- Born
- Died
- Birth nameCharles Samuel Addams
- Nickname
- Chas
- Charles Samuel Addams, or Chill as his friends called him, was born on January 7, 1912, in Westfield, New Jersey. Records show at the time of his birth the Addams' lived on Summit Avenue. They moved several times before taking up permanent residence in 1920 on Elm Street and stayed there until 1947. He attended public school in Westfield and was fond of visiting the Presbyterian cemetery on Mountain Avenue. When he was a youngster, he was caught by the police for breaking into a house on Dudley Avenue. On the second floor of the garage behind the main house there is a chalk drawing of a skeleton that is believed to have been drawn by Charles Addams. That house on Dudley and one on Elm Street is said to be the inspiration for the famous Addams Family house.
At Westfield High School, Charles became the art editor for the Weather Vane and drew many cartoons. He graduated in 1929 and attended Colgate University for one year. He switched to the University of Pennsylvania and then studied at Grand Central School of Art in New York City. His dream was to work for the New Yorker Magazine and started submitting cartoons as early as 1935, his very first one had the caption "I forgot my Skates." In 1940, he submitted "Downhill Skier," and that got him an offer to come on board full time for New York's premier literary magazine. He continued there until his death in 1988, drawing over 1,300 cartoons.- IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors
- SpousesLady Colyton(1954 - October 1956) (divorced)Barbara Jean Day(1942 - 1950) (divorced)Marilyn Matthews Miller(? - September 29, 1988) (his death)
- Drew cartoons with a macabre sense of humor akin to Edward Gorey but without the malice of the latter.
- Macabre humor
- Television producer David Levy approached Addams with an offer to create a series based on his "Addams Family" cartoons (they met at the Palace Hotel lobby in New York). The Family was distinct characters but without personality, so Addams gave his characters names and more characteristics for the actors to use in portrayals. And so was born The Addams Family (1964).
- Died behind the wheel of his Audi 4000 outside his Manhattan apartment, after suffering a fatal heart attack.
- He married his third and final wife, Marilyn Matthews Miller in a pet cemetery.
- At one point, his second wife Barbara got him to take out a $100,000 insurance policy. Addams consulted a lawyer on the sly, who later humorously wrote, "I told him the last time I had word of such a move was in a picture called Double Indemnity (1944) starring Barbara Stanwyck, which I called to his attention." In the movie, Stanwyck's character plotted her husband's murder; however, no one has accused Barbara Barb Addams of attempting the same.
- He attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1930-1931. Situated on the campus is a fine-arts building named after him, in front of which is a sculpture of the silhouettes of the Addams Family.
- His original description of Gomez Addams: "Husband to Morticia, if indeed they are married at all... a crafty schemer, but also a jolly man in his own way... though sometimes misguided... sentimental and often puckish - optimistic, he is in full enthusiasm for his dreadful plots... is sometimes seen in a rather formal dressing gown... the only one who smokes."
- His original description of Morticia Addams: "The real head of the family... low-voiced, incisive and subtle, smiles are rare... ruined beauty... contemptuous and original and with fierce family loyalty... even in disposition, muted, witty, sometimes deadly... given to low-keyed rhapsodies about her garden of deadly nightshade, henbane and dwarf's hair..."
- His original description of Pugsley Addams: "An energetic monster of a boy... blond red hair, popped blue eyes and a dedicated troublemaker, in other words the kid next door... genius in his own way, he makes toy guillotines, full-size racks, threatens to poison his sister, can turn himself into a Mr. Hyde with an ordinary chemical set... his voice is hoarse... is sometimes allowed an occasional cigar."
- His original description of Wednesday Addams: "Child of woe is wane and delicate... sensitive and on the quiet side, she loves the picnics and outings to the underground caverns... a solemn child, prim in dress and, on the whole, pretty lost... secretive and imaginative, poetic, seems underprivileged and given to occasional tantrums... has six toes on one foot..."
- His original description of Fester Addams: "Uncle Fester is incorrigible and except for the good nature of the family and the ignorance of the police, would ordinarily be under lock and key... the eyes are pig-like and deeply embedded... he likes to fish, but usually employs dynamite... he keeps falcons on the roof which he uses for hunting... his one costume, summer and winter is a black great coat with an enormous collar... he is fat with pudgy little hands and feet."
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