Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles.

Biography

Charters was born in

Duncannon, Pennsylvania Duncannon is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,473 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisbu ...

. Until around 1890 he worked as a machinist for the Chesapeake Nail Works in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, and had little interest in acting. He soon appeared on stage after leaving school with a walk-on part, but it wasn't long before he was being given fair-sized roles. He played on Broadway between 1910 and 1929 and was a busy character actor in films during the 1930s and early 1940s. He often portrayed somewhat befuddled judges, doctors, clerks, managers, and jailers. Charters was married to actress Irene Myers until her death December 22, 1941. He died by suicide from a mix of

sleeping pills A hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), also known as a somnifacient or soporific, and commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to treat insomnia (sleeplessness). Th ...

and

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park,

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2. McFarland & Company (2016)

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Charters, Spencer 1875 births 1943 suicides 1943 deaths Male actors from Pennsylvania American male film actors American male stage actors Drug-related suicides in California People from Perry County, Pennsylvania Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning 20th-century American male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)