Charles Tannen
| Charles Tannen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Charles David Tannen October 22, 1915 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
December 18, 1980 (aged 65) San Bernardino, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Occupation | Actor, Television screenwriter |
| Years active | 1935–1976 |
| Spouse(s) | Joan Robertson Tannen |
| Children | Tracy Tannen |
| Relatives | Julius Tannen (father) |
Charles David Tannen (October 22, 1915 – December 28, 1980) was an American actor and screenwriter. A general purpose actor who worked primarily at 20th Century Fox, he had mostly bit and/or supporting parts in movies, appearing in more than two hundred films, including Jesse James (1939), The Return of Frank James (1940), There's No Business Like Show Business and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe) (1953), The Fly (1958), and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
Director Preston Sturges once praised Tannen for his acting ability, being quoted as saying,
"If you have a middle-aged character part, either Gentile or Jewish, either comic or dramatic, I urge you to give it to Tannen, and I guarantee that you will be enchanted by his authority, his unction, his voice, his theatrical resource, and his profound ability."
Tannen also made many appearances on such television series as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Lassie, The Twilight Zone, Rawhide, The Rifleman[1] and Jefferson Drum.
As a television screenwriter, Tannen wrote episodes for Petticoat Junction, I Dream Of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, All In The Family and Maude.
His father, Julius Tannen, and his brother, William Tannen, were also actors.[2]
Death
Tannen died in 1980 in San Bernardino, California at the age of 65 of a heart attack.
Selected filmography
- Love and Hisses (1937)
- Jesse James (1939)
- The Return of Frank James (1940)
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
- Doll Face (1945)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
- There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
- The Fly (1958)
- Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960)
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)