Spencer Charters

Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American actor whose career spanned both Broadway and film. Born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, he worked as a machinist at the Chesapeake Nail Works in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, until approximately 1890, showing little interest in performance during that period. After leaving that work, he began appearing on stage, starting with a walk-on part before progressing to more substantial roles.

Charters performed on Broadway from 1910 through the late 1920s, appearing in productions that included Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, Oh, Henry, The Tavern, Talk About Girls, and Night of the Auk, among others. His stage work established him as a reliable character performer across both dramatic plays and musical productions.

He transitioned into film work beginning in 1920 and accumulated credits in more than 220 pictures between that year and 1943. Working primarily in supporting roles throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s, Charters frequently portrayed judges, doctors, clerks, managers, and jailers. He was married to actress Irene Myers, who died on December 22, 1941.

Charters died on January 25, 1943, from a combination of sleeping pills and carbon monoxide poisoning. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.