Gertrude Astor
Born
November 9, 1887
Died
November 9, 1977 (90 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Lakewood, Ohio, USA
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
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Townswoman
1966
My Mother the Car
(1 episode)
1965
The Sound of Music
Party Guest (uncredited)
1965
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Denver Party Guest (uncredited)
1964
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Townswoman (uncredited)
1962
The Devil's Hand
The Elderly Cultist
1961
Two Rode Together
Mrs. Wringle (uncredited)
1961
All in a Night's Work
Customer (uncredited)
1961
Sergeant Rutledge
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
1960
The Best of Everything
Leading Woman in Play (uncredited)
1959
The Tingler
Member of Silent Movie Audience (uncredited)
1959
The Horse Soldiers
Townswoman (uncredited)
1959
The Female Animal
Actress on Movie Set (uncredited)
1958
My Man Godfrey
Party Guest (uncredited)
1957
Around the World in Eighty Days
Extra (uncredited)
1956
The Virgin Queen
Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Group
1955
Wichita
Saloon Madam (uncredited)
1955
Daddy Long Legs
Art Gallery Patron (uncredited)
1955
Deep in My Heart
Dorothy's Nurse (uncredited)
1954
A Star Is Born
Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
1954
Scared Stiff
Man with Spaghetti's Wife (uncredited)
1953
Angel Face
Matron (uncredited)
1953
The Old West
Townswoman (uncredited)
1952
The Merry Widow
Reception Guest (uncredited)
1952
Paula
Mrs. Brown (uncredited)
1952
Fort Osage
Townswoman (uncredited)
1952
Scandal Sheet
Neighbor (uncredited)
1952
Thunder on the Hill
Village Woman (uncredited)
1951
I Love Lucy
Showgirl #4 · (1 episode)
1951
When Worlds Collide
Traveler (uncredited)
1951
A Place in the Sun
Bit Part (uncredited)
1951
Apache Drums
Townswoman (uncredited)
1951
All About Eve
Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
1950
Again Pioneers
Mrs. Jans
1950
Bunco Squad
Club Patron (uncredited)
1950
Sunset Boulevard
Courtier (uncredited)
1950
Caged
Inmate (uncredited)
1950
Woman in Hiding
Woman in Drugstore (uncredited)
1950
The File on Thelma Jordon
Juror (Uncredited)
1949
The Doolins of Oklahoma
Saloon Girl (uncredited)
1949
3 Godfathers
Saloon Girl (uncredited)
1948
My Dear Secretary
Miss Gee (uncredited)
1948
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
Mrs. Howard
1948
Music Man
1948
Here Comes Trouble
Woman with Dog (uncredited)
1948
Sitting Pretty
Townswoman (uncredited)
1948
Monsieur Verdoux
Garden Party Guest (uncredited)
1947
Fun on a Weekend
Party Guest (Uncredited)
1947
The Best Years of Our Lives
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
1946
Calcutta
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
1946
Sister Kenny
Doctor (uncredited)
1946
Crack-Up
Nagging Wife on Train (Uncredited)
1946
Dragonwyck
Nurse (uncredited)
1946
Leave Her to Heaven
Prison Matron (uncredited)
1945
Dick Tracy
Woman (uncredited)
1945
An Angel Comes To Brooklyn
Eva Tanguay (uncredited)
1945
Girls of the Big House
Railroad Matron
1945
Swingin' on a Rainbow
Bit Part (uncredited)
1945
The Climax
Woman in Audience Behind Franz (Uncredited)
1944
The Scarlet Claw
1944
Weird Woman
Party Guest (uncredited)
1944
The Kansan
Blonde Townswoman
1943
The Avenging Rider
Martha
1943
Idaho
Party Guest
1943
Lost Canyon
Mrs. Anson
1942
Moontide
Woman (uncredited)
1942
Reap the Wild Wind
Ball Guest (uncredited)
1942
Frisco Lil
1942
The Wolf Man
Townswoman (uncredited)
1941
Hold Back the Dawn
Young Woman in Bar (uncredited)
1941
Misbehaving Husbands
Gossiping Friend
1940
The Doctor Takes a Wife
Extra (uncredited)
1940
The Llano Kid
Saloon Hostess
1939
$1,000 a Touchdown
McGlen Wife (uncredited)
1939
Dust Be My Destiny
Dame (uncredited)
1939
The Women
Mud Bath Nurse (uncredited)
1939
Tassels in the Air
Louella Pindell (uncredited)
1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938
Woman (uncredited)
1938
Wells Fargo
Pioneer Woman
1937
All Over Town
Mamie
1937
Easy Living
Saleswoman (uncredited)
1937
Rich Relations
1937
Empty Saddles
Eloise Hayes
1936
Great Guy
Party Guest (Uncredited)
1936
Wives Never Know
Mrs. Merchant (uncredited)
1936
Postal Inspector
Woman with Drumsticks (uncredited)
1936
San Francisco
Drunk's Girl (uncredited)
1936
I Don't Remember
Sophie Glick
1935
Manhattan Monkey Business
Gwendolyn
1935
Bad Boy
1935
It's in the Air
(uncredited)
1935
Cappy Ricks Returns
Speaker (uncredited)
1935
Here Comes the Band
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
1935
Honeymoon Limited
Lady Devonshire
1935
No More Ladies
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
1935
Border Brigands
Big Six -Saloon Girl
1935
The Drunkard
Peggy
1935
Northern Frontier
Mae
1935
The Chases of Pimple Street
Gertrude Astor - Lucas' Fiancee (uncredited)
1934
Washee Ironee
Woman at Party
1934
Wedding Belles
1934
I'll Take Vanilla
Mom
1934
Guilty Parents
Marie
1934
Carnival Lady
Zandra, Fortune Teller
1933
Crook's Tour
Mrs Dorigan
1933
Ship of Wanted Men
Vera
1933
I Have Lived
Harriet Naisson
1933
The Plumber and the Lady
Mrs. Otto Mauser
1933
Wine, Women and Song
Jennie Tilson
1933
Flaming Gold
Escort Service Madam
1932
Western Limited
Mrs. Winters
1932
High Hats and Low Brows
Mrs. Billingsgate
1932
They Never Come Back
Kate
1932
While Paris Sleeps
1932
In Walked Charley
Gertrude Henderson
1932
Running Hollywood
Gertrude Astor
1932
Poker Widows
Mrs. Thomas Regan
1931
Come Clean
Mrs. Hardy
1931
Hell Bound
Rosie
1931
Live and Learn
Mrs. Brown
1930
Dames Ahoy
The Blonde
1930
Be Yourself!
