Readers of a certain age will readily recognize Charles Coburn from his career in the movies. From 1933 until his death in 1961 he appeared in 93 films and television shows; he became such a celebrity that he made personal guest appearances in eleven additional programs as himself. Along the way he picked up an Oscar as well as several nominations for his film roles.

He was born in Savannah, Georgia, and began his career in regional theatre, making his first Broadway appearance in 1901; over the years he performed in 28 plays on Broadway, one of them Troilus and Cressida as Ajax with his wife Ivah in the part of Andromache.

But his first endeavors were with Shakespeare when in 1905 he formed and managed the Coburn Shakespearean Players with Ivah Wills, whom he married the following year. The company toured for decades until Ivah's death in 1937. He then disbanded the company and went to Hollywood where he became an established actor in films, his major legacy. While he was with his own company from 1905 until 1937 he performed every leading role in Shakespeare's plays.

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As Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew