Charles Drake (born Charles Ruppert; October 2, 1917 – September 10, 1994) was an American actor.

Biography

Drake was born in New York City. He graduated from

Nichols College Nichols College is a private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815 as Nichols Academy, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs. History Nichols Academy The instituti ...

and became a salesman. In 1939, he turned to acting and signed a contract with Warner Bros., but he was not immediately successful. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Drake served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. Drake returned to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

in 1945 and was cast in '' Conflict'' which starred Humphrey Bogart. His contract with Warner Brothers eventually ended. In the 1940s, he did some freelance work, including ''

A Night in Casablanca ''A Night in Casablanca'' is a 1946 film starring the Marx Brothers: ( Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx). The picture was directed by Archie Mayo, and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee. ...

'' (1946). In 1949, he moved to

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, where he co-starred with James Stewart and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and '' A Patch ...

in ''

Winchester '73 ''Winchester '73'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a prized r ...

'' (1950) and again co-starred with Stewart in the film '' Harvey'' (also 1950) a screen adaptation of the Broadway play. He co-starred in the

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

biopic '' To Hell and Back'' (1955), as Murphy's close friend "Brandon". In 1955, Drake turned to television as one of the stock-company players on ''Montgomery's Summer Stock'', a summer replacement for ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

''Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 713. and from 1957 he hosted the syndicated TV espionage weekly '' Schilling Playhouse'' (also known as ''Rendezvous''). In 1956 Drake appeared as Tom Sweeny with Murphy and Anne Bancroft in ''

Walk the Proud Land ''Walk the Proud Land'' is a 1956 CinemaScope Technicolor Western film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Audie Murphy and future Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft. Filmed at Old Tucson Studios, it recounts the first successful introduction ...

''. In 1959, he teamed again with Audie Murphy, this time in the

Western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...

'' No Name on the Bullet'', with Murphy in a rare villainous role as a hired assassin and Drake playing a small-town doctor trying to stop his reign of terror. On November 14, 1961, Drake played state line boss Allen Winter in the episode "The Accusers" of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

's '' Laramie'' Western series. On February 6, 1963, Drake played Hollister in the ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' episode "The Hollister John Garrison Story". He also played Charles Maury in "The Charles Maury Story" in 1958, Season 1, episode 32. Drake played the part of Oliver Greer in '' The Fugitive'' episode "The One That Got Away" (1967). He guest-starred in the fourth season (1968–1969) of NBC's ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the w ...

'' as Simon Jarvis. In 1969, Drake appeared as Milo Cantrell on the TV series '' The Virginian'' in the episode titled "A Woman of Stone." In 1970 he appeared as Randolf in "The Men From Shiloh" (the rebranded name of '' The Virginian'') in the episode titled "Jenny." He played in eighty-three films between 1939 and 1975, including '' Scream, Pretty Peggy''. More than fifty were dramas, but he also acted in comedies, science fiction, horror, and film noir. In an episode of the original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

'' series ("

The Deadly Years "The Deadly Years" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by David P. Harmon and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast December 8, 1967. In the episode, ...

", 1967), he guested as Commodore Stocker. He died on September 10, 1994, in East Lyme, Connecticut, at the age of 76.

Selected filmography

* ''

Career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

'' (1939) - Rex Chaney * ''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

'' (1939) - Police Guard (uncredited) * '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939) - Young Priest (uncredited) * ''

I Wanted Wings ''I Wanted Wings'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a book by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr. The film stars Ray Milland and William Holden. The supporting cast includes Wayne Morris (American actor), Wayne Morris ...

'' (1941) - Cadet (uncredited) * '' Affectionately Yours'' (1941) - Hospital Intern (uncredited) * ''

Million Dollar Baby ''Million Dollar Baby'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay written by Paul Haggis, based on stories from the 2000 collection ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner ...

'' (1941) - Pamela's First Dance Partner (uncredited) * '' Out of the Fog'' (1941) - Reporter (uncredited) * ''

Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine ...

