Gladys George

Gladys George
from the trailer for the film Marie Antoinette (1938)
Born Gladys Clare Evans
(1904-09-13)September 13, 1904
Patten, Maine, U.S.
Died December 8, 1954(1954-12-08) (aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1919–1954
Spouse(s) Ben Erway (m. 1922–1930; divorced)
Edward Fowler (m. 1933–1935; divorced)
Leonard Penn (m. 1935–1944; divorced)
Kenneth Bradley (m. 1946–1950; divorced)

Gladys George (September 13, 1904[1] – December 8, 1954) was an American actress of stage and screen.

Early life

She was born as Gladys Clare Evans on September 13, 1904[1] in Patten, Maine (Another source says Hatton, Maine;[2] a third source says "Gladys was born in a little town in Missouri, where the troupe her parents belonged to happened to be stranded at the time.")[3] to English parents. Her father was Sir Arthur Clare, "noted Shakespearean actor."[2]

Career

George went on the stage at the age of 3[3] and toured the United States, appearing with her parents. She starred on stage in the 1920s, although she had made several films in the early part of that decade. She starred in Personal Appearance, a comedy by Lawrence Riley. This role was reprised by Mae West in the classic film, Go West, Young Man, which West adapted from the play. In 1936 George was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Valiant Is the Word for Carrie.[4]

George's Broadway credits include The Distant City, Lady in Waiting, and The Betrothal.[5]

Her only other first billed roles were in Madame X (1937) and Love is a Headache.[6] She also appeared in The Roaring Twenties (1939), The Way of All Flesh (1940), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and He Ran All the Way (1951). She played the widow of Miles Archer (Iva Archer) in The Maltese Falcon and Mme. Du Barry in Marie Antoinette.

Her last successful roles were as Lute Mae Sanders in Flamingo Road, her brief appearance as the corrupt nurse Miss Hatch in Detective Story, and Lullaby of Broadway as the alcoholic mother of Doris Day's wholesome character.

Personal life

Gladys George was married and divorced four times.

  • On March 31, 1922, she and actor Ben Erway eloped and were married by a judge in Oakland, California.[7] "They were remarried in San Luis Obispo August 3 of the same year. They separated September 14, 1930."[8] The couple divorced in October 1930.[9]
  • Her second husband was millionaire paper manufacturer Edward Fowler, who walked out in 1933 after finding the actress in the arms of her leading man, Leonard Penn. At the time George was playing a nymphomaniacal star in the Broadway hit Personal Appearance.[10]
  • George and actor Leonard Penn were married in a probate court in New Haven, Connecticut, September 19, 1935.[11]
  • Her last husband Kenneth Bradley, whom she married when she was 46, was a hotel bellboy 20 years her junior.[12]

Health

George was afflicted with numerous ailments, including throat cancer, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.[12] She died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, aged 50, and was interred in the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.

Selected filmography

Film
Film Role Date Notes
Red Hot DollarsJanet Muir1919film debut
The Woman in the SuitcaseEthel1920
Below the SurfaceAlice1920
Homespun FolksBeulah Rogers1920
The Easy RoadIsabel Grace1921
ChickensJulia Stoneman1921
The House that Jazz BuiltLila Drake1921
Straight Is the WayShirley1934
Valiant Is the Word for CarrieCarrie Snyder1936Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Only Academy Award for which Gladys George was ever nominated.
They Gave Him a GunRose Duffy1937Co-starred with Spencer Tracy.
Madame XMadame X/Jacqueline Fleuriot/Miss Pran1937Only film starring Gladys George to have been released on VHS.
Love Is a HeadacheCarlotta 'Charlie' Lee1938
Marie AntoinetteMadame du Barry1938First time Gladys George portrayed a historical figure. First supporting role since Oscar nomination.
I'm from MissouriJulie Bliss1939
Here I Am a StrangerClara Paulding1939
The Roaring TwentiesPanama Smith1939James Cagney film with one of many substantial early supporting roles for Humphrey Bogart.
A Child Is BornFlorette Laverne1939
The House Across the BayMary Bogel1940
The Maltese FalconIva Archer1941
The Crystal BallMadame Zenobia1943
The Hard WayLily Emery1943
The Best Years of Our LivesHortense Derry1946
Millie's DaughterMillie Maitland1947
Flamingo RoadLute Mae Sanders1949
He Ran All the WayMrs. Robey1951
Lullaby of BroadwayJessica Howard1951

References

  1. 1 2 "Family Tree Legends". Retrieved December 1, 2014. lists Gladys Clare Evans born September 13, 1904, Maine - died December 8, 1954, Los Angeles, California.
  2. 1 2 "Gladys George Made Her Hit, Had to Run". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. May 12, 1940. p. 47. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Tildesley, Alice L. (November 8, 1936). "Are You a "Yes-Woman"?". The Charleston Daily Mail. West Virginia, Charleston. p. 76. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Gladys George". Academy Awards. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "We found 141 results for "Gladys George"". Playbill. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Profile, imdb.com; accessed December 1, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ben Erway, Oakland Actor, And Gladys George Are Wed". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. April 1, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Utah Actress Asks Divorce". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. September 20, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Star Divorced". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. October 8, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Must Wait 3 Years to Wed in N.Y." The Milwaukee Sentinel. Wisconsin, Milwaukee. August 27, 1935. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Gladys George Marries Actor Named in Suit". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. September 19, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 TCM
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