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Charles Lane is a Actor, Director and Writer American born on 26 january 1905 at San Francisco (USA)

Charles Lane

Charles Lane
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Birth name Charles Gerstle Levison
Nationality USA
Birth 26 january 1905 at San Francisco (USA)
Death 9 july 2007 (at 102 years) at Brentwood, Los Angeles (USA)

Charles Lane (born Charles Gerstle Levison; January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007) was an American character actor whose career spanned 64 years. Lane gave his last performance at the age of 90. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He was a favored supporting actor of Lucille Ball, who often used him as a no-nonsense authority figure and comedic foe of her scatterbrained TV character on her TV series I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour and The Lucy Show. His first film of more than 250 was as a hotel clerk in Smart Money (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney.

Biography

Career
Lane spent a short time as an insurance salesman before taking to the stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. Actor/director Irving Pichel first suggested that Lane go into acting in 1929, and four years later Lane was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He became a favorite of director Frank Capra, who used him in several films. In It's a Wonderful Life, Lane played a seemingly hard-nosed rent collector for the miserly Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who tried to explain to his employer that many of his tenants were moving out, taking advantage of affordable mortgage loans provided by the film's protagonist, George Bailey (James Stewart). Lane also appeared in the film Mighty Joe Young (1949) as one of the reporters cajoling Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) for information about the identity of "Mr. Joseph Young", the persona given featured billing on the front of the building, on opening night.

Among his many roles as a character actor, Lane landed the recurring role as newspaper editor Mr. Fosdick in the Peter Lawford sitcom Dear Phoebe, which aired on NBC in the 1954-1955 season. In that same season, Lane played the boss of the title character in June Havoc's NBC sitcom Willy. He portrayed Emil Quincy in two episodes of the syndicated romantic comedy series How to Marry a Millionaire (1957–1959) with Barbara Eden and Merry Anders. However, he is most widely remembered for his portrayal of J. Homer Bedloe on the television situation comedy Petticoat Junction. Bedloe was a mean-spirited railroad executive who periodically visited the Shady Rest Hotel while seeking justification to end train service of the Hooterville Cannonball, but he never succeeded in that objective. He guest starred on such series as ABC's Guestward, Ho!, starring Joanne Dru, and The Bing Crosby Show, as well as the syndicated drama of the American Civil War, The Gray Ghost.

He was a good friend of Lucille Ball, and his specialty in playing scowling, beady-eyed, short tempered, no-nonsense professionals provided the perfect comic foil for Ball's scatterbrained television character. He played several guest roles on I Love Lucy, including an appearance in the episode "Lucy Goes To the Hospital", where he is seated in the waiting room with Ricky while Lucy gives birth to their son. He also played the title role in the episode "The Business Manager", the casting director in "Lucy Tells The Truth," and the passport clerk in "Staten Island Ferry." Lane appeared twice in The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour. He later had recurring roles as shopkeeper Mr. Finch on Dennis the Menace and during the first season (1962–1963) of Ball's The Lucy Show, playing banker Mr. Barnsdahl. According to The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Fidelman, Lane was let go because he had trouble reciting his lines correctly. However, Lane was in reality a placeholder for Lucy's original choice, Gale Gordon, who joined the program in 1963 as Mr. Mooney after he was free from other contractual obligations.

In 1963, Lane appeared in the mega-comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, playing the airport manager. (On the DVD commentary track, historian Michael Schlesinger wryly noted, "You do not have a comedy unless Charles Lane is in it.") His final acting role was at the age of 101 in 2006's The Night Before Christmas. His last television appearance was at the age of 90, when he appeared in the 1995 Disney TV remake of its 1970 teen comedy The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, with Kirk Cameron. In 2005, the TV Land Awards paid tribute to Lane by celebrating his 100th birthday. Seated in a wheelchair in the audience, which had sung Happy Birthday to him, Lane was presented with his award by Haley Joel Osment and then announced "If you're interested, I'm still available [for work]!" The audience gave him a standing ovation.

Lane appeared in more than 250 films and hundreds of television shows and was uncredited in many of them. On his busiest days, Lane said he sometimes played more than one role, getting into costume and filming his two or three lines, then hurrying off to another set for a different costume and a different role. As for being typecast, Lane described it as "... a pain in the ass. You did something that was pretty good, and the picture was pretty good. But that pedigreed you into that type of part, which I thought was stupid and unfair, too. It didn't give me a chance, but it made the casting easier for the studio."


