1892-02-27 Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known for playing Uncle Charley in My Three Sons. A veteran of World War I, Demarest became a prolific film and television actor, appearing in over 140 films, beginning in 1926 and ending in the 1970s. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles. Demarest started in show business working in vaudeville, appearing with his wife Estelle Collette (real name Esther Zychlin) as "Demarest and Colette", then moved on to Broadway. Demarest worked regularly with director Preston Sturges, becoming part of a "stock" troupe of actors that Sturges repeatedly cast in his films. He appeared in ten films written by Sturges, eight of which were under his direction, including The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Demarest was such a familiar figure at the Paramount studio that just his name was used in the movie Sunset Boulevard as a potential star for William Holden's unsold baseball screenplay. Demarest appeared with veteran western film star Roscoe Ates in the 1958 episode "And the Desert Shall Blossom" of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In the story line, Ates and Demarest appear as old timers living in the Nevada desert. The local sheriff, played by Ben Johnson, appears with an eviction notice, but he agrees to let the pair stay on their property if they can make a dead rosebush bloom within the next month. In 1959 Demarest was named the lead actor of the 18-week sitcom Love and Marriage on NBC in the 1959–1960 season. Demarest played William Harris, the owner of a failing music company who refuses to handle popular rock and roll music, which presumably might save the firm from bankruptcy. Joining Demarest on the series were Jeanne Bal, Murray Hamilton and Stubby Kaye. Demarest appeared as Police Chief Aloysius of the Santa Rosita Police Department in the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), as well as on a memorable episode ("What's in the Box") of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone as a hen-pecked husband driven to the murder of his wife. His most famous television role was in the ABC and then CBS sitcom My Three Sons from 1965 to 1972, playing Uncle Charley O'Casey. He replaced William Frawley, whose failing health had made procuring insurance impossible. Demarest had worked with Fred MacMurray previously in the films Hands Across the Table (1935), Pardon My Past (1945), On Our Merry Way (1948), and The Far Horizons (1955) and was a personal friend of MacMurray. Also, he worked with Irene Dunne in Never a Dull Moment (1950).
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Television: The First Fifty Years | Charlie O'Casey (archive footage) | 1999-01-01 |
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line | Self (archive footage) | 1997-05-12 |
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The Millionaire | Oscar Pugh | 1978-12-19 |
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Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Studio Gatekeeper | 1976-07-26 |
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The Wild McCullochs | Father Gurkin | 1975-05-21 |
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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Mr. Harris | 1973-10-10 |
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That Darn Cat! | Mr. MacDougall | 1965-12-02 |
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Viva Las Vegas | Mr. Martin | 1964-02-08 |
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Son of Flubber | Mr. Hummel | 1963-01-16 |
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Police Chief Aloysius | 1963-11-07 |
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Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon | Jeb | 1961-10-17 |
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Twenty Plus Two | Desmond Slocum | 1961-08-13 |
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King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein | Henry Hecht | 1961-06-11 |
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Pepe | Movie Studio Gateman | 1960-12-21 |
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The Mountain | Father Belacchi | 1956-05-31 |
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The Rawhide Years | Brand Comfort | 1956-07-01 |
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Hell on Frisco Bay | Dan Bianco | 1955-12-31 |
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Lucy Gallant | Charles Madden | 1955-10-20 |
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Sincerely Yours | Sam Dunne | 1955-11-05 |
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Jupiter's Darling | Mago | 1955-02-18 |
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The Far Horizons | Sgt. Gass | 1955-07-04 |
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The Private War of Major Benson | John | 1955-08-02 |
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The Yellow Mountain | Jackpot Wray | 1954-11-16 |
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Here Come the Girls | Dennis Logan | 1953-10-22 |
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Escape from Fort Bravo | Campbell | 1953-12-04 |
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The Lady Wants Mink | Harvey Jones | 1953-03-29 |
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Dangerous When Wet | Pa Higgins | 1953-06-18 |
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What Price Glory | Corporal Kiper | 1952-08-22 |
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The Blazing Forest | Syd Jessup | 1952-12-01 |
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The First Legion | Monsignor Michael Carey | 1951-05-04 |
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The Strip | Fluff | 1951-08-31 |
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Behave Yourself! | O'Ryan | 1951-09-22 |
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Excuse My Dust | Harvey Bullitt | 1951-06-27 |
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He's a Cockeyed Wonder | Bob Sears | 1950-12-02 |
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When Willie Comes Marching Home | Herman Kluggs | 1950-02-17 |
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Riding High | Happy | 1950-04-12 |
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Never a Dull Moment | Mears | 1950-08-19 |
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Red, Hot and Blue | Charlie Baxter | 1949-09-05 |
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Jolson Sings Again | Steve Martin | 1949-08-17 |
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Sorrowful Jones | Regret | 1949-07-04 |
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The Sainted Sisters | Vern Tewilliger | 1948-04-30 |
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On Our Merry Way | Floyd | 1948-02-03 |
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Whispering Smith | Bill Dansing | 1948-12-09 |
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Night Has a Thousand Eyes | Lt. Shawn | 1948-08-20 |
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Variety Girl | Barker | 1947-08-29 |
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The Perils of Pauline | George 'Mac' McGuire | 1947-07-04 |
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Our Hearts Were Growing Up | Peanuts Schultz | 1946-06-14 |
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The Jolson Story | Steve Martin | 1946-10-10 |
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Salty O'Rourke | Smitty | 1945-03-22 |
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Along Came Jones | George Fury | 1945-07-19 |
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Pardon My Past | Chuck Gibson | 1945-12-24 |
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Duffy's Tavern | William Demarest | 1945-09-28 |
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Hollywood Victory Caravan | Bill, the Security Guard | 1945-09-30 |
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The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek | Constable Edmund Kockenlocker | 1944-09-18 |
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The Great Moment | Eben Frost | 1944-07-18 |
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Nine Girls | Walter Cummings | 1944-02-17 |
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Hail the Conquering Hero | Sgt. Heppelfinger | 1944-08-09 |
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Once Upon a Time | Brandt | 1944-06-29 |
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Dangerous Blondes | Detective Gatling | 1943-09-23 |
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True to Life | Uncle Jake | 1943-12-24 |
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Stage Door Canteen | William Demarest | 1943-06-24 |
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Pardon My Sarong | Detective Kendall | 1942-08-07 |
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Behind the Eight Ball | McKenzie | 1942-12-04 |
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Johnny Doughboy | Harry Fabian | 1942-12-31 |
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My Favorite Spy | Flower Pot Policeman | 1942-06-12 |
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True to the Army | Sgt. Butts | 1942-03-21 |
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Life Begins at Eight-Thirty | Police Officer | 1942-12-09 |
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The Palm Beach Story | First Member Ale and Quail Club | 1942-08-28 |
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All Through the Night | Sunshine | 1942-01-10 |
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The Lady Eve | Muggsy | 1941-02-25 |
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Glamour Boy | Papa Doran | 1941-12-05 |
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Country Fair | Stogie McPhee | 1941-05-05 |
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Rookies on Parade | Mike Brady | 1941-04-16 |
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Sullivan's Travels | Mr. Jones | 1941-11-30 |
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Ride on Vaquero | Bartender Barney | 1941-04-18 |
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Dressed to Kill | Inspector Pierson | 1941-08-08 |
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The Devil and Miss Jones | First Detective | 1941-04-11 |
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Christmas in July | Mr. Bildocker | 1940-10-25 |
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Wolf of New York | Bill Ennis | 1940-01-23 |
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The Golden Fleecing | Swallow | 1940-08-16 |
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The Farmer's Daughter | Victor Walsh | 1940-03-29 |
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Comin' Round the Mountain | Gutsy Mann | 1940-08-16 |
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The Great McGinty | Skeeters - The Politician | 1940-08-01 |
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Little Men | Constable Tom Thorpe | 1940-11-29 |
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The Cowboy Quarterback | Rusty Walker | 1939-07-29 |
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Bill Griffith | 1939-10-19 |
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King of the Turf | Arnold | 1939-02-17 |
