in Blue | 1945 | | Max Dreyfus |
| A Royal Scandal | 1945 | | Chancellor Nicolai Iiyitch |
| Together Again | 1944 | | Jonathan Crandall Sr |
| The Impatient Years | 1944 | | William Smith |
| Wilson | 1944 | | Professor Henry Holmes |
| Knickerbocker Holiday | 1944 | | Peter Stuyvesant |
| My Kingdom for a Cook | 1943 | | Rudyard Morley |
| Princess O'Rourke | 1943 | | Holman - Maria's Uncle |
| Heaven Can Wait | 1943 | | Hugo Van Cleve |
| The Constant Nymph | 1943 | | Charles Creighton |
| The More the Merrier | 1943 | | Benjamin Dingle |
| Forever and a Day | 1943 | | Sir William (scenes deleted) |
| George Washington Slept Here | 1942 | | Uncle Stanley J. Menninger |
| In This Our Life | 1942 | | William Fitzroy |
| Kings Row | 1942 | | Dr. Henry Gordon |
| H.M. Pulham, Esq. | 1941 | | Mr. Pulham Sr. |
| Unexpected Uncle | 1941 | | Seton Mansley aka Alfred Crane |
| Our Wife | 1941 | | Professor Drake |
| The Devil and Miss Jones | 1941 | | Merrick |
| The Lady Eve | 1941 | | 'Colonel' Harrington |
| Three Faces West | 1940 | | Dr. Karl Braun |
| The Captain Is a Lady | 1940 | | Captain Abe Peabody |
| Florian | 1940 | | Dr. Johannes Hofer |
| Edison, the Man | 1940 | | General Powell |
| Road to Singapore | 1940 | | Joshua Mallon IV |
| In Name Only | 1939 | | Mr. Walker |
| Stanley and Livingstone | 1939 | | Lord Tyce |
| Bachelor Mother | 1939 | | J. B. Merlin |
| The Story of Alexander Graham Bell | 1939 | | Gardner Hubbard |
| Made for Each Other | 1939 | | Judge Joseph M. Doolittle |
| Idiot's Delight | 1939 | | Dr. Hugo Waldersee |
| Lord Jeff | 1938 | | Captain Briggs |
| Yellow Jack | 1938 | | Dr. Finlay |
| Vivacious Lady | 1938 | | Mr. Morgan |
| Of Human Hearts | 1938 | | Dr. Charles Shingle |
| The People's Enemy | 1935 | | Judge Hays |
| Boss Tweed | 1933 | | Boss Tweed |
| The Best of the Post | 1961 | TV Series | John Conant |
| Pepe | 1960 | | Charles Coburn |
| Startime | 1959 | TV Series | Colonel Sykes |
| John Paul Jones | 1959 | | Benjamin Franklin |
| Make Room for Daddy | 1959 | TV Series | John Malloy |
| A Stranger in My Arms | 1959 | | Vance Beasley |
| The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | 1959 | | Grampa Pennypacker |
| The Bob Cummings Show | 1958 | TV Series | Charles Coburn |
| The Betty White Show | 1958 | TV Series | Old Gentleman |
| This Is Alice | 1958 | TV Series | |
| The Story of Mankind | 1957 | | Hippocrates |
| How to Murder a Rich Uncle | 1957 | | Uncle George |
| Town on Trial | 1957 | | Dr. John Fenner |
| Ethel Barrymore Theater | 1956 | TV Series | |
| Strange Stories | 1956 | TV Series | |
| Around the World in Eighty Days | 1956 | | Steamship Company Hong Kong Clerk |
| The Power and the Prize | 1956 | | Guy Eliot |
| Chevron Hall of Stars | 1956 | TV Series | |
| The Ford Television Theatre | 1953-1956 | TV Series | Christopher Kagle / Uncle Henry / C.C. Cunningham / ... |
| Kraft Theatre | 1956 | TV Series | |
| Damon Runyon Theater | 1956 | TV Series | Harvard |
| The Red Skelton Hour | 1956 | TV Series | Professor-Turned-Hobo |
| Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre | 1956 | TV Series | Dr. Cutler |
| The Star and the Story | 1955-1956 | TV Series | Tom Carey / Gen Sir Arthur Humprey 'Daddles' Hallstone (Ret.) |
| December Bride | 1955 | TV Series | |
| The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater | 1955 | TV Series | The Colonel |
| How to Be Very, Very Popular | 1955 | | Dr. Tweed |
| Justice | 1955 | TV Series | |
| Studio 57 | 1955 | TV Series | Theodore J. Gulch |
| Country Doctor | 1954 | TV Movie | |
| Studio One in Hollywood | 1954 | TV Series | Louis Hurst |
| The United States Steel Hour | 1954 | TV Series | Judge Purdy |
