George Eldredge
| George Eldredge | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 10, 1898 San Francisco, California, USA |
| Died |
March 12, 1977 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Other names |
Geo. Eldredge George Eldridge |
| Years active | 1930s–1960s |
George Eldredge (September 10, 1898 – March 12, 1977) was an American character actor. Although he never became a major performer, Eldredge played in over 180 movies during a career that stretched from the 1930s to the early 1960s. He also had a prolific television career during the '50's. He was the older brother of character actor John Dornin Eldredge.
Biography
Early life
Eldredge was born George Edwin Eldredge in San Francisco, California. His father, Rev. George Granville Eldredge (1870- ?? ), was a Presbyterian minister in San Francisco.[1] His mother was Julia Dornin Eldredge (1867–1959), the daughter of George D. Dornin, a California legislator and noted Daguerrotypist, and Sarah Baldwin Dornin. In 1922, he married Phyllis Harms, and they had two children, George Granville Eldredge (1924–1998) and Helene Eldredge (1931-).
He was a photographer for the Berkeley, California Police Department, and prior to embarking on a film career, auditioned for and performed with the San Francisco Opera Company for two seasons in various supporting roles as a baritone.
Film career
Between 1936 and 1963 Eldredge appeared in 182 films beginning with his role as an English spy in Till We Meet Again. He was typically cast as authority figures such as army generals (The Rookie), doctors (Riders to the Stars), and innumerable police officers. However Eldredge sometimes was cast against type, as in his role as the traitorous Dr. Tobor in the ‘B’ Movie, Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere.
Arguably his best known film role came in the 1945 cult exploitation film Mom and Dad where Eldredge portrayed Dan Blake, the father of a teenage girl who accidentally becomes pregnant because her parents withhold knowledge about sex from her. Although the mores of the time prevented most advertising for this film, it still became the number two moneymaker for 1945.[2] In 2005 it received a National Film Preservation award from the Library of Congress.[3]
Throughout the 1950s Eldredge also had a prolific television career, appearing on such programs as Peter Gunn, The Adventures of Superman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Perry Mason. He had a recurring role as Dr. Spaulding in all three Spin and Marty series, featured on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club[4] and was seen repeatedly on Bat Masterson.
Eldredge also appeared as a Chamberlain in Demetrius and the Gladiators, which was a sequel to 20th Century Fox's biblical epic, The Robe.
Although he worked steadily for several decades George Eldredge never became a major star. Many of his roles were small and his name was often unlisted in the credits of the films he played in. His final role was an uncredited part in the 1963 film Johnny Cool.