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	Acting
Most Rating	1.19
Birthday	1870-08-01
Place of Birth	Louisiana, Missouri, USA
Also Known As	Claude Benton Gillingwater, Claude Gillingwater Sr.,

Conquest

That's My Baby

Just Around the Corner

Fools First

Together We Live

There Goes My Heart

My Boy

Stark Mad

The Prisoner of Shark Island

Green Eyes

I Loved a Woman

Illicit

The Great Divide

Mississippi

So Long Letty

Before Midnight

Little Lord Fauntleroy

In Love with Life

Back Page

Ticket to Paradise

Gold Dust Gertie

Ann Carver's Profession

Winds of Chance

Dumb-bells in Ermine

The Flirting Widow

Daddy Long Legs

Running Hollywood

Little Miss Broadway

Tess of the Storm Country

Kiss Me Again

Daddies

Calm Yourself

The Wide Open Spaces

Baby Face Harrington

The Captain Hates the Sea

Remembrance

The Christian

Skyway

A Thief in Paradise

Poor Little Rich Girl

Three Wise Fools

How to Educate a Wife

Strange Wives

Souls for Sale

The Strangers' Banquet

The Show-Off

City Limits

Cafe Society

Florida Special

A Yank at Oxford

45 Minutes from Hollywood

Mexicali Rose

Compromised

The Woman in Red

Counterfeit

Husbands for Rent

Barbed Wire

Unknown Blonde

Top of the Town

Tiger Rose

Seven Sinners

Naughty But Nice

We Moderns

Women They Talk About

Stolen Kisses

Glad Rag Doll

The Gorilla

The Avenger

You Can't Buy Everything

Crinoline and Romance

How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 8: 'The Brassie'

Oh Kay!

The Conquering Horde

Wives Never Know

A Chapter in Her Life

Into Her Kingdom

Madonna of the Streets

Cheaper to Marry

Fast and Furious

Dulcy