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Charles McGraw
Actor 1914 - 1980

Charles McGraw

Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Charles McGraw (born Charles Butters) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. He developed into a leading man, especially in film noir classics during the late 1940s and early 1950s. His gravelly voice and rugged looks enhanced his appeal in the noir stylistic... Read full bio →

Filmography

Every title this person appears in

46 titles
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Carl Reiner 1982 1h 29m 7.7

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon.

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Robert Aldrich 1977 2h 26m 8.0

A renegade USAF general, Lawrence Dell, escapes from a military prison and takes over an ICBM silo near Montana and threatens to provoke World War 3 unless the President reveals details of a secret meeting held just after the start of the Vietnam War between Dell and the then President's most trusted advisors.

The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me

Burt Kennedy 1976 1h 39m

Haunted by visions from his abusive childhood, Montana deputy sheriff Lou Ford gradually exhibits the signs of a homicidal schizophrenic.

A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog

L.Q. Jones 1975 1h 31m 7.2

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

The Night Stalker

The Night Stalker

John Llewellyn Moxey 1972 1h 14m

Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.

Johnny Got His Gun

Johnny Got His Gun

Dalton Trumbo 1971 1h 52m 8.6

A young American soldier, rendered in pseudocoma from an artillery shell from WWI, recalls his life leading up to that point.

Chandler

Chandler

Paul Magwood 1971 1h 25m

A private eye is hired to follow a mobster's former mistress.

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here

Abraham Polonsky 1969 1h 38m 8.5

Based on true events, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, tells the story of one of the last Western manhunts, in 1909. Willie Boy, a Native American, kills his girlfriend's father in self defense, and the two go on the run, pursued by a search posse led by Sheriff Christopher Cooper.

Pendulum

Pendulum

George Schaefer 1969 1h 42m

On the evening of his decoration for bringing a murderer to justice, Washington DC Police Captain Frank Matthews' wife, and her lover are murdered in bed. Jailed as the prime suspect, with the aforementioned murderer released on a technicality Matthews escapes in search of the man he believes to be the real killer.

Hang 'Em High

Hang 'Em High

Ted Post 1968 1h 55m 7.4

The hanging was the best show in town. But they made two mistakes. They hung the wrong man and they didn't finish the job.

In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

Richard Brooks 1967 2h 14m 8.8

In Cold Blood is a 1967 film based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. Richard Brooks prepared the adaptation and directed the film. Some scenes were filmed on the locations of the original events, in Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas including the Clutter residence, the site of the murders.

The Birds

The Birds

Alfred Hitchcock 1963 1h 59m 8.3

The Birds is a classic cult film from Alfred Hitchcock. His new horror elements made film history and one of hismasterpieces.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Stanley Kramer 1963 3h 12m 7.4

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.

Spartacus

Spartacus

Stanley Kubrick 1960 3h 17m 7.9

Stanley Kubrick's film Spartacus hosts top-class cast and tells the story of rebellion of the slaves in ancient Rome. The film was awarded four Oscars and stands today as one of the greatest classics of the Sword and Sandal genre.

Cimarron

Cimarron

Anthony Mann 1960 2h 27m 6.0

The epic story of a family that's involved in the Oklahoma Land Rush in 1889.

The Wonderful Country

The Wonderful Country

Robert Parrish 1959 1h 38m 8.0

Having fled to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago for killing his father's murderer, Martin Brady travels to Texas to broker an arms deal for his Mexican boss, strongman Governor Cipriano Castro. Brady breaks a leg and while recuperating in Texas the gun shipment is stolen.

The Man in the Net

The Man in the Net

Michael Curtiz 1959 1h 38m

A artist living in a quiet Connecticut is the main suspect in the disappearance of his shrew wife. Things really turn ugly when the townsfolk attempt to take the law into their own hands.

The Defiant Ones

The Defiant Ones

Stanley Kramer 1958 1h 36m 7.8

Two convicts—one white, one black—escape while chained to each other.

Saddle the Wind

Saddle the Wind

Robert Parrish 1958 1h 24m 8.0

Steve Sinclair is a world a world-weary former gunslinger, now living as a peaceful farmer. Things go wrong when his wild younger brother Tony arrives on the scene with his new bride Joan Blake.

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

Arnold Laven 1957 1h 43m

A rookie assistant DA is assigned to investigate the murder of a longshoreman, killed for exposing gangster involvement on the piers, and meets up with a "code of silence" amongst all potential witnesses.

Joe Dakota

Joe Dakota

Richard Bartlett 1957 1h 19m 10.0

A stranger rides into town and says he is looking for a local Indian. Told he left town, the truth everyone has been hiding comes out including the stranger's true identity.

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

Mark Robson 1954 1h 42m 5.7

A naval aviator is assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War.

Loophole

Loophole

Harold D. Schuster 1954 1h 20m

Bank teller Mike Donovan (Barry Sullivan) takes the first step on the road to Perdition when he fails to report a $49,000 shortage. Accused of theft, Donovan is fired from his job. He is then prevented from finding other employment by Javert-like insurance investigator Gus Slavin (Charles McGraw).

The Narrow Margin

The Narrow Margin

Richard Fleischer 1952 1h 11m 7.5

A tough cop meets his match when he has to guard a gangster's moll on a tense train ride.

