Charles Bennett (13 April 1891 – 15 February 1943) was an American actor who performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and as an extra in Hollywood talkies.

Biography

Charles Joseph Bennett was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand, and died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Picture ...

. He grew up in Melbourne Australia, and arrived in North America in 1912 with the

Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company was series of professional children's troupes, first established in Launceston, Tasmania, in May 1880. Established by James Joseph Pollard, over the next thirty years several members of the Pollard family operate ...

. After a long career on stage in vaudeville in the United States and Canada he appeared as a featured extra in talkies. Perhaps the most recognizable role of his later film career was as the entertainer in the ''Inquirer'' party sequence in ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

'' (1941), who performs the song "Oh, Mr. Kane!" He was the father of child star Mickey Bennett.

Partial filmography

*''Narcotic'' (1933) - Hand Wrestler *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1934) - Pirate of the Spanish Main *''

I Live My Life ''I Live My Life'' is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, and Frank Morgan, and is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe. Plot summary Kay Bentley (Joan Crawford), a bored socialite seeks ...

'' (1935) - Stewart (uncredited) *''

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...

'' (1936) - Coster (uncredited) *''

Born to Dance ''Born to Dance'' is an American musical film starring Eleanor Powell and James Stewart, directed by Roy Del Ruth and released in 1936 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The score was composed by Cole Porter. Plot summary While on leave, sailor Ted ...

'' (1936) - Quartet Member (uncredited) *''

Step Lively, Jeeves! ''Step Lively, Jeeves!'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Eugene Forde, written by Frank Fenton and Lynn Root, and starring Arthur Treacher as P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves alongside Patricia Ellis, Robert Kent, Alan Dinehart, George Gi ...

'' (1937) - Steward (uncredited) *''

The Road Back ''The Road Back'', also translated as ''The Way Back'', (german: Der Weg zurück) is a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, commonly regarded as a sequel to his 1929 novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front''. It was first serialized in th ...

'' (1937) - Innkeeper (uncredited) *'' The Man Who Cried Wolf'' (1937) - Taxi Manager (uncredited) *'' A Damsel in Distress'' (1937) - Carnival Barker (uncredited) *''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...

'' (1938) - Peddler at tournament (uncredited) *''

Mysterious Mr. Moto ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, from an original screenpla ...

'' (1938) - Cockney Singer (uncredited) *''

Gunga Din "Gunga Din" () is an 1890 poem by Rudyard Kipling set in British India. The poem is much remembered for its final line: "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din". Background The poem is a rhyming narrative from the point of view of a Briti ...

'' (1939) - Telegraph Operator (uncredited) *''

The Light That Failed ''The Light That Failed'' is the first novel by the Nobel Prize-winning English author Rudyard Kipling, first published in ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' in January 1891. Most of the novel is set in London, but many important events through ...

'' (1939) - Soldier (uncredited) *''

Adventure in Diamonds ''Adventure in Diamonds'' is a 1940 American crime film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring George Brent, Isa Miranda, John Loder and Nigel Bruce. It was also released under the alternative title of ''Diamonds are Dangerous''. Critics n ...

'' (1940) - Cockney Sailor (uncredited) *''

'' (1941) - the Entertainer at the head of the chorus line in the ''Inquirer'' party sequence (uncredited) *'' Man Hunt'' (1941) - Costermonger (uncredited) *'' A Yank in the R.A.F.'' (1941) - Man on Stretcher (uncredited) *'' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) - Milkman (uncredited) *'' Random Harvest'' (1942) - Porter (uncredited) *''

It Ain't Hay ''It Ain't Hay'' is a 1943 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Plot Cab driver Wilbur Hoolihan accidentally kills a hack horse owned by King O'Hara and his daughter, Princess O’Hara, by feeding it candy. In hopes of raising e ...

'' (1943) - SPCA Driver (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* 1891 births 1943 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors New Zealand emigrants to the United States Actors from Dunedin {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub