← Back

Charles Ruggles

Charles Ruggles

Born: 1886-02-08 • Los Angeles, California, USA

Charles Ruggles had one of the longest careers in Hollywood, lasting more than 60 years and encompassing more than 100 films. He made his film debut in 1914 in The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) and worked steadily after that. He was memorably paired with Mary Boland in a series of comedies in the early 1930s, and was one of the standouts in the all-star comedy If I Had a Million (1932), as a harried, much-put-upon man who finally goes berserk in a china shop. Ruggles' slight stature and distinctive mannerisms - his fluttery, jumpy manner of speaking, his often befuddled look whenever events seemed about to overwhelm him, which was often - endeared him to generations of moviegoers. Memorable as Maj. Applegate the big-game hunter in the classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938). Many will remember him as the narrator of the "Aesop's Fables" segment of the animated cartoon The Bullwinkle Show (1961). He was the brother of director Wesley Ruggles.

Filmography
Carousel poster
Carousel
1967 • The Starkeeper / Dr. Selden
Follow Me, Boys! poster
Follow Me, Boys!
1966 • John Everett Hughes
The Ugly Dachshund poster
The Ugly Dachshund
1966 • Dr. J. L. Pruitt
I'd Rather Be Rich poster
I'd Rather Be Rich
1964 • Dr. Charles Crandall
Papa's Delicate Condition poster
Papa's Delicate Condition
1963 • Anthony Ghio
Son of Flubber poster
Son of Flubber
1963 • Judge Murdock
The Pleasure of His Company poster
The Pleasure of His Company
1961 • Mackenzie Savage
The Parent Trap poster
The Parent Trap
1961 • Charles McKendrick
All in a Night's Work poster
All in a Night's Work
1961 • Dr. Warren Kingsley, Sr
Eloise poster
Eloise
1956 • Murphy
Ben and Me poster
Ben and Me
1953 • Ben Franklin (voice)
Look for the Silver Lining poster
Look for the Silver Lining
1949 • Caro "Pop" Miller
The Lovable Cheat poster
The Lovable Cheat
1949 • Claude Mercadet
Give My Regards to Broadway poster
Give My Regards to Broadway
1948 • Toby Helper
Ramrod poster
Ramrod
1947 • Ben Dickason
It Happened on Fifth Avenue poster
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
1947 • Michael J. 'Mike' O'Connor
My Brother Talks to Horses poster
My Brother Talks to Horses
1947 • Richard Pennington Roeder
The Perfect Marriage poster
The Perfect Marriage
1947 • Dale Williams, Sr.
Gallant Journey poster
Gallant Journey
1946 • Jim Montgomery
A Stolen Life poster
A Stolen Life
1946 • Freddie Linley
Incendiary Blonde poster
Incendiary Blonde
1945 • Cherokee Jim
Bedside Manner poster
Bedside Manner
1945 • Dr. J.H. 'Doc' Fredericks
The Doughgirls poster
The Doughgirls
1944 • Stanley Slade
3 Is a Family poster
3 Is a Family
1944 • Sam Whitaker
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay poster
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
1944 • Mr. Otis Skinner
No Image
The Road to Victory
1944 • Mr. Ames (uncredited)
The Shining Future poster
The Shining Future
1944 • Mr. Ames
Dixie Dugan poster
Dixie Dugan
1943 • Pa Dugan
Friendly Enemies poster
Friendly Enemies
1942 • Heinrich Block
The Perfect Snob poster
The Perfect Snob
1941 • Dr. Edgar Mason (as Charlie Ruggles)
Go West, Young Lady poster
Go West, Young Lady
1941 • Jim Pendergast
The Parson of Panamint poster
The Parson of Panamint
1941 • Chuckawalla Bill Redfield
Model Wife poster
Model Wife
1941 • Milo Everett
Honeymoon for Three poster
Honeymoon for Three
1941 • Harvey Wilson
The Invisible Woman poster
The Invisible Woman
1940 • George
No Time for Comedy poster
No Time for Comedy
1940 • Philo Swift
Public Deb No. 1 poster
Public Deb No. 1
1940 • Milburn
Maryland poster
Maryland
1940 • Dick Piper
Opened by Mistake poster
Opened by Mistake
1940 • Buzz Nelson
The Farmer's Daughter poster
The Farmer's Daughter
1940 • Nicksie North
Balalaika poster
Balalaika
1939 • Nicki Popoff
Night Work poster
Night Work
1939 • Homer C. Fitch
