Charles B. Middleton

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).  

By Chuck Anderson

To six decades' worth of filmgoers, Kentucky-born character actor Charles B. Middleton was Ming the Merciless, the megalomaniac ruler of the planet Mongo in three 1930s serials based on Alex Raymond's comic strip Flash Gordon. Beginning his career in circuses and carnivals in the South, Middleton worked in vaudeville and stock companies before his 1927 entree into films. With his hatchet face, bad teeth, and rolling-toned voice, Middleton was ideally cast as stern judges, cruel orphanage officials, backwater sheriffs, and small town bigots. Outside of his extensive work in serials and Westerns, he was used to best advantage in the films of Laurel and Hardy and Will Rogers. In a far less villainous vein, Charles Middleton was cast as Tom Lincoln, father of the 16th president, in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940); he also portrayed the Great Emancipator himself on several occasions -- while in 1937's Stand-In, Middleton was hilariously cast as an unsuccessful actor who dresses like Lincoln in hopes of landing a movie role. 

By Hal Erickson All Movie Guide

Date of birth  3 October 1879,    Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA       Date of death  22 April 1949, Los Angeles, California, USA.  (heart attack)

Filmography from imdb.com

1. Deadly Ray from Mars (1966) (TV) .... Ming the Merciless
2. Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates (1966) (TV) .... Kassib
3. Peril from the Planet Mongo (1966) (TV) .... Ming the Merciless
4. Purple Death from Outer Space (1966) (TV) .... Ming the Merciless
   ... aka Purple Death from Outer Space 1940 (1966) (TV) (promotional title)
5. Spaceship to the Unknown (1966) (TV) .... Ming the Merciless
   Last Bandit, The (1949) .... Circuit Rider
6. Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948) .... Citizen
7. Jiggs and Maggie in Court (1948)
8. Station West (1948) .... Sheriff
9. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) (uncredited) .... Wrecker
10. Jack Armstrong (1947) (uncredited) .... Jason Grood
11. Wyoming (1947) (uncredited) .... Doctor
12. Road to Rio (1947) (uncredited) .... Farmer
13. Unconquered (1947) (uncredited) .... Mulligan
14. Pretender, The (1947) .... William the butler
15. Welcome Stranger (1947) (uncredited) .... Farmer Pinkett
16. Sea of Grass, The (1947) (uncredited) .... Charley
17. Killers, The (1946) (uncredited) .... Farmer Brown
    ... aka Man Alone, A (1946)
18. Spook Busters (1946) .... Mr. Stiles
19. How Doooo You Do!!! (1946) .... Sheriff
20. Captain Kidd (1945) (uncredited)
21. Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) .... Kurt Jensen
22. Strangler of the Swamp (1945) .... Ferryman Douglas
23. Who's Guilty? (1945) .... Patton/Walter Calvert
24. Northwest Trail (1945) .... Pierre
25. Black Arrow (1944) .... Ton Whitney
26. Desert Hawk, The (1944) .... Koda Bey
27. Town Went Wild, The (1944) .... District Attorney
28. Kismet (1944) (uncredited) .... The Miser
    ... aka Oriental Dream (1944) (USA: reissue title)
29. Batman, The (1943) (uncredited) .... Ken Colton
    ... aka Batman (1943)
    ... aka Evening with Batman and Robin (1966/I) (USA: reissue title)
30. Black Raven, The (1943) .... Sheriff
31. Oklahoma Outlaws (1943) .... Henchman
32. Wagon Wheels West (1943) .... Phineas Hook
33. Boobs in the Night (1943)
34. Hangmen Also Die (1943) (uncredited) .... Patriot
    ... aka Lest We Forget (1943)
35. Spook Louder (1943) (uncredited) .... Mr. Graves' Butler
36. Two Weeks to Live (1943) .... Kelton
37. Perils of Nyoka (1942) .... Cassib
    ... aka Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates (1942)
    ... aka Nyoka and the Tigermen (1952) (USA: reissue title)
38. Sing Your Worries Away (1942) (uncredited) .... The Judge
39. Mystery of Marie Roget (1942) .... Curator at the Zoo
    ... aka Phantom of Paris (1942)
40. Tombstone, the Town Too Tough To Die (1942) (uncredited)
41. Men of San Quentin (1942) .... Saunderson
42. Belle Starr (1941) .... Carpetbagger
    ... aka Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen (1941)
43. Stick to Your Guns (1941) .... Long Ben
44. Wild Bill Hickok Rides (1941) (uncredited) .... Claim Jumper
45. Wild Geese Calling (1941) .... Doctor
46. Jungle Man (1941) .... Fr. Jim Graham
47. Shepherd of the Hills, The (1941) (uncredited) .... Blacksmith
48. Sergeant York (1941) (uncredited) .... Mountaineer
49. Brigham Young - Frontiersman (1940) (uncredited) .... Henchman
    ... aka Brigham Young (1940)
    ... aka Brigham Young - Frontiersman (1940) (UK)
50. Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940) .... Jeremiah Walters
51. Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940) .... Emperor Ming
    ... aka Perils from the Planet Mongo (1940) (USA: recut version)
    ... aka Purple Death from Outer Space (1940) (USA: recut version)
    ... aka Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe (1955) (USA: TV title)
52. Island of Doomed Men (1940) .... Capt. Cort
53. Rangers of Fortune (1940) .... Man
54. Santa Fe Trail (1940) .... Gentry
55. Shooting High (1940) .... Hod Carson
56. Thou Shalt Not Kill (1940) .... Lars Olsen
57. Chad Hanna (1940) .... Sheriff
58. Gold Rush Maisie (1940) .... Hog Keeper
59. Women in Hiding (1940) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
60. Virginia City (1940) .... Jefferson Davis
61. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) .... Leader
62. Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) .... Tom Lincoln
    ... aka Spirit of the People (1940) (UK)
    $1000 a Touchdown (1939) .... Stage Manager
63. Captain Fury (1939) .... Mergon
64. Cowboys from Texas, The (1939) .... 'Kansas' Jones
65. Strange Case of Dr. Meade (1939) .... Lacey
66. Way Down South (1939) .... Cass
67. Allegheny Uprising (1939) .... Doctor Stokes
    ... aka First Rebel, The (1940) (UK)
68. Flying Deuces, The (1939) (uncredited) .... Commandant
    ... aka Flying Aces (1939)
69. Blackmail (1939) (uncredited) .... Southern Deputy
70. One Against the World (1939) (uncredited) .... Mr. Crumley
71. Wyoming Outlaw (1939) .... Luke Parker
72. Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) .... No. 39013, Harry Crowel
73. Juarez (1939) (uncredited)
74. Oklahoma Kid, The (1939) .... Alec Martin
75. Jesse James (1939) .... Doctor
76. Dick Tracy Returns (1938) .... Pa Stark
77. Flaming Frontiers (1938) .... Ace Daggett
78. Kentucky (1938) .... Southerner
79. Strange Faces (1938) .... Lincoln
80. Law West of Tombstone (1938) (uncredited) .... Newspaper Editor
81. Mars Attacks the World (1938) .... Ming the Merciless
82. Jezebel (1938) (uncredited) .... Officer
83. Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) .... Emperor Ming
    ... aka Deadly Ray From Mars (1938) (USA: recut version)
    ... aka Flash Gordon: Mars Attacks the World (1938) (USA: video title)
    ... aka Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars (1938)
84. Man Without a Country, The (1937) (uncredited) .... President Lincoln
85. Stand-In (1937) (uncredited) .... Actor Dressed as Abraham Lincoln
86. Slave Ship (1937) .... Slave Dealer
87. Souls at Sea (1937) (uncredited) .... Jury Foreman
88. Last Train from Madrid, The (1937) (uncredited) .... Warden
89. Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge (1937) .... Autry Sr.
    ... aka Hero of Pine Ridge, The (1937)
90. Hollywood Cowboy (1937) .... Doc Kramer
    ... aka Wings Over Wyoming (1937)
91. Two-Gun Law (1937) .... Wolf Larson
92. We're on the Jury (1937) .... B.J. Martin
93. Good Earth, The (1937) (uncredited) .... Banker
94. Career Woman (1936) .... Matt Clay
95. Flash Gordon (1936/I) .... Ming the Merciless
    ... aka Flash Gordon: Rocketship (1936) (USA: recut version)
    ... aka Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers (1936) (USA: video title)
    ... aka Space Soldiers (1936) (USA: TV title)
    ... aka Spaceship to the Unknown (1936) (USA: recut version)
96. Flash Gordon (1936/II) .... Ming the Merciless
    ... aka Atomic Rocketship (1936)
    ... aka Rocketship (1936)
97. Jail Break (1936) .... Dan Stone
    ... aka Murder in the Big House (1936)
98. Son Comes Home, A (1936) .... Prosecutor
99. Empty Saddles (1936) .... Cimarron (Cim) White
100. Ramona (1936) (uncredited) .... American Settler
101. Texas Rangers, The (1936) (uncredited) .... Lawyer
102. Show Boat (1936) .... Sheriff Ike Vallon
103. Road Gang (1936) .... Mine Warden Grayson
     ... aka Injustice (1936) (UK)
104. Trail of the Lonesome Pine, The (1936) .... Blacksmith
105. Song of the Saddle (1936) .... Phineas P. Hook
106. County Chairman, The (1935) .... Riley Cleaver
107. Miracle Rider, The (1935) .... Zaroff
108. Red Morning (1935) .... Stanchon
109. Steamboat 'Round the Bend (1935) (uncredited) .... Fletty Belle's Father
     ... aka Steamboat Bill (1935)
110. Virginia Judge, The (1935)
111. Sunset of Power (1935) .... Neil Brannum
112. Frisco Kid (1935) (uncredited) .... Speaker
113. Special Agent (1935) (uncredited) .... Commander of Troopers
114. Hop-Along Cassidy (1935) .... Buck Peters
     ... aka Hopalong Cassidy Enters (1935)
115. Party Wire (1935) (uncredited) .... Johnson
116. In Spite of Danger (1935) .... Mr. Merritt
117. Behold My Wife (1935) .... Juan Storm Cloud
118. Fixer Uppers, The (1935) .... Pierre Gustave
119. Square Shooter (1935) .... Jed Miller
120. David Harum (1934) (uncredited) .... Deacon
121. Massacre (1934)
122. Nana (1934) (uncredited) .... Man Announcing Start of the War
     ... aka Lady of the Boulevards (1934) (UK)
123. St. Louis Kid, The (1934) (uncredited) .... Sheriff
     ... aka Perfect Weekend, A (1934) (UK)
     ... aka Weekend Perfect, A (1934)
124. When Strangers Meet (1934) .... John Tarman
125. Broadway Bill (1934) (uncredited) .... Verterinarian
     ... aka Strictly Confidential (1934) (UK)
126. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) .... Bagby
127. Whom the Gods Destroy (1934) (uncredited) .... Constable Malcolm
128. Murder at the Vanities (1934) (as Charles B. Middleton) .... Homer Boothby
129. Last Round-Up, The (1934) .... Sheriff
130. Lone Cowboy (1934) .... Marshal
131. Big Executive (1933) .... Sheriff
132. Bowery, The (1933) .... Detective
133. Disgraced! (1933) .... District Attorney
134. Pick-up (1933) .... Mr. Brewster
135. Road Is Open Again, The (1933) .... Abraham Lincoln
136. Rockabye (1933) (uncredited) .... D.A
137. This Day and Age (1933)
138. Tomorrow at Seven (1933) .... Simons
139. White Woman (1933) .... Fenton
140. World Changes, The (1933) (uncredited) .... Sheriff Wild Bill Hickok
141. Duck Soup (1933) (as Charles B. Middleton) .... Prosecutor
142. Doctor Bull (1933) (uncredited) .... Mr. Upjohn
143. Mystic Hour, The (1933) .... Roger Thurston
144. Sunset Pass (1933)
145. Destination Unknown (1933) .... Turk
146. Breach of Promise (1932) .... Hoe Pygmire
147. Phantom President, The (1932) (uncredited) .... Abe Lincoln
148. Sign of the Cross, The (1932) .... Tyros
149. Silver Dollar (1932) .... Jenkins
150. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) (uncredited) .... Train Conductor
     ... aka I Am a Fugitive (1932)
     ... aka I Am a Fugitive from the Chain Gang (1932)
151. Kongo (1932) (uncredited)
152. Hell's Highway (1932) .... Matthew the Hermit
153. Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) .... Welfare Assn. officer
154. Mystery Ranch (1932) .... Henry Steele
155. Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932) .... Captain Slade
     ... aka Molly Louvain (1932)
156. Hatchet Man, The (1932) .... Lip Hop Fat
     ... aka Honourable Mr. Wong, The (1932) (UK)
157. High Pressure (1932) .... Mr. Banks
158. Devil's Cabaret, The (1931) (uncredited) .... Satan
159. Full of Notions (1931)
160. Manhattan Parade (1931) .... Sheriff
161. Safe in Hell (1931) .... Jones
     ... aka Lost Lady, The (1931) (USA)
162. Ships of Hate (1931) .... Captain Lash
163. Sob Sister (1931) .... City Editor Baker
     ... aka Blonde Reporter, The (1931) (UK)
164. Beau Hunks (1931) .... Commandant
     ... aka Beau Chumps (1931) (UK)
165. House Divided, A (1931) .... Minister
166. Palmy Days (1931) .... Yolando
167. Alexander Hamilton (1931) .... Chief Justice John Jay
168. Caught Plastered (1931) (as Charles B. Middleton) .... Flint
169. Miracle Woman, The (1931) .... Simpson
170. American Tragedy, An (1931) (as Charles B. Middleton) .... Jephson, Clyde's Second Attorney
171. Dangerous Affair, A (1930) .... Tupper
172. East Is West (1930) .... Dr. Fredericks
173. Way Out West (1930) .... Buck Rankin
174. Beau Bandit (1930) .... Lucius Perkins
     Always Faithful (1929)
175. Welcome Danger (1929) .... John Thorne/The Dragon
176. Far Call, The (1929) .... Kris Larsen
177. Show Boat (1929) (uncredited)
178. Bellamy Trial (1929) .... District Attorney
179. Farmer's Daughter, The (1928) .... Hiram Flint
180. Serum of Evil (1922)
     ... aka Evil Dead, The (1922) (USA: new title)
181. $1,000,000 Reward, The (1920)
182. Wits vs. Wits (1920) .... Frank Cheny
     Flaming Frontiers (????) (TV) .... Ace Daggett

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