Charles Collins

Born in Frederick, Charles Collins was an American singer and actor known for musical comedy on Broadway, in films, and on television. He made his Broadway debut in 1927 in Artists and Models and starred in 1930s productions such as Ripples, Smiling Faces, Say When, Conjur Man Dies, Macbeth, and Sea Legs. He began appearing in Hollywood musicals with Shave It with Music in 1932, and his film roles included Baxter in Paree, Paree and Jonathan Pride in Dancing Pirate (1936). During the 1940s he appeared in Syncopation and Swing Hostess, and he recorded music for Those Were the Days and London Town. He returned to Broadway in You Can't Take It with You and The Red Mill, and in 1951 made his first television appearance on Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. Later films included The Steel Trap (1952) and A Blueprint for Murder (1953). After a long absence he returned to Broadway in 1973 for Shelter.