Invitation to Happiness poster
Invitation to Happiness
1939 • Henry 'Pop' Hardy
Sudden Money poster
Sudden Money
1939 • Sweeney J. Patterson
Boy Trouble poster
Boy Trouble
1939 • Homer C. Fitch
No Image
His Exciting Night
1938 • Adam Tripp
Service de Luxe poster
Service de Luxe
1938 • Robinson
Breaking the Ice poster
Breaking the Ice
1938 • Sam Terwilliger
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12 poster
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
1938 • Charles Ruggles
Hollywood Handicap poster
Hollywood Handicap
1938 • Himself
Bringing Up Baby poster
Bringing Up Baby
1938 • Horace Applegate
Exclusive poster
Exclusive
1937 • Tod Swain
No Image
Turn Off the Moon
1937 • J. Elliott Dinwiddy
Mind Your Own Business poster
Mind Your Own Business
1936 • Orville Shanks
Wives Never Know poster
Wives Never Know
1936 • Homer Bigelow
Hollywood Boulevard poster
Hollywood Boulevard
1936 • Charles Ruggles - Actor - Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Yours for the Asking poster
Yours for the Asking
1936 • Sunbather (uncredited)
Hearts Divided poster
Hearts Divided
1936 • Henry
Early to Bed poster
Early to Bed
1936 • Chester R. Beatty
The Preview Murder Mystery poster
The Preview Murder Mystery
1936 • Himself (Uncredited)
Anything Goes poster
Anything Goes
1936 • Rev. Dr. Moon
The Big Broadcast of 1936 poster
The Big Broadcast of 1936
1935 • Wilbur Sealingsworth
No More Ladies poster
No More Ladies
1935 • Edgar Holden
People Will Talk poster
People Will Talk
1935 • Henry Wilton
Ruggles of Red Gap poster
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935 • Egbert Floud
The Pursuit of Happiness poster
The Pursuit of Happiness
1934 • Aaron Kirkland
Friends of Mr. Sweeney poster
Friends of Mr. Sweeney
1934 • Asaph 'Ace' Holliday
Murder in the Private Car poster
Murder in the Private Car
1934 • Godfrey D. Scott
Melody in Spring poster
Melody in Spring
1934 • Warren Blodgett
Six of a Kind poster
Six of a Kind
1934 • J. Pinkham Whinney (as Charlie Ruggles)
Alice in Wonderland poster
Alice in Wonderland
1933 • March Hare
Girl Without a Room poster
Girl Without a Room
1933 • Vergil Crock
Good-bye Love poster
Good-bye Love
1933 • Oswald Groggs
Mama Loves Papa poster
Mama Loves Papa
1933 • Wilbur Todd
Melody Cruise poster
Melody Cruise
1933 • Pete Wells
Terror Aboard poster
Terror Aboard
1933 • Blackie Witherspoon
Murders in the Zoo poster
Murders in the Zoo
1933 • Peter Yates
Madame Butterfly poster
Madame Butterfly
1932 • Lieutenant Barton
If I Had a Million poster
If I Had a Million
1932 • Henry Peabody
Evenings for Sale poster
Evenings for Sale
1932 • Bimpfl
Trouble in Paradise poster
Trouble in Paradise
1932 • The Major
The Night of June 13 poster
The Night of June 13
1932 • Philo Strawn (as Charlie Ruggles)
70,000 Witnesses poster
70,000 Witnesses
1932 • Johnny Moran
Love Me Tonight poster
Love Me Tonight
1932 • Viscount Gilbert de Varèze
Make Me a Star poster
Make Me a Star
1932 • Charles Ruggles (uncredited)
This Is the Night poster
This Is the Night
1932 • Bunny West
One Hour with You poster
One Hour with You
1932 • Adolph
This Reckless Age poster
This Reckless Age
1932 • Goliath Whitney (as Charlie Ruggles)
Husband's Holiday poster
Husband's Holiday
1931 • Clyde Saunders
The Beloved Bachelor poster
The Beloved Bachelor
1931 • Jerry Wells
The Smiling Lieutenant poster
The Smiling Lieutenant
1931 • Max
The House That Shadows Built poster
The House That Shadows Built
1931 • (archive footage)
The Girl Habit poster
The Girl Habit
1931 • Charlie Floyd
Honor Among Lovers poster
Honor Among Lovers
1931 • Monty Dunn
Charley's Aunt poster
Charley's Aunt
1930 • Fancourt Babberley
Her Wedding Night poster
Her Wedding Night
1930 • Bertie Bird
Queen High poster
Queen High
1930 • T. Boggs Johns
Young Man of Manhattan poster
Young Man of Manhattan
1930 • Shorty Ross
Roadhouse Nights poster
Roadhouse Nights
1930 • Willie Bindbugel
The Battle of Paris poster
The Battle of Paris
1929 • Zizi