Claude Gillingwater
Known for Acting · 89 credits
- Born
- 1870-08-01
- Died
- 1939-11-02
- Place of birth
- Louisiana, Missouri, USA
- Also known as
- Claude Benton Gillingwater · Claude Gillingwater Sr.
Biography
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
Movies (89)
Skyway
1933
as John Beaumont
Conquest
1937
as Stephan
A Tale of Two Cities
1935
as Jarvis Lorry
Unknown Blonde
1934
as Papa Van Brunt, Sr.
The Prisoner of Shark Island
1936
as Colonel Dyer
Mississippi
1935
as General Rumford
Oh Kay!
1928
as Judge Appleton
Illicit
1931
as Richard Ives Sr.
Barbed Wire
1927
as Jean Moreau
There Goes My Heart
1938
as Cyrus W. Butterfield
The Woman in Red
1935
as Grandpa Wyatt
Little Miss Broadway
1938
as Judge
I Loved a Woman
1933
as Banker (uncredited)
The Captain Hates the Sea
1934
as Judge Griswold
Poor Little Rich Girl
1936
as Simon Peck
Wives Never Know
1936
as Mr. Gossamer
Souls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actor (uncredited)
Cafe Society
1939
as Old Christopher West
Kiss Me Again
1931
as Count de St. Cyr
Gold Dust Gertie
1931
as John Aberdeen Arnold
Counterfeit
1936
as Tom Perkins
Glad Rag Doll
1929
as Sam Underlane
Ticket to Paradise
1936
as Robert Forbes
Stark Mad
1929
as James Rutherford - Expedition Leader
Ann Carver's Profession
1933
as Bingham
Strange Wives
1934
as Guggins
The Wide Open Spaces
1931
as Judge
Florida Special
1936
as Simeon Stafford
Seven Sinners
1925
as Pious Joe McDowell
Baby Face Harrington
1935
as Colton
Before Midnight
1933
as John Fry
Together We Live
1935
as Dick
The Gorilla
1927
as Cyrus Townsend
Back Page
1933
as Sam Webster
A Yank at Oxford
1938
as Ben Dalton
Can This Be Dixie?
1936
as Col. Robert Peachtree
Little Lord Fauntleroy
1921
as Earl of Dorincourt
45 Minutes from Hollywood
1926
as Old Man in Hotel Bed (uncredited)
Into Her Kingdom
1926
as Ivan
Mexicali Rose
1929
as (uncredited)
The Strangers' Banquet
1922
as Uncle Sam
Winds of Chance
1925
as Tom Linton
Three Wise Fools
1923
as Theodore Findley
Tiger Rose
1923
as Hector McCollins
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 8: 'The Brassie'
1931
Green Eyes
1934
as Steven Kester
City Limits
1934
as Tom Oliver
You Can't Buy Everything
1934
as Asa Cabot - Banker
Tess of the Storm Country
1932
as Frederick Garfield Sr
The Christian
1923
as Lord Storm
The Avenger
1933
as Witt
Wages for Wives
1925
as Jim Bailey
Women They Talk About
1928
as Grandfather Mervin
My Boy
1921
as Captain Bill
That's My Baby
1926
as John Raynor
Remembrance
1922
as John P. Grout
We Moderns
1925
as Sir Robert Sundale
Idle Tongues
1924
as Judge Daniel Webster Copeland
Top of the Town
1937
as William Borden
Calm Yourself
1935
as Col. Allenby
Daddy Long Legs
1931
as Riggs
Dulcy
1923
as Mr. Forbes
Compromised
1931
as John Brock
Just Around the Corner
1938
as Samuel G. Henshaw
Running Hollywood
1932
as Claude Gillingwater
Alice Adams
1923
as Virgil Adams
The Flirting Widow
1930
as Faraday
The Show-Off
1934
as J.B. Preston
In Love with Life
1934
as Morley
Stolen Kisses
1929
as H.A. Lambert Sr.
Madonna of the Streets
1924
as Lord Patrington
A Thief in Paradise
1925
as Noel Jardine
Cheaper to Marry
1925
as Riddle
The Great Divide
1929
as Winthrop Amesbury
The Conquering Horde
1931
as Jim Nabours
Daddies
1924
as James Crockett
How to Educate a Wife
1924
as Henry Bancks
Smiling Irish Eyes
1929
as Michael O'Connor
So Long Letty
1929
as Uncle Claude Davis
Fast and Furious
1927
as Smithfield
Dumb-bells in Ermine
1930
as Uncle Roger
A Chapter in Her Life
1923
as Mr. Everingham
Fools First
1922
as Denton Drew
Wild Primrose
1918
as Standish
Crinoline and Romance
1923
as Col. Charles E. Cavanaugh
The Dust Flower
1922
Husbands for Rent
1927
as Sir Reginald Knight
Naughty But Nice
1927
as Judge J. R. Altewood
For Wives Only
1926
as Professor von Waldstein
About 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… With 89 credits spanning from 1918 to 1939, Claude Gillingwater has appeared in 89 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for Claude Gillingwater movies, Claude Gillingwater filmography, or the latest projects starring Claude Gillingwater can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Claude Gillingwater Movies
- Skyway (1933) — as John Beaumont
- Conquest (1937) — as Stephan
- A Tale of Two Cities (1935) — as Jarvis Lorry
- Unknown Blonde (1934) — as Papa Van Brunt, Sr.
- The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) — as Colonel Dyer
Where to Watch Claude Gillingwater Films
Most Claude Gillingwater 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 Claude Gillingwater, check our movies catalogue and browse page.