Charles Coburn

Not to be confused with Charles Coborn.

Charles Coburn
from the trailer for Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
Born	Charles Douville Coburn (1877-06-19)June 19, 1877 Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Died	Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Cremated, Ashes scattered
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1901–61
Spouse(s)	Ivah Wills (1906–37; her death) Winifred Natzka (1959–61; his death)

Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American film and theatre actor. Best known for his work in comedies, Coburn received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1943's The More the Merrier.

Biography

Charles Coburn in Road to Singapore (1940)

Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman (May 11, 1838 Springfield, Ohio - November 12, 1896 Savannah, Georgia) and Moses Douville Coburn (April 27, 1834 Savannah, Georgia - December 27, 1902 Savannah, Georgia). Growing up in Savannah, he started out at age 14 doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs, ushering, or being the doorman. By age 17 or 18, he was the theater manager. He later became an actor, making his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with actress Ivah Wills in 1905. They married in 1906. In addition to managing the company, the couple performed frequently on Broadway.

After his wife's death in 1937, Coburn relocated to Los Angeles, California and began film work. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a retired millionaire playing Cupid in The More the Merrier in 1943. He was also nominated for The Devil and Miss Jones in 1941 and The Green Years in 1946. Other notable film credits include Of Human Hearts (1938), The Lady Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942), The Constant Nymph (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943), Wilson (1944), Impact (1949), The Paradine Case (1947), Everybody Does It (1950), Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and John Paul Jones (1959). He usually played comedic parts, but Kings Row and Wilson were dramatic parts, showing his versatility.

For his contributions to motion pictures, in 1960, Coburn was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard.

Politics

Irving Leroy Ress (left), Charles Coburn (right), ca 1950.

In the 1940s, Coburn served as vice-president of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a group opposed to leftist infiltration and proselytization in Hollywood during the Cold War. Coburn was a member of the White Citizens' Councils, a group which opposed racial integration.

Marriages

Coburn married Ivah Wills (born August 19, 1878) on January 29, 1906 in Atlanta, Georgia. They had six children. Ivah died on December 3, 1937 in New York City of congestive heart failure, aged 59. Coburn married Winifred Natzka on June 30, 1959 in Los Angeles. She was the widow of the New Zealand bass opera singer Oscar Natzka. They had one child, a daughter.

Death

Coburn died from a heart attack on August 30, 1961, at age 84 in New York City. Winifred moved to New Zealand.

Partial filmography

• Of Human Hearts (1938)
• Vivacious Lady (1938)
• Lord Jeff (1938)
• Idiot's Delight (1939)
• Made for Each Other (1939)
• Bachelor Mother (1939)
• Stanley and Livingstone (1939)
• In Name Only (1939)
• Edison, the Man (1940)
• Road to Singapore (1940)
• Three Faces West (1940)
• The Lady Eve (1941)
• Unexpected Uncle (1941)
• The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
• H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
• Kings Row (1942)
• In This Our Life (1942)
• George Washington Slept Here (1942)
• The More the Merrier (1943)
• The Constant Nymph (1943)
• Heaven Can Wait (1943)
• Princess O'Rourke (1943)
• Knickerbocker Holiday (1944)
• Wilson (1944)
• Together Again (1944)
• The Impatient Years (1944)
• A Royal Scandal (1945)
• Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
• Over 21 (1945)
• The Green Years (1946)
• Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946)
• Lured (1947)
• The Paradine Case (1947)
• Green Grass of Wyoming (1948)
• B.F.'s Daughter (1948)
• Impact (1949)
• Everybody Does It (1949)
• Yes Sir That's My Baby (1949)
• Louisa (1950)
• Mr. Music (1950)
• Peggy (1950)
• Trouble Along the Way (1952)
• Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952)
• Monkey Business (1952)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
• The Long Wait (1954)
• The Best of Broadway episode "The Royal Family" (1954) (TV)
• The Power and the Prize (1956)
• Town on Trial (1957)
• How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957)
• The Story of Mankind (1957)
• Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as Hong Kong steamship company clerk
• John Paul Jones (1959)

Radio appearances

Year	Program	Episode/source
1946	Academy Award	The Devil and Miss Jones

External links

• Charles Coburn at the Internet Movie Database
• Charles Coburn at the Internet Broadway Database
• Charles Coburn at Find a Grave