1877-06-18 Macon, Georgia, USA
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.
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line | Self (archive footage) | 1997-05-12 |
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Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend | Self (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [1953]) (archive footage) | 1986-04-19 |
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1985-03-03 |
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It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
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Marilyn | Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1963-04-18 |
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Pepe | Charles Coburn | 1960-12-21 |
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John Paul Jones | Benjamin Franklin | 1959-06-16 |
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A Stranger in My Arms | Vance Beasley | 1959-03-03 |
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The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Grampa Pennypacker | 1959-02-20 |
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The Story of Mankind | Hippocrates | 1957-11-08 |
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Town on Trial | Dr. John Fenner | 1957-01-24 |
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How to Murder a Rich Uncle | Uncle George Clitterbern | 1957-06-01 |
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Around the World in Eighty Days | Steamship Company Clerk | 1956-10-17 |
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The Power and the Prize | Guy Eliot | 1956-09-26 |
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How To Be Very, Very Popular | Dr. Tweed | 1955-07-22 |
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The Rocket Man | Mayor Ed Johnson | 1954-04-01 |
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The Long Wait | Gardiner | 1954-05-26 |
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Sir Francis Beekman | 1953-07-14 |
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Trouble Along the Way | le Père Matthew William Burke | 1953-04-04 |
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Has Anybody Seen My Gal? | Samuel Fulton / John Smith | 1952-06-25 |
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Monkey Business | Oliver Oxley | 1952-09-03 |
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The Highwayman | Lord Walters | 1951-08-11 |
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Louisa | Mr. Burnside | 1950-05-31 |
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Mr. Music | Alex Conway | 1950-12-08 |
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Peggy | Professor Brookfield | 1950-07-01 |
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Everybody Does It | Major Blair | 1949-10-24 |
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The Doctor and the Girl | Dr. John Corday | 1949-09-29 |
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Impact | Lieutenant Quincy | 1949-03-20 |
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Yes Sir, That's My Baby | Professor Jason Hartley | 1949-09-14 |
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The Gal Who Took the West | General Michael O'Hara | 1949-09-01 |
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Green Grass of Wyoming | Beaver Greenway | 1948-06-03 |
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B.F.'s Daughter | Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton | 1948-03-24 |
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Lured | Harley Temple | 1947-08-28 |
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The Paradine Case | Sir Simon Flaquer | 1947-12-31 |
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Colonel Effingham's Raid | Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham | 1946-01-24 |
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The Green Years | Alexander Gow | 1946-07-04 |
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Rhapsody in Blue | Max Dreyfus | 1945-06-27 |
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Over 21 | Robert Drexel Gow | 1945-08-08 |
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A Royal Scandal | Nicolai Iiyitch | 1945-03-26 |
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Shady Lady | Col. John Appleby | 1945-09-07 |
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Knickerbocker Holiday | Peter Stuyvesant | 1944-03-17 |
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Together Again | Jonathan Crandall Sr | 1944-12-23 |
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Wilson | Professor Henry Holmes | 1944-08-01 |
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The Impatient Years | William Smith | 1944-09-10 |
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The More the Merrier | Benjamin Dingle | 1943-05-13 |
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The Constant Nymph | Charles Creighton | 1943-06-23 |
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Princess O'Rourke | Uncle Holman | 1943-10-23 |
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Heaven Can Wait | Hugo Van Cleve | 1943-08-05 |
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My Kingdom for a Cook | Rudyard Morley | 1943-10-27 |
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Breakdowns of 1942 | Self | 1942-12-31 |
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Kings Row | Henry Gordon | 1942-02-02 |
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George Washington Slept Here | Stanley Menninger | 1942-10-30 |
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In This Our Life | William Fitzroy | 1942-05-08 |
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Unexpected Uncle | Seton Mansley | 1941-11-07 |
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Our Wife | Professor Drake | 1941-08-20 |
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H.M. Pulham, Esq. | John Pulham | 1941-12-04 |
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The Lady Eve | 'Colonel' Harrington | 1941-02-25 |
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The Devil and Miss Jones | John P. Merrick/Thomas Higgins | 1941-04-11 |
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The Captain Is a Lady | Captain Abe Peabody | 1940-06-21 |
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Road to Singapore | Joshua Mallon IV | 1940-03-22 |
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Three Faces West | Dr. Karl Braun | 1940-07-03 |
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Edison, the Man | General Powell | 1940-05-10 |
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Florian | Dr. Johannes Hofer | 1940-06-05 |
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Bachelor Mother | J. B. Merlin | 1939-06-30 |
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In Name Only | Richard Walker | 1939-08-18 |
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Made for Each Other | Judge Joseph M. Doolittle | 1939-02-10 |
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Stanley and Livingstone | Lord Tyce | 1939-08-18 |
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The Story of Alexander Graham Bell | Gardner Hubbard | 1939-04-04 |
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Idiot's Delight | Dr. Hugo Waldersee | 1939-01-27 |
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Lord Jeff | Captain Briggs | 1938-06-17 |
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Vivacious Lady | Mr. Morgan | 1938-05-13 |
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Yellow Jack | Dr. Finlay | 1938-05-19 |
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Of Human Hearts | Dr. Charles Shingle | 1938-02-11 |
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The People's Enemy | Judge | 1935-04-29 |
