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 goodhearted 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 Sullivans Travels and The Miracle of Morgans 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 Holdens unsold baseball screenplay Demarest appeared with veteran western film star Roscoe Ates in the 1958 episode And the Desert Shall Blossom of CBSs 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 18week sitcom Love and Marriage on NBC in the 19591960 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 Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1963 as well as on a memorable episode Whats in the Box of Rod Serlings The Twilight Zone as a henpecked 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 OCasey 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