Charles W. McLawhorn
Files
Title
Charles W. McLawhorn
Subject
McLawhorn, Charles W. (1929-2007)
Description
Photograph of Charles W. McLawhorn.
McLawhorn served as Assistant Commandant of Cadets at Massanutten Military Academy in the 1950s. He was a US Navy Veteran, 1947 graduate of Furman University, and later administrator in the Greenville SC School System. Later in life he stared in several television and film roles including "Big Fish" and Matlock.
The image on the right has a mark at the top where the photographer noted which of the two images he planned to print.
McLawhorn served as Assistant Commandant of Cadets at Massanutten Military Academy in the 1950s. He was a US Navy Veteran, 1947 graduate of Furman University, and later administrator in the Greenville SC School System. Later in life he stared in several television and film roles including "Big Fish" and Matlock.
The image on the right has a mark at the top where the photographer noted which of the two images he planned to print.
Creator
Morrison Studio
Source
Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
Undated
Contributor
Identified in 2026 by Kate Schindler and Rosalie Benchoff.
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED
Relation
Charles W. McLawhorn appears in Morrison Studio Collection images 029450, 029457, 030405, and 031543.
Identifier
031543
Original Format
Film Negative
Collection
Citation
Morrison Studio, “Charles W. McLawhorn,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed August 5, 2026, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/78829.
Comments
Kate Schindler
Captain Charles W. McLawhorn who, in the 1950s, was Assistant Commandant of Cadets at Massanutten Military Academy. In 1947, he graduated from Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
The following text is from the Alumni News section of the Furman Magazine, v. 49, no. 4, p. 45, which was published in 2007.
"After a distinguished career in education, he enjoyed a second career as an actor in television and films. He taught at a military school in Virginia for a number of years, then came to Greenville in 1967 and served as an administrator in the county school system, retiring from the school district in 1987 as director of finance. He then went on to star in community theatre productions and eventually played a variety of roles in commercials, television, and films. His credits included the movie "Big Fish" [he played the Mayor], a number of made-for-TV productions, and several episodes of the television series "Matlock." He was a Navy veteran of World War II."
Photo identification confirmed by Rosalie Benchoff Learned.