Gertrude Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Gertrude W. Hoffmann was a German-born American character actress who began her Hollywood career as she was entering her sunset years.
(German Empire
), the daughter of Walter and Mary Sara Silver (née Fraser) Wesselhoeft. Her father was a German-born doctor who at the time of her birth had left his medical practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia behind to volunteer his services after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
. He returned to North America
in the early 1870s and opened up a general practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts
where Gertrude was raised along with her six siblings.
Though German by birth, Dr. Wesselhoeft was raised in Cambridge where a number of his relatives had established themselves in the medical community there. He received his medical degree from Harvard University
in 1859 and upon graduation began his practice in Halifax. In time he became associated with the Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital
and a frequent lecturer at Boston University Medical School. At the time of his death in 1918, aged 80, Dr. Wesselhoeft was Emeritus Professor of Clinical Medicine in the School of Medicine
, a position he had held since 1908. Mary Fraser was a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and passed away in 1886, around the age of forty. Dr. Wesselhoeft remarried in 1893 to Mary Leavitt, a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, and only a few years older than his eldest child. Gertrude's younger sister, Eleanor Wesselhoeft (1882–1945), was a stage actress and playwright who also found some success late in life as a character actor in Hollywood. Eleanor was married to Albert Christian Henderson von Tonow (1867–1938), a Shakespearean actor who performed under the acting name of Albert Henderson.
(1870–1932), a native of Stockbridge, Massachusetts
, whose family had come from Germany a generation earlier. He was a teacher of natural history
and had a keen interest in ornithology
. He helped start the Alstead School of Natural History in Alstead, New Hampshire
and taught there for several summers while the rest of his year was spent teaching at Buckingham Browne and Nichols in Cambridge. He later was named director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
in California
. Ralph Hoffmann died from a fall while on a scientific expedition to California's Channel Islands
in 1932.
The couple had two daughters and a son. Eleanor Hoffmann was born on December 21, 1895, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and died on December 20, 1990, in Santa Barbara, California. Walter Wesselhoeft Hoffmann was born on December 20, 1897, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and died on May 7, 1977, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And their youngest child, Gertrude “Trude” Hoffmann, was born on April 2, 1904, in Belmont, Massachusetts. She might have been the actress who appeared in a number of films made in Germany between 1918 and 1923 that have been frequently accredited to her mother. Trude married British composer Sir Arthur Bliss on June 1, 1925, in Santa Barbara, California, and relocated to London, England, where she lived until her death in 2008.
appearing in a number of movies and television shows. Among her credits are such films as Alfred Hitchcock
's Foreign Correspondent
, which was nominated for Best Picture Oscar in 1941, as well as The File on Thelma Jordon
(1950), Caged (1950), and The War of the Worlds
(1953). She played Mrs. Odetts in the 1950's sitcom My Little Margie
and made her final performance in an episode of the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?
that aired in 1963.
Family
Eliza Gertrude Wesselhoeft was born on May 17, 1871, at HeidelbergHeidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
(German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
), the daughter of Walter and Mary Sara Silver (née Fraser) Wesselhoeft. Her father was a German-born doctor who at the time of her birth had left his medical practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia behind to volunteer his services after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. He returned to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the early 1870s and opened up a general practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
where Gertrude was raised along with her six siblings.
Though German by birth, Dr. Wesselhoeft was raised in Cambridge where a number of his relatives had established themselves in the medical community there. He received his medical degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1859 and upon graduation began his practice in Halifax. In time he became associated with the Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital
Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital
Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital was a homeopathic institution in Boston, Massachusetts that performed the first successful removal of the kidney in New England....
and a frequent lecturer at Boston University Medical School. At the time of his death in 1918, aged 80, Dr. Wesselhoeft was Emeritus Professor of Clinical Medicine in the School of Medicine
School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge
The School of Clinical Medicine is the medical school of the University of Cambridge in England. According to QS World University Rankings 2010, it currently ranks as second best in the world....
, a position he had held since 1908. Mary Fraser was a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and passed away in 1886, around the age of forty. Dr. Wesselhoeft remarried in 1893 to Mary Leavitt, a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, and only a few years older than his eldest child. Gertrude's younger sister, Eleanor Wesselhoeft (1882–1945), was a stage actress and playwright who also found some success late in life as a character actor in Hollywood. Eleanor was married to Albert Christian Henderson von Tonow (1867–1938), a Shakespearean actor who performed under the acting name of Albert Henderson.
Marriage
On June 23, 1894, in Cambridge, Gertrude married Ralph HoffmannRalph Hoffmann
Ralph Hoffmann was an American natural history teacher and amateur ornithologist and botanist. He was the author of the first true bird field guide.-Early life:...
(1870–1932), a native of Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, whose family had come from Germany a generation earlier. He was a teacher of natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and had a keen interest in ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
. He helped start the Alstead School of Natural History in Alstead, New Hampshire
Alstead, New Hampshire
Alstead is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,937 at the 2010 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest.-History:...
and taught there for several summers while the rest of his year was spent teaching at Buckingham Browne and Nichols in Cambridge. He later was named director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is the oldest museum in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 1916. The museum is located in Mission Canyon, immediately behind the Santa Barbara Mission. Set in a traditional southern California environment, the museum campus occupies of oak woodland...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Ralph Hoffmann died from a fall while on a scientific expedition to California's Channel Islands
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
in 1932.
The couple had two daughters and a son. Eleanor Hoffmann was born on December 21, 1895, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and died on December 20, 1990, in Santa Barbara, California. Walter Wesselhoeft Hoffmann was born on December 20, 1897, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and died on May 7, 1977, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And their youngest child, Gertrude “Trude” Hoffmann, was born on April 2, 1904, in Belmont, Massachusetts. She might have been the actress who appeared in a number of films made in Germany between 1918 and 1923 that have been frequently accredited to her mother. Trude married British composer Sir Arthur Bliss on June 1, 1925, in Santa Barbara, California, and relocated to London, England, where she lived until her death in 2008.
Acting career
Gertrude W. Hoffmann's first Hollywood role was playing Mattie in Before Dawn that premiered on August 4, 1933. She would go on to have a thirty-year career as a character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
appearing in a number of movies and television shows. Among her credits are such films as Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent (film)
Foreign Correspondent is a 1940 American spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock which tells the story of an American reporter who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain, a series of events involving a continent-wide conspiracy that eventually leads to the events of a fictionalized World War...
, which was nominated for Best Picture Oscar in 1941, as well as The File on Thelma Jordon
The File on Thelma Jordon
The File on Thelma Jordon is a 1950 film noir directed by Robert Siodmak from a screenplay by Ketti Frings. It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey.-Plot:...
(1950), Caged (1950), and The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
(1953). She played Mrs. Odetts in the 1950's sitcom My Little Margie
My Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
and made her final performance in an episode of the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?
Car 54, Where Are You?
Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963. Episodes had various directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes. Most of its filming was on location in The Bronx, and at Biograph...
that aired in 1963.