William Demarest
Born February 27, 1892 (Age: 134)
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Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Biography
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).
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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Filmography
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 105
The Millionaire
1978
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as Oscar Pugh
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Age: 86
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
1973
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as Mr. Harris
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Age: 81
That Darn Cat!
1965
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as Mr. MacDougall
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Age: 73
Viva Las Vegas
1964
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as Mr. Martin
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Age: 71
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963
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as Police Chief Aloysius
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Age: 71
Son of Flubber
1963
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as Mr. Hummel
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Age: 70
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon
1961
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as Jeb
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Age: 69
Twenty Plus Two
1961
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as Desmond Slocum
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Age: 69
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein
1961
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as Henry Hecht
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Age: 69
Pepe
1960
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as Movie Studio Gateman
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Age: 68
The Rawhide Years
1956
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as Brand Comfort
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Age: 64
The Mountain
1956
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as Father Belacchi
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Age: 64
Hell on Frisco Bay
1955
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as Dan Bianco
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Age: 63
Sincerely Yours
1955
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as Sam Dunne
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Age: 63
Lucy Gallant
1955
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as Charles Madden
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Age: 63
The Private War of Major Benson
1955
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as John
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Age: 63
The Far Horizons
1955
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as Sgt. Gass
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Age: 63
Jupiter's Darling
1955
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as Mago
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Age: 62
The Yellow Mountain
1954
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as Jackpot Wray
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Age: 62
Escape from Fort Bravo
1953
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as Campbell
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Age: 61
Here Come the Girls
1953
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as Dennis Logan
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Age: 61
Dangerous When Wet
1953
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as Pa Higgins
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Age: 61
The Lady Wants Mink
1953
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as Harvey Jones
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Age: 61
He's a Cockeyed Wonder
1950
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as Bob Sears
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Age: 58
Never a Dull Moment
1950
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as Mears
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Age: 58
Riding High
1950
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as Happy
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Age: 58
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
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as Herman Kluggs
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Age: 57
Pardon My Past
1945
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as Chuck Gibson
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Age: 53
Hollywood Victory Caravan
1945
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as Bill, the Security Guard
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Age: 53
Duffy's Tavern
1945
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as William Demarest
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Age: 53
Along Came Jones
1945
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as George Fury
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Age: 53
Salty O'Rourke
1945
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as Smitty
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Age: 53
Johnny Doughboy
1942
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as Harry Fabian
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Age: 50
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
1942
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as Police Officer
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Age: 50
Behind the Eight Ball
1942
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as McKenzie
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Age: 50
The Palm Beach Story
1942
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as First Member Ale and Quail Club
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Age: 50
Pardon My Sarong
1942
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as Detective Kendall
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Age: 50
My Favorite Spy
1942
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as Flower Pot Policeman
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Age: 50
True to the Army
1942
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as Sgt. Butts
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Age: 50
All Through the Night
1942
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as Sunshine
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Age: 49
Glamour Boy
1941
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as Papa Doran
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Age: 49
Sullivan's Travels
1941
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as Mr. Jones
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Age: 49
Dressed to Kill
1941
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as Inspector Pierson
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Age: 49
Country Fair
1941
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as Stogie McPhee
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Age: 49
Ride on Vaquero
1941
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as Bartender Barney
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Age: 49
Rookies on Parade
1941
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as Mike Brady
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Age: 49
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941
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as First Detective
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Age: 49
The Lady Eve
1941
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as Muggsy
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Age: 48
No Image
Seeing Things
1930
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as The Heir
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Age: 38