Charles Morton (28 January 1908 in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, USA – 26 October 1966 in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

) was an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Career

Born in Illinois, Charles Morton spent his adolescence in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

; receiving his education at Madison High School and the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. He made his first stage appearance at the age of seven and later appeared 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 ...

, stock and the legitimate stage. Morton's career started late in the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, first as a leading man, continued into sound features and finally television. His polished physical appearance, charm and personality were noted by the studios and at the age of 19 signed his first contract with Fox in 1927. Audiences first discovered the handsome youth that same year opposite the studio's leading flapper, Madge Bellamy, in ''Colleen'', one of the era's many comedy-dramas. Morton went on to star in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's 1928

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

silent film '' Four Sons''. Morton was also a member of the ultimately tragic circus troupe in F. W. Murnau's near-classic '' 4 Devils'', among the most mourned of the

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

s of the silent era. Morton also starred in Fox's '' None but the Brave'' (1928). In 1931, Morton married

Lya Lys Lya Lys (born Nathalie Margoulis; May 18, 1908 – June 2, 1986) was a German-born American actress. Biography Lya Lys was born in Berlin on May 18, 1908U.S. Naturalization Records August 7, 1933 to a Russian banker and French pediatrician who ...

, but the marriage ended in divorce some months later, not long after the birth of their daughter. Later a dispute over alimony payments would see Morton spending a few days behind bars.Alimony Dodger To Serve Jail Term - Nevada State Journal 23 Nov 1932 pg. 1 After 1933 with the widespread use of sound film, Morton's career began to lose momentum; and by 1936 his roles were significantly reduced, playing minor roles on television until his death from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

in 1966. Even though Morton's career continued into the mid-1960s, almost all of his roles after 1933 were so minor he was left uncredited for the majority of his performances. He died at the age of 58, was cremated and his ashes interred in an unmarked grave in Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, in Block G, Section 6755, Lot 1.

Partial filmography

*'' Rich But Honest'' (1927) *'' Wolf Fangs'' (1927) *'' Colleen'' (1927) *'' Dressed to Kill'' (1928) *'' None but the Brave'' (1928) *'' Four Sons'' (1928) *'' 4 Devils'' (1928) *''

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

'' (1929) *'' Check and Double Check'' (1930) *'' Caught Short'' (1930) * '' The Dawn Trail'' (1930) * '' The Last Ride'' (1931) *'' Goldie Gets Along'' (1932) *''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' 1964 TV Series - "Crooked Mile" (S10E2) - Barfly

References

External links

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Charles Morton
at Virtual History 1908 births 1966 deaths Male actors from Illinois American vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th Century Studios contract players {{US-theat-actor-1900s-stub