Claude Benton Gillingwater (August 2, 1870 – November 1, 1939) was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1939, including the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-nominated ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the ...

'' (1935) and '' Conquest'' (1937). He appeared in several films starring Shirley Temple, beginning with '' Poor Little Rich Girl'' (1936).

Early life

Gillingwater was born in

Louisiana, Missouri Louisiana is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,364 at the 2010 census. Louisiana is located in northeast Missouri, on the Mississippi River, south of Hannibal. Louisiana is located at the junction of State Rout ...

. Though he studied law, he preferred not to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer. He became a travelling salesman for a wholesale firm, selling vinegar. While thus engaged, he joined a small theatrical company managed by David Belasco. Eight years later,

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

saw him act and secured him for her picture, ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of ''St. Nicholas'') in 1886. The il ...

'' (1921), which launched his film career.

Hollywood career

In later years, Gillingwater generally played curmudgeonly character roles. His best-known role is probably

Jarvis Lorry Jarvis Lorry is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, '' A Tale of Two Cities''. Overview Jarvis Lorry is one of the oldest employees of Tellson's Bank, and he frequently deals with the bank's offices in London and Paris. He is a confi ...

David O'Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. ...

's production of ''

'' (1935). He also appeared in ''Mississippi'' (1935), '' The Prisoner of Shark Island'' (1936) and '' A Yank at Oxford'' (1938). He proved to be an excellent crabapple foil for 20th Century Fox moppet star Shirley Temple in '' Poor Little Rich Girl'' (1936) and subsequently appeared in '' Just Around the Corner'' (1938) and '' Little Miss Broadway'' (1938). Claude Gillingwater 2

Later years and death

In February, 1936, while filming ''Florida Special'' (1936) at Paramount studios, he fell from a platform, resulting in a severe back injury from which he never fully recovered. His general health began to decline and his career was threatened. This, along with the death of his wife Carlyn in April 1937, left him extremely depressed. On November 1, 1939, a housekeeper found Gillingwater dead, sitting in a chair inside a closet of his

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

home from a self-inflicted bullet wound to the chest. A suicide note stated he was worried about his failing health and the possibility of becoming an invalid. He did not want to become a burden to anyone, so he chose to take his own life. The death of the 69-year-old actor was officially ruled a suicide. His cremated remains were interred at the Columbarium of Prayer, Niche 10628, in The Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. His son, Claude Gillingwater, Jr., was also an actor.

Partial filmography

*''Wild Primrose'' (1918) - Standish *''

'' (1921) - Earl of Dorincourt *'' My Boy'' (1921) - The Captain *'' Fools First'' (1922) - Denton Drew *''Dust Flower'' (1922) - Steptoe *'' Remembrance'' (1922) - John P. Grout * '' The Strangers' Banquet'' (1922) - Uncle Sam *'' The Christian'' (1923) - Lord Storm * '' Crinoline and Romance'' (1923) - Col. Charles E. Cavanaugh *'' Alice Adams'' (1923) - Virgil Adams *'' Three Wise Fools'' (1923) - Theodore Findley *'' Dulcy'' (1923) - Mr. Forbes *'' A Chapter in Her Life'' (1923) - Mr. Everingham *'' Tiger Rose'' (1923) - Hector McCollins *'' Souls for Sale'' (1923) - Himself (uncredited) *'' Daddies'' (1924) - James Crockett *'' How to Educate a Wife'' (1924) - Henry Bancks *'' Madonna of the Streets'' (1924) - Lord Patrington *'' Idle Tongues'' (1924) - Judge Daniel Webster Copeland *'' A Thief in Paradise'' (1925) - Noel Jardine *'' Cheaper to Marry'' (1925) - Riddle *'' Winds of Chance'' (1925) - Tom Linton *'' Seven Sinners'' (1925) - 'Pious Joe' McDowell *'' We Moderns'' (1925) - Sir Robert Sundale *'' Wages for Wives'' (1925) - Jim Bailey *'' That's My Baby'' (1926) - John Raynor *'' Into Her Kingdom'' (1926) - Ivan (their tutor) * '' For Wives Only'' (1926) - Professor von Waldstein *''

45 Minutes from Hollywood ''45 Minutes From Hollywood'' (1926) is an American two-reel silent film released by Pathé Exchange. The runtime is 15 minutes. At the time, it was known as a Glenn Tryon vehicle, but today it is best remembered as the second instance of Stan ...

'' (1926, Short) - Old Man in Hotel Bed (uncredited) *'' Fast and Furious'' (1927) - Smithfield *'' Naughty but Nice'' (1927) - Judge J. R. Altewood *''

Barbed Wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is ...

