Charles Lane (born January 26, 1905 in San Francisco, California as Charles Gerstle Levinson) is an American character actor.
He appeared in most Frank Capra films, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, and It's a Wonderful Life.
Among his many roles as a character actor, Lane is perhaps most widely remembered for his portrayal of J. Homer Bedlow on Petticoat Junction. Bedlow was a mean-spirited, yet somehow also gentle, railroad executive who visited the Shady Rest Hotel periodically attempting to find justification for ending the train service of the Hooterville Cannonball (and never succeeding).
Television appearances
Lane has appeared in episodes of many television shows including:
Notable movie roles
- Strange Invaders (1983) as Prof. Hollister
- Movie Movie (1978) as a judge and Mr. Pennington
- What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968) as Dr. Shapiro
- The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) as Whitlow
- The Ugly Dachshund (1966) as a judge
- Good Neighbor Sam (1964) as Jack Bailey
- The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as a judge
- It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) as an airport manager
- The Music Man (1962) as Constable Locke
- The Mating Game (1959) as Bigelow
- No Time for Sergeants (1958) as Dave
- The Sniper (1952) as a drunk
- Mighty Joe Young (1949) as a guy at the bar
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946) as a rent collector
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) as a reporter at the marriage license office
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) .... Nosey newsman
- You Can't Take It with You (1938) .... Wilbur G. Henderson, IRS Agent
- Twentieth Century (1934) as Max Jacobs
His voice was heard on the Stan Freberg comedy recording Freberg: Underground (1966) in the sketch "All Digit Dialing" as I.B. Emerson.
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