Film Snail

William Demarest

Born · February 26, 1892

Died · December 28, 1983 (91 years old)

Known For: Acting

Place of Birth: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

Bio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known for playing Uncle Charley in My Three Sons. A veteran of World War I, Demarest became a prolific film and television actor, appearing in over 140 films, beginning in 1926 and ending in the 1970s. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles. Demarest started in show business working in vaudeville, appearing with his wife Estelle Collette (real name Esther Zychlin) as "Demarest and Colette", then moved on to Broadway. Demarest worked regularly with director Preston Sturges, becoming part of a "stock" troupe of actors that Sturges repeatedly cast in his films. He appeared in ten films written by Sturges, eight of which were under his direction, including The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Demarest was such a familiar figure at the Paramount studio that just his name was used in the movie Sunset Boulevard as a potential star for William Holden's unsold baseball screenplay. Demarest appeared with veteran western film star Roscoe Ates in the 1958 episode "And the Desert Shall Blossom" of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In the story line, Ates and Demarest appear as old timers living in the Nevada desert. The local sheriff, played by Ben Johnson, appears with an eviction notice, but he agrees to let the pair stay on their property if they can make a dead rosebush bloom within the next month. In 1959 Demarest was named the lead actor of the 18-week sitcom Love and Marriage on NBC in the 1959–1960 season. Demarest played William Harris, the owner of a failing music company who refuses to handle popular rock and roll music, which presumably might save the firm from bankruptcy. Joining Demarest on the series were Jeanne Bal, Murray Hamilton and Stubby Kaye. Demarest appeared as Police Chief Aloysius of the Santa Rosita Police Department in the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), as well as on a memorable episode ("What's in the Box") of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone as a hen-pecked husband driven to the murder of his wife. His most famous television role was in the ABC and then CBS sitcom My Three Sons from 1965 to 1972, playing Uncle Charley O'Casey. He replaced William Frawley, whose failing health had made procuring insurance impossible. Demarest had worked with Fred MacMurray previously in the films Hands Across the Table (1935), Pardon My Past (1945), On Our Merry Way (1948), and The Far Horizons (1955) and was a personal friend of MacMurray. Also, he worked with Irene Dunne in Never a Dull Moment (1950).

Known for

Television: The First Fifty Years

Charlie O'Casey (archive footage)

0.0

1999

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

Self (archive footage)

7.0

1997

The Millionaire

Oscar Pugh

0.0

1978

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

Studio Gatekeeper

4.1

1976

Ellery Queen

Alexander 'Pop' Denny · (1 episode)

7.4

1975

The Wild McCullochs

Father Gurkin

4.0

1975

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Mr. Harris

6.1

1973

McMillan & Wife

Andy Kenesaw · (1 episode)

7.3

1971

McMillan & Wife

Cyrus McFee · (1 episode)

7.3

1971

That Darn Cat!

Mr. MacDougall

6.5

1965

Viva Las Vegas

Mr. Martin

6.2

1964

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Police Chief Aloysius

7.0

1963

The Jerry Lewis Show

Self · (1 episode)

7.0

1963

Burke's Law

6.5

1960

The Rebel

Ulysses Bowman · (1 episode)

5.3

1959

The Twilight Zone

Joe Britt · (1 episode)

8.4

1959

Love and Marriage

William Harris · (26 episodes)

0.0

1959

Bonanza

Angus Tweedy · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Bonanza

Enos Milford · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Wagon Train

Mr. Hennessey · (1 episode)

6.4

1957

Tales of Wells Fargo

Jeb Gaine (credit only) · (1 episode)

6.8

1957

The Rawhide Years

Brand Comfort

5.5

1956

The Mountain

Father Belacchi

6.9

1956

Hell on Frisco Bay

Dan Bianco

5.0

1955

Sincerely Yours

Sam Dunne

5.8

1955

Lucy Gallant

Charles Madden

7.0

1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Tom Akins · (1 episode)

7.7

1955

The Private War of Major Benson

John

6.7

1955

The Far Horizons

Sgt. Gass

6.2

1955

Jupiter's Darling

Mago

4.3

1955

The Yellow Mountain

Jackpot Wray

5.1

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

Mr. Hummel (archive footage) · (1 episode)

7.6

1954

Studio 57

(1 episode)

0.0

1954

Escape from Fort Bravo

Campbell

6.1

1953

Here Come the Girls

Dennis Logan

4.4

1953

Dangerous When Wet

Pa Higgins

6.0

1953

The Lady Wants Mink

Harvey Jones

6.0

1953

The Blazing Forest

Syd Jessup

6.0

1952

What Price Glory

Corporal Kiper

5.5

1952

The Red Skelton Show

Senator Burnside · (1 episode)

7.4

1951

Behave Yourself!

