Charles Douville Coburn (
June 19,
1877 –
August 30,
1961) was an
Academy Award-winning
American film and
theater actor.
Biography
Coburn was born in
Savannah, Georgia, the son of
Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. He started out doing odd jobs at the local theater, handing out programs, ushering, being the doorman. By the age of 17 or 18, he was the theater manager.
He later moved on to acting and made his debut on
Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with 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 acting in films. 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.
