GA
Gertrude Astor
Actor
Died November 9, 1977 (90 years)
From Wikipedia
Gertrude Astor (November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.
Born in Lakewood, Ohio as a member of the Astor family and of German descent, Astor joined a woman's band as a trombone player and toured the states. In New York she left the band to obtain film work and got a job as an extra before her career took off. Astor was a prolific performer, between 1915 and 1962 she appeared in over 250 movies. Her first known credit is in a Biograph short in 1915. She then became a contract player at Universal. A tall, angular and beautiful woman, Astor frequently towered over the leading men of the era; thus, she was most frequently utilized in comedy roles as aristocrats, golddiggers and "heroine's best pal".
Her best-known silent appearances were as the visiting stage star in Stage Struck (1925) with Gloria Swanson, as the vamp who plants stolen money on Harry Langdon in The Strong Man (1926), and as Laura LaPlante's wisecracking travelling companion in The Cat and the Canary (1927).
Astor worked prolifically at Hal Roach studios with such headliners as Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, and especially Charley Chase. She was also kept busy at Columbia Pictures' short subjects unit.
She continued to play bits in feature films throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. She was briefly glimpsed as the first murder victim in the Sherlock Holmes adventure The Scarlet Claw and was among the ranks of dress extras in 1956's Around the World in Eighty Days. Her last appearance was in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
In her later years, Astor was a welcome guest at several Sons of the Desert gatherings, and became an honorary member of the Way Out West tent.
She died in Woodland Hills, California from a stroke. She is interred in the Abbey of Psalms in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.
Filmography
| 1965 | The Sound of Music · as Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1965 | My Mother the Car (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1964 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown · as Denver Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance · as Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1962 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse · as Woman at Auction |
| 1962 | Hands of a Stranger · as Nagging Wife |
| 1961 | Two Rode Together · as Mrs. Wringle |
| 1961 | The Devil's Hand · as The Elderly Cultist |
| 1961 | All in a Night's Work · as Customer (uncredited) |
| 1960 | Sergeant Rutledge · as Courtroom Spectator |
| 1960 | Thriller (TV Series) · as Party Guest |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers · as Townswoman |
| 1959 | The Tingler · as Member of Silent Movie Audience |
| 1959 | The Best of Everything · as Unknown |
| 1959 | The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Juror |
| 1958 | Rescue 8 (TV Series) · as Nurse |
| 1957 | The Oklahoman · as Townswoman Gossip |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) · as Wife |
| 1956 | The Searchers · as Wedding Guest |
| 1956 | Westward Ho, the Wagons! · as Wagon Woman |
| 1956 | Around the World in 80 Days · as Extra (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Untamed · as Ball Guest |
| 1955 | Daddy Long Legs · as Art Gallery Patron (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Artists and Models · as Dancer |
| 1955 | The Virgin Queen · as Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Group |
| 1955 | Lady Godiva of Coventry · as Townswoman |
| 1955 | Wichita · as Saloon Madam |
| 1955 | Ain't Misbehavin' · as Dowager at Meeting |
| 1954 | A Star Is Born · as Racetrack Spectator |
| 1954 | Deep in My Heart · as Dorothy's Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Scared Stiff · as Man with Spaghetti's Wife (uncredited) |
| 1953 | The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms · as Screaming Woman |
| 1952 | Angel Face · as Matron |
| 1952 | Scandal Sheet · as Neighbor (uncredited) |
