Charles Drake; Versatile Film and TV Actor

Charles Drake, 79, a versatile actor who often played second lead or other dependable “nice guy” roles in films of the 1940s and 1950s. Among his motion pictures were “Air Force” with John Garfield and Gig Young in 1943, “You Came Along” with Robert Cummings in 1945, “Winchester ‘73” with James Stewart in 1950, “Gunsmoke” with Audie Murphy in 1953, “The Glenn Miller Story” again with Stewart in 1954, “To Hell and Back” again with Murphy in 1955, “Back Street” with Susan Hayward and John Gavin in 1961, and “The Arrangement” with Kirk Douglas in 1969. Born Charles Ruppert in New York City, Drake attended Nichols College in Massachusetts. He was a frequent guest on several television series. Drake sold boats and advertising to support himself when he began his career in theater. On Sept. 10 in East Lyme, Conn.