Gertrude Astor
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1887-11-09
Day of Death
1977-11-09 (90 years old)
Place of Birth
Lakewood, Ohio, USA
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
Acting
(1966)
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
as Townswoman
(1965)
The Sound of Music
as Party Guest (uncredited)
(1964)
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
as Denver Party Guest (uncredited)
(1962)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1961)
The Devil's Hand
as The Elderly Cultist
(1961)
Two Rode Together
as Mrs. Wringle (uncredited)
(1961)
All in a Night's Work
as Customer (uncredited)
(1960)
Sergeant Rutledge
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
(1959)
The Horse Soldiers
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1959)
The Tingler
as Member of Silent Movie Audience (uncredited)
(1959)
The Best of Everything
as Leading Woman in Play (uncredited)
(1958)
The Female Animal
as Actress on Movie Set (uncredited)
(1957)
My Man Godfrey
as Party Guest (uncredited)
(1956)
Around the World in Eighty Days
as Extra (uncredited)
(1955)
Daddy Long Legs
as Art Gallery Patron (uncredited)
(1955)
Wichita
as Saloon Madam (uncredited)
(1955)
The Virgin Queen
as Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Group
(1954)
A Star Is Born
as Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
(1954)
Deep in My Heart
as Dorothy's Nurse (uncredited)
(1953)
Angel Face
as Matron (uncredited)
(1953)
Scared Stiff
as Man with Spaghetti's Wife (uncredited)
(1952)
Scandal Sheet
as Neighbor (uncredited)
(1952)
The Merry Widow
as Reception Guest (uncredited)
(1952)
Fort Osage
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1952)
Paula
as Mrs. Brown (uncredited)
(1952)
The Old West
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1951)
A Place in the Sun
as Bit Part (uncredited)
(1951)
When Worlds Collide
as Traveler (uncredited)
(1951)
Thunder on the Hill
as Village Woman (uncredited)
(1951)
Apache Drums
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1950)
Sunset Boulevard
as Courtier (uncredited)
(1950)
All About Eve
as Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
(1950)
Caged
as Inmate (uncredited)
(1950)
Bunco Squad
as Club Patron (uncredited)
(1950)
Woman in Hiding
as Woman in Drugstore (uncredited)
(1950)
Again Pioneers
as Mrs. Jans
(1949)
The File on Thelma Jordon
as Juror (Uncredited)
(1949)
The Doolins of Oklahoma
as Saloon Girl (uncredited)
(1948)
My Dear Secretary
as Miss Gee (uncredited)
(1948)
3 Godfathers
as Saloon Girl (uncredited)
(1948)
Sitting Pretty
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1948)
Here Comes Trouble
as Woman with Dog (uncredited)
(1948)
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
as Mrs. Howard
(1948)
(1947)
Monsieur Verdoux
as Garden Party Guest (uncredited)
(1947)
Fun on a Weekend
as Party Guest (Uncredited)
(1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
(1946)
Dragonwyck
as Nurse (uncredited)
(1946)
Crack-Up
as Nagging Wife on Train (Uncredited)
(1946)
Calcutta
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
(1946)
Sister Kenny
as Doctor (uncredited)
(1945)
Leave Her to Heaven
as Prison Matron (uncredited)
(1945)
Dick Tracy
as Woman (uncredited)
(1945)
An Angel Comes To Brooklyn
as Eva Tanguay (uncredited)
(1945)
Swingin' on a Rainbow
as Bit Part (uncredited)
(1945)
Girls of the Big House
as Railroad Matron
(1944)
(1944)
The Climax
as Woman in Audience Behind Franz (Uncredited)
(1944)
Weird Woman
as Party Guest (uncredited)
(1943)
The Kansan
as Blonde Townswoman
(1943)
Idaho
as Party Guest