Lillian
1930
Untamed
Mrs. Mason
1929
Frozen Justice
Moosehide Kate
1929
Twin Beds
Mrs. Solari
1929
The Fall of Eve
Mrs. Ford
1929
Two Weeks Off
Agnes
1929
The Fatal Warning
1929
Synthetic Sin
Sheila Kelly
1929
Chasing Husbands
1928
A Woman of Affairs
Party Guest (uncredited)
1928
The Butter and Egg Man
Fanny Lehman
1928
Five and Ten Cent Annie
Blonde
1928
The Family Group
1928
Rose-Marie
Wanda
1928
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
Paulette
1928
Oh, What a Man!
The Bandit
1927
Ginsberg the Great
Sappho
1927
The Small Bachelor
Fanny
1927
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Mrs. St. Clare (uncredited)
1927
The Cat and the Canary
Cecily
1927
The Taxi Dancer
Kitty Lane
1927
Lightning Lariats
Girl
1927
The Cheerful Fraud
Rose
1926
The Strong Man
Lily de Broadway
1926
The Country Beyond
Mrs. Andrews
1926
Tell 'Em Nothing
Mrs. Gladstone
1926
The Old Soak
Sylvia De Costa
1926
Don Juan's 3 Nights
Baroness von Minden
1926
The Boy Friend
Mrs. White
1926
Kiki
Paulette Mascar
1926
Wife Tamers
Mrs. Barry
1926
Dizzy Daddies
A Former Flame
1926
Behind the Front
French barmaid
1926
Ship of Souls
Doris Barnes
1925
Stage Struck
Lillian Lyons
1925
Satan in Sables
Dolores Sierra
1925
Borrowed Finery
Maisie
1925
Kentucky Pride
Mrs. Beaumont
1925
The Charmer
Bertha Sedgwick
1925
The Reckless Sex
Lucile Dupré
1925
Laughing Ladies
The Married Man's Wife
1925
Robes of Sin
1924
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River
'Kansas' Lou
1924
The Silent Watcher
Mrs. Steele
1924
All's Swell on the Ocean
1924
The Torrent
The Cast-Off
1924
Broadway or Bust
Mrs. Dean Smythe
1924
Secrets
Mrs. Manwaring
1924
The Wanters
Mrs. Van Pelt
1923
Hollywood
Gertrude Astor
1923
Rupert of Hentzau
Paula
1923
The Ne'er-Do-Well
Edith Cortlandt
1923
The Ninety and Nine
Kate Van Dyke
1922
You Never Know
Miriam Folansbee
1922
The Kentucky Derby
Helen Gordon
1922
The Impossible Mrs. Bellew
Alice Granville
1922
Lorna Doone
Countess of Brandir (uncredited)
1922
Skin Deep
Mrs. Carlson
1922
Hurricane's Gal
Phyllis Fairfield
1922
Beyond the Rocks
Morella Winmarleigh
1922
Seeing's Believing
Aunt Sue
1922
The Wall Flower
Pamela Shiel
1922
Her Mad Bargain
Ruth Beresford
1921
Through The Back Door
Louise Reeves
1921
The Concert
Eva
1921
The Branding Iron
Betty Morena
1920
Occasionally Yours
Mona
1920
The Wicked Darling
Adele Hoyt
1919
Loot
Lady Gwendolyn
1919
The Delicious Little Devil
Auditioning Dancer (uncredited)
1919
What Am I Bid?
Diana Newlands
1919
The Brazen Beauty
Mrs. Augusta Van Ruysdael
1918
The Girl Who Wouldn't Quit
Stella Carter
1918
Bucking Broadway
Gladys (uncredited)
1917
The Lash of Power
Phyllis Ward
1917
The Price of a Good Time
Mis Schyler
1917
Bondage
Eugenia Darth
1917
The Girl Who Won Out
Mrs. Walsh
1917
Cheyenne's Pal
Dancehall girl
1917
The Rescue
Mrs. Hendricks
1917
The Little Orphan
Emmeline Warren
1917
Polly Redhead
Lady Caroline
1917
The Scarlet Crystal
Helen Forbes
1917
The Devil's Pay Day
Hazel Davidson
1917
Bombs and Banknotes
His Daughter
1917
Under Two Flags
Venetia
1915
Alice Adams
Mildred Palmer