William Demarest

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

167

Gender

Male

Birthday

1892-02-27

Day of death

1983-12-28 (91 years old)

Place of Birth

Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

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

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • Bonanza

    Bonanza

  • Bonanza

    Bonanza

  • The Red Skelton Show

    The Red Skelton Show

  • My Three Sons

    My Three Sons

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Tales of Wells Fargo

    Tales of Wells Fargo

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Rebel

    The Rebel

  • McMillan & Wife

    McMillan & Wife

  • McMillan & Wife

    McMillan & Wife

  • Studio 57

    Studio 57

  • Ellery Queen

    Ellery Queen

  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

    Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

  • Going My Way

    Going My Way

  • The Greatest Show on Earth

    The Greatest Show on Earth

  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

  • The Bush Leaguer

    The Bush Leaguer

  • Sullivan's Travels

    Sullivan's Travels

  • Night Has a Thousand Eyes

    Night Has a Thousand Eyes

  • White Lies

    White Lies

  • King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein

    King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein

  • Seeing Things

    Seeing Things

  • The Jolson Story

    The Jolson Story

  • The Gracie Allen Murder Case

    The Gracie Allen Murder Case

  • Ride on Vaquero

    Ride on Vaquero

  • A Million Bid

    A Million Bid

  • A Reno Divorce

    A Reno Divorce

  • Hell on Frisco Bay

    Hell on Frisco Bay

  • The Cowboy Quarterback

    The Cowboy Quarterback

  • Christmas in July

    Christmas in July

  • Bright Lights

    Bright Lights

  • The First Legion

    The First Legion

  • The Great McGinty

    The Great McGinty

  • Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas

  • The Far Horizons

    The Far Horizons

  • The Great Man Votes

    The Great Man Votes

  • The Black Diamond Express

    The Black Diamond Express

  • Mind Your Own Business

    Mind Your Own Business

  • My Favorite Spy

    My Favorite Spy

  • Matinee Ladies

    Matinee Ladies

  • Rookies on Parade

    Rookies on Parade

  • Excuse My Dust

    Excuse My Dust

  • Lucy Gallant

    Lucy Gallant

  • The Murder Man

    The Murder Man

  • The Great Gambini

    The Great Gambini

  • The Jazz Singer

    The Jazz Singer

  • The Mountain

    The Mountain

  • Riding High

    Riding High

  • Romance on the Run

    Romance on the Run

  • Diamond Jim

    Diamond Jim

  • The Rawhide Years

    The Rawhide Years

  • Hail the Conquering Hero

    Hail the Conquering Hero

  • The Devil and Miss Jones

    The Devil and Miss Jones

  • Behave Yourself!

    Behave Yourself!

  • Whispering Smith

    Whispering Smith

  • The Gay Old Bird

    The Gay Old Bird

  • Dangerous When Wet

    Dangerous When Wet

  • Pay as You Enter

    Pay as You Enter

  • The Great Hospital Mystery

    The Great Hospital Mystery

  • The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

    The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

  • Fog Over Frisco

    Fog Over Frisco

  • While New York Sleeps

    While New York Sleeps

  • Dangerous Blondes

    Dangerous Blondes

  • True to the Army

    True to the Army

  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  • Little Men

    Little Men

  • The Lady Eve

    The Lady Eve

  • Twenty Plus Two

    Twenty Plus Two

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • Along Came Jones

    Along Came Jones

  • Sorrowful Jones

    Sorrowful Jones

  • Wedding Present

    Wedding Present

  • Josette

    Josette

  • All Through the Night

    All Through the Night

  • True to Life

    True to Life

  • Glamour Boy

    Glamour Boy

  • The Wonderful World of Disney

    The Wonderful World of Disney

  • Love on the Run

    Love on the Run

  • Five and Ten Cent Annie

    Five and Ten Cent Annie

  • Wolf of New York

    Wolf of New York

  • Once Upon a Time

    Once Upon a Time

  • Pardon My Sarong

    Pardon My Sarong

  • Country Fair

    Country Fair

  • Pepe

    Pepe

  • The Palm Beach Story

    The Palm Beach Story

  • Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon

    Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon

  • The Strip

    The Strip

  • What Price Glory

    What Price Glory

  • That Darn Cat!

