Charles Siebert, a talented and reliable actor, directed, and producer, made a significant impact in the entertainment industry from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Born in 1938 in Wisconsin, as the eldest of four children, he began his career in acting after completing his journalism studies at Marquette University and serving in the U.S. Army in the 1960s.
After marrying his college sweetheart, Catherine Kilzer, Charles trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. They returned to the United States, where they had two more children, Charles Andrew and Gillian, and settled in New York City.
Charles's early career involved working in regional theater productions, before making his Broadway debut in "Galileo" (1967). He went on to appear in several notable New York plays, including "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970) with Tony winner Maureen Stapleton, "Sticks and Bones" (1972),and the 1974 revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" starring Elizabeth Ashley.
Simultaneously, Charles appeared in various New York-based daytime soaps, such as "Search for Tomorrow," "Another World," and "As the World Turns." In the mid-1970s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began appearing in commercials and guest-starring roles on popular TV shows like "All in the Family," "Rhoda," "Barnaby Jones," "One Day at a Time," "Maude," "Kojak," and "The Rockford Files."
Charles's notable TV work includes his portrayal of Helen Keller's father in the mini-movie "The Miracle Worker" (1979),starring Melissa Gilbert as Helen and Patty Duke as Annie Sullivan. For seven seasons, he co-starred as Dr. Stanley Riverside, the chief of emergency services, on "Trapper John, M.D." (1979) with Pernell Roberts and Gregory Harrison, during which he began taking an interest in directing and went on to helm several episodes of the series.
Throughout his career, Charles performed with renowned regional theaters, including the inaugural year of San Francisco's ACT, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, The Theatre Company of Boston, Baltimore's Center Stage, The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, Stratford Connecticut's American Shakespeare Festival, and seven seasons at Williamstown, Massachusetts' Summer Theatre.
In the 1990s, Charles became known primarily as a TV director, working on shows like "Knots Landing," "Silk Stalkings," "The Pretender," "Hercules," and "Xena: Warrior Princess."
