Charlie Donnelly is the ex-husband of Kate Donnelly, the brother of Rosemary, the father of Michelle, Ned Donnelly, and Elyse Keaton, and the grandfather of Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, and Andrew.
Charlie is one of five children. He grew up without a father.[1] He lived through the Great Depression, and when Elyse was growing up he used to tell her stories about it, although she never paid much attention.[2]
When Elyse first started dating Steven, Charlie disapproved very strongly of their relationship. When he first met Steven, he thought he was Cher.[3] (This is an anachronism - it's unlikely that someone from outside California would have heard of Cher before 1965, by which point Steven and Elyse were already married.) He tried to interrupt their wedding with tear gas.[4]
Charlie disagrees with his daughter's political views and thinks all the protests she's been involved with are ridiculous, which has led to many arguments between the two of them. However, he ultimately respects her right to her own beliefs and her willingness to stand up for them.
Charlie and Kate were married for about 40 years and were happy for many of them, but have grown apart. In M is for the Many Things, we learn that the two of them have separated, have almost finalized the divorce, and have sold their house.