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person_profile-William Demarest

William Demarest Died at age: 91

Actor | Producer

Date of Birth:

Feb 27, 1892

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Dec 28, 1983

Biography of

William Demarest

    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).

Photos of

William Demarest

Photos ( 3 Photos

Filmography of

William Demarest

Found 136 Movies in total

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

Self (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 1997

The Millionaire

Oscar Pugh ( Actor )

... 1978

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

Studio Gatekeeper ( Actor )

... 1976

The Wild McCullochs

Father Gurkin ( Actor )

... 1975

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Mr. Harris ( Actor )

... 1973

That Darn Cat!

Mr. MacDougall ( Actor )

... 1965

Viva Las Vegas

Mr. Martin ( Actor )

... 1964

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

Police Chief Aloysius ( Actor )

... 1963

Son of Flubber

Mr. Hummel ( Actor )

... 1963

... 1961

Twenty Plus Two

Desmond Slocum ( Actor )

... 1961

Pepe

Movie Studio Gateman ( Actor )

... 1960

The Rawhide Years

Brand Comfort ( Actor )

... 1956

The Mountain

Father Belacchi ( Actor )

... 1956

Hell on Frisco Bay

Dan Bianco ( Actor )

... 1955

Sincerely Yours

Sam Dunne ( Actor )

... 1955

Lucy Gallant

Charles Madden ( Actor )

... 1955

... 1955

The Far Horizons

Sgt. Gass ( Actor )

... 1955

Jupiter's Darling

Mago ( Actor )

... 1955

The Yellow Mountain

Jackpot Wray ( Actor )

... 1954

Escape from Fort Bravo

Campbell ( Actor )

... 1953

Here Come the Girls

Dennis Logan ( Actor )

... 1953

Dangerous When Wet

Pa Higgins ( Actor )

... 1953

The Lady Wants Mink

Harvey Jones ( Actor )

... 1953

The Blazing Forest

Syd Jessup ( Actor )

... 1952

What Price Glory

Corporal Kiper ( Actor )

... 1952

Behave Yourself!

O'Ryan ( Actor )

... 1951

The Strip

Fluff ( Actor )

... 1951

Excuse My Dust

Harvey Bullitt ( Actor )

... 1951

The First Legion

Monsignor Michael Carey ( Actor )

... 1951

He's a Cockeyed Wonder

Bob Sears ( Actor )

... 1950

Never a Dull Moment

Mears ( Actor )

... 1950

Riding High

Happy ( Actor )

... 1950

When Willie Comes Marching Home

Herman Kluggs ( Actor )

... 1950

Red, Hot and Blue

Charlie Baxter, Press Agent ( Actor )

... 1949

Jolson Sings Again

Steve Martin ( Actor )

... 1949

Sorrowful Jones

Regret ( Actor )

... 1949

Whispering Smith

Bill Dansing ( Actor )

... 1948

Night Has a Thousand Eyes

Lt. Shawn ( Actor )

... 1948

The Sainted Sisters

Vern Tewilliger ( Actor )

... 1948

On Our Merry Way

Floyd ( Actor )

... 1948

Variety Girl

Barker ( Actor )

... 1947

The Perils of Pauline

George 'Mac' McGuire ( Actor )

... 1947

The Jolson Story

Steve Martin ( Actor )

... 1946

Our Hearts Were Growing Up

Peanuts Schultz ( Actor )

... 1946

Pardon My Past

Chuck Gibson ( Actor )

... 1945

Duffy's Tavern

William Demarest ( Actor )

... 1945

Along Came Jones

George Fury ( Actor )

... 1945

Salty O'Rourke

Smitty ( Actor )

... 1945

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

Constable Edmund Kockenlocker ( Actor )

... 1944

Hail the Conquering Hero

Sgt. Heppelfinger ( Actor )

... 1944

The Great Moment

Eben Frost ( Actor )

... 1944

Once Upon a Time

Brandt ( Actor )

... 1944

Nine Girls

Walter Cummings ( Actor )

... 1944

True to Life

Uncle Jake ( Actor )

... 1943

Dangerous Blondes

Detective Gatling ( Actor )

... 1943

Stage Door Canteen

William Demarest ( Actor )

... 1943

Johnny Doughboy

Harry Fabian ( Actor )

... 1942

Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

Police Officer ( Actor )

... 1942

Behind the Eight Ball

McKenzie ( Actor )

... 1942

The Palm Beach Story

First Member Ale and Quail Club ( Actor )

... 1942

Pardon My Sarong

Detective Kendall ( Actor )

... 1942

My Favorite Spy

Flower Pot Policeman ( Actor )

