Charles Lane (actor, 1905)
Charles Lane (born January 26, 1905 in San Francisco , California - † July 9, 2007 in Brentwood , California; actually Charles Gerstle Levinson ) was an American actor with a 75-year film career. The character actor specialized in the representation of ill-tempered and pessimistic characters in smaller roles.
life and career
Charles Lane was born into a working class family in San Francisco under the name Charles Gerstle Levison. As a one year old he saw the earthquake in San Francisco and was one of the last survivors of the disaster when he died. Lane initially worked as an insurance salesman and occasionally, more in his spare time, played in theater shows. His friend, director and actor Irving Pichel , eventually convinced Lane to pursue acting as a profession. He became a member of the Pasadena Playhouse and made his film debut in 1931 in a minor supporting role as a hotel servant in Easy Money . His first roles were usually not mentioned in the credits, but many of his short appearances were striking. This was also due to his appearance, which "made him instantly recognizable for generations of film fans". With his hair, which was already quite thin at a young age, and his gaunt figure, he worked as a character actor from the beginning of his career and played characters who were significantly older than himself.
Charles Lane specialized in the impersonation of ill-tempered, cunning or pessimistic characters; often as a civil servant, doctor, lawyer or businessman. He was one of the favorite actors of the director Frank Capra , in nine of his films Lane was seen. He starred for example in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington A Insidious Reporter and in Isn't Life Beautiful? a dissatisfied house marketer who works for the film villain Mr. Potter (this character was later modeled on the blue-haired lawyer from The Simpsons ). With the advent of television in the 1950s, Lane received numerous guest roles there over the next decades and into old age. Lucille Ball in particular often cast him in her series as an extremely serious authority figure. In total, he made over 360 film and television appearances by 2006, but without getting beyond supporting roles.
Charles Lane was one of the first actors to join the Screen Actors Guild in the early 1930s . The Screen Actors Guild declared January 30, 2005 "Charles Lane Day" (English: "Charles Lane Day"). On March 16, 2005 he received a TV Land Award for his life's work. As the co-founder and oldest living member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences , Lane was honored on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2005 at the Emmy Awards. He had his last role at the age of 101 as the narrator of the film The Night Before Christmas .
Charles Lane was married to Ruth Covell († 2002) from 1931, with whom he had a son and a daughter. He died at the age of 102 on July 9, 2007 while in conversation with his son.
Filmography (selection)
- 1931: Easy Money (Smart Money)
- 1931: The Road to Singapore
- 1932: Gentleman for a day (Union Depot)
- 1933: Employees' Entrance
- 1933: The 42nd Street (42nd Street)
- 1933: Gold Diggers of 1933 (Gold Diggers of 1933)
- 1933: The Detective and the Gambler (Private Detective 62)
- 1933: Love and Other Businesses (She Had to Say Yes)
- 1934: Napoleon on Broadway (Twentieth Century)
- 1934: Broadway Bill
- 1936: World champion of all things (The Milky Way)
- 1936: Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
- 1936: Two-Fisted Gentleman
- 1937: Ali Baba Goes to Town
- 1937: Assistant doctor Dr. Kildare (Internal Can't Take Money)
- 1937: Nothing Sacred (Nothing Sacred)
- 1938: Joy of Living
- 1938: The Golden Whip (Kentucky)
- 1938: Whirlwind from Paris (The Rage of Paris)
- 1938: Lebenskünstler (You Can't Take It with You)
- 1938: Blondie
- 1939: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- 1939: Inheritance at midnight (The Cat and the Canary)