'' (1927) - Jean Moreau *'' The Gorilla'' (1927) - Cyrus Townsend *'' Husbands for Rent'' (1927) - Sir Reginald Knight *'' The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come'' (1928) - Major Buford *''

Women They Talk About ''Women They Talk About'' is a 1928 American comedy drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Irene Rich and Audrey Ferris. It was a part-talkie Vitaphone film with talking, music, and sou ...

'' (1928) - Grandfather Mervin *'' Oh, Kay!'' (1928) - Judge Appleton *'' Stark Mad'' (1929) - James Rutherford - Expedition Leader *'' Stolen Kisses'' (1929) - H.A. Lambert Sr. *'' Glad Rag Doll'' (1929) - Sam Underlane *'' Smiling Irish Eyes'' (1929) - Michael O'Connor *'' The Great Divide'' (1929) - Winthrop Amesbury *'' So Long Letty'' (1929) - Uncle Claude Davis *'' Dumbbells in Ermine'' (1930) - Uncle Roger *''

The Flirting Widow ''The Flirting Widow'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Dorothy Mackaill, Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams and Claude Gillingwater. It was produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsid ...

'' (1930) - Faraday *'' Kiss Me Again'' (1931) - Count de St. Cyr *''

Illicit Illicit may refer to: * Illicit antiquities * Illicit cigarette trade * Illegal drug trade, Illicit drug trade ** Recreational drug use, Illicit drug use ** Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act * Illicit financial flows * Illicit major * Illicit m ...

'' (1931) - Ives Sr. *'' The Conquering Horde'' (1931) - Jim Nabours *''

Daddy Long Legs A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

'' (1931) - Riggs *'' Gold Dust Gertie'' (1931) - John Aberdeen Arnold *'' Compromised'' (1931) - John Brock *'' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1932) - Frederick Garfield Sr *'' Ann Carver's Profession'' (1933) - Judge Bingham *'' The Avenger'' (1933) - Witt *''

Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of encl ...

'' (1933) - John Beaumont *'' I Loved a Woman'' (1933) - Banker (uncredited) * '' Before Midnight'' (1933) - John Fry *''

You Can't Buy Everything ''You Can't Buy Everything'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Charles Reisner and Sandy Roth and starring May Robson, Jean Parker and Lewis Stone. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Working titles of the fi ...

'' (1934) - Banker Asa Cabot *'' The Show-Off'' (1934) - J.B. Preston *''

City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate li ...

'' (1934) - Oliver * '' Unknown Blonde'' (1934) - Papa Van Brunt, Sr. *'' In Love with Life'' (1934) - Morley *'' Green Eyes'' (1934) - Steven Kester *''

Back Page Back Page or The Back Page may refer to: * ''Back Page'' (film), 1933 American film * ''The Back Page'' (film), 1931 American film * ''The Back Page'' (TV program) * ''Backpage was a classified advertising website founded in 2004 by the a ...

'' (1934) - Sam Webster *'' The Captain Hates the Sea'' (1934) - Judge Griswold *''

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a man' ...

'' (1934) - J.P. Chase *'' Strange Wives'' (1934) - Guggins *'' The Woman in Red'' (1935) - Grandpa Wyatt *''

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

'' (1935) - General Rumford *'' Baby Face Harrington'' (1935) - Colton *''

Calm Yourself ''Calm Yourself'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and written by Arthur Kober. The film stars Robert Young, Madge Evans, Betty Furness, Ralph Morgan, Nat Pendleton and Hardie Albright. The film was released on June 28, ...

'' (1935) - Col. Allenby *'' Together We Live'' (1935) - Dick *''

'' (1935) - Jarvis Lorry Jr. *'' The Prisoner of Shark Island'' (1936) - Col. Jeremiah Milford Dyer *'' Florida Special'' (1936) - Simeon Stafford *''

Counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

'' (1936) - Tom Perkins *'' Ticket to Paradise'' (1936) - Robert Forbes *'' Poor Little Rich Girl'' (1936) - Simon Peck *'' Wives Never Know'' (1936) - Mr. Gossamer *''

Can This Be Dixie? ''Can This Be Dixie?'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and featuring child star Jane Withers along with Slim Summerville and Helen Wood. In 1937 and 1938, Withers became one of the top 10 box-office stars in ...

'' (1937) - Col. Robert Peachtree *'' Top of the Town'' (1937) - William Borden *'' Conquest'' (1937) - Stephan (Marie's servant) *'' A Yank at Oxford'' (1938) - Ben Dalton *'' Little Miss Broadway'' (1938) - Judge *'' There Goes My Heart'' (1938) - Cyrus Butterfield *'' Just Around the Corner'' (1938) - Samuel G. Henshaw *'' Cafe Society'' (1939) - Old Christopher West

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillingwater, Claude 1870 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male silent film actors Male actors from Missouri Suicides by firearm in California People from Louisiana, Missouri Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 1939 suicides