William Demarest


Carl William Demarest was an American character actor, known for playing Uncle Charley in My Three Sons. Demarest became a prolific film and television actor, appearing in over 140 films, beginning in 1927 and ending in the 1970s. He appeared in The Jazz Singer, the first sound film. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.

Early life

Carl William Demarest was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Samuel and Wilhelmina Demarest. They moved to New Bridge, a hamlet in Bergen County, New Jersey, during his infancy.
Demarest served in the United States Army during World War I.

Career

Demarest started in show business working in vaudeville, appearing with his wife Estelle Collette 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 My Three Sons
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, as well as on a memorable episode 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, Pardon My Past, On Our Merry Way, and The Far Horizons and was a personal friend of MacMurray.

Awards

Demarest received a single Academy Award nomination, for his supporting role in The Jolson Story, playing Al Jolson's fictional mentor. He had previously shared the screen with the real Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer.
Demarest also received an Emmy nomination for the 1968–1969 season of My Three Sons as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Role.
Demarest has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures, bestowed upon him on August 8, 1979, by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. In attendance at the ceremony and then later at Musso & Frank Grill for celebrations were his My Three Sons co-stars Fred MacMurray and wife June Haver, Tina Cole, Stanley Livingston, Barry Livingston, and Dawn Lyn.
In 1998 a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Personal life and later years

Demarest was married twice. His first wife was his vaudeville partner Estelle Collette, born Esther Zichlin. Demarest helped raise her daughter, author Phyllis Gordon Demarest, from her earlier marriage, in 1907, to poet and novelist Samuel Gordon, who had divorced Zichlin before his death. Demarest's second wife was Lucile Thayer, born Lucile Theurer, daughter of Herman Theurer and Lillie Sjoberg, who due to her activism on health issues in the motion picture industry in October 1960 was named California lay-chairman of the ANA fundraising campaign.
Demarest's favorite recreations were hunting, fishing, golf, and playing the cello.
He died in Palm Springs, California, and was interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park. At the time of his death, he was suffering from prostate cancer and pneumonia.

