Charles Dingle (December 28, 1887 – January 19, 1956) was an American stage and film actor.

Early life

Dingle was born December 28, 1887, in

Wabash, Indiana Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County. Wabash is notable as claiming to be the first electrically lighted ci ...

. His father was John Crockett Dingle, and he was said to be a descendant of Davy Crockett.

Career

Dingle's dramatic debut came in a production of ''Forgiven''. At age 14 he portrayed a 65-year-old man. When he was 18, he became the Woodward Stock Company's leading man. In 1914 he was the Fosberg Players' leading man. He began selling real estate in New Jersey in 1927, but he made his Broadway debut in ''Killers'' in 1928. After that he again sold real estate, but decreasing sales led him back to acting. Better roles followed including Duke Theseus in the 1932 revival of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' and Sheriff Cole in '' Let Freedom Ring'' in 1935. He made his musical debut in

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

's '' Miss Liberty'' in 1950. A veteran of over 50 feature films, he was best known for portraying hard edged businessmen and villains, such as Ben Hubbard, the crafty eldest member of the Hubbard family in '' The Little Foxes'' on both stage and screen, and Senator Brockway in the film version of ''

Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...

''. Critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

wrote of his performance in the film version of ''The Little Foxes'' in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that Dingle was a "perfect villain in respectable garb". His last stage appearance was in 1954's '' The Immoralist'' co-starring

Louis Jourdan Louis Jourdan (born Louis Robert Gendre; 19 June 1921 – 14 February 2015) was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's '' The Paradine Case'' (1947), ''Lette ...

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acad ...

and

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, '' Rebel Without a Caus ...

; it was also Dean's last Broadway appearance.

Personal life and death

He was married to actress Dorothy L. White. He died on January 19, 1956, after a brief illness at age 68 in Worcester Memorial Hospital in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

. He was cremated and his ashes scattered in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Partial filmography

*'' Du Barry Did All Right'' (1937, Short) - John Wainwright *'' ...One Third of a Nation...'' (1939) - Mr. Rogers *'' The Little Foxes'' (1941) - Ben Hubbard *'' Unholy Partners'' (1941) - Clyde Fenton *'' Johnny Eager'' (1941) - Marco *'' Are Husbands Necessary?'' (1942) - Duncan Atterbury *''

Calling Dr. Gillespie ''Calling Dr. Gillespie'' is a 1942 drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet, starring Lionel Barrymore, Donna Reed and Philip Dorn. This was a continuation of the series that had starred Lew Ayres as Dr. Kildare. Ayres, however, had declared c ...

'' (1942) - Dr. Ward O. Kenwood *'' The Talk of the Town'' (1942) - Andrew Holmes *'' Somewhere I'll Find You'' (1942) - George L. Stafford *''

George Washington Slept Here ''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everet ...

'' (1942) - Mr. Prescott *''

Tennessee Johnson ''Tennessee Johnson'' is a 1942 American film about Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by William Dieterle and written by Milton Gunzburg, Alvin Meyers, John Balderston, and We ...

'' (1942) - Senator Jim Waters *''

Edge of Darkness ''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and politica ...

'' (1943) - Kaspar Torgerson *''

Lady of Burlesque ''Lady of Burlesque'' (also known as ''The G-String Murders'' and in the UK, ''Striptease Lady'') is a 1943 American musical comedy-mystery film, produced by RKO Pictures and directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Mich ...

'' (1943) - Inspector Harrigan *''

Someone to Remember ''Someone to Remember'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and written by Frances Hyland. The film stars Mabel Paige, Harry Shannon, John Craven, Dorothy Morris, Charles Dingle and David Bacon. The film was released on Au ...

'' (1943) - Jim Parsons *''

She's for Me ''She's for Me'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by Reginald LeBorg and starring Grace McDonald and David Bruce. Plot Two attorneys are attracted to the same client Cast * Grace McDonald as Jan Lawton * David Bruce as Michael Ree ...

'' (1943) - Crane *'' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943) - Jacomet *'' Home in Indiana'' (1944) - Godaw Boole *''

The National Barn Dance ''The National Barn Dance'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Lee Loeb and Hal Fimberg. The film stars Jean Heather, Charles Quigley, Robert Benchley, Mabel Paige, Charles Dingle and Pat Buttram. The film w ...

'' (1944) - Mr. Garvey *'' Together Again'' (1944) - Morton Buchanan *''

Here Come the Co-Eds ''Here Come The Co-Eds'' is a 1945 American comedy film starring the comedy team Abbott and Costello. Plot Oliver Quackenbush, Molly McCarthy and her brother Slats who acts as her publicity agent work for the Miramar Ballroom as taxi dancers. Sla ...

'' (1945) - Jonathan Kirkland *''

A Medal for Benny ''A Medal for Benny'' is a 1945 American film directed by Irving Pichel. The story was conceived by writer Jack Wagner, who enlisted his long-time friend John Steinbeck to help him put it into script form. The film was released by Paramount Pictu ...

'' (1945) - Zach Mibbe *'' Guest Wife'' (1945) - Arthur Truesdale Worth *''

Cinderella Jones ''Cinderella Jones'' is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Busby Berkeley and written by Charles Hoffman. The film stars Joan Leslie, Robert Alda, Julie Bishop, William Prince, S. Z. Sakall, and Edward Everett Horton. The film wa ...

'' (1946) - Minland *'' The Wife of Monte Cristo'' (1946) - Danglars *'' Centennial Summer'' (1946) - J.P. Snodgrass *'' Three Wise Fools'' (1946) - Paul Badger *'' Sister Kenny'' (1946) - Michael Kenny *'' The Beast with Five Fingers'' (1946) - Raymond Arlington *'' Duel in the Sun'' (1946) - Sheriff Hardy *''

My Favorite Brunette ''My Favorite Brunette'' is a 1947 American romantic comedy film and film noir parody, directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the film is about a baby photographer on deat ...

'' (1947) - Major Simon Montague *''

Welcome Stranger The Welcome Stranger is the biggest alluvial gold nugget that has ever been found, which had a calculated refined weight of .Potter, Terry F. (1999) ''The Welcome Stranger: a definitive account of the worlds largest alluvial gold nugget''. I ...

'' (1947) - Charles 'C.J.' Chesley *''

The Romance of Rosy Ridge ''The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' is a 1947 American Western film directed by Roy Rowland, about a rural community bitterly divided during the aftermath of the American Civil War. It stars Van Johnson, Thomas Mitchell, and Janet Leigh in her film de ...

'' (1947) - John Dessark *''

If You Knew Susie "If You Knew Susie" is the title of a popular song written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer. It was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. in 1925. In the largely comic song, a man sings that he knows a certain woman named Susie to be much wilde ...

'' (1948) - Mr. Whitley *''

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condit ...

'' (1948) - Bill Nolard Hardy *'' A Southern Yankee'' (1948) - Col. Weatherby *'' Big Jack'' (1949) - Mathias Taylor *''

Never Wave at a WAC ''Never Wave at a WAC'' is a 1953 American comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod, and starring Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas and Marie Wilson. Plot Divorced socialite Jo McBain, daughter of United States Senator Reynolds, would like to joi ...

'' (1953) - Sen. Tom Reynolds *''

'' (1953) - Sen. Brockway *'' The President's Lady'' (1953) - Capt. Irwin *''

Half a Hero ''Half a Hero'' is a 1953 American comedy film starring Red Skelton and Jean Hagen. Directed by Don Weis, the film was written by Max Shulman and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Freelance writer Ben Dobson (Skelton) lands his first full-t ...

'' (1953) - Mr. Bascomb *''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope war film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut. The film ...

'' (1955) - Sen. Fullerton (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dingle, Charles 1887 births 1956 deaths American male film actors Male actors from Indiana People from Wabash, Indiana Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts 20th-century American male actors