Spencer Charters
Spencer Charters (born March 25, 1875 in Duncannon , Pennsylvania , † January 25, 1943 in Hollywood , California ) was an American actor.
life and career
Spencer Charters was born in a small community in the US state of Pennsylvania. After school, he began a career as a theater actor and traveled with acting troupes through America. 1910 Charters was first seen on Broadway with the play Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford . He made his film debut as early as 1920 in Number 17 , but it was not until the beginning of the sound film in the late 1920s that he played regularly in films. In the 1920s, he was mainly seen in comedies on Broadway. In 1930 Charters moved to Hollywood , where he worked on more than 200 feature films until his death in 1943 , making him a very busy character actor of his time. In the late phase of his film career, in particular, he only played minor supporting roles, but in some B-films Charters also took on larger roles. The moon-faced, slightly corpulent Charters initially played mainly bad-tempered or spiteful authority figures. Later in his career, he was mostly seen in comical, slightly confused roles; he often embodied judges, doctors, officials, sheriffs or hotel managers.
In 1943, at the age of 67, Charters committed suicide with a poison cocktail. He was married to his wife Irene from 1913 until her death in 1941, the couple had a son. Charter's last film, Arsenic and Lace , in which he played an almost deaf registrar alongside Cary Grant , wasn't released until a year after his death. His grave is in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale .
Filmography (selection)
- 1920: Number 17
- 1920: April Folly
- 1923: Little Old New York
- 1924: The Hero Girl of Trenton (Janice Meredith)
- 1930: Whoopie!
- 1931: The Front Page
- 1932: Movie Crazy (Movie Crazy)
- 1932: A thief with class (Jewel Robbery)
- 1932: Three On A Match
- 1932: 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (20,000 Years in Sing Sing)
- 1933: Between Today and Tomorrow (Gabriel over the White House)
- 1933: The boss is a beautiful woman (female)
- 1933: The Womanizer (Lady Killer)
- 1933: The Kennel Murder Case
- 1934: Love without thread and thread (Fashions of 1934)
- 1934: Wonder Bar
- 1934: It's a Gift (It's a poison)
- 1935: Stranded
- 1935: Don't Bet on Blondes
- 1935: The Raven (The Raven)
- 1936: Mississippi melody (Banjo on My Knee)
- 1936: Young Mr. Lincoln (Young Mr. Lincoln)
- 1935: The Goose and the Gander
- 1936: Funny sinners (Libeled Lady)
- 1936: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
- 1937: Make a Wish
- 1937: Chicago
- 1937: The Prisoner of Zenda (The Prisoner of Zenda)
- 1937: ... then came the hurricane (The Hurricane)
- 1938: Breaking the Ice
- 1938: Three Comrades
- 1938: Vivacious Lady
- 1938: Topper goes on a trip (Topper Takes a Trip)
- 1938: Love for four (Four's a Crowd)
- 1938: The Chased Professor (Professor Beware)
- 1939: Drums Along the Mohawk (Drums Along the Mohawk)
- 1939: In Name Only (In Name Only)
- 1939: Lord of the Wild West (Dodge City)
- 1939: Jesse James, Man Without a Law (Jesse James)
- 1939: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
- 1939: Young Mr. Lincoln (Young Mr. Lincoln)
- 1939: Second Fiddle
- 1940: Remember the Night
- 1940: Our Town (Our Town)
- 1940: Wedding against Will (The Doctor Takes a Wife)
- 1940: The Unforgettable Christmas Night (Remember the Night)
- 1940: Gold smuggling to Virginia (Virginia City)
- 1940: Miss Kitty (Kitty Foyle)
- 1940: Land of the Wicked (Santa Fe Trail)
- 1940: The Boys from Syracuse
- 1941: So Ends Our Night
- 1941: His last command (They Died with their Boots On)
- 1941: Tobacco Road (Tobacco Road)
- 1941: Beware of ghosts! (Hold That Ghost!)
- 1941: Decision in the Sierra (High Sierra)
- 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy
- 1942: Pride of the Yankees (The Pride of the Yankees)
- 1942: Silver Queen
- 1943: Slightly Dangerous
- 1944 Arsenic and Old Lace (Arsenic and Old Lace) turned 1941
Individual evidence
Web links
- Spencer Charters in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Spencer Charters in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Spencer Charters in the database of Find a Grave (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Charters, Spencer |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American theater and film actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 25, 1875 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Duncannon , Pennsylvania |
DATE OF DEATH | January 25, 1943 |
Place of death | Hollywood , Los Angeles , California |