Charles Middleton
Born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA — Oct 02 1874• Died Apr 22 1949
Connect
Biography
Charles Brown Middleton (October 3, 1874 – April 22, 1949) was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, he appeared in nearly 200 films as well as numerous plays. Sometimes credited as Charles B. Middleton, he is perhaps best remembered for his role as the villainous emperor Ming the Merciless in the three Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940.
Photos
Charles Middleton's Credits
Browse acting and crew credits across movies and TV — filter and sort to find specific roles.
Gone with the Wind
Man with Stove Pipe Hat in Charge of Convict Workers (uncredited)
The Killers
Farmer (uncredited)
The Grapes of Wrath
Leader
Jezebel
Officer (uncredited)
Sergeant York
Mountaineer (uncredited)
Santa Fe Trail
Gentry
Batman
Ken Colton
Duck Soup
Prosecutor
Jesse James
Doctor
Station West
Sheriff
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
Special Agent
State Police Commander (uncredited)
Flash Gordon
Ming the Merciless
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
Claim Jumping Leader
Crazy House
Sheriff
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Wrecker (uncredited)
Belle Starr
Carpetbagger
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Train Conductor (uncredited)
Safe in Hell
Lawyer Jones
Broadway Bill
Veterinarian (uncredited)
The Bellamy Trial
District Attorney
Western Union
Stagecoach Rider
Road Gang
Grayson
The Sea of Grass
Charley - Saloon Owner (uncredited)
Murder at the Vanities
Homer Boothby
Brigham Young
Mob Member
Virginia City
Jefferson Davis
The Shepherd of the Hills
Blacksmith (uncredited)
Gunfighters
Sheriff #1 (uncredited)
The Good Earth
Banker (uncredited)
The Bowery
Detective (uncredited)
Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Tom Lincoln
Doctor Bull
Mr. Upjohn
Pack Up Your Troubles
Welfare Association Officer
Career Woman
Matt Clay
Sob Sister
City Editor Baker
Wedding Present
Turnbull
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Emperor Ming
Rangers of Fortune
Water Thug
Lone Cowboy
U.S. Marshal
Captain Fury
Mergon
The Black Raven
Sheriff
Massacre
Sheriff Scatters
Show Boat
Sheriff Ike Vallon
The Oklahoma Kid
Alec Martin
Frisco Kid
Speaker (uncredited)
Way Down South
Cass
An American Tragedy
Attorney Reuben Jephson
Mr. Skitch
Joe
The Last Train from Madrid
Warden (uncredited)
Hop-a-long Cassidy
Buck Peters
The Pretender
William the butler
Stand-In
Actor Dressed as Abraham Lincoln
Jailbreak
Dan Stone
Rockabye
District Attorney (uncredited)
White Woman
Fenton
Wyoming Outlaw
Luke Parker
The Flying Deuces
Commandant
The Miracle Woman
Simpson
Perils of Nyoka
Cassib
The Phantom President
Abe Lincoln (uncredited)
David Harum
Deacon
Whom the Gods Destroy
Constable Malcolm (uncredited)
Kentucky
Southerner
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
Blacksmith
Slave Ship
Slave Dealer
Black Arrow
Tom Whitney
Disgraced!
District Attorney
Steamboat Round the Bend
Fleety Belle's Father
Red Morning
Stanchon
Hollywood and Vine
Attorney
East Is West
Dr. Fredericks
Daredevils of the Red Circle
39013
Hell's Highway
Matthew the Hermit
Palmy Days
Yolando
Way Out West
Buck Rankin
The Three Musketeers
El Shaitan (voice)
Island of Doomed Men
Captain Cort
The Far Call
Kris Larsen
Behold My Wife!
