André Charlot

André Eugene Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French impresario known primarily for the highly successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He also worked as a character actor in numerous feature films.

André Charlot
Charlot in 1912
Born	André Eugene Maurice Charlot (1882-07-26)26 July 1882 Paris, France
Died	20 May 1956(1956-05-20) (aged 73) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor and theatre manager
Years active	1942-1955
Spouse(s)	Florence Gladman (?-1956) (his death)
Children	Philip Charlot (1910-1966) Joan Charlot

Early life and career

Born in Paris, Charlot began his career as the assistant manager of several theatres in the French capital, including the Folies Bergère and the Théâtre du Palais-Royal.[1] In 1912 he relocated to London and became the joint manager of the Alhambra Theatre, where he began presenting productions noted for their elegance and simplicity rather than lavish Ziegfeld-like stagings.

Although he was instrumental in giving Noël Coward his first big break, Charlot's first meeting with the aspiring writer was less than successful. In 1917, Coward auditioned some of his material for the producer, who was unimpressed. "He plays the piano badly and sings worse," he complained to Beatrice Lillie, who had introduced the two men, adding, "Kindly do not waste my time with people like that ever again." The following year he purchased one of Coward's songs, "Peter Pan," for Tails Up!, and in 1923 he staged London Calling!, Coward's first publicly produced musical work. It included the tune "Parisian Pierrot," sung by Gertrude Lawrence, which proved to be Coward's first big hit and one of his signature tunes. Although the show was a success, Charlot and Coward never collaborated on such a large scale again.[2]

Andre Charlot's Revue of 1924,[3] starring Lillie, Lawrence, Jessie Matthews, and Jack Buchanan, was a major hit on Broadway. Ticket demand was such that the original six-week run was extended to nine months,[4] and it ultimately ran for 298 performances.

With the Great Depression, theatre attendance dropped dramatically, and Charlot was forced into temporary bankruptcy after the failure of Wonder Bar in 1930. That same year he collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Hulbert, and Paul Murray on direction of the film Elstree Calling.[5] After producing a series of smaller London revues, he moved to Hollywood, where between 1942 and 1955 he appeared in 50 films, often in small, uncredited roles. Among them were The Constant Nymph, Passage to Marseille, The Song of Bernadette, Lady on a Train, The Dolly Sisters, Julia Misbehaves, That Forsyte Woman, Annie Get Your Gun, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and Interrupted Melody.[6]

Personal life

Charlot was married to Florence Gladman, with whom he had two children. He died of cancer in Woodland Hills, California.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1942	The Falcon's Brother	Leon Savitski	Uncredited
	Here We Go Again	Indian Chief	Uncredited
	Arabian Nights	Bidder	Uncredited
1943	The Falcon Strikes Back	Bruno Steffen
	They Came to Blow Up America	Zugholtz
	Above Suspicion	Paris Cafe Manager	Uncredited
	The Constant Nymph	Dr. Renee
	Thumbs Up	E.E. Cartwright
	The Man from Down Under	Father Antoine
	The Fallen Sparrow	Pete	Uncredited
	Melody Parade	Carroll White
	The Song of Bernadette	Bishop of Nevers	Uncredited
1944	Passage to Marseille	Judge	Uncredited
	Action in Arabia	Andre Leroux
	The Heavenly Body	Dr. Burns	Uncredited
	Summer Storm	Mr Kalenin
1945	Delightfully Dangerous	Prof. Bremond	Uncredited
	Lady on a Train	Man with Carnation	Uncredited
	The Dolly Sisters	Monsieur Philippe	Uncredited
	Paris Underground	Patriot	Uncredited
	This Love of Ours	M. Flambertin
	Yolanda and the Thief	Dilettante	Uncredited
	What Next, Corporal Hargrove?	Restaurant Proprietor	Uncredited
1946	O.S.S.	French Importer	Uncredited
	Deadline for Murder	Gordon	Uncredited
	Rolling Home	Dr Clark
	The Razor's Edge	Bishop at Elliott's Deathbed	Uncredited
	Temptation	Prof. Dupont
	The Falcon's Adventure	Enrico Braganza	Uncredited
1947	The Foxes of Harrow	Dr. Terrebone	Uncredited
	Song of Love	Pompous Gent	Uncredited
	Mourning Becomes Electra	Dr. André Hamel - Christine's Father	Uncredited
1948	Saigon	Priest	Uncredited
	Julia Misbehaves	Theater Doorman	Uncredited
1949	The Great Sinner	Distinguished Man	Uncredited
	I Was a Male War Bride	French Minister	Uncredited
	That Forsyte Woman	Gallery Director in Paris	Uncredited
1950	Under My Skin	Waiter	Uncredited
	Annie Get Your Gun	French President Emile Loubet	Uncredited
	The Toast of New Orleans	Dignified Man	Uncredited
	Breakthrough
	The Du Pont Story	Peter Bauduy
1951	Rich, Young and Pretty	Justice of the Peace	Uncredited
	The Law and the Lady	Maire D'Hotel	Uncredited
	Here Comes the Groom	French Doctor	Uncredited
	Flame of Araby	Court Physician	Uncredited
1952	Lovely to Look At	Creditor	Uncredited
	The Snows of Kilimanjaro	Guest	Uncredited
1953	The Mississippi Gambler	Keith	Uncredited
1954	Rhapsody	Stage Doorman	Uncredited
1955	Interrupted Melody	Monsieur Bertrand	Uncredited, (final film role)

References

1. "André Charlot - French theatrical impresario and actor".
2. A Talent to Amuse: A Biography of Noël Coward by Sheridan Morley, Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1969, pp. 73, 97-98
3. The Broadway League. "Internet Broadway Database". Ibdb.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
4. "Musicals101.com". Musicals101.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
5. "Elstree Calling (1930)".
6. "Andre Charlot".

External links

• André Charlot on IMDb
• André Charlot at the Internet Broadway Database
• André Charlot at the TCM Movie Database