July 31 ~ Ming the Merciless vs. The Declaration of Independence

July 31 ~ What do Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, Abraham  Lincoln and a signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina have in common? The Truth is Shocking!

Arthur Middleton of Charleston, South Carolina, was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence.

During the American Revolutionary War, Middleton served in the defense of Charleston and after the city’s fall to the British in 1780, he was a prisoner of war until exchanged in July the following year.

When he died at the age of 44 in 1787 he was described him as a “tender husband and parent, humane master, steady unshaken patriot, the gentleman, and the scholar.”

Fast-Forward to the 1936. Charles B. Middleton an ancestor of Arthur Middleton didn’t even begin his acting career until he was 46-years old.

He was successful on both stage and film appeared in nearly 200 films as well as numerous plays.

He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the villainous emperor Ming the Merciless a ruthless tyrant who rules the planet Mongo and battles Flash Gordon.

Middleton played the evil adversary of the heroic outer-space adventure in the three Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940.

Interesting fact. Because Charleston Middleton resembled President Abraham Lincoln, he was cast as our 16th President on several occasions and some say typecast as the the great emancipator.