'' (1941) - Scorer (uncredited) * ''

Dive Bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that Dive (aviation), dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the Aerial bomb, bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to ...

'' (1941) - Pilot (uncredited) * '' Navy Blues'' (1941) - Sea bag Inspection Officer (uncredited) * '' Nine Lives Are Not Enough'' (1941) - 'Snappy' Lucas * '' One Foot in Heaven'' (1941) - Second Bridegroom (uncredited) * '' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941) - Reporter (uncredited) * '' The Body Disappears'' (1941) - Arthur (scenes deleted) * '' Dangerously They Live'' (1941) - Joe, Hospital Orderly with Dr. Murdock (uncredited) * '' You're in the Army Now'' (1941) - Private (uncredited) * ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of ...

'' (1942) - Sandy * ''

Bullet Scars ''Bullet Scars'' is a 1942 American film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by D. Ross Lederman with top-billed stars Regis Toomey, Adele Longmire and Howard DaSilva. Plot Gangster Frank Dillon (Howard Da Silva) is on ...

'' (1942) - Harry a Reporter (uncredited) * '' The Male Animal'' (1942) - Student (uncredited) * ''

Larceny, Inc. ''Larceny, Inc.'' is a 1942 American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942, by Warner Bros., the film is a cross between comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, a ...

'' (1942) - R.V. Boyce - Driver in Accident (uncredited) * '' Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942) - (uncredited) * '' Wings for the Eagle'' (1942) - Customer (uncredited) * ''

The Gay Sisters ''The Gay Sisters'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, Gig Young (who adopted his character's name as his screen name) and Nancy Coleman. The W ...

'' (1942) - Man Entering Courtroom (uncredited) * ''

Busses Roar ''Busses Roar'' is a 1942 film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Richard Travis and Julie Bishop. Plot A bungling saboteur attempts to place a bomb on board a bus so that it will explode as the bus passes by some oil wells.Pryor, Thom ...

'' (1942) - Eddie Sloan * '' Across the Pacific'' (1942) - Officer (uncredited) * '' Now, Voyager'' (1942) - Leslie Trotter (uncredited) * '' The Hard Way'' (1943) - Trailer Narrator (uncredited) * ''

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

'' (1943) - Navigator * '' Conflict'' (1945) - Prof. Norman Holsworth * '' You Came Along'' (1945) - Lt. R. Janoschek * ''

Whistle Stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, s ...

'' (1946) - Ernie * ''

Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himb ...

'' (1946) - Steve Kirk * ''

'' (1946) - Pierre * '' The Pretender'' (1947) - Dr. Leonard G. Koster * '' The Tender Years'' (1948) - Bob Wilson * '' The Babe Ruth Story'' (1948) - Reporter (uncredited) * '' Tarzan's Magic Fountain'' (1949) - Mr. Dodd * ''

Johnny Stool Pigeon ''Johnny Stool Pigeon'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by William Castle and starring Howard Duff, Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea. Plot A narcotics agent convinces a convict he helped send to Alcatraz go undercover with him ...

'' (1949) - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) * '' Comanche Territory'' (1950) - Stacey Howard * '' I Was a Shoplifter'' (1950) - Herb Klaxon * '' Louisa'' (1950) - Voice of Radio Broadcaster (uncredited) * ''

'' (1950) - Steve Miller * '' Peggy'' (1950) - Tom Fielding * ''

Deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

'' (1950) - Voice of Customs Official (uncredited) * '' Mystery Submarine'' (1950) - Commodore (voice, uncredited) * '' Harvey'' (1950) - Dr. Raymond Sanderson * '' Air Cadet'' (1951) - Captain Sullivan * '' The Fat Man'' (1951) - Radio Broadcaster at Racetrack (voice, uncredited) * '' Little Egypt'' (1951) - Oliver Doane * '' You Never Can Tell'' (1951) - Perry Collins * '' The Treasure of Lost Canyon'' (1952) - Jim Anderson * '' Red Ball Express'' (1952) - Pvt. Ronald Partridge / Narrator * '' Bonzo Goes to College'' (1952) - Malcolm Drew * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1953) - Johnny Lake * '' The Lone Hand'' (1953) - George Hadley * '' It Came from Outer Space'' (1953) - Sheriff Matt Warren * '' War Arrow'' (1953) - Sgt. Luke Schermerhorn * '' The Glenn Miller Story'' (1954) - Don Haynes * ''