... 1942

True to the Army

Sgt. Butts ( Actor )

... 1942

All Through the Night

Sunshine ( Actor )

... 1942

Glamour Boy

Papa Doran ( Actor )

... 1941

Sullivan's Travels

Mr. Jones ( Actor )

... 1941

Dressed to Kill

Inspector Pierson ( Actor )

... 1941

Country Fair

Stogie McPhee ( Actor )

... 1941

Ride on Vaquero

Bartender Barney ( Actor )

... 1941

Rookies on Parade

Mike Brady ( Actor )

... 1941

The Devil and Miss Jones

First Detective ( Actor )

... 1941

The Lady Eve

Muggsy ( Actor )

... 1941

Little Men

Constable Tom Thorpe ( Actor )

... 1940

Christmas in July

Mr. Bildocker ( Actor )

... 1940

The Golden Fleecing

Swallow ( Actor )

... 1940

The Great McGinty

Skeeters - The Politician ( Actor )

... 1940

The Farmer's Daughter

Victor Walsh ( Actor )

... 1940

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Bill Griffith ( Actor )

... 1939

Miracles for Sale

Quinn ( Actor )

... 1939

The Cowboy Quarterback

Rusty Walker ( Actor )

... 1939

The Gracie Allen Murder Case

Police Sgt. Ernest Heath ( Actor )

... 1939

King of the Turf

Arnold ( Actor )

... 1939

The Great Man Votes

Charles Dole ( Actor )

... 1939

While New York Sleeps

Red Miller ( Actor )

... 1938

... 1938

Josette

Joe, Diner Owner ( Actor )

... 1938

One Wild Night

Collins ( Actor )

... 1938

Romance on the Run

Police Lt. Eckhardt ( Actor )

... 1938

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Harry Kipper ( Actor )

... 1938

Rosalie

Army Coach ( Actor )

... 1937

Big City

Mr. Beecher ( Actor )

... 1937

Wake Up and Live

Radio Center Tour Guide ( Actor )

... 1937

Blonde Trouble

Paul Sears ( Actor )

... 1937

Easy Living

Wallace Whistling ( Actor )

... 1937

The Great Gambini

Sergeant Kirby ( Actor )

... 1937

The Great Hospital Mystery

Mr. Beatty ( Actor )

... 1937

The Hit Parade

Parole Officer ( Actor )

... 1937

Oh, Doctor

Marty Short ( Actor )

... 1937

Don't Tell the Wife

Larry 'Horace' Tucker ( Actor )

... 1937

Time Out for Romance

Willoughby Sproggs ( Actor )

... 1937

Mind Your Own Business

Droopy ( Actor )

... 1936

Charlie Chan at the Opera

Sergeant Kelly ( Actor )

... 1936

Love on the Run

Editor ( Actor )

... 1936

Wedding Present

'Smiles' Benson ( Actor )

... 1936

The Great Ziegfeld

Gene Buck (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1936

White Lies

Roberts ( Actor )

... 1935

Hands Across the Table

Regi's Date Natty (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1935

Diamond Jim

Harry Hill ( Actor )

... 1935

Bright Lights

Detective ( Actor )

... 1935

The Murder Man

'Red' Maguire ( Actor )

... 1935

The Casino Murder Case

Auctioneer (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1935

After Office Hours

Police Detective (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1935

Fugitive Lady

Steve Rogers ( Actor )

... 1934

Many Happy Returns

Brinker ( Actor )

... 1934

Fog Over Frisco

Spike Smith ( Actor )

... 1934

The Crash

Louie ( Actor )

... 1928

The Butter and Egg Man

Jack McLure ( Actor )

... 1928

Five and Ten Cent Annie

Briggs ( Actor )

... 1928

Pay as You Enter

'Terrible Bill' McGovern ( Actor )

... 1928

A Girl in Every Port

Man in Bombay (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1928

Sharp Shooters

'Hi Jack' Murdock ( Actor )

... 1928

A Reno Divorce

James, the chauffeur ( Actor )

... 1927

The Jazz Singer

Buster Billings (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1927

A Sailor's Sweetheart

Detective ( Actor )

... 1927

The Bush Leaguer

John Gilroy ( Actor )

... 1927

The First Auto

The Village Cut-Up ( Actor )

... 1927

What Happened To Father

Detective Dibbin ( Actor )

... 1927

The Black Diamond Express

Train Engine Fireman ( Actor )

... 1927

... 1927

A Million Bid

George Lamont ( Actor )

... 1927

Don't Tell the Wife

Ray Valerian ( Actor )

... 1927

Finger Prints

Cuffs Egan ( Actor )

... 1927