WD
William Demarest
Actor
Died December 28, 1983 (91 years)
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).
Filmography
| 2004 | Hit Celebrity TV Commercials · as Uncle Charlie O'Casey - for Hunt's Ketchup |
| 1999 | Television: The First Fifty Years · as Uncle Charlie O'Casey |
| 1976 | Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood · as Studio Gatekeeper |
| 1975 | The Wild McCullochs · as Father Gurkin |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1973 | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark · as Mr. Harris |
| 1971 | McMillan and Wife (TV Series) · as Andy Kenesaw |
| 1965 | That Darn Cat! · as Mr. MacDougall |
| 1964 | Viva Las Vegas · as Mr. Martin |
| 1963 | It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World · as Police Chief Aloysius |
| 1963 | Son of Flubber · as Mr. Hummel |
| 1961 | King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein · as Henry Hecht |
| 1961 | Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon · as Jeb |
| 1960 | Pepe · as Movie Studio Gateman |
| 1960 | My Three Sons (TV Series) · as Charley O'Casey |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | Love and Marriage (TV Series) · as William Harris |
| 1959 | The Rebel (TV Series) · as Ulysses Bowman |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) · as Joe Britt |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Jeb Gaine (credit only) |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Mr. Hennessey |
| 1956 | The Mountain · as Father Belacchi |
| 1955 | The Far Horizons · as Sgt. Gass |
| 1955 | Jupiter's Darling · as Mago |
| 1955 | Sincerely Yours · as Sam Dunne |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) · as Tom Akins |
| 1953 | Dangerous When Wet · as Pa Higgins |
| 1953 | Escape from Fort Bravo · as Campbell |
| 1953 | Make Room for Daddy (TV Series) · as Mr. Daly |
| 1952 | What Price Glory · as Corporal Kiper |
| 1951 | Behave Yourself! · as O'Ryan |
| 1951 | The Red Skelton Show (TV Series) · as Senator Burnside |
| 1950 | Riding High · as Happy |
| 1949 | Jolson Sings Again · as Steve Martin |
| 1948 | Whispering Smith · as Bill Dansing |
| 1948 | On Our Merry Way · as Floyd |
| 1948 | The Sainted Sisters · as Vern Tewilliger |
| 1947 | The Perils of Pauline · as George 'Mac' McGuire |
| 1945 | Along Came Jones · as George Fury |
| 1944 | Hail the Conquering Hero · as Sgt. Heppelfinger |
| 1944 | The Miracle of Morgan's Creek · as Constable Edmund Kockenlocker |
| 1944 | Once Upon a Time · as Brandt |
| 1943 | Stage Door Canteen · as William Demarest |
| 1942 | The Palm Beach Story · as First Member Ale and Quail Club |
| 1942 | All Through the Night · as Sunshine |
| 1942 | Behind the Eight Ball · as McKenzie |
| 1941 | The Devil and Miss Jones · as First Detective |
| 1941 | Ride on Vaquero · as Bartender Barney |
| 1941 | The Lady Eve · as Muggsy |
| 1941 | Sullivan's Travels · as Mr. Jones |
| 1940 | Little Men · as Constable Tom Thorpe |
| 1940 | The Golden Fleecing · as Swallow |
| 1939 | The Great Man Votes · as Charles Dole |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington · as Bill Griffith |
| 1938 | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm · as Harry Kipper |
| 1938 | Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus · as Daro |
| 1938 | Romance on the Run · as Police Lt. Eckhardt |
| 1938 | One Wild Night · as Collins |
| 1937 | Rosalie · as Army Coach |
| 1936 | The Great Ziegfeld · as Gene Buck |
| 1936 | Love on the Run · as Editor |
| 1936 | Wedding Present · as 'Smiles' Benson |
| 1935 | After Office Hours · as Police Detective (uncredited) |
| 1928 | The Butter and Egg Man · as Jack McLure |
| 1927 | The Jazz Singer · as Buster Billings (uncredited) |