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 The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

("Oscar") three times – for '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), '' 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 The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

(in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

) in 1960 for his contribution to the film industry.

Biography

Charles Coburn in Road to Singapore trailer

Coburn was born in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

, 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. They married in 1906. In addition to managing the company, the couple performed frequently on Broadway. After his wife's death in 1937, Coburn relocated to

, and began film work. He won an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

for his role as a retired millionaire playing

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

in '' The More the Merrier'' in 1943. He was also nominated for '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' in 1941 and '' The Green Years'' in 1946. Other notable film credits include '' Of Human Hearts'' (1938), '' The Lady Eve'' (1941), ''

Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Woo ...

'' (1942), '' The Constant Nymph'' (1943), '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943), '' Wilson'' (1944), '' Impact'' (1949), '' The Paradine Case'' (1947), '' Everybody Does It'' (1950), '' Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' (1952), '' Monkey Business'' (1952), '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953), and ''

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

'' (1959). He usually played comedic parts, but his roles in ''Kings Row'' and ''Wilson'' showed his dramatic versatility. For his contributions to motion pictures, in 1960, Coburn was honored with a star on the

at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard.

Political activity

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

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Born and raised in the southern state of Georgia, Coburn was a member of the White Citizens' Council, which was part of a network of

states' rights In United States, American politics of the United States, political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments of the United States, state governments rather than the federal government of the United States, ...

groups known as the Citizens' Councils. These groups were associated with their opposition to the Civil Rights movement. A staunch Republican, Coburn supported

Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...

in the

1944 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 1944. The election took place during World War II which ended the following year. The History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticke ...

Personal life

Coburn married Ivah Wills on January 29, 1906, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. 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 Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She was the widow of the New Zealand bass opera singer Oscar Natzka. They had one child, a daughter. Coburn died of a heart attack on August 30, 1961, at age 84 in New York City. He was interred at

Bonaventure Cemetery Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, southeast of downtown Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery's prominence grew when it was featured in the 1994 novel '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Ev ...

.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Complete filmography

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coburn, Charles 1877 births 1961 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American people of Scotch-Irish descent Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners California Republicans Citizens' Councils members Male actors from Macon, Georgia MPAPAI members