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Charles Herbert was a moderately popular child actor in the 1950s, recognized for his signature sulky expression and thick, furrowed eyebrows. He was often cast as curious children confronted by alien creatures, including a robot, a human fly, and several ghosts haunting a house. Over his youth, he appeared in more than 20 films, 50 television shows, and numerous commercials.
Born Charles Herbert Saperstein on December 23, 1948, in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, he was the son of Pearl Jean (Diamond) and Louis Saperstein. His mother was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, and his paternal grandparents were Russian Jews. His acting career began at age four after a Hollywood talent agent spotted him riding a bus with his mother. His first role was on the 1952 TV show "Half Pint Panel."
He frequently appeared on TV series starring Robert Cummings and Gale Storm. During this time, he delivered notable performances, including as a blind child in the Science Fiction Theatre episode "The Miracle Hour" (1956). His film debut was in "The Long, Long Trailer" (1954), a Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz comedy, although his role, selected by director Vincente Minnelli, was ultimately cut. He found success in various genres with films such as the noir "The Night Holds Terror" (1955) and "The Tattered Dress" (1957), the dramas "Ransom!" (1956) and "No Down Payment" (1957), and comedies like "Houseboat" (1958) and "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960). However, he was best known for his work in science fiction, appearing in several films now considered classics. He had a small role in "The Monster That Challenged the World" (1957) and a leading role in "The Colossus of New York" (1958) as the son of a deceased scientific genius whose brain is transplanted into a robot-like entity. He also starred in "The Fly" (1958), alongside Vincent Price, where his character loses his father in a failed experiment. In 1960, he led the cast of William Castle's ghost story "13 Ghosts," a somewhat eerie but ultimately mild film. Castle personally chose Charles for the role and offered him top billing over well-known actors if he agreed to appear. The film featured Castle's typical gimmick, requiring audiences to wear 3-D glasses to see the ghosts.
Charles also starred in the fantasy adventure "The Boy and the Pirates" (1960), but after that, film offers ceased. As he entered adolescence, he took on smaller TV roles in shows like "Wagon Train" (1957), "Rawhide" (1959), "The Fugitive" (1963), "Family Affair" (1966), and "My Three Sons" (1960). By the late 1960s, his acting career had ended, as he no longer possessed the charm that had made him a sought-after child actor. Unable to transition to adult roles, his personal life deteriorated. Lacking formal education or other skills, and having saved no earnings, he lived a reckless, nomadic life and struggled with drug addiction. He never married but managed to turn his life around after nearly 40 years, becoming clean and sober from October 2005 onward. Throughout his life, he occasionally appeared at sci-fi film festivals.
Charles Herbert passed away from a heart attack on October 31, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
