Charles Halton (March 16, 1876 – April 16, 1959) was an American character actor who appeared in over 180 films.
[3] From the 1920s, Halton's thinning hair, rimless glasses, stern-looking face and officious manner were also familiar to generations of American moviegoers.
Whether playing the neighborhood busybody, a stern government bureaucrat or weaselly attorney, Halton's characters tried to drive the "immoral influences" out of the neighborhood, foreclose on the orphanage, evict the poor widow and her children from their apartment, or any other number of dastardly deeds, all justified usually by "...I'm sorry but that's my job."
Among his highest-profile roles were Mr. Carter, the bank examiner in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), the doctor who examines Harpo Marx in Room Service, the Polish theatre producer Dobosh in Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942), and a county official from Idaho in Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941).
His 40-year film career ended with High School Confidential (1958), after which he retired.