Claude Gillingwater

Acting

Born Aug 01, 1870

From Louisiana, Missouri, USA

Died Nov 02, 1939

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)

Claude Gillingwater

Known For

Ann Carver's Profession

Conquest

Poor Little Rich Girl

A Tale of Two Cities

I Loved a Woman

A Yank at Oxford

The Prisoner of Shark Island

There Goes My Heart

Mississippi

The Show-Off

Filmography — Acting

Ann Carver's Profession

Conquest

Poor Little Rich Girl

A Tale of Two Cities

I Loved a Woman

A Yank at Oxford

The Prisoner of Shark Island

There Goes My Heart

Mississippi

The Show-Off

Little Miss Broadway

Illicit

Baby Face Harrington

The Captain Hates the Sea

Compromised

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Running Hollywood

The Woman in Red

Glad Rag Doll

Tess of the Storm Country

Top of the Town

The Avenger

City Limits

Green Eyes

Stark Mad

Fast and Furious

Cafe Society

Kiss Me Again

Just Around the Corner

Before Midnight

Souls for Sale

Can This Be Dixie?

Madonna of the Streets

Tiger Rose

Oh Kay!

A Thief in Paradise

45 Minutes from Hollywood

Strange Wives

Ticket to Paradise

Florida Special

Skyway

The Christian

Together We Live

Wives Never Know

Back Page

Fools First

Remembrance

Unknown Blonde

Mexicali Rose

The Gorilla

Dulcy

The Dust Flower

Daddies

The Great Divide

The Conquering Horde

Into Her Kingdom

Winds of Chance

Three Wise Fools

You Can't Buy Everything

That's My Baby

Women They Talk About

Smiling Irish Eyes

We Moderns

Husbands for Rent

The Strangers' Banquet

In Love with Life

Daddy Long Legs