He was portrayed by the late Rod Steiger.
Biography
Early life
Charley used to be very close to his younger brother Terry, during his childhood years. Then one day, their father was tragically murdered, forcing the Malloy brothers to end up in a childcare service called the Children's Home. Terry couldn't stand having to stay there and wait to get adopted, and he ran out of the service and hoped to find a job.
Eventually, Terry decided to take a job as a boxer. He managed to keep his hopes up for something good to happen to him. Charley on the other hand, ended up becoming cold and hardened by his father's death and ended up getting an education when he went to college for a few years. He became a union employee and worked under Michael J. Skelly around the waterfront. Charley later found out about Terry's career as a boxer and Johnny ended up betting that he would lose the fight, and sent Charley to make sure Terry lost. On the day of the actual fight, Charley went to Terry and said 'Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson.' as he paid Terry to lose the boxing match. Terry ended up blowing his chance to be a boxing master and his career ended early. Friendly and his goons got paid for "winning" the bet. Terry ended up having no choice but to go to Johnny Friendly for a career on the waterfront.
During the film
Charley is first seen at Friendly's bar as Terry walks towards him after he lured Joey Doyle outside. Friendly's goons knew were Doyle was, and knocked Doyle of his roof to his death.
Charley and the rest of Friendly's goons went inside the bar where they watched a prizefight on TV. When Big Mac snarks to Terry about his lack of education after he fails to count a wad of bills, Charley comes to Terry's aid and defends him by saying it was about Joey Doyle. Johnny gives Terry a 50-dollar bill as an effort to keep him quiet about the murder. Charley told his brother that Johnny was being kind and helpful to him and shouldn't forget about it.
The next day during work, after of shape up at the pier, Charley found Terry lying comfortably on a pile of coffee bags and reading a magazine. He sent Terry to attend one of Father Barry's meetings (with Joey's sister, Edie) that he is organizing in his parish to expose union racketeering. Terry was supposed track of the everyone who attended. Terry initially didn't want to attend the meeting and "stool" on them, but Charley insisted that he went. So, Terry took his advice and went to the meeting.
During the meeting, a group of Friendly's goons suddenly shattered the church's windows. The people in the church made a run for it, and Terry managed to grab Edie and help her escape. Overtime, Terry and Edie got to know each other properly, and the two of them became fond and close friends, to the point where Terry was starting to change his mind about keep the union murders a secret and tell on Johnny's gang. Unfortunately, when Edie asks Terry if the mob was involved in the murder and Terry couldn't answer, Edie assumed Terry was working with the mob and ran off away for Terry.
Terry was getting ready to leave the bar he and Edie went to for their hangout, when Charley and Friendly drove up in a car in front of Terry. The two of them were worried about another informant longshoreman, Kayo Dugan, who left the parish meeting that Terry had attended. Terry claimed that no one stepped up for the murders. However, according to Friendly, a half hour after the meeting was broken up, Kayo Dugan went into a secret session with the Crime Commission and started his own rebellion. Charley lashes out at Terry for hanging out with Edie. Friendly pressures Terry to keep away from Edie for good or he would kill both of them. He then orders Charley to arrange to "muzzle" Dugan, and then Terry is told he'd be "working with the sweat gang" until he took his job more seriously.
The next day at the docks, the protesting dock-worker Dugan is part of a crew unloading cases of Irish whiskey from a ship. When a heavy pallet is being raised from the open hatch, the lead ends up getting dropped, and the cargo net plunges down, spilling the entire heavy load of whiskey boxes into the hold of the ship - the load "accidentally" crushes and kills Dugan who is positioned directly under.
Eventually, Terry developed an affection and relationship with Edie and Father Barry, and finally decided to tell them the truth about his accidental role in Joey's death. Edie was heartbroken about what had happened and ran away from Terry. Finally, Terry had settled on reporting the union crimes on the waterfront as a attempt to make things up with her.
Back at the dockside longshoreman's union shack, Johnny Friendly was nervous that Terry sell them out and give his testimony to the commission. He asks Charley if his brother would play 'deaf and dumb' - assured that strong-arm tactics are needed to hush him up. Charley didn't know whether Terry would stay quiet or not, so Friendly sent Charley to warn his brother off by any means necessary.
When Charley and Terry go into a taxicab that Charley had called, Charley told Terry that he's heard a rumor that Terry might testify in court. Charley advises him to not tell anybody about what he knew about the corrupt union bosses. Terry is offered an easy loft job worth up to $400 a week where he didn't have to do or say anything. Terry is uncertain about the conditions.
Annoyed that Terry didn't want to comply, Charley turns toward his stubborn brother, and demands that Terry made to choice by the time they got to there destination. Terry's surprised by his brother's statement.
Suddenly, Charley pulls a gun, points it at his brother, and threatens him to take the job and not talk. Surprised, Terry calmly pushes the gun away, depressed that his own brother would try to shoot him.
Charley changes the subject and begins talks about Terry's early life as a boxer. Terry remembers what had happened that day, and sadly blamed his brother for his missed opportunity to be a boxing champion, as he had bet against him and caused him to lose. Eventually, Charley caves in and hands his guns over to Terry so he could protect himself. Terry gets out of the taxi, but driver ends up taking Charley to the River Street garage where Friendly and his goons were waiting for them. Friendly was angry at Charley for being unable to convince Terry to stay quiet and he and his goons killed Charley and anger.
