Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
November 9, 1887
Place of Birth:
Lakewood, Ohio, USA
Social Media
Gertrude Astor
Biography
Gertrude Astor (Born Gertrude Eyster November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.
Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Astor at the age of 12 ran off and joined a woman's band as a trombone player and toured the states. In New York she left the band to obtain film work and got a job as an extra before her career took off. Astor was a prolific performer, between 1915 and 1962 she appeared in over 250 movies. Her first known credit is in a Biograph short in 1915. She then became a contract player at Universal. A tall, angular and beautiful woman, Astor frequently towered over the leading men of the era; thus, she was most frequently utilized in comedy roles as aristocrats, golddiggers and "heroine's best pal".
Her best-known silent appearances were as the visiting stage star in Stage Struck (1925) with Gloria Swanson, as the vamp who plants stolen money on Harry Langdon in The Strong Man (1926), and as Laura LaPlante's wisecracking travelling companion in The Cat and the Canary (1927).
Astor worked prolifically at Hal Roach studios with such headliners as Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, and especially Charley Chase. She was also kept busy at Columbia Pictures' short subjects unit.
She continued to play bits in feature films throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. She was briefly glimpsed as the first murder victim in the Sherlock Holmes adventure The Scarlet Claw and was among the ranks of dress extras in 1956's Around the World in Eighty Days. Her last appearance was in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
In her later years, Astor was a welcome guest at several Sons of the Desert gatherings, and became an honorary member of the Way Out West tent.
She died in Woodland Hills, California from a stroke. She is interred in the Abbey of Psalms in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter | Townswoman |
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1964 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | Denver Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1961 | The Devil's Hand | The Elderly Cultist |
| 1961 | All in a Night's Work | Customer (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Two Rode Together | Mrs. Wringle (uncredited) |
| 1960 | Sergeant Rutledge | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Best of Everything | Leading Woman in Play (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Tingler | Member of Silent Movie Audience (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1958 | The Female Animal | Actress on Movie Set (uncredited) |
| 1957 | My Man Godfrey | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1956 | Around the World in Eighty Days | Extra (uncredited) |
| 1955 | The Virgin Queen | Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Group |
| 1955 | Daddy Long Legs | Art Gallery Patron (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Wichita | Saloon Madam (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Deep in My Heart | Dorothy's Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1954 | A Star Is Born | Racetrack Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Angel Face | Matron (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Scared Stiff | Man with Spaghetti's Wife (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Fort Osage | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1952 | The Old West | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Scandal Sheet | Neighbor (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Paula | Mrs. Brown (uncredited) |
| 1952 | The Merry Widow | Reception Guest (uncredited) |
| 1951 | When Worlds Collide | Traveler (uncredited) |
| 1951 | A Place in the Sun | Bit Part (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Thunder on the Hill | Village Woman (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Apache Drums | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1950 | All About Eve | Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Again Pioneers | Mrs. Jans |
| 1950 | Woman in Hiding | Woman in Drugstore (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Sunset Boulevard | Courtier (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Bunco Squad | Club Patron (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Caged | Inmate (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The File on Thelma Jordon | Juror (Uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Doolins of Oklahoma | Saloon Girl (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Here Comes Trouble | Woman with Dog (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Sitting Pretty | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1948 | My Dear Secretary | Miss Gee (uncredited) |
| 1948 | 3 Godfathers | Saloon Girl (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Music Man | |
| 1948 | Joe Palooka in Winner Take All | Mrs. Howard |
| 1947 | Monsieur Verdoux | Garden Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Fun on a Weekend | Party Guest (Uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Best Years of Our Lives | Wedding Guest (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Dragonwyck | Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Calcutta | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Sister Kenny | Doctor (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Crack-Up | Nagging Wife on Train (Uncredited) |
| 1945 | An Angel Comes To Brooklyn | Eva Tanguay (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Girls of the Big House | Railroad Matron |
| 1945 | Leave Her to Heaven | Prison Matron (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Swingin' on a Rainbow | Bit Part (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Dick Tracy | Woman (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Scarlet Claw | |
| 1944 | The Climax | Woman in Audience Behind Franz (Uncredited) |
| 1944 | Weird Woman | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Idaho | Party Guest |
| 1943 | The Avenging Rider | Martha |
| 1943 | The Kansan | Blonde Townswoman |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Ball Guest (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Frisco Lil | |
| 1942 | Lost Canyon | Mrs. Anson |
| 1942 | Moontide | Woman (uncredited) |
| 1941 | The Wolf Man | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Hold Back the Dawn | Young Woman in Bar (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Misbehaving Husbands | Gossiping Friend |
| 1940 | The Doctor Takes a Wife | Extra (uncredited) |
| 1939 | The Llano Kid | Saloon Hostess |
| 1939 | The Women | Mud Bath Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Dust Be My Destiny | Dame (uncredited) |
| 1939 | $1,000 a Touchdown | McGlen Wife (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Big Broadcast of 1938 | Woman (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Tassels in the Air | Louella Pindell (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Easy Living | Saleswoman (uncredited) |
| 1937 | All Over Town | Mamie |
| 1937 | Rich Relations | |
| 1937 | Wells Fargo | Pioneer Woman |
| 1936 | Empty Saddles | Eloise Hayes |
| 1936 | Postal Inspector | Woman with Drumsticks (uncredited) |
| 1936 | San Francisco | Drunk's Girl (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Great Guy | Party Guest (Uncredited) |
| 1936 | Wives Never Know | Mrs. Merchant (uncredited) |
| 1935 | The Drunkard | Peggy |
| 1935 | I Don't Remember | Sophie Glick |
| 1935 | Here Comes the Band | Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Northern Frontier | Mae |
| 1935 | Cappy Ricks Returns | Speaker (uncredited) |
| 1935 | It's in the Air | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Border Brigands | Big Six -Saloon Girl |
| 1935 | Honeymoon Limited | Lady Devonshire |
| 1935 | No More Ladies | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Manhattan Monkey Business | Gwendolyn |
| 1935 | Bad Boy | |
| 1934 | The Chases of Pimple Street | Gertrude Astor - Lucas' Fiancee (uncredited) |
| 1934 | Wedding Belles | |
| 1934 | Guilty Parents | Marie |
| 1934 | I'll Take Vanilla | Mom |
| 1934 | Washee Ironee | Woman at Party |
| 1933 | Wine, Women and Song | Jennie Tilson |
| 1933 | The Plumber and the Lady | Mrs. Otto Mauser |
| 1933 | Carnival Lady | Zandra, Fortune Teller |
| 1933 | I Have Lived | Harriet Naisson |
| 1933 | Ship of Wanted Men | Vera |
| 1933 | Crook's Tour | Mrs Dorigan |
| 1932 | High Hats and Low Brows | Mrs. Billingsgate |