    That Darn Cat!

  • The Blazing Forest

    The Blazing Forest

  • Duffy's Tavern

    Duffy's Tavern

  • The Great Ziegfeld

    The Great Ziegfeld

  • The Great Moment

    The Great Moment

  • After Office Hours

    After Office Hours

  • The Butter and Egg Man

    The Butter and Egg Man

  • A Girl in Every Port

    A Girl in Every Port

  • Easy Living

    Easy Living

  • Fugitive Lady

    Fugitive Lady

  • Son of Flubber

    Son of Flubber

  • Variety Girl

    Variety Girl

  • Comin' Round the Mountain

    Comin' Round the Mountain

  • When Willie Comes Marching Home

    When Willie Comes Marching Home

  • The Wild McCullochs

    The Wild McCullochs

  • Escape from Fort Bravo

    Escape from Fort Bravo

  • He's a Cockeyed Wonder

    He's a Cockeyed Wonder

  • Hands Across the Table

    Hands Across the Table

  • The Farmer's Daughter

    The Farmer's Daughter

  • The First Auto

    The First Auto

  • Big City

    Big City

  • A Sailor's Sweetheart

    A Sailor's Sweetheart

  • Jupiter's Darling

    Jupiter's Darling

  • Salty O'Rourke

    Salty O'Rourke

  • Here Come the Girls

    Here Come the Girls

  • The Sainted Sisters

    The Sainted Sisters

  • Love and Marriage

    Love and Marriage

  • The Jerry Lewis Show

    The Jerry Lewis Show

  • Nine Girls

    Nine Girls

  • Sincerely Yours

    Sincerely Yours

  • Laugh It Off

    Laugh It Off

  • The Private War of Major Benson

    The Private War of Major Benson

  • Rosalie

    Rosalie

  • Stage Door Canteen

    Stage Door Canteen

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera

    Charlie Chan at the Opera

  • Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

  • Johnny Doughboy

    Johnny Doughboy

  • Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

    Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

  • One Wild Night

    One Wild Night

  • Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

    Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

  • The Lady Wants Mink

    The Lady Wants Mink

  • The Casino Murder Case

    The Casino Murder Case

  • Television: The First Fifty Years

    Television: The First Fifty Years

  • Dressed to Kill

    Dressed to Kill

  • Don't Tell the Wife

    Don't Tell the Wife

  • Wake Up and Live

    Wake Up and Live

  • Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

    Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

  • Sharp Shooters

    Sharp Shooters

  • Oh, Doctor

    Oh, Doctor

  • The Golden Fleecing

    The Golden Fleecing

  • The Crash

    The Crash

  • The Perils of Pauline

    The Perils of Pauline

  • The Yellow Mountain

    The Yellow Mountain

  • Hollywood Victory Caravan

    Hollywood Victory Caravan

  • Finger Prints

    Finger Prints

  • Never a Dull Moment

    Never a Dull Moment

  • Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

    Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

  • Pardon My Past

    Pardon My Past

  • Time Out for Romance

    Time Out for Romance

  • Simple Sis

    Simple Sis

  • Red, Hot and Blue

    Red, Hot and Blue

  • Miracles for Sale

    Miracles for Sale

  • The Night Court

    The Night Court

  • Our Hearts Were Growing Up

    Our Hearts Were Growing Up

  • Behind the Eight Ball

    Behind the Eight Ball

  • On Our Merry Way

    On Our Merry Way

  • The Hit Parade

    The Hit Parade

  • Don't Tell the Wife

    Don't Tell the Wife

  • Blonde Trouble

    Blonde Trouble

  • King of the Turf

    King of the Turf

  • Many Happy Returns

    Many Happy Returns

  • What Happened To Father

    What Happened To Father

  • Jolson Sings Again

    Jolson Sings Again