- 1940: Wedding against Will (The Doctor Takes a Wife)
- 1940: Rhythm on the River
- 1940: The great Edison (Edison, the Man)
- 1940: In the frenzy of the cosmopolitan city (City for Conquest)
- 1940: The Invisible Woman (The Invisible Woman)
- 1941: I Wake Up Screaming
- 1941: Sis Hopkins
- 1941: side street (Backstreet)
- 1941: The Marx Brothers in the department store (The Big Store)
- 1941: consultation for Love (Appointment for Love)
- 1941: The Strange Taming of the Gangster Bride Sugarpuss (Ball of Fire)
- 1942: Fräulein Mama ( The Lady Is Willing )
- 1942: Heroes in the Saddle (Ride 'Em Cowboy)
- 1942: A kiss too much (They All Kissed the Bride)
- 1942: Tarzan's New York Adventure (Tarzan's New York Adventure)
- 1942: Friendly Enemies
- 1942: Company Tigersprung (Flying Tigers)
- 1942: Abbott and Costello among cannibals (Pardon My Sarong)
- 1943: Ambassador to Moscow (Mission to Moscow)
- 1944: Arsenic and Old Lace (Arsenic and Old Lace)
- 1946: isn't life beautiful? (It's a Wonderful Life)
- 1947: The farmer's daughter (The Farmer's Daughter)
- 1947: A life like a millionaire (It Happened on Fifth Avenue)
- 1947: The Beast of Shanghai (Intrigue)
- 1948: Password 777 (Call Northside 777)
- 1948: The Best Man (State of the Union)
- 1948: The Boy with Green Hair
- 1948: Legacy of the Executioner (Moonrise)
- 1949: Panic for King Kong (Mighty Joe Young)
- 1949: One morning on Hopkins Street (The House Across the Street)
- 1950: The Yellow Cab Man
- 1950: Laugh and Cry with Me (Riding High)
- 1953: The Juggler
- 1953–1956: I Love Lucy (various guest roles)
- 1954–1955: Dear Phoebe (TV series, 15 episodes)
- 1955: Rattennest (Kiss Me Deadly)
- 1956: The Birds and the Bees
- 1957: Charming and cute - but a beast (Top Secret Affair)
- 1958: Reporter of Love (Teacher's Pet)
- 1959: Angels among sinners (The Mating Game)
- 1959–1963: The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (TV series, 6 episodes)
- 1960–1962: Dennis, Tales of a Rascal (TV series, 6 episodes)
- 1962: Music Man (The Music Man)
- 1963: A totally, totally crazy world (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World)
- 1963: Separate Beds (The Wheeler Dealers)
- 1963–1968: Petticoat Junction (TV series, 24 episodes)
- 1963–1971: The Beverly Hillbillies (TV series, 7 episodes)
- 1964: The Insatiable (The Carpet Baggers)
- 1964: Lend Me Your Husband ( Good Neighbor Sam)
- 1965: Billie
- 1965–1972: In love with a witch (TV series, 8 episodes)
- 1966: Beloved Domestic Tyrant (The Ugly Dachshund)
- 1966–1967: The Pruitts of Southampton (TV series, 6 episodes)
- 1967: The Adventurous Journey into the Dwarf Land (The Gnome Mobile)
- 1968: Wedding Night Before Witnesses (What's So Bad About Feeling Good?)
- 1970: Aristocats (voice)
- 1972: Help, I'm successful! (Get to Know Your Rabbit)
- 1975: Karen (TV series, 9 episodes)
- 1976: An American Family ( Family , TV series)
- 1978: Soap - Trautes Heim (TV series, 8 episodes)
- 1980: Karate Kids (The Little Dragons)
- 1981: Bloody Screams (Strange Behavior)
- 1982: Our Little Farm (TV series, episode)
- 1983: The Secret of Centerville (Strange Invaders)
- 1985: The Second Choice - A Romance (Murphy's Romance)
- 1987: Date with an Angel
- 1988: Firestorm and Ashes ( War and Remembrance , TV series)
- 1991: Dark Shadows (TV series)
- 1995: Dexter Riley - Totally wired and not understood (The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes)
- 2006: The Night Before Christmas (Narrator)
Web links
- Charles Lane in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Obituary in the "SF Tagesschau"
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Lane, Charles |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Levinson, Charles Gerstle (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 26, 1905 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | San Francisco , California |
DATE OF DEATH | July 9, 2007 |
Place of death | Brentwood (Los Angeles) |