Charles Middleton
Biography
Charles Middleton was an American stage and film actor who moved into motion pictures in 1920 after time in a traveling circus, in vaudeville and on the stage. Born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, he appeared in nearly 200 films, and the arrival of sound established him as a character actor thanks to his resounding speaking voice. Harold Lloyd cast him as the villain in the sound remake Welcome Danger (1929), and his ominous baritone made him a foil for Lloyd, Eddie Cantor, Wheeler and Woolsey, and Laurel and Hardy. His credits included the prosecutor in Duck Soup (1933), a sheriff in Show Boat (1936) and a welfare officer in Pack Up Your Troubles (1932), and his Lincoln-like features led to repeated appearances as the president. He was perhaps best remembered as the villainous Ming the Merciless in the serials Flash Gordon (1936) and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940). He died in 1949.
74years old at death
- Born Elizabethtown
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Also credited as Charles Brown Middleton
Movie Career
- Films
- 19
- Career span
- 18 years1929 to 1947
First and latest
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Getting ready for a role
Middleton was often cast as Abraham Lincoln because his facial features resembled the statesman's. He played Lincoln in The Phantom President and The Road Is Open Again, and in Stand-In he appeared as an actor typecast as the former president.
Big break
Middleton's success as a character actor became firmly established in the sound era, when he was known for his resounding, stentorian speaking voice. Harold Lloyd replaced the silent-film villain with him for the sound remake of Welcome Danger because his spoken dialogue projected a more pronounced threat.
Charles Middleton movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Ray Taylor directed two of these films, Ford Beebe two. Seven actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Irving Bacon's page
Clarence Muse's page
Oliver Hardy's page
Stan Laurel's page
Richard Tucker's page
Frank Shannon's page
Ray TaylorDirector, 2 films, 1936 to 1940
All films by Ray Taylor
Ford BeebeDirector, 2 films, 1938 to 1940
All films by Ford Beebe
Also three films together1 more actor
- Buster CrabbeFlash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940), Rocket Ship (1938) and Flash Gordon (1936)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.