Partial filmography

Features


  • When the Wife's Away
  • Finger Prints as Cuffs Egan
  • Don't Tell the Wife as Ray Valerian
  • The Gay Old Bird as Mr. Fixit
  • Matinee Ladies as Man-About-Town
  • A Million Bid as George Lamont
  • Simple Sis as Oscar
  • The Black Diamond Express as Fireman
  • What Happened to Father? as Detective Dibbin
  • The First Auto as The Village Cut-Up
  • The Bush Leaguer as John Gilroy
  • A Sailor's Sweetheart as Detective
  • The Jazz Singer as Buster Billings
  • A Reno Divorce as James, the chauffeur
  • Sharp Shooters as 'Hi Jack' Murdock
  • A Girl in Every Port as Man in Bombay
  • The Escape as Trigger Caswell
  • Pay as You Enter as 'Terrible Bill' McGovern
  • Five and Ten Cent Annie as Briggs
  • The Butter and Egg Man as Jack McLure
  • The Crash as Louie
  • Seeing Things
  • Fog Over Frisco as Spike Smith
  • Many Happy Returns as Brinker
  • The Circus Clown
  • Fugitive Lady as Steve Rogers
  • After Office Hours as Police Detective
  • The Casino Murder Case as Auctioneer
  • The Murder Man as 'Red' Maguire
  • Bright Lights as Detective
  • Diamond Jim as Harry Hill
  • Hands Across the Table as Natty
  • White Lies as Roberts
  • The Great Ziegfeld as Gene Buck
  • Wedding Present as 'Smiles' Benson
  • Love on the Run as Editor Lees Berger
  • Charlie Chan at the Opera as Sgt. Kelly
  • Mind Your Own Business as Droopy
  • Time Out for Romance as Willoughby Sproggs
  • Don't Tell the Wife as Larry 'Horace' Tucker
  • Oh Doctor as Marty Short
  • The Hit Parade as Parole Officer
  • The Great Hospital Mystery as Mr. Beatty
  • The Great Gambini as Sergeant Kirby
  • Easy Living as Wallace Whistling
  • Blonde Trouble as Paul Sears
  • Wake Up and Live as Radio Station Attendant
  • Big City as Beecher
  • Rosalie as Army Coach
  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as Henry Kipper
  • Romance on the Run as Police Lt. Eckhardt
  • One Wild Night as Editor Collins
  • Josette as Joe, Diner Owner
  • Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus as Daro
  • While New York Sleeps as Red Miller
  • The Great Man Votes as Charles Dale
  • King of the Turf as Arnold
  • The Gracie Allen Murder Case as Police Sgt. Ernest Heath
  • The Cowboy Quarterback as Rusty Walker
  • Miracles for Sale as Quinn
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Bill Griffith
  • Laugh It Off as Barney 'Gimpy' Cole
  • Wolf of New York as Bill Ennis
  • The Farmer's Daughter as Victor Walsh
  • The Great McGinty as Skeeters - The Politician
  • Comin' Round the Mountain as Gutsy Mann
  • The Golden Fleecing as Swallow
  • Christmas in July as Mr. Bildocker
  • Little Men as Constable Tom Thorpe
  • The Lady Eve as Muggsy
  • The Devil and Miss Jones as First Detective
  • Rookies on Parade as Mike Brady
  • Ride on Vaquero as Bartender Barney
  • Country Fair as Stogie McPhee
  • Dressed to Kill as Inspector Pierson
  • All Through the Night as Sunshine
  • Sullivan's Travels as Mr. Jones
  • Glamour Boy as Papa Doran
  • True to the Army as Sgt. Butts
  • My Favorite Spy as Flower Pot Policeman
  • Pardon My Sarong as Detective Kendall
  • The Palm Beach Story as First Member Ale and Quail Club
  • Behind the Eight Ball as McKenzie
  • Life Begins at Eight-Thirty as Police Officer
  • Johnny Doughboy as Harry Fabian
  • Sullivan's Travels as Mr. Jonas
  • Stage Door Canteen as William Demarest
  • Dangerous Blondes as Detective Gatling
  • True to Life as Uncle Jake
  • The Miracle of Morgan's Creek as Constable Edmund Kockenlocker
  • Nine Girls as Walter Cummings
  • Once Upon a Time as Brandt
  • Hail the Conquering Hero as Sgt. Heffelfinger
  • The Great Moment as Eben Frost
  • Salty O'Rourke as Smitty
  • Along Came Jones as George Fury
  • Duffy's Tavern as HImself
  • Pardon My Past as Chuck Gibson
  • Our Hearts Were Growing Up as Peanuts Schultz
  • The Jolson Story as Steve Martin
  • The Perils of Pauline as George 'Mac' McGuire
  • Variety Girl as Barker
  • On Our Merry Way as Floyd
  • The Sainted Sisters as Vern Tewilliger
  • Night Has a Thousand Eyes as Lieut. Shawn
  • Whispering Smith as Bill Dansing
  • Sorrowful Jones as Regret
  • Jolson Sings Again as Steve Martin
  • Red, Hot and Blue as Charlie Baxter, Press Agent
  • When Willie Comes Marching Home as Herman Kluggs
  • Riding High as Happy
  • Never a Dull Moment as Mears
  • He's a Cockeyed Wonder as Bob Sears
  • The First Legion as Monsignor Michael Carey
  • Excuse My Dust as Harvey Bullitt
  • The Strip as Fluff
  • Behave Yourself! as Officer O'Ryan
  • What Price Glory as Cpl. Kiper
  • The Blazing Forest as Syd Jessup
  • The Lady Wants Mink as Harvey Jones
  • Dangerous When Wet as Pa Higgins
  • Here Come the Girls as Dennis Logan
  • Escape from Fort Bravo as Campbell
  • The Yellow Mountain as Jackpot Wray
  • Jupiter's Darling as Mago
  • The Far Horizons as Sgt. Gass
  • The Private War of Major Benson as John
  • Lucy Gallant as Charles Madden
  • Sincerely Yours as Sam Dunne
  • Hell on Frisco Bay as Dan Bianco
  • The Rawhide Years as Brand Comfort
  • The Mountain as Father Belacchi
  • Pepe as Movie Studio Gateman
  • The Big Bankroll as Henry Hecht
  • Twenty Plus Two as Desmond Slocum
  • Son of Flubber as Mr. Hummel
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Aloysius, Chief of the Santa Rosita Police Department
  • Viva Las Vegas as Mr. Martin
  • That Darn Cat as Mr. MacDougall
  • Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark as Mr. Harris
  • The Wild McCullochs as Father Gurkin
  • Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood as Studio Gatekeeper

Short subjects