Charles Lane
American actor (1905–2007)
- Born
- 26 January 1905, San Francisco
- Died
- 9 July 2007
- Citizenship
- United States
- Occupation
- actor, television actor, film actor
- Films here
- 5
Charles Lane (born January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007) was an American character actor and centenarian whose career spanned 76 years.
A prolific actor who played hundreds of roles in both film and TV, Lane often played sour, scowling and disagreeable clerks, doctors, judges, and middle-management authority figures. Recalling in 1981 his many roles, he said "They were all good parts, but they were jerks. If you have a type established, though, and you're any good, it can mean considerable work for you." The New York Times reported that Lane's persona was so familiar to the public, "that people would come up to him in the street and greet him, because they thought they knew him from their hometowns." Lane's first film role, of more than 382, was as a hotel clerk in Smart Money (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Riding High (1950).
Filmography (martial arts films)
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Two-Fisted Gentleman | Cast |
| 1936 | The Milky Way | Cast |
| 1939 | Golden Boy | Cast |
| 1940 | City for Conquest | Cast |
| 1978 | Movie Movie | Cast |
Frequent collaborators
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q634150 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.