Claude Gillingwater
Encyclopedia
Claude Benton Gillingwater (2 August 1870 – 1 November 1939) was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in 92 films between 1918 and 1939.
Gillingwater was born in Louisiana, Missouri
. Though he studied law, preferring not to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, he became a traveller for a wholesale firm, selling vinegar. While thus engaged he seized the opportunity of filling a vacancy in a small theatrical company with David Belasco
. Eight years later, Mary Pickford
saw him acting and secured him for her picture, Little Lord Fauntleroy
which started off his film career.
Gillingwater was in poor health since being injured in a fall in 1936. His wife died of a heart attack in 1937. In November 1939, Gillingwater died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest at his home in Beverly Hills, California
. His son, Claude Gillingwater, Jr., was also an actor.
Gillingwater was born in Louisiana, Missouri
Louisiana, Missouri
Louisiana is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,863 at the 2000 census, making it the largest city in Pike Couunty. Louisiana is located in northeast Missouri, on the Mississippi River south of Hannibal....
. Though he studied law, preferring not to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, he became a traveller for a wholesale firm, selling vinegar. While thus engaged he seized the opportunity of filling a vacancy in a small theatrical company with David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
. Eight years later, Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
saw him acting and secured him for her picture, Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
which started off his film career.
Gillingwater was in poor health since being injured in a fall in 1936. His wife died of a heart attack in 1937. In November 1939, Gillingwater died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest at his home in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. His son, Claude Gillingwater, Jr., was also an actor.
Selected filmography
- Three Wise Fools (1923)
- We ModernsWe ModernsWe Moderns was an American silent comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Colleen Moore, the same team from Flaming Youth . The film was produced by Moore's husband John McCormick , was released through First National Pictures, and was based on the play and novel by Israel Zangwill...
(1925) - 45 Minutes from Hollywood45 Minutes from Hollywood45 Minutes From Hollywood is an American two-reel silent film released by Pathé Exchange.At the time, it was known as a Glenn Tryon vehicle, but today it is best remembered as the second instance of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appearing in the same film together — although they do not share...
(1926) - Barbed Wire (1927)
- Gold Dust GertieGold Dust GertieGold Dust Gertie is an All-Talking musical comedy released by Warner Brothers. It was originally completed as a full musical. Due to the backlash against musicals, however, all the songs were cut from the film in all release prints in the United States...
(1931) - City LimitsCity Limits (1934 film)City Limits is a 1934 American comedy film directed by William Nigh and starring Frank Craven, Sally Blane, Ray Walker and Claude Gillingwater...
(1934) - A Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities. The film stars Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton, Donald Woods and Elizabeth Allan. The supporting players include Basil Rathbone, Blanche Yurka, and Edna Mae Oliver. It was directed by Jack...
(1935) - Poor Little Rich GirlPoor Little Rich GirlPoor Little Rich Girl is a 1965 underground film by Andy Warhol starring Edie Sedgwick. Poor Little Rich Girl was conceived as the first film in part of a series featuring Sedgwick called The Poor Little Rich Girl Saga...
(1936) - The Prisoner of Shark IslandThe Prisoner of Shark IslandThe Prisoner of Shark Island is a 1936 film loosely based on the life of Samuel Mudd, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, directed by John Ford, and starring Warner Baxter and Gloria Stuart.-Plot:...
(1936) - A Thief in ParadiseA Thief in ParadiseA Thief in Paradise is a 1925 silent film, written by Frances Marion and directed by George Fitzmaurice. It is an adaptation of Leonard Merrick's novel The Worldlings . It is a "lost film".-Plot:...
(1936) - Conquest (1937)
- A Yank at OxfordA Yank at OxfordA Yank at Oxford is a 1938 British film, directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios...
(1938) - There Goes My HeartThere Goes My HeartThere Goes My Heart is a 1938 romantic comedy film starring Virginia Bruce as a wealthy heiress who goes to work under an alias at a department store owned by her grandfather. Fredric March plays the reporter who tracks her down. The film is based on a story by Ed Sullivan, better known for his...
(1938) - Just Around the CornerJust Around the CornerJust Around the Corner is a 1938 American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Ethel Hill, Darrell Ware, and J. P. McEvoy was based on the novel Lucky Penny by Paul Girard Smith. The film focuses on the tribulations of little Penny Hale and her architect father after he is...
(1938) - Little Miss BroadwayLittle Miss BroadwayLittle Miss Broadway is a 1938 American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay was written by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. The film stars Shirley Temple in a story about a theatrical boarding house and its occupants, and was originally titled Little Lady of Broadway...
(1938)