Life
Lane was born Charles Gerstle Levison to a Jewish family in San Francisco, California, to Alice (nee Gerstle) and Jacob B. Levison. His father, an executive at the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, was instrumental in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake of which Charles was one of the last remaining survivors. In 1931, Lane married Ruth Covell and they remained together for 70 years until her death in 2002. They had a son named Tom and a daughter named Alice.

Despite his stern, hard-hearted demeanor in films and television, friends and acquaintances seem to unanimously describe Lane as a warm, funny and kind person. On January 26, 2007, Lane celebrated his 102nd birthday. He continued to live in the Brentwood home he bought with Ruth (for $46,000 in 1964) until his death. In the end, his son, Tom Lane, said he was talking with his father at 9 p.m. on the evening of Monday, July 9, 2007, "He was lying in bed with his eyes real wide open. Then he closed his eyes and stopped breathing." Charles Lane was 102. He died from natural causes. Lane was not the only person in his family to have a long life; in 1973 his mother Alice died in her San Francisco home at the age of 100.

Best films

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
(Actor)
Sadie Thompson (1928)
(Actor)
Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
(Actor)

Usually with

Bess Flowers
Bess Flowers
(29 films)
Irving Bacon
Irving Bacon
(28 films)
Frank Capra
Frank Capra
(10 films)
James Flavin
James Flavin
(20 films)
George Chandler
George Chandler
(19 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Charles Lane (215 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Acting on Impulse, 1h33
Directed by Sam Irvin
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Erotic thriller
Themes Films about sexuality, Films about television, Erotic films, Erotic thriller films
Actors C. Thomas Howell, Linda Fiorentino, Nancy Allen, Patrick Bauchau, Peter Lupus, Tom Wright
Roles Bellhop
Rating54% 2.708242.708242.708242.708242.70824
Suite à une querelle avec son agent et avec son producteur, Susan, une star du cinéma d'horreur érotique, part s'isoler dans un hôtel de luxe. Le soir même, elle est au bras de Paul Steven, un homme d'affaire fiancé. Lorsque le producteur de Susan et la fiancée de Paul sont retrouvés morts, les soupçons se portent tout naturellement sur la jeune actrice.
Posse
Posse (1993)
, 1h51
Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Origin USA
Genres Action, Adventure, Western
Actors Stephen Baldwin, Mario Van Peebles, Big Daddy Kane, Tom Lister, Jr., Tone Loc, Blair Underwood
Roles Weezie
Rating55% 2.7504452.7504452.7504452.7504452.750445
In 1898, Buffalo Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Cavalry Regiment, led by Jessie Lee (Mario Van Peebles), are fighting in the Spanish–American War in Cuba. As the segregated African-American unit is barely holding its own against constant attacks from enemy troops, Jesse runs back to the command post of the corrupt and racist Colonel Graham (Billy Zane) to request that the 10th Cavalry be allowed to pull back. Colonel Graham orders Jessie to shoot a deserter in exchange for allowing the 10th to retreat. Unable to kill a man in cold blood, Jessie demonstrates excellent marksmanship by shooting the man's cigar from his mouth. Colonel Graham then kills the deserter, and offers Jessie's command of the 10th to Little J (Stephen Baldwin), another White prisoner (the alternative would be to face the firing squad). Graham then orders the 10th to fall back in order to begin another mission, one in which they will be required to wear civilian clothing, as opposed to their Cavalry uniforms. They are ordered to rob a Spanish gold shipment, which is a setup to give the Colonel an excuse to execute the entire 10th Cavalry as deserters. As he meets them with his own cavalry force, his aide Weezie (Charles Lane) causes a distraction, allowing the 10th to shoot the Colonel and his cavalry down.
Sidewalk Stories, 1h37
Directed by Charles Lane, Charles Lane
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Robert Clohessy, Charles Lane, Ellia English, Edie Falco, Darnell Williams, Charles Lane
Roles Artist
Rating71% 3.587063.587063.587063.587063.58706
New York, 1989. Témoin du meurtre du père d'une fillette, un artiste de rue décide de s'occuper de l'enfant. Lors d'aventures ou de mésaventures variées, ils rencontrent une jeune femme.
Date with an Angel, 1h45
Directed by Tom McLoughlin
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films about religion, Films about angels
Actors Michael E. Knight, Phoebe Cates, Emmanuelle Béart, David Dukes, Albert Macklin, Vinny Argiro
Roles Father O'Shea
Rating56% 2.816612.816612.816612.816612.81661
Alors qu'il s'apprête à épouser Patty, Jim est enlevé par ses amis masqués lors d'une réception en l'honneur des futurs mariés. Après cette mauvaise blague, Jim est ramené chez lui. À son réveil, il découvre dans sa piscine, stupéfié, un ange d'une beauté divine...