Roadblock

Roadblock

Harold Daniels 1951 1h 13m 7.0

An insurance agent's greedy girlfriend with a taste for mink leads him to a life of crime.

His Kind of Woman

His Kind of Woman

John Farrow 1951 2h 7.0

Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported crime boss Nick Ferraro aiming to re-enter to the USA.

Double Crossbones

Double Crossbones

Charles Barton 1951 1h 16m

Falsely accused by the corrupt Governor Elden of Charleston of fencing stolen pirate booty, young Davey Crandall and friend Tom Botts buy passage on the ship of local buccaneer Bloodthirsty Ben. They avoid being killed by faking a case of the pox, which causes the panicked captain and crew to desert the ship.

Side Street

Side Street

Anthony Mann 1950 1h 23m 8.0

A struggling young father-to-be gives in to temptation and impulsively steals an envelope of money from the office of a corrupt attorney. Instead of a few hundred dollars it contains $30,000 and when he decides to return the money things go wrong and that is only the beginning of his troubles.

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town

Charles Lamont 1950 1h 19m

When Pa wins a jingle-writing contest, he and Ma head for New York City. They they get in trouble with gangsters when they lose some stolen money which they had already agreed to deliver to one of the thugs.

Armored Car Robbery

Armored Car Robbery

Richard Fleischer 1950 1h 7m 7.3

The film tells the story of a well-planned robbery of an armored car when it stops at a sports stadium. Yet, the heist goes awry, and a tough Los Angeles cop named Cordell (Charles McGraw) is in hot pursuit.

The Threat

The Threat

Felix E. Feist 1949 1h 6m 6.0

An escaped con kidnaps the people he thinks put him behind bars.

The Story of Molly X

The Story of Molly X

Crane Wilbur 1949 1h 22m

Molly's husband Rick was a gang leader somewhere in the middle west. When he's shot, the tough woman moves to S.F. with a couple of the gang to start anew. Disguised as a noble woman, she and her gang rob security transports. But when one day Rob confesses to her that he killed Rick out of jealousy, she shoots him down immediately.

Reign of Terror

Reign of Terror

Anthony Mann 1949 1h 27m 9.0

Opponents plot to bring down Robespierre during the French Revolution.

Once More, My Darling

Once More, My Darling

Robert Montgomery 1949 1h 32m

An actor is recalled to active duty with the Army's C.I.D. to find the thief who stole historical jewels in occupied Germany and the trail leads to the boyfriend of a young debutante from Bel Air.

Border Incident

Border Incident

Anthony Mann 1949 1h 34m 8.0

The story concerns two agents, one Mexican (PJF) and one American, who are tasked to stop the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border to California. The two agents go undercover, one as a poor migrant.

The Hunted

The Hunted

Jack Bernhard 1948 1h 28m

A cop investigating a jewel robbery finds that all trails lead to his girlfriend - but she claims she's being framed.

Blood on the Moon

Blood on the Moon

Robert Wise 1948 1h 28m 8.0

Mitchum plays drifter cowboy Jim Garry. After receiving a job-offer letter from smooth-talking Tate Riling (Preston), Garry rides into an Indian reservation and finds himself in the middle of a feud between cattle ranchers and homesteaders. What Garry doesn't realize is that Riling, the man he now works for, is crooked.

Berlin Express

Berlin Express

Jacques Tourneur 1948 1h 27m 8.0

Robert Ryan leads a group of Allied agents fighting an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe.

The Long Night

The Long Night

Anatole Litvak 1947 1h 41m 6.0

City police surround a building attempting to capture a suspected murder. The suspect knows there is no escape but refuses to give in.

The Gangster

The Gangster

Gordon Wiles 1947 1h 24m 7.0

Based on the novel Low Company. One of the most peculiar film noirs of the 1940s stars Barry Sullivan as a small-time hood who suffers a mental breakdown as his big plans begin to crumble. Beautiful Belita is the slumming society girlfriend who only fuels his paranoia.

The Farmer's Daughter

The Farmer's Daughter

H. C. Potter 1947 1h 37m 7.0

A Swedish-American farmer's daughter leaves the farm to attend nursing school. Penny-less after an acquaintance steals her tuition money, she obtains a job as a household servant for congressman Glenn Morley where she finds politics and romance.

T-Men

T-Men

Anthony Mann 1947 1h 32m 8.0

Two T-men, U.S. Treasury agents, go undercover in Detroit, and then Los Angeles, in an attempt to break a U.S. currency counterfeiting ring.

The Killers

The Killers

Robert Siodmak 1946 1h 43m 8.7

Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.

The Impostor

The Impostor

Julien Duvivier 1944 1h 32m

A condemned murderer named Clement is "liberated" when the Nazis bomb the French jail that holds him. During his escape, Clement comes across the body of a French soldier; he steals the dead man's uniform and identification papers, then hides from the law by joining the Resistance movement.

The Moon Is Down

The Moon Is Down

Irving Pichel 1943 1h 30m 6.0

During the Nazi occupation of Norway, a small Norwegian village struggles to cope with the invaders and some locals choose collaboration while others prefer armed resistance.

The Undying Monster

The Undying Monster

John Brahm 1942 1h 4m 7.0

A werewolf prowls around at night but only kills certain members of one family. It seems like just a coincidence, but the investigating Inspector soon finds out that this tradition has gone on for generations and tries to find a link between the werewolf and the family, leading to a frightening conclusion.

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