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The Gracie Allen Murder Case | Police Sgt. Ernest Heath | 1939-06-02 |
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Miracles for Sale | Quinn | 1939-08-10 |
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Laugh It Off | Barney 'Gimpy' Cole | 1939-12-01 |
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The Great Man Votes | Charles Dole | 1939-01-13 |
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Romance on the Run | Police Lt. Eckhardt | 1938-05-11 |
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While New York Sleeps | Red Miller | 1938-12-16 |
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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Harry Kipper | 1938-03-18 |
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Josette | Joe, Diner Owner | 1938-06-03 |
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Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus | Daro | 1938-12-02 |
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One Wild Night | Collins | 1938-06-02 |
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Oh, Doctor | Marty Short | 1937-03-31 |
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The Great Hospital Mystery | Mr. Beatty | 1937-05-14 |
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The Hit Parade | Parole Officer | 1937-04-26 |
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Don't Tell the Wife | Larry 'Horace' Tucker | 1937-03-05 |
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Wake Up and Live | Radio Center Tour Guide | 1937-08-23 |
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Time Out for Romance | Willoughby Sproggs | 1937-02-10 |
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The Great Gambini | Sergeant Kirby | 1937-06-24 |
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Blonde Trouble | Paul Sears | 1937-08-06 |
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Easy Living | Wallace Whistling | 1937-07-16 |
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Rosalie | Army Coach | 1937-12-24 |
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Big City | Mr. Beecher | 1937-09-03 |
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Mind Your Own Business | Droopy | 1936-12-18 |
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The Great Ziegfeld | Gene Buck (uncredited) | 1936-04-08 |
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Love on the Run | Editor | 1936-11-20 |
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Charlie Chan at the Opera | Sergeant Kelly | 1936-12-04 |
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Wedding Present | 'Smiles' Benson | 1936-10-09 |
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The Murder Man | 'Red' Maguire | 1935-07-12 |
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The Casino Murder Case | Auctioneer (uncredited) | 1935-03-15 |
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White Lies | Roberts | 1935-12-27 |
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Bright Lights | Detective | 1935-07-27 |
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Hands Across the Table | Regi's Date Natty (uncredited) | 1935-10-18 |
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Diamond Jim | Harry Hill | 1935-09-01 |
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After Office Hours | Police Detective (uncredited) | 1935-02-22 |
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Fugitive Lady | Steve Rogers | 1934-12-10 |
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Fog Over Frisco | Spike Smith | 1934-06-02 |
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Many Happy Returns | Brinker | 1934-06-08 |
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Seeing Things | The Heir | 1930-11-25 |
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Sharp Shooters | 'Hi Jack' Murdock | 1928-01-15 |
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A Girl in Every Port | Man in Bombay (uncredited) | 1928-02-26 |
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The Butter and Egg Man | Jack McLure | 1928-09-22 |
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The Crash | Louie | 1928-10-07 |
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Five and Ten Cent Annie | Briggs | 1928-05-26 |
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Pay as You Enter | 'Terrible Bill' McGovern | 1928-05-12 |
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Simple Sis | 1927-06-01 | |
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Matinee Ladies | Man About Town | 1927-04-09 |
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The Gay Old Bird | Mr. Fixit | 1927-02-26 |
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The Bush Leaguer | John Gilroy | 1927-08-20 |
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The Black Diamond Express | Train Engine Fireman | 1927-06-04 |
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A Million Bid | George Lamont | 1927-05-27 |
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A Reno Divorce | James, the chauffeur | 1927-10-22 |
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The First Auto | The Village Cut-Up | 1927-06-27 |
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The Night Court | Defense Counsel | 1927-11-15 |
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The Jazz Singer | Buster Billings (uncredited) | 1927-10-06 |
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Finger Prints | Cuffs Egan | 1927-01-08 |
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What Happened To Father | Detective Dibbin | 1927-06-25 |
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Don't Tell the Wife | Ray Valerian | 1927-01-22 |
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A Sailor's Sweetheart | Detective | 1927-09-24 |
