Charles McGraw

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Charles McGraw
McgrawPortrait.JPG
Born
Charles Crisp Butters

(1914-05-10)May 10, 1914
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 1980(1980-07-29) (aged 66)[1]
Studio City, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1942–1977
Spouse(s)
Freda Choy Kitt
​
​
(m. 1938; div. 1968)​
Children1 (daughter)

Charles McGraw (born Charles Crisp Butters; May 10, 1914 – July 29, 1980) was an American stage, film and television actor whose career spanned more than three decades.

Early life[]

The son of Beatrice (née Crisp) and Francis P. Butters, Charles was born in Des Moines, Iowa.[2] Federal census records confirm Iowa as his birthplace and also document that he later moved with his parents to Akron, Ohio, where his father worked as a salesman and service manager. In January 1932, Charles graduated from high school in Akron and then attended college but only for one semester.[3]

His early jobs included working on a freighter and dancing in night clubs.[4]

Career[]

Stage[]

Before getting into film, McGraw was active in theatrical road companies.[4] He also appeared in "dozens of off-Broadway productions."[5]

Film[]

McGraw made his first film in 1942 with a small, uncredited role in The Undying Monster at 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.[6]

McGraw (left) and William Conrad in The Killers (1946)

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 the 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). 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 were as Kirk Douglas's gladiator trainer in the epic Spartacus (1960) and as "The Preacher" in the science fiction film A Boy and His Dog.

Television[]

After appearing in radio, including the 03/13/1949 episode "Rubin Callaway's Pictures" of the noir-ish detective radio program "Pat Novak for Hire", McGraw moved to television. In the 1954-1955 television season, McGraw starred as the character Mike Waring in the 39-episode syndicated series Adventures of the Falcon.[7][8] The series updated the original Falcon premise to portray Waring as a secret agent in the Cold War.[9] He also starred in the first television version of Casablanca (1955), taking Humphrey Bogart's role as Rick Blaine.[10]:165​ Additionally, he had the role of Captain Hughes in The Smith Family.[10] In 1963, McGraw played Dr. Simon Oliver in the pilot of Diagnosis: Danger, a medical drama.[10]:257​ He later had various single-appearance roles in television episodes such as the gruff and menacing Sheriff Gains 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's 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 trigger-happy rear admiral in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea titled "The Sky is Falling."[citation needed] Late in his career, McGraw performed too as a voice actor, providing voice-over narrations for several productions.[11] (TV)~1973-Adam 12 episode. Harbor Division-As a boat captain.

Personal life and death[]

McGraw married Freda Choy Kitt in 1938, and had one child. They divorced in 1968.[4] On July 29, 1980, he died accidentally at his home in Studio City, California, slipping in the bathroom and falling through a glass shower door, causing several cuts, including a gash to his arm that severed the brachial artery. Paramedics arrived after he bled to death.[1][11]

Honors and awards[]

In recognition of his contributions to the entertainment industry as an actor, McGraw was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California on February 8, 1960. His star is located at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard.[12]

Filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b California Death Index, 1940-1997; McGraw, Charles; California Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Section, Sacramento; full database copy, archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  2. ^ Rode, Alan K. (2012). Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy. McFarland & Company. p. 7. ISBN 978-0786471720.
  3. ^ Longden, Tom. "Charles McGraw". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c West, Alice Pardoe (May 20, 1951). "Behind the Scenes". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. p. 23.
  5. ^ "Charles McGraw Of 'Toki-Ri' Cast Has Lived Drama". Brooklyn Eagle. January 23, 1955. p. 29.
  6. ^ Baxter, John (1970). The Gangster Film. New York: A. S. Barnes. p. 80. ASIN B007EUP0P4.
  7. ^ "Adventures of The Falcon". ctva.biz. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Falcon". The Thrilling Detective Web Site. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  9. ^ Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987. McFarland & Company. p. 18. ISBN 978-0786411986.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company. p. 984. ISBN 978-0786464777.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Charles McGraw, Actor, Dies in Fall at His Home", The New York Times, August 2, 1980, p. 2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  12. ^ "Charles McGraw". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved December 29, 2017.

External links[]

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