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Born · December 20, 1869
Died · February 2, 1956 (86 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Xenia, Ohio, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Ellsworth Grapewin (December 20, 1869 – February 2, 1956) was an American vaudeville performer, writer and a stage and silent and sound actor, and comedian who was best known for portraying Aunt Em's husband, Uncle Henry in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz (1939) as well as Grandpa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Jeeter Lester in Tobacco Road (1941). He usually portrayed elderly folksy-type characters in a rustic setting, in all appearing in over 100 films. He was the oldest cast member of The Wizard of Oz. Born in Xenia, Ohio, Charles Ellsworth Grapewin ran away from home to be a circus acrobat which led him to work as an aerialist and trapeze artist in a traveling circus before turning to acting. He traveled all over the world with the famous P. T. Barnum circus. Grapewin also appeared in the original 1903 Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz, 36 years before he would appear in the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version. After this he continued in theatre, on and offstage, for the next thirty years, starting with various stock companies, and wrote stage plays as a vehicle for himself. His sole Broadway theatre credit was the short-lived play It's Up to You John Henry in 1905. Grapewin married actress Anna Chance (1875–1943) in 1896, and they remained a devoted couple until her death some 47 years later. Two years after his first wife's death, Grapewin married Loretta McGowan Becker on Jan 10, 1945. Grapewin began in silent films at the turn of the twentieth century. His very first films were two "moving image shorts" made by Frederick S. Armitage and released in November 1900; Chimmie Hicks at the Races (also known as Above the Limit) and Chimmie Hicks and the Rum Omelet, both shot in September and October 1900 and released in November of that year. During his long career, Grapewin appeared in more than one hundred films, including The Good Earth, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, and in what is probably his best-remembered role: Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz. He also had a recurring role as Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen film series of the early 1940s. Grapewin died of natural causes in Corona, California at age 86, and his ashes are interred with his wife's in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, at the Great Mausoleum's Columbarium of Inspiration.
Uncle Henry (archive footage)
8.0
2000
Uncle Henry (archive footage)
0.0
1995
(archive footage)
10.0
1984
(archive footage)
6.9
1976
Mr. Bane in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage) (uncredited)
6.3
1964
Grandpa Reed
6.5
1951
Doug
4.5
1949
Grandpa
0.0
1948
Rancher Inskip
5.5
1947
Jake Taylor
5.0
1944
Benjamin L. Pidgeon, Bellboy
6.3
1944
Nick West
5.3
1944
Pop
6.2
1943
Inspector Richard Queen
5.5
1942
Insp. Queen
5.7
1942
Insp. Queen
5.2
1942
California Joe
6.6
1941
Insp. Queen
5.7
1941
Insp. Queen
5.8
1941
Insp. Queen
5.3
1941
Jeeter Lester
6.6
1941
Ben Caldwalder
5.5
1940
Insp. Queen
5.7
1940
Uncle Caleb
7.0
1940
Mr. Whimser
4.8
1940
Judge Emmett T. Brennan
6.8
1940
Grandpa Joad
7.8
1940
Major Matt Grayson
7.0
1939
Uncle Frank "Lucky" Higgins
0.0
1939
Pop
6.2
1939
Uncle Henry
7.6
1939
Ulysses Porterfield
5.0
1939
Grandpa Casey Patterson
5.0
1939
Doc Heath
5.0
1939
'Old Puff'
5.8
1939
James Harper
4.0
1938
Joe Higgins
6.3
1938
Grandpa Briggs
4.2
1938
Local Doctor
7.2
1938
Uncle Davy
4.6
1938
Jim Meeker
5.8
1938
Barney Lane
6.0
1937
Robert, the Mayor
7.4
1937
Dan Gray
6.0
1937
James K. Blakeley
6.2
1937
Dr. Webster
5.5
1937
Uncle Salters
7.4
1937
Old Father
6.3
1937
Frank Redmond
5.9
1937
Self
0.0
1936
Aaron Lampier
4.8
1936
J.P. Kendrick
6.0
1936
Hollis Bane
7.3
1936
Dr. Ned Fabre
6.2
1936
Cal Royster
5.8
1936
Gramp Maple
7.1
1936
Dave McComber
6.3
1935
Prof. Martin
4.8
1935
Uncle Winchester
0.0
1935
J. A. Lamb
6.7
1935
Truesdale
7.0
1935
Jasper Whyte
5.5
1935
Will Oliver
8.0
1935
Grayson
6.0
1935
Pop Sullivan
1.0
1935
Notary
5.0
1934
Dr. Tatum
5.7
1934
Richard Norton
7.0
1934
Sergeant Jimmy Bagby
6.5
1934
Jessup
6.0
1934
Pop Calloway
0.0
1934
Joe Olesen
3.5
1934
Ed Tilford
0.0
1934
Sandy Roberts
7.0
1934
Peck Wealin
0.0
1933
Drunk at Hamburger Stand (Uncredited)
6.3
1933
Mr. Cadman (uncredited)
6.8
1933
Andrew 'Juddy' Judson
5.2
1933
Freddy Gordon
7.0
1933
Dr. Henderson (uncredited)
5.1
1933
Dad Saunders
6.7
1933
Clerk
6.9
1933
Patrick McCaffrey
0.0
1933
Pa Dennis
7.0
1933
Schultz
5.5
1933
Jed
6.0
1933
George, a Concessions Clerk
6.5
1932
Sam Bass
0.0
1932
"Grandpop" Strawn (as Charles Grapewin)
7.0
1932
Mr. Jones (uncredited)
7.1
1932
Senator Simmons (uncredited)
6.5
1932
Andy
0.0
1932
Doctor (uncredited)
6.6
1932
Pierce
5.0
1932
Pop Baldwin
3.5
1932
Henry Clark
5.3
1932
Professor
0.0
1931
Doc Boax
3.0
1931
Nicholas Hautrey
3.0
1931
Ed Powers
7.5
1931
Simeon Tanner
5.5
1930
Chimmie Hicks
4.3
1900