| 1932 | Running Hollywood | Gertrude Astor |
| 1932 | They Never Come Back | Kate |
| 1932 | In Walked Charley | Gertrude Henderson |
| 1932 | While Paris Sleeps | |
| 1932 | Western Limited | Mrs. Winters |
| 1932 | Flaming Gold | Escort Service Madam |
| 1931 | Come Clean | Mrs. Hardy |
| 1931 | Poker Widows | Mrs. Thomas Regan |
| 1931 | Hell Bound | Rosie |
| 1930 | Be Yourself! | Lillian |
| 1930 | Live and Learn | Mrs. Brown |
| 1930 | Dames Ahoy | The Blonde |
| 1929 | Frozen Justice | Moosehide Kate |
| 1929 | The Fatal Warning | |
| 1929 | Untamed | Mrs. Mason |
| 1929 | Synthetic Sin | Sheila Kelly |
| 1929 | Twin Beds | Mrs. Solari |
| 1929 | Two Weeks Off | Agnes |
| 1929 | The Fall of Eve | Mrs. Ford |
| 1928 | The Butter and Egg Man | Fanny Lehman |
| 1928 | The Family Group | |
| 1928 | Chasing Husbands | |
| 1928 | Five and Ten Cent Annie | Blonde |
| 1928 | A Woman of Affairs | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1928 | Rose-Marie | Wanda |
| 1928 | The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris | Paulette |
| 1927 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Mrs. St. Clare (uncredited) |
| 1927 | The Small Bachelor | Fanny |
| 1927 | The Cat and the Canary | Cecily |
| 1927 | Oh, What a Man! | The Bandit |
| 1927 | Ginsberg the Great | Sappho |
| 1927 | The Taxi Dancer | Kitty Lane |
| 1927 | Lightning Lariats | Girl |
| 1926 | The Old Soak | Sylvia De Costa |
| 1926 | The Strong Man | Lily de Broadway |
| 1926 | Don Juan's 3 Nights | Baroness von Minden |
| 1926 | Wife Tamers | Mrs. Barry |
| 1926 | Kiki | Paulette Mascar |
| 1926 | Dizzy Daddies | A Former Flame |
| 1926 | The Boy Friend | Mrs. White |
| 1926 | Behind the Front | French barmaid |
| 1926 | Tell 'Em Nothing | Mrs. Gladstone |
| 1926 | The Cheerful Fraud | Rose |
| 1926 | The Country Beyond | Mrs. Andrews |
| 1925 | Stage Struck | Lillian Lyons |
| 1925 | Kentucky Pride | Mrs. Beaumont |
| 1925 | The Charmer | Bertha Sedgwick |
| 1925 | The Reckless Sex | Lucile Dupré |
| 1925 | Satan in Sables | Dolores Sierra |
| 1925 | Laughing Ladies | The Married Man's Wife |
| 1925 | Borrowed Finery | Maisie |
| 1925 | Ship of Souls | Doris Barnes |
| 1924 | Broadway or Bust | Mrs. Dean Smythe |
| 1924 | The Ridin' Kid from Powder River | 'Kansas' Lou |
| 1924 | Secrets | Mrs. Manwaring |
| 1924 | The Torrent | The Cast-Off |
| 1924 | Robes of Sin | |
| 1924 | The Silent Watcher | Mrs. Steele |
| 1924 | All's Swell on the Ocean | |
| 1923 | Hollywood | Gertrude Astor |
| 1923 | The Wanters | Mrs. Van Pelt |
| 1923 | Rupert of Hentzau | Paula |
| 1923 | The Ne'er-Do-Well | Edith Cortlandt |
| 1923 | Alice Adams | Mildred Palmer |
| 1922 | The Ninety and Nine | Kate Van Dyke |
| 1922 | Skin Deep | Mrs. Carlson |
| 1922 | You Never Know | Miriam Folansbee |
| 1922 | Lorna Doone | Countess of Brandir (uncredited) |
| 1922 | The Kentucky Derby | Helen Gordon |
| 1922 | Beyond the Rocks | Morella Winmarleigh |
| 1922 | Hurricane's Gal | Phyllis Fairfield |
| 1922 | Seeing's Believing | Aunt Sue |
| 1922 | The Wall Flower | Pamela Shiel |
| 1922 | The Impossible Mrs. Bellew | Alice Granville |
| 1921 | Her Mad Bargain | Ruth Beresford |
| 1921 | Through The Back Door | Louise Reeves |
| 1921 | The Concert | Eva |
| 1920 | The Branding Iron | Betty Morena |
| 1920 | Occasionally Yours | Mona |
| 1919 | What Am I Bid? | Diana Newlands |
| 1919 | Loot | Lady Gwendolyn |
| 1919 | The Wicked Darling | Adele Hoyt |
| 1919 | The Delicious Little Devil | Auditioning Dancer (uncredited) |
| 1918 | The Brazen Beauty | Mrs. Augusta Van Ruysdael |
| 1918 | The Girl Who Wouldn't Quit | Stella Carter |
| 1917 | The Scarlet Crystal | Helen Forbes |
| 1917 | The Price of a Good Time | Mis Schyler |
| 1917 | The Lash of Power | Phyllis Ward |
| 1917 | The Girl Who Won Out | Mrs. Walsh |
| 1917 | Bombs and Banknotes | His Daughter |
| 1917 | Bucking Broadway | Gladys (uncredited) |
| 1917 | Cheyenne's Pal | Dancehall girl |
| 1917 | Polly Redhead | Lady Caroline |
| 1917 | Bondage | Eugenia Darth |
| 1917 | The Devil's Pay Day | Hazel Davidson |
| 1917 | The Rescue | Mrs. Hendricks |
| 1917 | The Little Orphan | Emmeline Warren |
| 1915 | Under Two Flags | Venetia |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | My Mother the Car | |
| 1951 | I Love Lucy | Showgirl #4 |