Charles Gunning

Acting

Charles Gunning

Born 1951-04-12 · Waxahachie, Texas, USA

Charles Gunning was born in Waxahachie, Texas. As a child growing up in Dallas, he always aspired to be an artist. He was an active participant in the music and art scenes while residing in Austin, Texas, where he lived for 20 years. Charles has lived in Los Angeles, California, since 1991. Charles studied Television and Film at The University of Texas at Austin and at the Conservatory of The American Film Institute in Hollywood. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen discovered Charles and cast him into his first major movie in the critically acclaimed Miller's Crossing (1990). Charles attained cult-hero status for his role in the smash-hit Richard Linklater film Slacker (1990). He also appeared in the beautifully done Walter Hill film Wild Bill (1995) with Jeff Bridges and Ellen Barkin . Charles Gunning Co-Stars as "Slim" in his latest film, Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys (1998) starring Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, and Dwight Yoakam. Charles Gunning has had numerous Roles on television series, including High Incident (1996) (ABC), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993) (ABC), ER (1994) (NBC), Cybill (1995) (CBS), Murder, She Wrote (1984) (CBS), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) (Fox) and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) (CBS). He has appeared in TV movies Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women (1994)(Showtime), and Bonanza: The Return (1993) (NBC), among others, and in a number of high-profile commercials. Charles Gunning is a versatile bad-guy actor whose roles have ranged from cold-blooded psychopaths, the Devil, Weirdoes, Drunks, Gangsters, Murderers, Hitmen, Aliens and Cops. He also specializes in dark comedies. In June of 1993, Charles Gunning won the mantle of Archetypal Screen Villain in a poker game from Hollywood Icon Jack Elam.

Acting credits

The Haunting poster
5.5

Dr. David Marrow invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.

The Haunting

1999

Miller's Crossing poster
7.4

Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.

Miller's Crossing

1990

The Newton Boys poster
6.1

The story of the Newton gang, the most successful bank robbers in history, owing to their good planning and minimal violence.

The Newton Boys

1998

Wild Bill poster
5.7

Biopic about famous gunslinger Wild Bill Hickock. The early career of legendary lawman is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.

Wild Bill

1995

Waking Life poster
7.5

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

Waking Life

2001

Slacker poster
6.7

Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits.

Slacker

1990

Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women poster
5.1

Spoof-meister, Julie Brown does a musical send-up of Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbit's debutante debacles

Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women

1994

.com for Murder poster
3.4

This high-tech, psychological thriller is set in the shadowy world of the Internet. Sondra Brummel is recovering from a skiing accident in her boyfriend's mansion, and accidently contacts a possible killer in an Internet chatroom. She and her friend Misty enter a virtual game that that becomes all too real.

.com for Murder

2001

... End of Interview! poster
NR

Short documentary covering the 2001, 10th anniversary screening of Richard Linklater's 'Slacker' in Austin, TX

... End of Interview!

2004

Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind poster
3.7

A gambler, a Texas ranger and an FBI agent are investigating a series of vigilante murders.

Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind

1991

Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny poster
6.8

Highlighting one of the most innovative American directors, this film reveals the path traveled by the auteur from his small-town Texas roots to his warm reception on the awards circuit. Long before he directed Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s intense desire to create fueled his work outside the Hollywood system. Rather than leave Texas, he chose to collaborate with like-minded artists crafting modest, low-budget films in a DIY style. His ability to showcase realistic characters and tell honest stories was evident from his films, and others soon took notice of his raw talent.

Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny

2016

Bonanza: The Return poster
6.5

A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to take over the Ponderosa.

Bonanza: The Return

1993