The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

Charles B. Middleton 1874 or 1879 - 1949 Left - Charles Middleton in his most famous role as "Ming the Merciless" in the trio of Flash Gordon serials.

While most of the B film baddies and supporting players are forgotten by the current generation of film viewers, there's one actor from that period and genre who is probably remembered.  It's none other than Charles Middleton, and his most famous role was that of 'Ming the Merciless' in the three FLASH GORDON serials which starred Buster Crabbe.

The Kentucky born Middleton began his acting career in New York and stage plays. Then came vaudeville including a stint with his wife, actress Leora Spellman (real name: Leora Spellmeyer). They wound up in Hollywood and the film business in the 1920s.

Due to his chiseled looks, snear and booming voice, Middleton wound up typecast in genuinely evil or maniacal roles such as over zealous preachers ... shyster lawyers ... the town leader whippin' up a lynch mob ... a sinister lawman or judge ... or the conniving and vicious boss of an orphanage, reform school, et al.

He did some low-budget westerns, and even played an occasional good guy, such as his role as 'Buck Peters' in the first Hoppy film, HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY (Paramount, 1935). However, Middleton's claim to fame are the villainous roles he did in serials, and several immediately come to mind (in addition to Emperor Ming in the trio of Flash Gordon chapterplays):

• as Zaroff in Tom Mix's final film THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935)
• as Pa Stark in DICK TRACY RETURNS (Republic, 1939)
• as 39013 in DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE (Republic, 1939)
• as Ace Daggett in FLAMING FRONTIERS (Universal, 1938)
• as Cassib, Vultura's henchman, in PERILS OF NYOKA (Republic, 1942)
• as scientist Grood in JACK ARMSTRONG (Columbia, 1947)

Several of my favorite Middleton roles are: in John Ford's THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940); as the frustrated Foreign Legion commandant in the Laurel & Hardy BEAU HUNKS (1931) and THE FLYING DEUCES (1939); the "strangler" in one of PRC's best, STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1946); and the boss of the wrecking crew in the chaotic MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948). He seemed to work anywhere and everywhere, doing a mix of meaty roles and bit parts at A and B grade studios and production companies. For example, I recall watching our local PBS TV station which was running the 1930s SHOWBOAT with Irene Dunne and Alan Jones ... and Middleton appears in one of the scenes and has a couple lines of dialog. Then in another night of TV viewing, Middleton shows up as the butler in the Three Stooges short SPOOK LOUDER (Columbia, 1943).

Les Adams has Middleton identified in about 175+ sound era films --- that number includes appearances in 45 westerns and 15 chapterplays.

Middleton passed away from a heart attack in 1949. You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral, and then check the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for Charles B. Middleton, born 10/7/1879 in Kentucky, Mother's maiden name of Carter, and he passed away on 4/22/1949.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on:
          Charles Middleton: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0585481/
          Middleton's wife, actress Leora Spellman Middleton (1888 or 1890 - 1945): http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0817702/

Though he reportedly did a lot of stage plays, the Internet Broadway Database lists one play for Middleton, the 1946 Broadway production of "January Thaw": http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=1769

There's a lot more details about Middleton's extensive work in cliffhangers at Daniel Neyer's "The Files of Jerry Blake" website: http://filesofjerryblake.netfirms.com/html/charles_middleton.html

Jim Tipton's Find-A-Grave website notes that Charles Middleton and and his wife, actress Leora Spellman, are interred at Hollywood Forever cemetery, Los Angeles, California. Middleton's grave marker shows his birth year as 1874: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8773

YouTube has a variety of clips of Middleton - including his portrayal of "Mr. Satan" in THE DEVIL'S CABARET (MGM, 1930), a Nick Grinde directed short which was filmed in the early two-strip Technicolor process: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22charles+middleton%22&search_type=&aq=f

From L-to-R are Charles Middleton as 'Zaroff', Jason Robards, Sr., and Tom Mix in a scene from the chapterplay, THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot, 1935), Mix's last film.  The character of 'Zaroff' may have been inspired by Basil Zaharoff, a World War I arms and munitions dealer.