Charles Middleton (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Middleton
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Middleton in 1922
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| Born |
Charles Brown Middleton
October 3, 1874 Elizabethtown, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Died | April 22, 1949 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1920–1949 |
| Spouse(s) |
Leora Spellman
(m. 1908; died 1945) |
| Children | 1 |
Charles Brown Middleton (born October 3, 1874 – died April 22, 1949) was an American actor. He worked on stage and in many films. He started his film career when he was 46 years old. Over almost 30 years, he appeared in nearly 200 movies. He was also in many plays. People often remember him best for playing the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. This character was the main bad guy in the three Flash Gordon adventure series made between 1936 and 1940.
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Acting Career of Charles Middleton
Charles Middleton was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Before he became a movie star in 1920, he worked in different kinds of entertainment. He performed in a traveling circus. He also acted in vaudeville shows and live plays.
His acting career really took off when movies started having sound. His deep, serious voice was perfect for playing bad guys. He often played opposite famous comedy stars. These included Harold Lloyd, Eddie Cantor, Wheeler & Woolsey, and Laurel and Hardy.
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Middleton appeared in many popular films. In 1932, he was in Pack Up Your Troubles. He played a mean welfare officer who was the enemy of Laurel & Hardy. He also played a serious prosecutor in Duck Soup (1933). In this movie, he acted alongside The Marx Brothers. In the classic musical film Show Boat (1936), he was Sheriff Ike Vallon. This sheriff tried to arrest a character for being illegally married.
Playing Abraham Lincoln
Charles Middleton's face looked a bit like Abraham Lincoln. Because of this, he often played the famous president. In 1933, he played Lincoln in a short film called The Road Is Open Again. Later, in 1937, he was an actor dressed as Lincoln in the comedy Stand-In. He even complained in the movie about always playing the same type of role! His connection to Lincoln continued. In the 1940 movie Abe Lincoln in Illinois, he played Lincoln's father, Thomas.
Famous Roles in Serials
Middleton had important roles in many movie series, called serials. These were popular from 1935 to 1947. He is most famous for playing Ming the Merciless. Ming was the evil enemy of the space hero Flash Gordon. Charles Middleton played Ming in three different Flash Gordon serials:
- Flash Gordon (1936)
- Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)
- Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
He also appeared in other serials like Dick Tracy Returns and Daredevils of the Red Circle. In 1935, he played a ranch foreman named Buck Peters. This was in the first movie of the long-running Western series, Hopalong Cassidy Enters.
Later Life and Death
Charles Middleton passed away from a heart attack in Los Angeles. This happened in April 1949. It was just two months after his last movie, The Last Bandit, was released. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. His grave is next to his wife, Leora Spellman, who was also an actress.
Images for kids
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Actress Carmen D'Antonio with Charles Middleton as Emperor Ming in the 1940 adventure series Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
