Gladys George

Gladys George
from the trailer for the film Marie Antoinette (1938)
Born	Gladys Clare Evans September 13, 1904 Patten, Maine, U.S.
Died	December 8, 1954 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cerebral hemorrhage
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1919–1954
Spouse(s)	Ben Erway (m. 1922-1930; divorced) Edward Fowler (m. 1933-1935; divorced) Leonard Penn (m. 1935-1944; divorced) Kenneth Bradley (m. 1946-1950; divorced)

Gladys George (September 13, 1904^[1] – December 8, 1954) was an American actress of stage and screen..

Early life

She was born as Gladys Clare Evans on September 13, 1904^[1] in Patten, Maine (Another source says Hatton, Maine;^[2] a third source says "Gladys was born in a little town in Missouri, where the troupe her parents belonged to happened to be stranded at the time.")^[3] to English parents. Her father was Sir Arthur Claire, "noted Shakespearean actor."^[2]

Career

George went on the stage at the age of 3^[3] and toured the United States, appearing with her parents. She starred on stage in the 1920s, although she had made several films in the early part of that decade. She starred in Personal Appearance, a comedy by Lawrence Riley. This role was reprised by Mae West in the classic film, Go West, Young Man, which West adapted from the play. In 1936 George was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Valiant Is the Word for Carrie.^[4]

George's Broadway credits include The Distant City, Lady in Waiting, and The Betrothal.^[5]

Her only other first billed roles were in Madame X (1937) and Love is a Headache.^[6] She also appeared in The Roaring Twenties (1939), The Way of All Flesh (1940), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and He Ran All the Way (1951). She played the widow of Miles Archer (Iva Archer) in The Maltese Falcon and Mme. Du Barry in Marie Antoinette.

Her last successful roles were as Lute Mae Sanders in Flamingo Road, her brief appearance as the corrupt nurse Miss Hatch in Detective Story, and Lullaby of Broadway as the alcoholic mother of Doris Day's wholesome character.

Personal life

Gladys George was married and divorced four times.

• On March 31, 1922, she and actor Ben Erway eloped and were married by a judge in Oakland, California.^[7] "They were remarried in San Luis Obispo August 3 of the same year. They separated September 14, 1930."^[8] The couple divorced in October 1930.^[9]
• Her second husband was millionaire paper manufacturer Edward Fowler, who walked out in 1933 after finding the actress in the arms of her leading man, Leonard Penn. At the time George was playing a nymphomaniacal star in the Broadway hit Personal Appearance.^[10]
• George and actor Leonard Penn were married in a probate court in New Haven, Connecticut, September 19, 1935.^[11]
• Her last husband Kenneth Bradley, whom she married when she was 46, was a hotel bellboy 20 years her junior.^[12]

Health

George was afflicted with numerous ailments, including throat cancer, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.^[13] She died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, aged 50, and was interred in the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.

Selected filmography

Film

Film	Role	Date	Notes
Red Hot Dollars	Janet Muir	1919	film debut
The Woman in the Suitcase	Ethel	1920
Below the Surface	Alice	1920
Homespun Folks	Beulah Rogers	1920
The Easy Road	Isabel Grace	1921
Chickens	Julia Stoneman	1921
The House that Jazz Built	Lila Drake	1921
Straight Is the Way	Shirley	1934
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie	Carrie Snyder	1936	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Only Academy Award for which Gladys George was ever nominated.
They Gave Him a Gun	Rose Duffy	1937	Co-starred with Spencer Tracy.
Madame X	Madame X/Jacqueline Fleuriot/Miss Pran	1937	Only film starring Gladys George to have been released on VHS.
Love Is a Headache	Carlotta 'Charlie' Lee	1938
Marie Antoinette	Madame du Barry	1938	First time Gladys George portrayed a historical figure. First supporting role since Oscar nomination.
I'm from Missouri	Julie Bliss	1939
Here I Am a Stranger	Clara Paulding	1939
The Roaring Twenties	Panama Smith	1939	Film contains one of the more substantial of Humphrey Bogart's early roles.
A Child Is Born	Florette Laverne	1939
The House Across the Bay	Mary Bogel	1940
The Maltese Falcon	Iva Archer	1941
The Crystal Ball	Madame Zenobia	1943
The Hard Way	Lily Emery	1943
The Best Years of Our Lives	Hortense Derry	1946
Flamingo Road	Lute Mae Sanders	1949
Lullaby of Broadway	Jessica Howard	1951

References

1. "Family Tree Legends". Retrieved December 1, 2014. lists Gladys Clare Evans born September 13, 1904, Maine - died December 8, 1954, Los Angeles, California.
2. "Gladys George Made Her Hit, Had to Run". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 12, 1940. p. 47. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Tildesley, Alice L. (November 8, 1936). "Are You a "Yes-Woman"?". West Virginia, Charleston. The Charleston Daily Mail. p. 76. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gladys George". Academy Awards. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
5. "We found 141 results for "Gladys George"". Playbill. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
6. Profile, imdb.com; accessed December 1, 2014.
7. "Ben Erway, Oakland Actor, And Gladys George Are Wed". California, Oakland. Oakland Tribune. April 1, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Utah Actress Asks Divorce". Utah, Ogden. The Ogden Standard-Examiner. September 20, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Star Divorced". California, Oakland. Oakland Tribune. October 8, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Must Wait 3 Years to Wed in N.Y.". Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Sentinel. August 27, 1935. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
11. "Gladys George Marries Actor Named in Suit". Utah, Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune. September 19, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Profile, findagrave.com; accessed December 1, 2014.
13. "Gladys George at Find a Grave". Retrieved December 1, 2014.

External links

• Gladys George at the Internet Movie Database
• Gladys George at the Internet Broadway Database

Gladys George at Find a Grave