William Brooks Ching (October 2, 1913 – July 1, 1989) was an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

who appeared in numerous films and on television during the later 1940s and 1950s. Ching may be best known for his supporting role in

Rudolph Maté Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer; 21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was a Polish-Hungarian cinematographer who worked in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and France. He collaborated with notable directors including Fritz Lang, René Clair, and Carl ...

's 1950

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

'' D.O.A.'' along with his role as the overbearing boyfriend of

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

's character in

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

's 1952 comedy ''

Pat and Mike ''Pat and Mike'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The movie was written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, and directed by George Cukor. Cukor directed ''The Philadelphia Story (film), The Phil ...

''.

Early years

Ching was born in St. Louis and raised in New Orleans. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the Coast Guard.

Career

Ching began his career as a professional singer, starring in a summer series at the Memphis Open Air Theater. He appeared in musical comedies such as

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

's ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

'' (1947). His first film role was in 1946. He signed with

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

in 1947, and for the next dozen years, acted mostly in Westerns and dramas. Ching declined to change his name at the time of his move to films, though it might give the mistaken impression that he was of Asian descent. William Ching in DOA

He appeared in the

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

Western '' Tall Man Riding'' (1955). The same year, Ching was cast as Clint Allbright on CBS's ''

Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...

''. In 1958, he played Glenn McKay in the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Corresponding Corpse". His last major acting credit was in a 1959 episode of the television series ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...

''.

Death

In 1989, at age 75, Ching died of congestive heart failure. He is buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

Partial filmography

*'' The Mysterious Mr. M'' (1946, Serial) - Jim Farrell hs. 1-3*'' I'll Be Yours'' (1947) - Stage Door Johnny (uncredited) *'' The Michigan Kid'' (1947) - Steve Randolph Prescott *'' Song of Scheherazade'' (1947) - Midshipman (uncredited) *'' Buck Privates Come Home'' (1947) - 2nd Lieutenant, Mess Officer (uncredited) *'' Something in the Wind'' (1947) - Joe (uncredited) *'' The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap'' (1947) - Jim Simpson *''Life of St. Paul Series'' (1949) - Jailer *'' D.O.A.'' (1950) - Halliday *'' In a Lonely Place'' (1950) - Ted Barton *'' The Showdown'' (1950) - Mike Shattay *'' Surrender'' (1950) - John Beauregard Hale *'' Belle Le Grand'' (1951) - Bill Shanks *''

Oh! Susanna "Oh! Susanna" is a folk song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. ...

'' (1951) - Corporal Donlin *'' The Sea Hornet'' (1951) - Sprowl *'' The Wild Blue Yonder'' (1951) - Lt. Ted Cranshaw *'' Bal Tabarin'' (1952) - Don Barlow *''

'' (1952) - Collier Weld *'' Never Wave at a WAC'' (1953) - Lt. Col. Schuyler 'Sky' Fairchild *'' Scared Stiff'' (1953) - Tony Warren *'' The Moonlighter'' (1953) - Tom Anderson *''

Give a Girl a Break ''Give a Girl a Break'' is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds and the dance team of Marge and Gower Champion. A young Bob Fosse has a featured role. Plot When the temperamental star ...

'' (1953) - Anson Prichett *'' The Magnificent Matador'' (1955) - Jody Wilton *'' Tall Man Riding'' (1955) - Rex Willard *'' Terror in the Haunted House'' (1958) - Mark Snell *'' Escort West'' (1959) - Capt. Howard Poole

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ching, William 1913 births 1989 deaths American male musical theatre actors American male film actors American male television actors Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from St. Louis 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers