Charles Napier

American actor (1936–2011)

Person · Open Library

Works: 13

Top works

War in Syria Complete
War in Syria Volume II
War in Syria, Volume 2
Account of the War in Portugal Between Don Pedro and Don Miguel 2 Volume Set
A Bridge to English Intermediate - CD Ilaveli

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Scottsville, Kentucky, USA

Charles Lewis Napier (April 12, 1936 – October 5, 2011) was a prolific American actor known for his many supporting and occasional leading roles in television and film. Born near Scottsville, Kentucky, Napier served in the U.S. Army before pursuing higher education, earning a degree in art from Western Kentucky University. He initially worked as a sports coach and art teacher before dedicating…

Known for

Life Blood — Sherrif Tillman2009
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard — Dick Lewiston2009
Shadowheart — Sheriff Sanders2009
Archer — Dr. Speltz (voice)2009
One-Eyed Monster — Mohtz2008
Black Crescent Moon — Father Woods2008
Your Name Here — Chuck2008

~8 min read

Article

Charles Lewis Napier (April 12, 1936 – October 5, 2011) was an American actor who was known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. His first prominent role in a film was in Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), which was the first of four films he would do with director Russ Meyer. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).

Other notable roles include the short-tempered country singer Tucker McElroy in The Blues Brothers (1980), gruff army Commander Gilmour in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), General Hawk in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), and bureaucratic CIA officer Marshall Murdock in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). On television, he appeared as the space hippie named Adam in the Star Trek episode "The Way to Eden" (S3, E20). He also had numerous voiceover roles in television, most notably Duke Phillips on the prime time animated sitcom The Critic and Zed, the leader of the eponymous group in Men in Black: The Series.