Charles Coburn
Date of birth: 1877-06-18
Place of birth: Macon, Georgia, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Charles Douville Coburn
Biography
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.
Movie Credits
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953-07-14
Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the dis
The Lady Eve
1941-02-25
It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Ch
Lured
1947-08-28
Sandra Carpenter is a London-based dancer who is distraught to learn that her friend has disappeared
Monkey Business
1952-09-03
Research chemist Barnaby Fulton works on a fountain of youth pill for a chemical company. One of the
The Paradine Case
1947-12-29
In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused o
Together Again
1944-12-23
Anne Crandall is the mayor of a small town in Vermont. Her deceased husband had been the mayor for y
Impact
1949-03-20
After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime
In Name Only
1939-08-18
A wealthy man falls for a widow but is locked into a loveless marriage with a woman who has contrive
Princess O'Rourke
1943-10-23
A down-to-earth pilot charms a European princess on vacation in the United States.
Vivacious Lady
1938-05-13
College town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a sizzl
George Washington Slept Here
1942-10-30
New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller have to move from their apartment. Without Bill's knowledge, Conn
Trouble Along the Way
1953-04-04
Struggling to retain custody of his daughter following his divorce, football coach Steve Williams fi
Three Faces West
1940-07-03
Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees fr
Bachelor Mother
1939-06-30
Polly Parrish, a clerk at Merlin's Department Store, is mistakenly presumed to be the mother of a fo
The Story of Mankind
1957-11-08
The devil and the spirit of mankind argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.
The Gal Who Took the West
1949-09-01
In order to gain passage to the West, a woman poses as an opera singer, and causes a feud between tw
The Long Wait
1954-05-26
Soon after thumbing a ride from a truck driver, Johnny McBride is badly burned and suffers from comp
Rhapsody in Blue
1945-06-27
Fictionalized biography of George Gershwin and his fight to bring serious music to Broadway.
In This Our Life
1942-05-08
An unhappy, self-centered woman runs off with her sister's husband, wreaking havoc and ruining the l
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941-04-11
The wealthiest man in the world, John P. Merrick, is a private person who likes to stay anonymous. O
Edison, the Man
1940-05-10
In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story star
Idiot's Delight
1939-01-27
A group of disparate travelers are thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are close
Made for Each Other
1939-02-10
A couple struggle to find happiness after a whirlwind courtship.
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
1939-04-04
Alexander Graham Bell falls in love with deaf girl Mabel Hubbard while teaching the deaf and trying
Heaven Can Wait
1943-08-05
Spoiled playboy Henry van Cleve dies and arrives at the entrance to Hell, a final destination he is
Green Grass of Wyoming
1948-06-03
The romance of a rancher's niece and a rival rancher's son parallels that of a stallion and a mare.
The More the Merrier
1943-05-13
It's World War II and there is a severe housing shortage everywhere - especially in Washington, D.C.
Pepe
1960-12-21
Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno is a hired hand, Pepe, employed on a ranch. A boozing Hollywood director b
Kings Row
1942-02-02
Five young adults in a small American town face the revelations of secrets that threaten to ruin the
Has Anybody Seen My Gal?
1952-06-25
When a 1920s millionaire tests the fiber of his Vermont family, a young lady and her boyfriend feel
John Paul Jones
1959-06-16
The career of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, from his youth in Scotland through his s
B.F.'s Daughter
1948-03-24
Wealthy Polly Fulton marries a progressive scholar whose attitudes toward capitalism and acquired we
Wilson
1944-08-01
The political career of Woodrow Wilson is chronicled, beginning with his decision to leave his post
The People's Enemy
1935-04-29
Money was what gangster Vince M. Falcone wanted most and he did lay hands on millions of dollars by
The Constant Nymph
1943-06-23
The daughter of a musical mentor adores a promising composer, who is quite fond of the adolescent. W
A Royal Scandal
1945-03-26
Catherine the Great falls in love with an army officer who is plotting against her.