When the Bough Breaks, 1h40
Directed by Waris Hussein
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Ted Danson, Richard Masur, Rachel Ticotin, James Noble, Kim Miyori, Merritt Butrick
Roles Van der Graaf
Rating67% 3.3946053.3946053.3946053.3946053.394605
Alex Delaware, a Los Angeles psychiatrist, testifies for the prosecution in the trial of an accused child molester. Later the defendant, who is out on bail, is found dead in the psychiatrist's office, in what appears to be a suicide. Shaken, the psychiatrist moves to the mountains outside of L.A. Not long afterwards a detective he knows, Milo Sturgis, comes to him for help. A seven-year-old girl saw someone kill both of her parents, but is so traumatized by the event that she can't remember anything, and Sturgis wants the doctor to help: Alex agrees, and the two go on the trail of the real perpetrators.
Murphy's Romance, 1h47
Directed by Martin Ritt
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim, Dennis Burkley, Georgann Johnson
Roles Amos Abbott
Rating69% 3.4950353.4950353.4950353.4950353.495035
Emma qui vient juste de divorcer déménage dans une petite ville avec son garçon, un adolescent de treize ans. Elle se prend alors d'amitié pour un vieux gérant de drugstore veuf. La vie suit son chemin jusqu'à ce que l'ancien mari d'Emma ressurgisse.
Strange Invaders, 1h34
Directed by Michael Laughlin
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Action, Horror, Comic science fiction
Themes Films about writers, Films about journalists, Comedy science fiction films, Films set in the future, Films about extraterrestrial life, Films about extraterrestrial life, Alien invasions in films, Disaster films
Actors Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher, Wallace Shawn
Roles Prof. Hollister
Rating53% 2.6974652.6974652.6974652.6974652.697465
In 1958, the town of Centerville, Illinois was invaded by a race of aliens. The invaders could fire lasers from their eyes and hands and reduce humans to "crystallized" glowing blue orbs. They took over the form of the humans who were either captured or killed.
Sunset Limousine, 1h32
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors John Ritter, Susan Dey, Paul Reiser, James Luisi, Martin Short, Louise Sorel
Roles Reinhammer
Rating52% 2.624232.624232.624232.624232.62423
Alan O'Black (John Ritter) is an aspiring stand-up comic who takes on a job as limousine driver in order to prove to his girlfriend Julie (Susan Dey) after she has kicked him out of their shared home, that he can be a responsible adult. Her standing complaint about Alan as a boyfriend has been that he sees life as one long rehearsal. This is exacerbated by the fact that, even with a now-steady job and dealing with strange passenger/clients, Alan rehearses his comedy at every opportunity and deals with bizarre situations with good-natured aplomb. He and his buddy Jay (Paul Reiser) become involved the shady dealings of businessman Bradley Coleman (Martin Short), which results in a chase through Los Angeles with both sides of the law in pursuit.
Strange Behavior, 1h34
Directed by Michael Laughlin
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Horror
Actors Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor, Arthur Dignam, Fiona Lewis, Dey Young
Roles Donovan
Rating55% 2.7997252.7997252.7997252.7997252.799725
Several teenage boys in Galesburg, Illinois are murdered, each apparently by a different killer. Local policeman John Brady (Murphy) investigates. The victims are sons of men who previously collaborated with John to investigate the unethical experiments of Galesburg University professor Dr. Le Sange (Dignam), who reportedly died years previously but still gives lectures via old films. Le Sange's research is being continued by Gwen Parkinson (Lewis). John, whose late wife had worked for Le Sange, becomes convinced that Le Sange is still alive and is waging a vendetta against those who wronged him. Unbeknownst to John, Gwen has enlisted his son Pete (Shor) as a research subject. Gwen's "experiments" involve mind control, turning the subject into a programmed killer.
The Little Dragons, 1h30
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films
Actors Charles Lane, Ann Sothern, Chris Petersen, Sally Boyden, Rick Lenz, Joe Spinell
Roles J.J.
Rating41% 2.098452.098452.098452.098452.09845
Brothers, Zack and Woody (portrayed by real-life brothers Chris and Pat Petersen) are young karate students who embark on a weekend camping trip with their grandfather J.J. (Charles Lane). Along the way they meet a new friend, Carol Forbinger (Sally Boyden) and her parents (Rick Lenz and Sharon Clark). When the Forbinger family encounters a tough-talking backwoods mother (Ann Sothern) and her two bumbling sons (Joe Spinell and John Davis Chandler) who decide to hold Carol captive believing they can collect a sizeable ransom, the "karate kids" must find a way to use their martial arts skills to rescue the Forbinger girl with a little help from their grandfather and some new friends they meet along the way.
