Claude Gillingwater
Date of Birth:
Aug 01, 1870
Place of Birth:
Louisiana, Missouri, USA
Date of Birth:
Aug 01, 1870
Place of Birth:
Louisiana, Missouri, USA
Biography:
Tall, balding character actor in US films from 1921 until the year he died, usually portraying obstinate or irascible types. A man so disagreeable on celluloid, Claude Gillingwater's characters seemed to subsist on a steady diet of persimmons. Fondly recalled as the cranky old skinflint whose seemingly cold heart could only be warmed by the actions of a cute little tyke, the tall and rangy Gillingwater invariably played much older than he was. He, with the omnipresent bushy brows, crop of silver hair and perpetually sour puss, had a much more versatile career than perhaps realized -- on both stage and in film. Most assuredly, this caustic screen image he perfected belied a softer, gentler off-screen demeanor for he was a kind and sympathetic gent and devoted husband to wife Carlyn Stiletz (or Stellith). Their only child, Claude Gillingwater Jr., briefly became an actor himself. Sadly, Gillingwater Sr.'s thriving character career ended on a grim and tragic note in 1939. A serious accident on the movie set of the picture Florida Special (1936) (he fell from a platform and injured his back) damaged his health and threatened his career, and the death of his long-time wife Carlyn left him irrevocably depressed. Fearing the possibility of becoming an invalid and wishing not to become a serious burden to anyone, the 69-year-old actor committed suicide at his Beverly Hills home with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Gillingwater left a fine Hollywood legacy and the fun of some of his old films is watching his vinegar turn to sugar. Date of Birth 2 August 1870, Louisiana, Missouri Date of Death 2 November 1939, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California (suicide)
filmography:
1939
1938
1938
1938
1937
1937
1936
1936
1936
1936
1936
1935
1935
1935
1935
1935
1935
1934
1934
1934
1934
1934
1934
1933
1933
1933
1933
1933
1932
1931
1931
1931
1931
1931
1931
1931
1930
1930
1929
1929
1929
1929
1929
1929
1928
1927
1927
1927
1927
1927
1926
1926
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1924
1923
1923
1923
1923
1923
1922
1922
1921