William Demarest
Biography
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).
Known For
Mr. Martin
Viva Las Vegas
Bill Griffith
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Muggsy
The Lady Eve
Police Chief Aloysius
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Steve Martin
The Jolson Story
First Member Ale and Quail Club
The Palm Beach Story
Lt. Shawn
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
'Hi Jack' Murdock
Sharp Shooters
Mr. Harris
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
'Red' Maguire
The Murder Man
Sergeant Kelly
Charlie Chan at the Opera
Mr. Bildocker
Christmas in July
Skeeters - The Politician
The Great McGinty
Eben Frost
The Great Moment
Sgt. Heppelfinger
Hail the Conquering Hero
Inspector Pierson
Dressed to Kill
Constable Edmund Kockenlocker
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Sunshine
All Through the Night
Henry Hecht
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein
Steve Martin
Jolson Sings Again
Mr. Jones
Sullivan's Travels
Jack McLure
The Butter and Egg Man
Harry Kipper
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Ray Valerian
Don't Tell the Wife
Brandt
Once Upon a Time
The Heir
Seeing Things
Police Sgt. Ernest Heath
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
Harvey Bullitt
Excuse My Dust
Mr. Beecher
Big City
George Fury
Along Came Jones
Movie Studio Gateman
Pepe
Corporal Kiper
What Price Glory
Dan Bianco
Hell on Frisco Bay
Campbell
Escape from Fort Bravo
Regret
Sorrowful Jones
Father Belacchi
The Mountain
Sgt. Gass
The Far Horizons
Fluff
The Strip
Desmond Slocum
Twenty Plus Two
Flower Pot Policeman
My Favorite Spy
Gene Buck (uncredited)
The Great Ziegfeld
Rusty Walker
The Cowboy Quarterback
Red Miller
While New York Sleeps
Brand Comfort
The Rawhide Years
Train Engine Fireman
The Black Diamond Express
John
The Private War of Major Benson
Smitty
Salty O'Rourke
Happy
Riding High
Mago
Jupiter's Darling
Barker
Variety Girl
Dennis Logan
Here Come the Girls
Swallow
The Golden Fleecing
George 'Mac' McGuire
The Perils of Pauline
Bob Sears
He's a Cockeyed Wonder
Bill Ennis
Wolf of New York
Defense Counsel
The Night Court
O'Ryan
Behave Yourself!
Sam Dunne
Sincerely Yours
Chuck Gibson
Pardon My Past
Daro
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
Charlie Baxter
Red, Hot and Blue
Jackpot Wray
The Yellow Mountain
Bartender Barney
Ride on Vaquero
Droopy
Mind Your Own Business
Parole Officer
The Hit Parade
Vern Tewilliger
The Sainted Sisters
Quinn
Miracles for Sale
Uncle Jake
True to Life
Harry Fabian
Johnny Doughboy
Harvey Jones
The Lady Wants Mink
Syd Jessup
The Blazing Forest
Police Lt. Eckhardt
Romance on the Run
Monsignor Michael Carey
The First Legion
Charles Dole
The Great Man Votes
Police Officer
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
Larry 'Horace' Tucker
Don't Tell the Wife
'Smiles' Benson
Wedding Present
Editor
Love on the Run
The Village Cut-Up
The First Auto
Father Gurkin
The Wild McCullochs
Joe, Diner Owner
Josette
Wallace Whistling
Easy Living
Oscar Pugh
The Millionaire
Pa Higgins
Dangerous When Wet
Bill Dansing
Whispering Smith
Collins
One Wild Night
Spike Smith
Fog Over Frisco
Mr. Beatty
The Great Hospital Mystery
Papa Doran
Glamour Boy
Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Peanuts Schultz
Our Hearts Were Growing Up
Mears
Never a Dull Moment
Victor Walsh
The Farmer's Daughter
Herman Kluggs
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Stogie McPhee
Country Fair
Police Detective (uncredited)
After Office Hours
Buster Billings (uncredited)
The Jazz Singer
Sergeant Kirby
The Great Gambini
Man in Bombay (uncredited)
A Girl in Every Port
Charlie O'Casey (archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years
Army Coach
Rosalie
Willoughby Sproggs
Time Out for Romance
William Demarest
Stage Door Canteen
Mike Brady
Rookies on Parade
Marty Short
Oh, Doctor
McKenzie
Behind the Eight Ball
Detective Kendall
Pardon My Sarong
James, the chauffeur
A Reno Divorce
Briggs
Five and Ten Cent Annie
Regi's Date Natty (uncredited)
Hands Across the Table
Steve Rogers
Fugitive Lady
George Lamont
A Million Bid
Constable Tom Thorpe
Little Men
Barney 'Gimpy' Cole
Laugh It Off
Detective
Bright Lights
Mr. Hummel
Son of Flubber
Harry Hill
Diamond Jim
Charles Madden
Lucy Gallant
Jeb
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon
Bill, the Security Guard
Hollywood Victory Caravan
William Demarest
Duffy's Tavern
Mr. MacDougall
That Darn Cat!
Floyd
On Our Merry Way
Roberts
White Lies
Auctioneer (uncredited)
The Casino Murder Case
Sgt. Butts
True to the Army
Walter Cummings
Nine Girls
Detective Gatling
Dangerous Blondes
Louie
The Crash
Gutsy Mann
Comin' Round the Mountain
Arnold
King of the Turf
Detective Dibbin
What Happened To Father
Paul Sears
Blonde Trouble
'Terrible Bill' McGovern
Pay as You Enter
Cuffs Egan
Finger Prints
Detective
A Sailor's Sweetheart
Simple Sis
First Detective
The Devil and Miss Jones
Brinker
Many Happy Returns
Radio Center Tour Guide
Wake Up and Live
Studio Gatekeeper
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
John Gilroy
The Bush Leaguer
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
142
Gender
Male
Birthday
1892-02-27
Place of Birth
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Also Known As