Claude Gillingwater
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)
Known for
ActingBirthday
August 1, 1870Deathday
November 2, 1939Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
81Place of birth
Louisiana, Missouri, USAAlso known as
Claude Benton Gillingwater, Claude Gillingwater Sr.Cast credits
Conquest
StephanJust Around the Corner
Samuel G. HenshawThere Goes My Heart
Cyrus W. ButterfieldMy Boy
Captain BillThe Prisoner of Shark Island
Colonel DyerGreen Eyes
Steven KesterIllicit
Richard Ives Sr.The Great Divide
Winthrop AmesburySo Long Letty
Uncle Claude DavisMississippi
Gen. RumfordIn Love with Life
MorleyBack Page
Sam WebsterTicket to Paradise
Robert ForbesAnn Carver's Profession
Judge BinghamWinds of Chance
Tom LintonThe Flirting Widow
FaradayGold Dust Gertie
John Aberdeen ArnoldDumb-bells in Ermine
Uncle RogerDaddy Long Legs
RiggsLittle Miss Broadway
JudgeTess of the Storm Country
Frederick Garfield Sr