| 1952 | The Old West · as Townswoman |
| 1952 | The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (TV Series) · as Matron |
| 1951 | A Place in the Sun · as Bit Part (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Thunder on the Hill · as Village Woman (uncredited) |
| 1951 | The Redhead and the Cowboy · as Goldie |
| 1951 | When Worlds Collide · as Traveler (uncredited) |
| 1951 | I Love Lucy (TV Series) · as Showgirl #4 |
| 1950 | Sunset Blvd. · as Courtier (uncredited) |
| 1950 | All About Eve · as Sarah Siddons Awards Guest |
| 1950 | Harvey · as Party Guest |
| 1950 | Caged · as Unknown |
| 1950 | Montana · as Townsoman |
| 1950 | The Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) · as Member of the Jury |
| 1950 | Racket Squad (TV Series) · as Mrs. Payson |
| 1949 | |
| 1949 | The File on Thelma Jordon · as Juror (Uncredited) |
| 1949 | Jolson Sings Again · as actor |
| 1949 | The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend · as Townswoman |
| 1949 | The Story of Seabiscuit · as Oscar's Wife |
| 1949 | Down Dakota Way · as Bus Passenger |
| 1948 | My Dear Secretary · as Miss Gee |
| 1948 | 3 Godfathers · as Saloon Girl (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Sitting Pretty · as Townswoman |
| 1948 | Here Comes Trouble · as Woman with Dog |
| 1947 | Monsieur Verdoux · as Garden Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Fun on a Weekend · as Party Guest (Uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Best Years of Our Lives · as Wedding Guest |
| 1945 | Leave Her to Heaven · as Prison Matron (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Wonder Man · as Assistant District Attorney's Wife |
| 1945 | Rhapsody in Blue · as Concert Spectator |
| 1945 | Allotment Wives · as Marilyn |
| 1945 | Dick Tracy · as Woman |
| 1944 | The Scarlet Claw · as Lady Lillian Gentry Penrose |
| 1944 | Lights of Old Santa Fe · as Medley Market Show Spectator |
| 1943 | The Kansan · as Blonde Townswoman |
| 1943 | |
| 1943 | The Woman of the Town · as Townswoman |
| 1942 | Lady for a Night · as Woman |
| 1942 | Lost Canyon · as Mrs. Anson |
| 1942 | Rough on Rents · as Miss Finch, Landlady |
| 1941 | The Wolf Man · as Townswoman |
| 1941 | How Green Was My Valley · as Bit Part |
| 1940 | Young Tom Edison · as Train Passenger |
| 1940 | The Doctor Takes a Wife · as Extra |
| 1940 | Misbehaving Husbands · as Gossiping Friend |
| 1939 | The Women · as Mud Bath Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1937 | All Over Town · as Mamie |
| 1936 | The Milky Way · as Party Guest |
| 1936 | The Great Ziegfeld · as Sassy Blonde Anna Held Audience Member |
| 1936 | San Francisco · as Drunk's Girl (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Our Relations · as Pirate's Club Customer |
| 1936 | Great Guy · as Party Guest (Uncredited) |
| 1936 | Postal Inspector · as Woman with Drumsticks |
| 1936 | Straight from the Shoulder · as actor |
| 1935 | Broadway Melody of 1936 · as Actress in Bob Gordon's Waiting Room |
| 1935 | Honeymoon Limited · as Lady Devonshire |
| 1935 | Northern Frontier · as Mae |
| 1933 | Carnival Lady · as Zandra, Fortune Teller |
| 1932 | Frisco Jenny · as Miss Beulah |
| 1932 | They Never Come Back · as Kate |
| 1931 | Come Clean · as Mrs. Hardy |
| 1930 | Be Yourself! · as Lillian |
| 1930 | The Doctor's Wife · as The Vampire |
| 1930 | Over the Radio · as actor |
| 1929 | Untamed · as Mrs. Mason |
| 1928 | A Woman of Affairs · as Party Guest (Uncredited) |
| 1928 | The Butter and Egg Man · as Fanny Lehman |
| 1928 | The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris · as Paulette |
| 1927 | The Cat and the Canary · as Cecily |
| 1927 | Uncle Tom's Cabin · as Mrs. St. Clare |
| 1927 | The Small Bachelor · as Fanny |
| 1927 | The Irresistible Lover · as Dolly Carleton |
| 1926 | The Strong Man · as Lily de Broadway |
| 1926 | Behind the Front · as French barmaid |
| 1925 | Stage Struck · as Lillian Lyons |
| 1923 | The Ne'er-Do-Well · as Edith Cortlandt |
| 1922 | Beyond the Rocks · as Morella Winmarleigh |
| 1921 | Through the Back Door · as Louise Reeves |