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Charles Wagenheim, a small-statured character actor, initially pursued acting to overcome severe shyness. His extensive career featured countless minor yet atmospheric roles on stage, in film, and on television. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1896 to immigrant parents, he served in the military during World War I. The government funded his education, leading him to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he graduated in 1923.
After touring with a Shakespearean troupe, Wagenheim appeared in numerous Broadway productions, many associated with the prolific George Abbott, including "A Holy Terror" (1925), "Four Walls" (1927), and "Ringside" (1928). Following a stage role in "Schoolhouse on the Lot" (1938), he moved to Hollywood. His dark, somber demeanor, baggy-eyed scowl, and rough appearance suited a variety of genres, especially crime thrillers and westerns.
Beginning his film career in 1929, Wagenheim gained recognition when Alfred Hitchcock cast him as the assassin in Foreign Correspondent (1940). Over the years, he portrayed many unsavory characters such as tramps, drunks, and thieves but never landed a standout role that would elevate him to top-tier character actor status. Typically credited low in the cast, he often filled supporting parts like cab drivers, waiters, deputies, clerks, morgue attendants, and junkmen. Notable roles included appearances in Two Girls on Broadway (1940), Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940), Halfway to Shanghai (1942), the serials Don Winslow of the Navy (1942) and Raiders of Ghost City (1944), The House on 92nd Street (1945), A Lady Without Passport (1950), Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953), and Canyon Crossroads (1955). One promising role was as "The Runt" in Meet Boston Blackie (1941), which launched Chester Morris’s popular 1940s "B" film series, though the sidekick part was later assumed by George E. Stone.
In his later film work, Wagenheim played the small but crucial role of a thief breaking into the storefront where the Frank family hid in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Television occupied much of his time in his later years, keeping him active through the 1960s and 1970s. He had a recurring role as Halligan on Gunsmoke (from 1967 to 1975) and continued acting on shows like All in the Family (1971) and Baretta (1975) until shortly before his death.
On March 6, 1979, at age 83, Wagenheim was bludgeoned to death in his Hollywood apartment after confronting a burglar following a grocery shopping trip. In a grim coincidence, fellow elderly character actor Victor Kilian, known for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976), was found beaten to death by intruders in his Los Angeles-area home just days later, on March 11.