Juan Storm Cloud
Gold Rush Maisie
Camp Owner with a Pig (Uncredited)
Rocket Ship
Emperor Ming
The Mystery of Marie Roget
Curator
Reckless
District Attorney (uncredited)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Mr. Jensen
The Man Without a Country
President Abraham Lincoln (uncredited)
Spaceship to the Unknown
Ming the Merciless (archive footage)
The Miracle Rider
Zaroff
High Pressure
Mr. Banks
The Texas Rangers
Lawyer (uncredited)
Sunset Pass
Williams
Blackmail
Southern Deputy (uncredited)
A House Divided
Minister
The World Changes
Sheriff Wild Bill Hickok (uncredited)
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
Jeremiah Walters
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Police Capt. Slade
One Against the World
Mr. Crumley (uncredited)
Stick to Your Guns
Long Ben, gambler-saloon owner
Spook Busters
Mr. Stiles
Beau Hunks
Commandant
Mars Attacks the World
Ming the Merciless
Welcome Stranger
Farmer Pinkett (uncredited)
The Sign of the Cross
Tyros
The Devil's Cabaret
Mr. Satan (uncredited)
Manhattan Parade
Sheriff Casey
The Town Went Wild
Sam, Midvale District Attorney
Wagon Wheels West
Phineas Hook
Shooting High
Hod Carson
Peril from the Planet Mongo
Ming the Merciless
Allegheny Uprising
Dr. Stoke
The Decision of Christopher Blake
President in Dream (uncredited)
The Last Round-up
Sheriff
Northwest Trail
Pierre
Beau Bandit
Lucius J. Perkins
The Desert Hawk
Koda Bey
Dance of the Cookoos
Commandant
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Emperor Ming
Rose of the Rancho
Horse Doctor (uncredited)
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
Self (archive footage)
In Spite of Danger
Mr. Merritt
Ramona
American Settler (uncredited)
My Girl Tisa
Here Comes Trouble
Reporter (uncredited)
Cowboys from Texas
Kansas Jones
How DOooo You Do
Sheriff Hayworth
Strangler of the Swamp
Ferryman Douglas
Empty Saddles
Cim White
Spook Louder
Graves' Valet
The Fixer Uppers
Pierre Gustave
The Last Bandit
Blindfolded Circuit Rider
Jungle Man
Rev. James 'Jim' Graham
Wild Geese Calling
Doctor Jed Sloan
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
Townsman (uncredited)
Dick Tracy Returns
Pa Stark
Song of the Saddle
Phineas P. Hook
This Day and Age
District Attorney
Square Shooter
Miller
Mystery Ranch
Henry Steele
We're on the Jury
Mr. Martin
The Boy from Mercury
Ming the Merciless (Archive Footage)
Welcome Danger
John Thorne / The Dragon
A Dangerous Affair
Tupper
Big Executive
Sheriff
Pick-up
Mr. Brewster
$1,000 a Touchdown
Stage Manager (uncredited)
Two Gun Law
Wolf Larson
Jiggs and Maggie in Court
Mr. Burton, an Attorney
Silver Dollar
Jenkins
Destination Unknown
Turk
At Twelve Midnight
Roger Thurston
Flaming Frontiers
Ace Daggett
The Hatchet Man
Lip Hop Fat
The Ruling Voice
Board Member (uncredited)
Purple Death from Outer Space
Ming the Merciless
Oklahoma Outlaws
Judge Ringle
Tomorrow at Seven
Jerry Simons
A Son Comes Home
Prosecutor
Ships of Hate
Captain Lash
Men of San Quentin
Saunderson
Caught Plastered
Sheriff Flint
Joaquin Murrieta
Politician (uncredited)
Flash Gordon: The Deadly Ray From Mars
Ming the Merciless
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Mr. Bagby
Boobs in the Night
Breach of Promise
Joe Pugmire
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Lars Olsen
The Road Is Open Again
Abraham Lincoln
Sunset of Power
Neil Brannum
Eyes of the Navy
Farmer (uncredited)
Too Busy to Work
Chief of Police
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
Lacey
The Farmer's Daughter
Hiram Flint
Hollywood Cowboy
'Doc' Kramer
Women in Hiding
Alice's Father (uncredited)
When Strangers Meet
John Tarman
Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge
Gene Autry Sr.
X Marks the Spot
Kirby