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.

Above, Charles Middleton in his most famous role as 'Ming' in the trio of Flash Gordon serials.

Charles B. Middleton 1874 or 1879 - 1949 "Ming the Merciless"

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 Hollywood screen career in the 1920s.  Apparently because of his chiseled looks, snear and booming voice, he 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.

Middleton did do some low-budget westerns, and he 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 Ming in Flash Gordon):

• as Zaroff in 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); and the boss of the wrecking crew in the chaotic MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948).  Middleton passed away from a heart attack in 1949.

Soon after I prepared this webpage, I was watching our local PBS TV station which was running the 1930s SHOWBOAT with Irene Dunne and Alan Jones ... and who pops up in one of the scenes and has a couple lines of dialog --- Charles Middleton, of course!  And while watching the Three Stooges on AMC, Middleton shows up as the butler in 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.

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 10/07/1879 in Kentucky, Mother's maiden name of Carter, and he passed away on 4/22/1949.

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.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Charles Middleton.  Click HERE.

Jim Tipton's Find-A-Grave site has the burial location of Charles and and his wife, Leora Middleton, as well as a picture of Middleton's grave marker (which shows his birth year as 1874): http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8773