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Charles McGraw

 
Actor: Charles McGraw
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: May 10, 1914 in New York City, New York
  • Died: Jul 30, 1980 in Studio City, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '40s-'70s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Crime
  • Career Highlights: The Narrow Margin, Armored Car Robbery, Thunder over the Plains
  • First Major Screen Credit: T-Men (1947)

Biography

Gravel-voiced, granite-faced stage actor Charles McGraw made his first film The Moon is Down in 1943. At first it seemed as though McGraw would spend his movie career languishing in villainy, but while working at RKO in the late 1940s-early 1950s, the actor developed into an unorthodox but fascinating leading man. His shining hour (actually 72 minutes) was the role of the embittered detective assigned to protect mob witness Marie Windsor in the 1952 noir classic The Narrow Margin. McGraw continued being cast in the raffish-hero mold on television, essaying the lead in the 1954 syndicated series Adventures of Falcon and assuming the Bogartesque role of café owner Rick Blaine in the 1955 weekly TV adaptation of Casablanca (1955) (his last regular TV work was the supporting part of Captain Hughes on the 1971 Henry Fonda starrer The Smith Family). Active until the mid-1970s, Charles McGraw growled and scowled his way through such choice character roles as gladiator trainer Marcellus in Spartacus (1960), Sebastian Sholes in Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), and The Preacher in the cult favorite A Boy and His Dog (1975). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Charles McGraw
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Charles McGraw

Promotional Portrait
Born Charles Butters
May 10, 1914(1914-05-10)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died July 30, 1980 (aged 66)
Studio City, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1942–1977

Charles Butters (May 10, 1914 – July 30, 1980), best known by his stage name Charles McGraw, was an American actor, who made his first film in 1942, albeit in a small, uncredited cameo role. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Contents

Career

McGraw developed into a leading man, especially in film noir classics during the late 1940s and 1950s. His gravelly voice and rugged looks enhanced his appeal in the noir stylistic genre, and provided him many roles as cop or gunman.[1]

McGraw's notable roles include: "Honest Joe" insurance investigator turned thief by love interest in the noir classic Roadblock (1951); playing the grumpy cop hired to protect Marie Windsor in the noir B-movie The Narrow Margin (1952); Kirk Douglas' gladiator trainer in the epic Spartacus; righteous cop Lt. Jim Cordell in the Armored Car Robbery (1950); and the "The Preacher" in the science fiction cult classic A Boy and His Dog (1975).

McGraw is recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6927 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[2]

Television

He also starred in the television version of Casablanca (1955) taking over Humphrey Bogart's role as Rick.

McGraw biography

In late 2007 Alan K. Rode wrote a biography of McGraw: Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy. The book provides a behind-the-scenes look and anecdotes about his life, including: his long marriage to a Eurasian woman, his World War II military service, his film career, and the story of his death.[3]

Death

Charles McGraw died, aged 66, after slipping and falling through a glass shower door in his Studio City, California home in 1980.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Baxter, John. The Gangster Film, p. 80.; A.S. Barnes & Co: New York (1970)
  2. ^ Hollywood Walk of Fame web site. Last accessed: December 11, 2007.
  3. ^ Smith, Richard Harland. "Movie Morlocks", a Turner Classic Movies website, February 23, 2007. Last accessed: December 10, 2007.

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Charles McGraw".  Read more