Astor, Gertrude (1887–1977)

American actress. Born in Lakewood, Ohio, on November 9, 1887; died on her 90th birthday, on November 9, 1977.

Though she was usually cast as a vamp or the other woman, Gertrude Astor is also remembered for her brilliant comedic timing opposite Harry Langdon in The Strong Man, a 1926 silent film. Astor began her career as a stage actress at age 13, before joining Universal 14 years later, where she became one of the most popular leading ladies in that studio's silents. She worked with many directors, including George Cukor, Allan Dwan, and Henry Hathaway. Also a favorite of John Ford, Astor appeared in many of his films. At a studio luncheon in her honor in 1975, she reminisced about her years making over 300 movies. Her favorite, she noted, was Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927), though she paid heavily for getting the part. "The director [Harry Pollard] didn't want me, and he didn't like me," she cracked, "so he made me kneel for three weeks by the side of the girl's bed crying."

Her other films include The Devil's Pay Day (1917), Beyond the Rocks (1922), The Impossible Mrs. Bellew (1922), Flaming Youth (1923), Alice Adams (1923), The Torrent (1924), Stage Struck (1925), Ship of Souls (1925), The Boy Friend (1926), The Old Soak (1926), The Country Beyond (1926), Kiki (1926), The Taxi Dancer (1927), The Cat and the Canary (1927), Rose-Marie (1928), Untamed (1929), Come Clean (a short, in which she played the wife of Oliver Hardy, 1931), Western Unlimited (1932), Empty Saddles (1936), Hold Back the Dawn (1941), Father Makes Good (1950), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), All in a Night's Work (1961), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

sources:

Ragan, David. Who's Who in Hollywood: 1900–1976. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1976.