Tobor the Great ''Tobor the Great'' (a.k.a. ''Tobor'') is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Richard Goldstone, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film ...

'' (1954) - Dr. Ralph Harrison * ''

Four Guns to the Border ''Four Guns to the Border'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Richard Carlson and starring Rory Calhoun, Colleen Miller, George Nader, Walter Brennan and Nina Foch.p.173 Fitzgerald, Michael G. & Magers, Boyd ''Ladies of the Western: ...

'' (1954) - Jim Flannery * '' To Hell and Back'' (1955) - Brandon * ''

Female on the Beach ''Female on the Beach'' is a 1955 American crime-drama film directed by Joseph Pevney starring Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler in a story about a widow and her beach bum lover. The screenplay by Robert Hill and Richard Alan Simmons was based ...

'' (1955) - Police Lieutenant Galley * '' All That Heaven Allows'' (1955) - Mick Anderson * '' The Price of Fear'' (1956) - Police Sgt. Pete Carroll * ''

'' (1956) - Tom Sweeny * ''

Jeanne Eagels Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. A former Ziegfeld Girl, Eagels went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously ...

'' (1957) - John Donahue * '' Until They Sail'' (1957) - Capt. Richard Bates * '' Step Down to Terror'' (1958) - Johnny Williams Walters * '' No Name on the Bullet'' (1959) - Luke Canfield * ''

Tammy Tell Me True ''Tammy Tell Me True'' is a 1961 American Eastmancolor comedy film directed by Harry Keller and starring Sandra Dee and John Gavin, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey and Julia Meade. The film was based on Cid Ricketts Sumner's 1959 novel of th ...

'' (1961) - Buford Woodly * '' Back Street'' (1961) - Curt Stanton * '' Showdown'' (1963) - Bert Pickett * '' The Lively Set'' (1964) - Paul Manning * '' Dear Heart'' (1964) - Frank Taylor * '' The Third Day'' (1965) - Lawrence Conway * '' The Money Jungle'' (1967) - Harvey Sheppard * ''

Valley of the Dolls Valley of the Dolls may refer to: * ''Valley of the Dolls'' (novel), a 1966 novel by Jacqueline Susann ** ''Valley of the Dolls'' (film), a 1967 film adapted from the novel *** " (Theme from) Valley of the Dolls", the title song from the film, pe ...

'' (1967) - Kevin Gillmore * '' The Counterfeit Killer'' (1968) - Dolan * '' The Swimmer'' (1968) - Howard Graham * '' Hail, Hero!'' (1969) - Senator Murchiston * '' The Arrangement'' (1969) - Finnegan * ''

The Seven Minutes ''The Seven Minutes'' is a novel by Irving Wallace published in 1969 and released by Simon & Schuster. The book is a fictional account of the effects of pornography and the related arguments about freedom of speech. Synopsis A novel titled ' ...

'' (1971) - Sgt. Kellogg * '' The Screaming Woman'' (1972, TV Movie) - Ken Bronson * '' Scream, Pretty Peggy'' (1973, TV Movie) - George Thornton * '' The Lives of Jenny Dolan'' (1975, TV Movie) - Alan Hardesty * '' My Brother's Wedding'' (1983) - Pastor #2 (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Charles 1917 births 1994 deaths Male actors from New York City American male stage actors American male television actors American male film actors Nichols College alumni 20th-century American male actors United States Army personnel of World War II Western (genre) television actors