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Charles McGraw

Charles McGraw
McgrawPortrait.JPG
Promotional portrait
Born Charles Butters
(1914-05-10)May 10, 1914
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died July 30, 1980(1980-07-30) (aged 66)
Studio City, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1942–1977
Spouse(s) Freda Choy Kitt
(married 1938–1967)
Children 1

Charles Butters (May 10, 1914 – July 30, 1980), best known by his stage name Charles McGraw, was an American actor.

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.

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

McGraw made his first film in 1942 with a small, uncredited role in The Undying Monster. 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's other notable roles include "Honest Joe", the insurance investigator turned thief by love in the noir classic Roadblock (1951); the gruff detective assigned to protect Marie Windsor in The Narrow Margin (1952); righteous cop Lt. Jim Cordell in Armored Car Robbery (1952); Kirk Douglas' gladiator trainer in the epic Spartacus (1960); and "The Preacher" in the science-fiction cult classic A Boy and His Dog.


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