| The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse | 1954 | TV Series | |
| The Best of Broadway | 1954 | TV Series | Oscar Wolfe |
| Center Stage | 1954 | TV Series | |
| The Long Wait | 1954 | | Gardiner |
| The Rocket Man | 1954 | | Mayor Ed Johnson |
| Lux Video Theatre | 1953 | TV Series | Pa Harrington |
| Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City | 1953 | TV Series | |
| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | 1953 | | Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman |
| Trouble Along the Way | 1953 | | Father Burke |
| Monkey Business | 1952 | | Mr. Oliver Oxley |
| Has Anybody Seen My Gal | 1952 | | Samuel Fulton / John Smith |
| The Highwayman | 1951 | | Lord Walters |
| Saturday Night Revue | 1950 | TV Series | Guest Perofrmer |
| Mr. Music | 1950 | | Alex Conway |
| Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | 1950 | TV Series | Grandpa Vanderhof |
| Peggy | 1950 | | Professor 'Brooks' Brookfield |
| Louisa | 1950 | | Abel Burnside |
| Everybody Does It | 1949 | | Major Blair |
| The Doctor and the Girl | 1949 | | Dr. John Corday |
| The Gal Who Took the West | 1949 | | Gen. Michael O'Hara |
| Yes Sir, That's My Baby | 1949 | | Professor Jason Hartley |
| Impact | 1949 | | Lt. Tom Quincy |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| Monkey Business | 1952 | performer: "The Whiffenpoof Song" - uncredited | |
| Has Anybody Seen My Gal | 1952 | performer: "When the Red, Red, Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along", "The Charleston", "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'" - uncredited | |
| Knickerbocker Holiday | 1944 | performer: "September Song" - uncredited | |
| The More the Merrier | 1943 | "The Torpedo Song" 1943 | |
| George Washington Slept Here | 1942 | "I'll Never Smile Again" 1939, uncredited | |
| Unexpected Uncle | 1941 | "Strolling Through the Park One Day" 1884, uncredited | |
| We're Going to Be Rich | 1938 | writer: "Two Lovely Black Eyes" | |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| Intimate Portrait | 1996 | TV Series documentary | Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman |
| Here's Hollywood | 1961 | TV Series | Himself |
| This Is Your Life | 1960 | TV Series | Himself |
| About Faces | 1960 | TV Series | Himself |
| I've Got a Secret | 1953-1959 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself - Celebrity Guest |
| The Jack Paar Tonight Show | 1958 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Rosemary Clooney Show | 1957 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Martha Raye Show | 1956 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Red Skelton Hour | 1955 | TV Series | Himself |
| The George Gobel Show | 1954 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Name's the Same | 1953-1954 | TV Series | Himself / Guest star contestant |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | 1953 | TV Series | Himself |
| What's My Line? | 1953 | TV Series | Himself - Mystery Guest |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | 1953 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Arthur Murray Party | 1953 | TV Series | Himself |
| Texaco Star Theatre | 1950-1953 | TV Series | Himself - Actor |
| The 25th Annual Academy Awards | 1953 | TV Special | Himself |
| The Ken Murray Show | 1951 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Alan Young Show | 1951 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter | 1950 | TV Series | Himself |
| Screen Snapshots: The Great Showman | 1950 | Short | Himself |
| Breakdowns of 1942 | 1942 | Short | Himself (uncredited) |
| Meet the Stars #1: Chinese Garden Festival | 1940 | Documentary short | Himself |
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