Charles Fredericks

• Name — Charles Fredericks • Born — 5 September 1918 • Birth Name — Fred Cockerham (or Crockenham) • Died — 14 May 1970 • Birthplace — Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. • Place of death — Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles County, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1954–1969 • Spouse — Muriel Parker • Children — 2

Fredericks was born Fred Cockerham (or Crockenham) the son of a Presbyterian minister M. O. Cockerham and his wife. He had two brothers. He sang in the choir at the church at which his father preached. Although his father wanted him to become a minister, Fredericks wanted to be a singer. Success in competitions moved him further in that direction, as he won one contest that designated him the best male singer in Mississippi and another that earned him a singing scholarship.

Fredericks was particularly known for his career in television Westerns during the 1950s and 1960s.

Fredericks debuted as a professional singer at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. After two weeks when the orchestra leader paid him $5 per week out of his own pocket, the hotel manager raised his salary to $20 per week. He went from that job to performing in vaudeville at $75 per week — an unsuccessful venture that led him back to Denver. With no employment as a singer available, he worked as a bellhop.

On July 13, 1947, Fredericks sang on the Family Hour radio program. Among Fredericks's work on television, on Colt.45, he appeared as "Larkin" in the episode "Small Man" (1957) and as Marshal Ed Springer in "The Gandy Dancers".(1960). He portrayed Sheriff Ankers on Bat Masterson in S3E10s "Last Stop To Austin". He also appeared as villains in the Maverick episodes "Trail West to Fury" and "The Maverick Line". He appeared in The Tab Hunter Show episode "For Money or Love" (1960). He also appeared on Gunsmoke as “Band” (1959), as “Jed”, S5E38 1960, as “Senator McGovern” (1962), in S8E15's "False Front" and earlier that year as a convicted soldier in S7E33’s “The Prisoner”.

Fredericks was married to singer Muriel Parker, and they had two sons. He died in 1970 and was buried in Hollywood Hills at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

• Thunder Pass (1954) - McCurdy • Port of Hell (1954) • Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955) - Walt Payne • Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955) - DeGroot • Las Vegas Shakedown (1955) - Sheriff Charlie Woods • Night Freight (1955) - Workman • Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957) - Deputy Bear • I Want to Live! (1958) - Sucker at Card Game (uncredited) • Ice Palace (1960) - Bit Role (uncredited) • A Fever in the Blood (1961) - Callahan Party Worker (uncredited) • Tender Is the Night (1962) - Mr. Albert Charles McKisco • Lad, A Dog (1962) - Sheriff • The Cabinet of Caligari (1962) - Bob • Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) - Mayor • Black Gold (1962) - Oil Man (uncredited) • To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Court Clerk (uncredited) • Dead Ringer (1964) - Tom Marshall (uncredited) • A House Is Not a Home (1964) - Bert • Kisses for My President (1964) - Blonde's Escort (uncredited) • My Fair Lady (1964) - King George V in Fantasy Sequence (uncredited) • The Great Race (1965) - Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1958 — Gunsmoke — Earl Brant — Season 4 Episode 12: "Grass" • 1960 — Gunsmoke — Sergeant Strate — Season 5 Episode 38: "The Deserter" • 1960 — Maverick — Shotgun Sparks — Season 4 Episode 10: "The Maverick Line" • 1961 — Rawhide — Banning — Season 3 Episode 22: "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere" • 1963 — The Alfred Hitchcock Hour — Movie Warden — Season 2 Episode 7: "Starring the Defense" • 1965 — The Alfred Hitchcock Hour — Big Man — Season 3 Episode 15: "Thanatos Palace Hotel"