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

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and as an extra in Hollywood talkies.

Biography

Charles Joseph Bennett was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, New Zealand, and died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. 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 and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

'' (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 a ...

'' (1934) - Dandy Dawson - 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. It is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe. Plot Bored socialite Kay Bentley travels to Greece on her wealthy f ...

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

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a 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 gover ...

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

Born to Dance ''Born to Dance'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Eleanor Powell, James Stewart and Virginia Bruce. It was produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The score was composed by Cole Porter. Plot Wh ...

'' (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 Givot ...

'' (1937) - Steward (uncredited) *'' The Road Back'' (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 Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

'' (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 was published alongside "Mandalay" and " Danny Deever" in the collection " Barrack-Room Ballads". The poem is much remembered for its final line "You're a better ...

'' (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 (actor), John Loder and Nigel Bruce. It was also released under the alternative title of ''Diamonds are Dange ...

'' (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. ''A Yank in the R.A.F.'' is a 1941 American war drama film directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power, Betty Grable and John Sutton. Released three months before the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II, it ...

'' (1941) - Man on Stretcher (uncredited) *''

Mrs. Miniver ''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming Britis ...

'' (1942) - Milkman (uncredited) *''

Random Harvest ''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including '' Lost Horizon'' and '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' li ...

'' (1942) - Porter (uncredited) *'' It Ain't Hay'' (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 Male actors from Dunedin {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub