Charles Coburn

Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – for The Devil and Miss Jones, The More the Merrier (1943) and The Green Years (1946) – winning for his performance in The More the Merrier. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) in 1960 for his contribution to the film industry.

Biography

Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn.

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.

After his wife's death in 1937, Coburn relocated to Los Angeles, California, and began film work. He was nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - The Devil and Miss Jones in 1941, The More the Merrier in 1943, and The Green Years in 1946 - winning for his role as Benjamin Dingle in The More the Merrier.

Political activity Born and raised in Georgia, Coburn was a member of the White Citizens' Council, which was part of a network of racist states' rights groups known as the Citizens' Councils. These groups were white-supremacist, opposed improving the conditions and civil-rights of African-Americans and were known for their opposition to the Civil Rights movement.

In the 1940s, Coburn served as vice president of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a group opposed to leftist infiltration and proselytization in Hollywood during the Cold War.

A staunch Republican, Coburn supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.

Personal life Coburn married Ivah Wills on January 29, 1906, in Atlanta, Georgia. They had six children. They were married until her death in 1937.

In the 1940s, Coburn made his home at the National Arts Club in New York City. His late wife's mother lived there with him.

Coburn married Winifred Natzka on June 30, 1959, in Los Angeles. She was the widow of the New Zealand bass opera singer Oscar Natzka. They had one child, Winifried Natzka survived him by over 55 years, dying in January 2017 at age 98.

Complete filmography Year Film Role Director Notes 1933 Boss Tweed Boss Tweed A short. 1935 The People's Enemy Judge Hays Crane Wilbur 1938 Of Human Hearts Dr. Charles Shingle Clarence Brown Vivacious Lady Mr. Morgan George Stevens Yellow Jack Dr. Finlay George B. Seitz Lord Jeff Captain Briggs Sam Wood 1939 Idiot's Delight Dr. Hugo Waldersee Clarence Brown Made for Each Other Judge Joseph M. Doolittle John Cromwell The Story of Alexander Graham Bell Gardner Hubbard Irving Cummings Bachelor Mother J. B. Merlin Garson Kanin Stanley and Livingstone Lord Tyce Otto Brower (safari sequences) In Name Only Mr. Walker John Cromwell 1940 Road to Singapore Joshua Mallon IV Victor Schertzinger Edison, the Man General Powell Clarence Brown Florian Dr. Johannes Hofer John E. Burch (assistant) The Captain Is a Lady Captain Abe Peabody Robert B. Sinclair Three Faces West Dr. Karl Braun Bernard Vorhaus 1941 The Lady Eve 'Colonel' Harrington Preston Sturges The Devil and Miss Jones Merrick Sam Wood Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Our Wife Professor Drake John M. Stahl Unexpected Uncle Seton Mansley aka Alfred Crane Peter Godfrey H. M. Pulham, Esq. Mr. Pulham Sr. King Vidor 1942 Kings Row Dr. Henry Gordon Sam Wood In This Our Life William Fitzroy John Huston George Washington Slept Here Uncle Stanley J. Menninger William Keighley 1943 Forever and a Day Sir William (scenes cut) The More the Merrier Benjamin Dingle George Stevens Winner - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Constant Nymph Charles Creighton Edmund Goulding Heaven Can Wait Hugo Van Cleve Ernst Lubitsch Princess O'Rourke Holman - Maria's Uncle Norman Krasna My Kingdom for a Cook Rudyard Morley Richard Wallace 1944 Knickerbocker Holiday Peter Stuyvesant Harry Joe Brown Wilson Professor Henry Holmes Henry King The Impatient Years William Smith Irving Cummings Together Again Jonathan Crandall Sr Charles Vidor 1945 A Royal Scandal Chancellor Nicolai Iiyitch Ernst Lubitsch Rhapsody in Blue Max Dreyfus Irving Rapper Over 21 Robert Drexel Gow Charles Vidor Shady Lady Col. John Appleby George Waggner 1946 Colonel Effingham's Raid Col. Will Seaborn Effingham Irving Pichel The Green Years Alexander Gow Victor Saville Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1947 Lured Inspector Harley Temple Douglas Sirk The Paradine Case Sir Simon Flaquer Alfred Hitchcock 1948 B.F.'s Daughter B.F. Fulton Robert Z. Leonard Green Grass of Wyoming Beaver Greenway Louis King 1949 Impact Lt. Tom Quincy Arthur Lubin Yes Sir That's My Baby Professor Jason Hartley George Sherman The Gal Who Took the West Gen. Michael O'Hara Frederick de Cordova The Doctor and the Girl Dr. John Corday Curtis Bernhardt Everybody Does It Major Blair Edmund Goulding 1950 Louisa Abel Burnside Alexander Hall Peggy Professor 'Brooks' Brookfield Frederick De Cordova Mr. Music Alex Conway Richard Haydn 1951 The Highwayman Lord Walters Lesley Selander 1952 Has Anybody Seen My Gal Samuel Fulton / John Smith Douglas Sirk Monkey Business Mr. Oliver Oxley Howard Hawks 1953 Trouble Along the Way Father Burke Michael Curtiz Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman Howard Hawks 1954 The Rocket Man Mayor Ed Johnson Oscar Rudolph The Long Wait Gardiner Victor Saville Country Doctor 1955 How to Be Very, Very Popular Dr. Tweed Nunnally Johnson 1956 The Power and the Prize Guy Eliot Henry Koster Around the World in 80 Days a Hong Kong steamship company clerk Michael Anderson 1957 Town on Trial Dr. John Fenner John Guillermin How to Murder a Rich Uncle Uncle George Nigel Patrick The Story of Mankind Hippocrates Irwin Allen 1959 The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker Grampa Pennypacker Henry Levin A Stranger in My Arms Vance Beasley Helmut Kautner John Paul Jones Benjamin Franklin John Farrow 1960 Pepe Himself George Sidney

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1946 Academy Award “The Devil and Miss Jones” 1949 Duffy's Tavern “Card Games” 1950 Duffy's Tavern “Charles Coburn Plays Santa Claus”