Charles Coburn
| Charles Coburn | |
 from the trailer for Rhapsody in Blue (1945) |
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| Born | Charles Douville Coburn June 19, 1877(1877-06-19) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Died | August 30, 1961 (aged 84) Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1901 – 1961 |
| Spouse(s) | Ivah Wills (1906-1937) Winifred Natzka (1959-1961) |
Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an Academy Award-winning American film and theater actor.
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Biography
Coburn was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. He started out doing odd jobs at the local theater, handing out programs, ushering, being the doorman. By the age of 17 or 18, he was the theater manager.[1][2] He later moved on to acting and made his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with Ivah Wills in 1905.[1][2] 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 acting in films. 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), 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, Coburn has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6240 Hollywood Boulevard.
Politics
In the 1940s, Coburn served as vice-president of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a right-wing group opposed to the alleged Communist infiltration and proselytization in Hollywood during the Cold War.
The Hollywood blacklist was made up of anyone within the entertainment industry who supported the Communist Party and it resulted in many actors, writers and directors being forced out of their livelihood in the United States. Other supporters of the blacklist included Ronald Reagan (future President of the United States), John Wayne, Hedda Hopper, Adolphe Menjou, Ward Bond, Robert Taylor, and Ginger Rogers.
Shortly before his death in 1961, Coburn joined the Citizens Councils of America, an organization opposed to the desegration of public schools brought about by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. Board of Education.
Marriages
Coburn's first wife was Ivah Wills (born ca. 1882 - died 1937), an American actress and theatrical producer.
In 1959, Coburn married Winifred Natzka, who was forty-one years his junior and the widow of Oscar Natzka, a famed New Zealand operatic bass baritone.
Death
He died from a heart attack on August 30, 1961, in New York City, aged 84.
Selected filmography
References
- ^ a b "Charles Coburn Collection". University of Georgia Libraries - Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/manuscrip/coburn/index.html.
- ^ a b "Charles Coburn (1877-1961)". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1511.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Charles Coburn |
- Charles Coburn at the Internet Movie Database
- Charles Coburn at the Internet Broadway Database
- Charles Coburn at Find A Grave
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Coburn, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Coburn, Charles Douville |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1877-6-19 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1961-8-30 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, U.S. |
stock | retire
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