William Demarest

Acting

Born February 27, 1892 — Died December 28, 1983 Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

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).

Movies(145)

Television: The First Fifty Years

Charlie O'Casey (archive footage)

1999

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line

Self (archive footage)

1997

The Millionaire

Oscar Pugh

1978

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

Studio Gatekeeper

1976

The Wild McCullochs

Father Gurkin

1975

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Mr. Harris

1973

That Darn Cat!

Mr. MacDougall

1965

Viva Las Vegas

Mr. Martin

1964

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Police Chief Aloysius

1963

Son of Flubber

Mr. Hummel

1963

Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon

Jeb

1961

Twenty Plus Two

Desmond Slocum

1961

King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein

Henry Hecht

1961

Pepe

Movie Studio Gateman

1960

The Rawhide Years

Brand Comfort

1956

The Mountain

Father Belacchi

1956

Hell on Frisco Bay

Dan Bianco

1955

Sincerely Yours

Sam Dunne

1955

Lucy Gallant

Charles Madden

1955

The Private War of Major Benson

John

1955

The Far Horizons

Sgt. Gass

1955

Jupiter's Darling

Mago

1955

The Yellow Mountain

Jackpot Wray

1954

Jamboree

Self

1954

Escape from Fort Bravo

Campbell

1953

Here Come the Girls

Dennis Logan

1953

Dangerous When Wet

Pa Higgins

1953

The Lady Wants Mink

Harvey Jones

1953

The Blazing Forest

Syd Jessup

1952

What Price Glory

Corporal Kiper

1952

Behave Yourself!

O'Ryan

1951

The Strip

Fluff

1951

Excuse My Dust

Harvey Bullitt

1951

The First Legion

Monsignor Michael Carey

1951

He's a Cockeyed Wonder

Bob Sears

1950

Never a Dull Moment

Mears

1950

Riding High

Happy

1950

When Willie Comes Marching Home

Herman Kluggs

1950

Red, Hot and Blue

Charlie Baxter

1949

Jolson Sings Again

Steve Martin

1949

Sorrowful Jones

Regret

1949

Whispering Smith

Bill Dansing

1948

Night Has a Thousand Eyes

Lt. Shawn

1948

The Sainted Sisters

Vern Tewilliger

1948

On Our Merry Way

Floyd

1948

Variety Girl

Barker

1947

The Perils of Pauline

George 'Mac' McGuire

1947

The Jolson Story

Steve Martin

1946

Our Hearts Were Growing Up

Peanuts Schultz

1946

Pardon My Past

Chuck Gibson

1945

Hollywood Victory Caravan

Bill, the Security Guard

1945

Duffy's Tavern

William Demarest

1945

Along Came Jones

George Fury

1945

Salty O'Rourke

Smitty

1945

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Constable Edmund Kockenlocker

1944

Hail the Conquering Hero

Sgt. Heppelfinger

1944

The Great Moment

Eben Frost

1944

Once Upon a Time

Brandt

1944

Nine Girls

Walter Cummings

1944

True to Life

Uncle Jake

1943

Dangerous Blondes

Detective Gatling

1943

Stage Door Canteen

William Demarest

1943

Johnny Doughboy

Harry Fabian

1942

Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

Police Officer

1942

Behind the Eight Ball

McKenzie

1942

The Palm Beach Story

First Member Ale and Quail Club

1942

Pardon My Sarong

Detective Kendall

1942

My Favorite Spy

Flower Pot Policeman

1942

True to the Army

Sgt. Butts

1942

All Through the Night

Sunshine

1942

Glamour Boy

Papa Doran

1941

Sullivan's Travels

Mr. Jones

1941

Dressed to Kill

Inspector Pierson

1941

Country Fair

Stogie McPhee

1941

Ride on Vaquero

Bartender Barney

1941

Rookies on Parade

Mike Brady

1941

The Devil and Miss Jones

First Detective

1941

The Lady Eve

Muggsy

1941

Little Men

Constable Tom Thorpe

1940

Christmas in July

Mr. Bildocker

1940

The Golden Fleecing

Swallow

1940

Comin' Round the Mountain

Gutsy Mann

1940

The Great McGinty

Skeeters - The Politician

1940

The Farmer's Daughter

Victor Walsh

1940

Wolf of New York

Bill Ennis

1940

Laugh It Off

Barney 'Gimpy' Cole

1939

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Bill Griffith

1939

Miracles for Sale

Quinn

1939

The Cowboy Quarterback

Rusty Walker

1939

The Gracie Allen Murder Case

Police Sgt. Ernest Heath

1939

King of the Turf

Arnold

1939

The Great Man Votes

Charles Dole

1939

While New York Sleeps

Red Miller

1938

Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Daro

1938

Josette

Joe, Diner Owner

1938

One Wild Night

Collins

1938

Romance on the Run

Police Lt. Eckhardt

1938

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Harry Kipper

1938

Rosalie

Army Coach

1937

Big City

Mr. Beecher

1937

Wake Up and Live

Radio Center Tour Guide

1937

Blonde Trouble

Paul Sears

1937

Easy Living

Wallace Whistling

1937

The Great Gambini

Sergeant Kirby

1937

The Great Hospital Mystery

Mr. Beatty

1937

The Hit Parade

Parole Officer

1937

Oh, Doctor

Marty Short

1937

Don't Tell the Wife

Larry 'Horace' Tucker

1937

Time Out for Romance

Willoughby Sproggs

1937

Mind Your Own Business

Droopy

1936

Charlie Chan at the Opera

Sergeant Kelly

1936

Love on the Run

Editor

1936

Wedding Present

'Smiles' Benson

1936

The Great Ziegfeld

Gene Buck (uncredited)

1936

White Lies

Roberts

1935

Hands Across the Table

Regi's Date Natty (uncredited)

1935

Diamond Jim

Harry Hill

1935

Bright Lights

Detective

1935

The Murder Man

'Red' Maguire

1935

The Casino Murder Case

Auctioneer (uncredited)

1935

After Office Hours

Police Detective (uncredited)

1935

Fugitive Lady

Steve Rogers

1934

Many Happy Returns

Brinker

1934

Fog Over Frisco

Spike Smith

1934

Seeing Things

The Heir

1930

The Crash

Louie

1928

The Butter and Egg Man

Jack McLure

1928

Five and Ten Cent Annie

Briggs

1928

Pay as You Enter

'Terrible Bill' McGovern

1928

A Girl in Every Port

Man in Bombay (uncredited)

1928

Sharp Shooters

'Hi Jack' Murdock

1928

The Night Court

Defense Counsel

1927

A Reno Divorce

James, the chauffeur

1927

The Jazz Singer

Buster Billings (uncredited)

1927

A Sailor's Sweetheart

Detective

1927

The Bush Leaguer

John Gilroy

1927

The First Auto

The Village Cut-Up

1927

What Happened To Father

Detective Dibbin

1927

The Black Diamond Express

Train Engine Fireman

1927

Simple Sis

1927

A Million Bid

George Lamont

1927

Matinee Ladies

Man About Town

1927

The Gay Old Bird

Mr. Fixit

1927

Don't Tell the Wife

Ray Valerian

1927

Finger Prints

Cuffs Egan

1927

William Demarest

TV Shows(21)

Movies(145)