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).
Filmography
all 162
Movies 142
TV Shows 20
self 6
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line (1997)
The Millionaire (1978)
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
Ellery Queen (1975)
The Wild McCullochs (1975)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)
McMillan and Wife (1971)
That Darn Cat! (1965)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
The Jerry Lewis Show (1963)
Burke's Law (1963)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1963)
Son of Flubber (1963)
Going My Way (1962)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon (1961)
Ben Casey (1961)
Dr. Kildare (1961)
Twenty Plus Two (1961)
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961)
Pepe (1960)
My Three Sons (1960)
The Rebel (1959)
The Twilight Zone (1959)
Love and Marriage (1959)
Bonanza (1959)
Wagon Train (1957)
Wells Fargo (1957)
The Rawhide Years (1956)
The Mountain (1956)
Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)
Sincerely Yours (1955)
Lucy Gallant (1955)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
The Far Horizons (1955)
Jupiter's Darling (1955)
The Yellow Mountain (1954)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1954)
Escape from Fort Bravo (1953)
Here Come the Girls (1953)
Dangerous When Wet (1953)
The Lady Wants Mink (1953)
The Blazing Forest (1952)
What Price Glory (1952)
The Red Skelton Show (1951)
Behave Yourself! (1951)
The Strip (1951)
Excuse My Dust (1951)
The First Legion (1951)
He's a Cockeyed Wonder (1950)
Never a Dull Moment (1950)
Riding High (1950)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
Red Hot and Blue (1949)
Jolson Sings Again (1949)
Sorrowful Jones (1949)
Whispering Smith (1948)
Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948)
The Sainted Sisters (1948)
On Our Merry Way (1948)
Variety Girl (1947)
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
The Jolson Story (1946)
Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946)
Pardon My Past (1945)
Hollywood Victory Caravan (1945)
Duffy's Tavern (1945)
Along Came Jones (1945)
Salty O'Rourke (1945)
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
The Great Moment (1944)
Once Upon a Time (1944)
Nine Girls (1944)
True to Life (1943)
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1943)
Dangerous Blondes (1943)
Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Johnny Doughboy (1942)
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942)
Behind the Eight Ball (1942)
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Pardon My Sarong (1942)
My Favorite Spy (1942)
True to the Army (1942)
All Through the Night (1942)
Glamour Boy (1941)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Dressed to Kill (1941)
Country Fair (1941)
Ride on Vaquero (1941)
Rookies on Parade (1941)
The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Little Men (1940)
Christmas in July (1940)
Comin' Round the Mountain (1940)
The Golden Fleecing (1940)
The Great McGinty (1940)
The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
Wolf of New York (1940)
Laugh It Off (1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Miracles for Sale (1939)
The Cowboy Quarterback (1939)
The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939)
King of the Turf (1939)
The Great Man Votes (1939)
While New York Sleeps (1938)
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938)
Josette (1938)
One Wild Night (1938)
Romance on the Run (1938)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
Rosalie (1937)
Big City (1937)
Wake Up and Live (1937)
Blonde Trouble (1937)
Easy Living (1937)
The Great Gambini (1937)
The Great Hospital Mystery (1937)
The Hit Parade (1937)
Oh, Doctor (1937)
Don't Tell the Wife (1937)
Time Out for Romance (1937)
Mind Your Own Business (1936)
Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)
Love on the Run (1936)
Wedding Present (1936)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
White Lies (1935)
Hands Across the Table (1935)
Diamond Jim (1935)
Bright Lights (1935)
The Murder Man (1935)
The Casino Murder Case (1935)
After Office Hours (1935)
Fugitive Lady (1934)
Many Happy Returns (1934)
Fog Over Frisco (1934)
Seeing Things (1930)
The Crash (1928)
The Butter and Egg Man (1928)
Five and Ten Cent Annie (1928)
Pay as You Enter (1928)
A Girl in Every Port (1928)
The Jazz Singer (1928)
Sharp Shooters (1928)
The Night Court (1927)
A Reno Divorce (1927)
A Sailor's Sweetheart (1927)
The Bush Leaguer (1927)
The First Auto (1927)
What Happened To Father (1927)
The Black Diamond Express (1927)
Simple Sis (1927)
A Million Bid (1927)
The Gay Old Bird (1927)
Don't Tell the Wife (1927)
Finger Prints (1927)
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1892-02-27
Deathday1983-12-27 (91 years old)
Birth PlaceSaint Paul, United States of America
RelativesPhyllis Gordon Demarest
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
- William Demarest
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