O'Ryan

6.0

1951

The Strip

Fluff

5.7

1951

Excuse My Dust

Harvey Bullitt

7.2

1951

The First Legion

Monsignor Michael Carey

6.8

1951

He's a Cockeyed Wonder

Bob Sears

3.3

1950

Never a Dull Moment

Mears

5.4

1950

Riding High

Happy

5.8

1950

When Willie Comes Marching Home

Herman Kluggs

6.8

1950

Red, Hot and Blue

Charlie Baxter

5.8

1949

Jolson Sings Again

Steve Martin

6.0

1949

Sorrowful Jones

Regret

6.1

1949

Whispering Smith

Bill Dansing

6.5

1948

Night Has a Thousand Eyes

Lt. Shawn

6.7

1948

The Sainted Sisters

Vern Tewilliger

7.0

1948

On Our Merry Way

Floyd

5.5

1948

Variety Girl

Barker

6.1

1947

The Perils of Pauline

George 'Mac' McGuire

6.2

1947

The Jolson Story

Steve Martin

6.7

1946

Our Hearts Were Growing Up

Peanuts Schultz

6.2

1946

Pardon My Past

Chuck Gibson

6.0

1945

Hollywood Victory Caravan

Bill, the Security Guard

5.2

1945

Duffy's Tavern

William Demarest

6.1

1945

Along Came Jones

George Fury

5.8

1945

Salty O'Rourke

Smitty

5.2

1945

Hail the Conquering Hero

Sgt. Heppelfinger

7.0

1944

The Great Moment

Eben Frost

5.8

1944

Once Upon a Time

Brandt

5.8

1944

Nine Girls

Walter Cummings

5.3

1944

True to Life

Uncle Jake

6.0

1943

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

Constable Edmund Kockenlocker

6.9

1943

Dangerous Blondes

Detective Gatling

6.0

1943

Stage Door Canteen

William Demarest

6.1

1943

Johnny Doughboy

Harry Fabian

5.5

1942

Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

Police Officer

6.3

1942

Behind the Eight Ball

McKenzie

4.7

1942

The Palm Beach Story

First Member Ale and Quail Club

7.0

1942

Pardon My Sarong

Detective Kendall

6.5

1942

My Favorite Spy

Flower Pot Policeman

5.2

1942

True to the Army

Sgt. Butts

0.0

1942

All Through the Night

Sunshine

6.9

1942

Glamour Boy

7.0

1940

The Farmer's Daughter

Victor Walsh

5.0

1940

Wolf of New York

Bill Ennis

7.0

1940

Laugh It Off

Barney 'Gimpy' Cole

2.0

1939

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Bill Griffith

7.9

1939

Miracles for Sale

Quinn

6.4

1939

The Cowboy Quarterback

Rusty Walker

5.5

1939

The Gracie Allen Murder Case

Police Sgt. Ernest Heath

5.5

1939

King of the Turf

Arnold

7.0

1939

The Great Man Votes

Charles Dole

6.1

1939

While New York Sleeps

Red Miller

0.0

1938

Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Daro

4.3

1938

Josette

Joe, Diner Owner

6.7

1938

One Wild Night

Collins

5.5

1938

Romance on the Run

Police Lt. Eckhardt

0.0

1938

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Harry Kipper

6.7

1938

Rosalie

Army Coach

5.5

1937

Big City

Mr. Beecher

7.4

1937

Wake Up and Live

Radio Center Tour Guide

5.3

1937

Blonde Trouble

Paul Sears

0.0

1937

Easy Living

Wallace Whistling

7.0

1937

The Great Gambini

Sergeant Kirby

6.0

1937

The Great Hospital Mystery

Mr. Beatty

4.0

1937

The Hit Parade

Parole Officer

4.0

1937

Oh, Doctor

Marty Short

0.0

1937

Don't Tell the Wife

Larry 'Horace' Tucker

0.0

1937

Time Out for Romance

Willoughby Sproggs

5.6

1937

Mind Your Own Business

Droopy

0.0

1936

Charlie Chan at the Opera

Sergeant Kelly

6.7

1936

Love on the Run

Editor

6.4

1936

Wedding Present

'Smiles' Benson

6.5

1936

The Great Ziegfeld

Gene Buck (uncredited)

6.2

1936

White Lies

Roberts

6.0

1935

Hands Across the Table

Regi's Date Natty (uncredited)

6.8

1935

Diamond Jim

Harry Hill

6.0

1935

Bright Lights

Detective

4.5

1935

The Murder Man

'Red' Maguire

6.9

1935

The Casino Murder Case

Auctioneer (uncredited)

6.5

1935

After Office Hours

Police Detective (uncredited)

6.4

1935

Fugitive Lady

Steve Rogers

6.0

1934

Many Happy Returns

Brinker

5.3

1934

Fog Over Frisco

Spike Smith

1927

Cuffs Egan

0.0

1927