Churchill acted for two years with a traveling repertory company, The death of his father caused him to return home to work as a press foreman. Eventually he returned to acting in small parts. His career received a boost when
E. F. Albee saw him perform in Boston. Albee added him to his summer stock company at
Pawtucket, where Churchill continued to perform almost every summer for at least two decades. He was one of the earliest members of
Actors Equity and sat on the union's Council. In 1919, he was in charge of the New York headquarters during the Equity strike. Around 1929, Churchill began to perform in motion pictures. Following the use of sound in film, he moved to
Hollywood, California. There, he landed numerous supporting roles, usually as the stern or pompous character with such roles as a banker, a state governor, or a land baron. He was much in demand, "establishing what was believed to be a record by appearing in 34 in 1932 alone." In more than 125 films, Churchill worked for some of the great directors such as
Otto Preminger,
John Ford, and
Frank Capra. As well, he performed with many of the most famous stars of the day, such as
Bette Davis (
The Cabin in the Cotton),
Jeanette MacDonald,
Tyrone Power,
Edward G. Robinson, and
Will Rogers. Churchill is perhaps best known for his role as Gatewood, the absconding banker in John Ford's highly acclaimed 1939 film
Stagecoach, starring
John Wayne. In 1925, Churchill helped found the Masquers club that led to him and five other actors creating the
Screen Actors Guild in 1933. == Death ==