
Gertrude Michael
Known for Acting · 62 credits
- Born
- 1911-06-01
- Died
- 1964-12-31
- Place of birth
- Talladega, Alabama, USA
- Also known as
- Lillian Gertrude Michael · Beck Michael
Biography
Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911, Talladega, Alabama – December 31, 1964, Beverly Hills, California) was an American film, stage and television actress.
Born as Lillian Gertrude Michael in Talladega, Alabama, she reportedly graduated from high school at the age of 14. She became a radio singer on the radio. She attended the University of Alabama and Converse College, Cincinnati. Her childhood home in Talladega, Alabama was destroyed by fire in 2007.
In 1929 in Cincinnati she made her stage debut in a stock company. She subsequently appeared on Broadway in Rachel Crothers' Caught Wet (1931). She entered the movies playing Richard Arlen's finaceé in Wayward (1932), but her best-remembered role is probably as Rita Ross in Murder at the Vanities (1934), one of the last pre-Code films, in which she sang an ode to marijuana (Sweet Marijuana).
She had an affair with writer Paul Cain (aka Peter Ruric).After they broke up, Cain wrote the role of the alcoholic lover (based on Michael) in his only novel published during his lifetime, Fast One.
Gertrude Michael died, aged 53, from undisclosed causes, in Beverly Hills, California.
Known For
TV Shows (8)

Perry Mason
1957
as Helen Rucker
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Fanny

Sea Hunt
1958

The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955

Cavalcade of America
1952
as Major Pauline Cushman

The Case of the Dangerous Robin
1960
as Kay Salisbury

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as The Duchess
Movies (54)

Caged
1950
as Georgia Harrison

Hidden Power
1939
as Virginia Garfield

Forgotten Faces
1936
as Cleo / Harry's wife

Cleopatra
1934
as Calpurnia

Father Brown, Detective
1934
as Evelyn Fischer

Flamingo Road
1949
as Millie

Menace
1934
as Helen Chalmers

Women's Prison
1955
as Chief Matron Sturgess

No Escape
1953
as Olga Valerie Lewis

The Notorious Sophie Lang
1934
as Sophie Lang

Ann Vickers
1933
as Mona Dolphin

I'm No Angel
1933
as Alicia Hatton

Bolero
1934
as Lady D'Argon

Murder at the Vanities
1934
as Rita Ross

Unashamed
1932
as Marjorie

Bugles in the Afternoon
1952
as May

Parole Fixer
1940
as Collette Menthe

Murder on the Blackboard
1934
as Jane Davis

Darling, How Could You!
1951
as Mrs. Rossiter

George White's Scandals
1934
as Miss Lee

The Farmer's Daughter
1940
as Clarice Sheldon

Where Are Your Children?
1943
as Nell Wilson

Cradle Song
1933
as Marcella

Four Hours to Kill!
1935
as Mrs. Sylvia Temple

Faces in the Fog
1944
as Nora Brooks

Night of Terror
1933
as Sarah Rinehart

Allotment Wives
1945
as Gladys Smith

Second Wife
1936
as Virginia Howard

A Bedtime Story
1933
as Louise
Behind Prison Walls
1943
as Elinor Cantwell

The Last Outpost
1935
as Rosemary Haydon

Woman Trap
1936
as Barbara 'Buff' Andrews

I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby
1940
as Magda Delys

The Witching Hour
1934
as Margaret Price

Club Havana
1945
as Hetty - Powder Room Attendant

The Return of Sophie Lang
1936
as Sophie Lang

Mr. Dodd Takes the Air
1937
as Jessica Stafford

Pound Foolish
1940
as Mrs. Irene Reynolds

Sophie Lang Goes West
1937
as Sophie Lang

Women in Bondage
1943
as District Director Schneider

I Believed in You
1934
as Pamela Banks

Hold That Girl
1934
as Dorothy Lamont

It Happened in New York
1935
as Vania Nardi

The Continental Twist
1961
as Letitia Clunker

Wayward
1932
as Mary Morton

Till We Meet Again
1936
as Elsa Duranyi

Slightly Tempted
1940
as Duchess

Make Way for a Lady
1936
as Miss Eleanor Emerson

Prisoner of Japan
1942
as Toni Chase
Three's a Crowd
1945
as Sophie Whipple

Search for Beauty
1934
as Jean Strange

Sailor Be Good
1933
as Kay Whitney
Star of the Circus
1938
as Yester
Just like a Woman
1939
as Ann Heston
About Gertrude Michael
Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911, Talladega, Alabama – December 31, 1964, Beverly Hills, California) was an American film, stage and television actress. Born as Lillian Gertrude Michael in Talladega, Alabama, she reportedly graduated from high school at the age of 14. She became a radio singer on the radio. She attended the University of Alabama and Converse College, Cincinnati. Her childhood home in Talladega, Alabama was destroyed by fire in 2007. In 1929 in Cincinnati she made her stage debut in a stock company. She subsequently appeared on B… With 62 credits spanning from 1932 to 1961, Gertrude Michael has appeared in 54 films and 8 TV shows.
Fans searching for Gertrude Michael movies, Gertrude Michael filmography, or the latest projects starring Gertrude Michael can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Gertrude Michael Movies
- Caged (1950) — as Georgia Harrison
- Hidden Power (1939) — as Virginia Garfield
- Forgotten Faces (1936) — as Cleo / Harry's wife
- Cleopatra (1934) — as Calpurnia
- Father Brown, Detective (1934) — as Evelyn Fischer
Where to Watch Gertrude Michael Films
Most Gertrude Michael movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Gertrude Michael, check our movies catalogue and browse page.