Our Wife
1941-08-20
A musician's ex-wife wants him back after he finds love and success.
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
1941-12-04
A middle-aged businessman who has lived a conservative life according to the routine conventions of
Over 21
1945-08-08
A woman screenwriter lives in a shabby bungalow in order to be near her husband, a 39-year-old newsp
The Doctor and the Girl
1949-09-29
Dr. Michael Corday, a recent graduate of the Harvard Medical School, is the son of Dr. John Corday,
Stanley and Livingstone
1939-08-18
When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars,
The Green Years
1946-07-04
An orphaned young boy is guided by his great-grandfather and strives to go to university to become a
Town on Trial
1957-01-24
When an attractive young girl is murdered, suspicion falls on several members of the local tennis cl
Lord Jeff
1938-06-17
Spoiled child Geoffrey Bramer teams up with a pair of small time crooks to pose as an aristocrat and
Mr. Music
1950-12-08
A golf-crazy songwriter tries to avoid the long, solitary hours of concentration needed to produce a
Of Human Hearts
1938-02-11
This is a story about family relationships, set in the time before and during the American Civil War
How to Murder a Rich Uncle
1957-06-01
A broke British nobleman targets his Canadian uncle, but other relatives get in the way.
Shady Lady
1945-09-07
A crook becomes the victim of a crafty card player who works for the District Attorney.
How to Be Very, Very Popular
1955-07-22
Two strippers on the run hide out in a college fraternity. Director Nunnally Johnson's 1955 musical
The Rocket Man
1954-04-01
After procuring a special ray gun, a precocious orphan helps his community by exposing the shady doi
Yellow Jack
1938-05-19
A fairly accurate historical account of Walter Reed's search for the cause of "Yellow Jack" or Yello
The Impatient Years
1944-09-10
Standing before a divorce court judge are Sergeant Andy Anderson and Janie Anderson asking him to di
The Highwayman
1951-08-11
The Power and the Prize
1956-09-26
An ambitious executive jeopardizes his career to marry a European refugee.
Unexpected Uncle
1941-11-07
An elderly gentleman comes to a young woman's aid by pretending to be her uncle. Comedy.
Florian
1940-06-05
Set against the backdrop of WWI Europe, a man and woman of different classes are brought together by
A Stranger in My Arms
1959-03-03
An Air Force pilot finds romance with his war buddy's widow.
Knickerbocker Holiday
1944-03-17
The wild and woolly early days of New York -- when it was still known as New Amsterdam -- provide th
Everybody Does It
1949-10-24
Leonard Borland loves his monied wife, but with his wrecking business looking shaky he treasures her
Road to Singapore
1940-03-22
Two playboys try to forget previous romances in Singapore – until they meet a beautiful dancer.
The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
1959-02-20
In early 1900s' Pennsylvania, Mr. Pennypacker has two company offices and two families with a combin
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997-05-12
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17
Yes Sir, That's My Baby
1949-09-14
At a college, a group of ex-GIs clash with their wives about over playing football.
My Kingdom for a Cook
1943-10-27
While visiting Massachusetts, a famous English author faces the wrath of a socialite after stealing
Around the World in 80 Days
1956-10-17
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the wor
Peggy
1950-07-01
Professor Brookfield along with daughters Peggy and Susan move to small town Pasadena, California. T
Louisa
1950-05-31
Architect Hal Norton and wife Meg invite his widowed mother Louisa to move in with them, only to dis
The Captain is a Lady
1940-06-21
Because of a bad investment, Captain and Mrs. Peabody are evicted from their home. Mrs. Peabody find
Colonel Effingham's Raid
1946-01-24
The story takes place in 1940. On the eve of America's entry in World War II, a colonel retired to h
It's Showtime
1976-03-31
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
Breakdowns of 1942
1942-12-31
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1942.