Movie Movie, 1h45
Directed by Stanley Donen
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Musical films
Actors George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Red Buttons, Eli Wallach, Barry Bostwick, Harry Hamlin
Roles Judge / Mr. Pennington
Rating63% 3.1948553.1948553.1948553.1948553.194855
At the start of the film, George Burns tells us that we are about to see an old-style double feature. In the old days, he explains, movies were in black-and-white, except sometimes "when they sang it came out in color."
Sybil
Sybil (1976)
, 3h18
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Documentary
Themes Films about children, Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Films about psychiatry, Films about child abuse
Actors Joanne Woodward, Sally Field, Brad Davis, Martine Bartlett, Charles Lane, William Prince
Roles Dr. Quinoness
Rating80% 4.010954.010954.010954.010954.01095
Sybil is a shy, unassuming substitute grade school teacher. After suffering a small breakdown in front of her students, she is given a neurological examination by Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, a psychiatrist. Sybil admits to having blackouts and fears they are getting worse. Dr. Wilbur theorizes that the incidents are a kind of hysteria, all related to a deeper problem. She asks Sybil to return at a later date for more counseling.
Get to Know Your Rabbit, 1h31
Directed by Brian De Palma
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about magic and magicians
Actors John Astin, Katharine Ross, Orson Welles, Susanne Zenor, Allen Garfield, M. Emmet Walsh
Roles Mr. Beeman
Rating52% 2.6065352.6065352.6065352.6065352.606535
Corporate executive Donald Beeman, fed up with the rat race, impulsively quits his job and takes to the road as a traveling tap dancing magician under the tutelage of Mr. Delasandro. His former boss Mr. Turnbull, determined to convince him to return to his nine-to-five existence, chases after him as he performs his routine in seedy nightclubs and honky tonks, but instead the two create Tap Dancing Magicians, a course for pressured businessmen. When their little venture becomes one of the most successful corporations in the world, Donald ironically finds himself feeling the same way he did when he originally quit his job.
The Aristocats, 1h18
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Edward Hansen
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Fantasy, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about music and musicians, Film d'animation mettant en scène un animal, Films about cats, Films about dogs, Jazz films, Musical films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Hermione Gingold, Robie Lester, Gary Dubin
Roles Lawyer (voice)
Rating71% 3.5538853.5538853.5538853.5538853.553885
In Paris in 1910, mother cat Duchess and her three kittens, Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse, live with retired opera diva Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, and her English butler, Edgar. While preparing her will with lawyer Georges Hautecourt, Madame declares her fortune to be left to her cats until their deaths, and thereafter to Edgar. Edgar hears this through a speaking tube, and plots to eliminate the cats. Therefore, he sedates the cats by sleeping pills in their food, and enters the countryside to abandon them. There, he is ambushed by two hounds, named Napoleon and Lafayette, and the cats are stranded in the countryside, while Madame Adelaide, Roquefort the mouse, and Frou-Frou the horse discover their absence. In the morning, Duchess meets an alley cat named Thomas O'Malley, who offers to guide her and the kittens to Paris. The group briefly hitchhike in a milk cart before being chased off by the driver. Later, while crossing a railroad trestle, the cats narrowly avoid an oncoming train, but Marie falls into a river and is saved by O'Malley; himself rescued by two English geese, Amelia and Abigail Gabble, who accompany the cats to Paris. Edgar returns to the country to retrieve his possessions from Napoleon and Lafayette, as the only evidence that could incriminate him.
What's So Bad About Feeling Good?, 1h35
Directed by George Seaton
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about animals, Films about birds
Actors George Peppard, Mary Tyler Moore, Dom DeLuise, Don Stroud, John McMartin, Susan Saint James
Roles Dr. Shapiro
Rating64% 3.2454153.2454153.2454153.2454153.245415
Pete (George Peppard) is a former advertising executive living a Beatnik–Bohemian life in a loft in New York City. Since living in the commune, Pete has turned into a cynical, misanthropic artist. The members of the commune are seemingly aimless, indolent or melancholy while waiting for the world to end; one member (Gillian Spencer) lives her life in a burlap sack, with only her bare feet protruding.