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Charles Drake

 
Actor: Charles Drake
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Oct 02, 1914 in New York City, New York
  • Died: Sep 10, 1994 in East Lyme, Connecticut
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '40s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Harvey, Winchester '73, The Glenn Miller Story
  • First Major Screen Credit: Russia Marches on (1938)

Biography

Upon graduating from Nichols College, Charles Ruppert entered the professional world as a salesman. When he decided to switch to acting, Ruppert changed his name to Drake. In films from 1939, Drake was signed to a Warner Bros. contract and appeared in such films as The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Now, Voyager (1942), Dive Bomber (1942), Air Force (1943), and Mr. Skeffington (1944). Freelancing in the mid-'40s, he played the romantic lead in the Marx Brothers flick A Night in Casablanca (1946). Once he moved to Universal in 1949, Drake proved that the fault lay not in himself but in the roles he'd previously been assigned to play. He was quite personable as Dr. Sanderson in Harvey (1950) and thoroughly despicable as the cowardly paramour of dance-hall girl Shelley Winters in Winchester '73 (1950). One of his most unusual performances was as the ostensible hero of You Never Can Tell (1951), who after spending two reels convincing the viewer that he's a prince of a fellow, turns out to be the villain of the piece. Drake did some of his best work at Universal as a supporting player in the vehicles of his offscreen pal Audie Murphy. In 1955, Drake turned to television as one of the stock-company players on Robert Montgomery Presents; three years later, he was star/host of the British TV espionage weekly Rendezvous. Charles Drake prospered as a character actor well into the early 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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For other persons named Charles Drake, see Charles Drake (disambiguation).
Charles Drake
Born Charles Rupert
October 2, 1917(1917-10-02)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died September 10, 1994 (aged 76)
East Lyme, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1939–1976

Charles Drake (October 2, 1917 – September 10, 1994) was an American actor.

Biography

Drake was born Charles Ruppert in New York City. He graduated from Nichols College and became a salesman. In 1939, he turned to acting and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. He wasn't immediately successful. World War II interrupted his career; soon after his military service was complete, Drake returned to Hollywood in 1945, his contract with Warner Brothers ended. In the 1940s, he did some freelance work, like A Night in Casablanca. In 1949 he moved to Universal Studios. In 1955, Drake turned to television as one of the stock-company players on Robert Montgomery Presents and three years later he became the host of the British TV espionage weekly Rendezvous. In 1959, he starred in the Western film, No Name on the Bullet, where he played a doctor dedicated to saving a small town from a dangerous assassin. He played in 83 films between 1939 and 1975, including Scream, Pretty Peggy with Bette Davis. Over fifty of them were dramas, but he also acted in comedies, science fiction, horror and film noir.

He died on September 10, 1994 in East Lyme, Connecticut.

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