Full Name Charles Butters Name Charles McGraw Children 1 | Years active 1942–1977 Occupation Actor Role Actor | |
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Died July 30, 1980, Studio City, California, United States Spouse Freda Choy Kitt (m. 1938–1967) Movies The Narrow Margin, Spartacus, The Birds, The Killers, Ard Car Robbery Similar People Richard Fleischer, Anthony Mann, William Talman, L Q Jones, Robert Siodmak | ||
CHARLES MCGRAW TRIBUTE
Charles Butters (May 10, 1914 – July 30, 1980), best known by his stage name Charles McGraw, was an American actor.
Contents
- CHARLES MCGRAW TRIBUTE
- Unsung heroes of cinema charles mcgraw
- Early life
- Stage
- Film
- Leading Man
- Television
- Personal life
- Death
- Accolades
- Filmography
- References
Unsung heroes of cinema charles mcgraw
Early life
The son of Francis Butters and Beatrice Crisp Butters, McGraw was born in Des Moines, Iowa. (A newspaper article published in 1951 says of McGraw, "He was born in New York City, but his parents moved to Akron, O., when he was five years old.") In January 1932, he graduated from high school, later attending college for one semester.
His early jobs included working on a freighter and dancing in night clubs.
Before becoming an actor, he served a tour of duty in the United States Army during World War II.
Stage
Before getting into film, McGraw was active in theatrical road companies. He also appeared in "dozens of off-Broadway productions."
Film
McGraw made his first film in 1942 with a small, uncredited role in The Undying Monsterat Fox. He was in Tonight We Raid Calais (1942) and They Came to Blow Up America (1943) at the same studio, and also Two Tickets to London (1943), Destroyer (1943), Corvette K-225 (1943), The Mad Ghoul (1943), The Impostor (1944), and The Seventh Cross (1944).
He developed into a leading man, especially in the film noir genre during the late 1940s and early 1950s. His gravelly voice and rugged looks enhanced his appeal in that very stylistic genre.
His first notable role was in The Killers (1946), which opens with McGraw and fellow heavy William Conrad as the two hitmen who terrorize a small-town diner in their search for Burt Lancaster.
McGraw was unbilled in The Farmer's Daughter (1947) and Brute Force (1947) and had small roles in The Big Fix (1947) and The Long Night (1947). He had slightly bigger parts in On the Old Spanish Trail (1947), a Roy Rogers Western, and some noirs, Roses Are Red (1947) and The Gangster (1947).
McGraw's parts remained small in T-Men (1947) for Anthony Mann, The Hunted (1948), Berlin Express (1948), Hazard (1948), and Blood on the Moon (1948). He had a bigger role in Once More, My Darling (1949), then went back to small parts in Reign of Terror (1949) and Border Incident (1949) for Mann, and The Story of Molly X (1949).
McGraw moved up to third billing in a noir, The Threat (1949). He played a cop in Side Street (1950) for Mann and a gangster in Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1951).
Leading Man
McGraw was finally given a leading role in RKO's Armored Car Robbery (1950) directed by Richard Fleischer. He played a gangster in His Kind of Woman (1951) then had the lead in Roadblock (1951), as "Honest Joe", the insurance investigator turned thief by love.
Fleischer used McGraw in the lead of The Narrow Margin (1952) which has become a cult classic. He was a sergeant in One Minute to Zero (1952) and War Paint (1953) and was a villain in Thunder Over the Plains (1954).
McGraw's other notable roles Kirk Douglas' gladiator trainer in the epic Spartacus (1960); and "The Preacher" in the science-fiction cult classic A Boy and His Dog.
Television
McGraw starred as Mike Waring, the title character, in the 39-episode 1954–55 syndicated television series Adventures of the Falcon. The series updated the original Falcon premise to have Michael Waring as a secret agent in the Cold War. He also starred in the first television version of Casablanca (1955), taking Humphrey Bogart's role as Rick Blaine.:165 Additionally, he had the role of Captain Hughes in The Smith Family. In 1963, McGraw played Dr. Simon Oliver on the pilot of Diagnosis: Danger, a medical drama.:257
He later played various one-shot roles in television episodes such as the gruff and menacing sheriff in "The Gamble", an installment of the NBC western series Bonanza.
In 1960, McGraw played United States Army scout Tom Barrows in the episode "The Scout" on the ABC/Desilu western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O'Brian. Though he has an Apache wife, Barrows is known for his attacks on Apache warriors. He is called "The Listener" because he cuts off and wears the ears of the Indians he has killed. The Indians retaliate by killing Barrows' wife. McGraw also appeared in an episode of The Untouchables titled "The Jake Lingle Killing". This was notable as a pre-Hawaii Five-O Jack Lord was the lead hero in the show instead of Ness. He also portrayed an unbalanced rear admiral in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea titled "The Sky is Falling."
Personal life
McGraw married Freda Choy Kitt in 1938. They had a daughter.
Death
Charles McGraw died after slipping and falling through a glass shower door in his Studio City, California home on July 30, 1980 and severing an artery in his arm. (A newspaper article published in 1981 gave August 2 as the date of McGraw's death.) His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Accolades
McGraw is recognized with a star in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6927 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.