Charles Lane (born Charles Gerstle Levison; January 26, 1905 â€" July
9, 2007) was an American character actor and centenarian whose career
spanned 72 years. Lane gave his last performance at the age of 101 as
a narrator in 2006. 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). He was a favored
supporting actor of Lucille Ball, who often used him as a no-nonsense
authority figure and comedic foe of her scatterbrained TV character on
her TV series I Love Lucy, The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour and The Lucy
Show. His first film of more than 250 was as a hotel clerk in Smart
Money (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney.Lane was
born Charles Gerstle Levison to a Jewish family in San Francisco,
California, to parents Alice (née Gerstle) and Jacob B. Levison. His
father, an executive at the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, was
instrumental in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake of
which Lane was one of the last remaining survivors.Lane spent a short
time as an insurance salesman before taking to the stage at the
Pasadena Playhouse. Actor/director Irving Pichel first suggested that
Lane go into acting in 1929, and four years later Lane was a founding
member of the Screen Actors Guild. He became a favorite of director
Frank Capra, who used him in several films. In It's a Wonderful Life,
Lane played a seemingly hard-nosed rent collector. Lane also appeared
in the film Mighty Joe Young (1949) as one of the reporters cajoling
Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) for information about the identity of
"Mr. Joseph Young", the persona given featured billing on the front of
the building, on opening night.Among his many roles as a character
actor, Lane played Mr. Fosdick in Dear Phoebe, which aired on NBC in
1954â€"1955. He also portrayed mean-spirited railroad executive Homer
Bedloe in the situation comedy Petticoat Junction. He guest starred on
such series as ABC's Guestward, Ho!, starring Joanne Dru, and The Bing
Crosby Show, as well as the syndicated drama of the American Civil
War, The Gray Ghost.
9, 2007) was an American character actor and centenarian whose career
spanned 72 years. Lane gave his last performance at the age of 101 as
a narrator in 2006. 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). He was a favored
supporting actor of Lucille Ball, who often used him as a no-nonsense
authority figure and comedic foe of her scatterbrained TV character on
her TV series I Love Lucy, The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour and The Lucy
Show. His first film of more than 250 was as a hotel clerk in Smart
Money (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney.Lane was
born Charles Gerstle Levison to a Jewish family in San Francisco,
California, to parents Alice (née Gerstle) and Jacob B. Levison. His
father, an executive at the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, was
instrumental in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake of
which Lane was one of the last remaining survivors.Lane spent a short
time as an insurance salesman before taking to the stage at the
Pasadena Playhouse. Actor/director Irving Pichel first suggested that
Lane go into acting in 1929, and four years later Lane was a founding
member of the Screen Actors Guild. He became a favorite of director
Frank Capra, who used him in several films. In It's a Wonderful Life,
Lane played a seemingly hard-nosed rent collector. Lane also appeared
in the film Mighty Joe Young (1949) as one of the reporters cajoling
Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) for information about the identity of
"Mr. Joseph Young", the persona given featured billing on the front of
the building, on opening night.Among his many roles as a character
actor, Lane played Mr. Fosdick in Dear Phoebe, which aired on NBC in
1954â€"1955. He also portrayed mean-spirited railroad executive Homer
Bedloe in the situation comedy Petticoat Junction. He guest starred on
such series as ABC's Guestward, Ho!, starring Joanne Dru, and The Bing
Crosby Show, as well as the syndicated drama of the American Civil
War, The Gray Ghost.
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