(1943)
The Avenging Rider
as Martha
(1942)
Reap the Wild Wind
as Ball Guest (uncredited)
(1942)
Moontide
as Woman (uncredited)
(1942)
Lost Canyon
as Mrs. Anson
(1942)
(1941)
The Wolf Man
as Townswoman (uncredited)
(1941)
Hold Back the Dawn
as Young Woman in Bar (uncredited)
(1940)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as Extra (uncredited)
(1940)
Misbehaving Husbands
as Gossiping Friend
(1939)
The Women
as Mud Bath Nurse (uncredited)
(1939)
Dust Be My Destiny
as Dame (uncredited)
(1939)
The Llano Kid
as Saloon Hostess
(1939)
$1,000 a Touchdown
as McGlen Wife (uncredited)
(1938)
Tassels in the Air
as Louella Pindell (uncredited)
(1938)
The Big Broadcast of 1938
as Woman (uncredited)
(1937)
Wells Fargo
as Pioneer Woman
(1937)
Easy Living
as Saleswoman (uncredited)
(1937)
(1937)
All Over Town
as Mamie
(1936)
San Francisco
as Drunk's Girl (uncredited)
(1936)
Great Guy
as Party Guest (Uncredited)
(1936)
Postal Inspector
as Woman with Drumsticks (uncredited)
(1936)
Empty Saddles
as Eloise Hayes
(1936)
Wives Never Know
as Mrs. Merchant (uncredited)
(1935)
It's in the Air
as (uncredited)
(1935)
Here Comes the Band
as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
(1935)
No More Ladies
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
(1935)
Cappy Ricks Returns
as Speaker (uncredited)
(1935)
Honeymoon Limited
as Lady Devonshire
(1935)
Northern Frontier
as Mae
(1935)
Border Brigands
as Big Six -Saloon Girl
(1935)
I Don't Remember
as Sophie Glick
(1935)
(1935)
The Drunkard
as Peggy
(1935)
Manhattan Monkey Business
as Gwendolyn
(1934)
Washee Ironee
as Woman at Party
(1934)
Guilty Parents
as Marie
(1934)
I'll Take Vanilla
as Mom
(1934)
(1934)
The Chases of Pimple Street
as Gertrude Astor - Lucas' Fiancee (uncredited)
(1933)
Wine, Women and Song
as Jennie Tilson
(1933)
Carnival Lady
as Zandra, Fortune Teller
(1933)
Crook's Tour
as Mrs Dorigan
(1933)
Ship of Wanted Men
as Vera
(1933)
The Plumber and the Lady
as Mrs. Otto Mauser
(1933)
I Have Lived
as Harriet Naisson
(1932)
They Never Come Back
as Kate
(1932)
(1932)
Flaming Gold
as Escort Service Madam
(1932)
Running Hollywood
as Gertrude Astor
(1932)
Western Limited
as Mrs. Winters
(1932)
High Hats and Low Brows
as Mrs. Billingsgate
(1932)
In Walked Charley
as Gertrude Henderson
(1931)
Poker Widows
as Mrs. Thomas Regan
(1931)
Come Clean
as Mrs. Hardy
(1931)
Hell Bound
as Rosie
(1930)
Be Yourself!
as Lillian
(1930)
Dames Ahoy
as The Blonde
(1930)
Live and Learn
as Mrs. Brown
(1929)
Untamed
as Mrs. Mason
(1929)
Synthetic Sin
as Sheila Kelly
(1929)
Twin Beds
as Mrs. Solari
(1929)
The Fall of Eve
as Mrs. Ford
(1929)
(1929)
Frozen Justice
as Moosehide Kate
(1929)
Two Weeks Off
as Agnes
(1928)
A Woman of Affairs
as Party Guest (uncredited)
(1928)
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
as Paulette
(1928)
Five and Ten Cent Annie
as Blonde
(1928)
(1928)
The Butter and Egg Man
as Fanny Lehman
(1928)
Rose-Marie
as Wanda
(1928)
(1927)
The Cat and the Canary
as Cecily
(1927)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
as Mrs. St. Clare (uncredited)
(1927)
The Taxi Dancer
as Kitty Lane
(1927)
The Small Bachelor
as Fanny
(1927)
Ginsberg the Great
as Sappho
(1927)
Oh, What a Man!
as The Bandit
(1927)
Lightning Lariats
as Girl
(1926)
The Strong Man
as Lily de Broadway
(1926)
Behind the Front
as French barmaid
(1926)
Wife Tamers
as Mrs. Barry
(1926)
Dizzy Daddies
as A Former Flame
(1926)
Kiki
as Paulette Mascar
(1926)
The Country Beyond
as Mrs. Andrews
(1926)
The Boy Friend
as Mrs. White
(1926)
The Old Soak
as Sylvia De Costa
(1926)
Don Juan's 3 Nights
as Baroness von Minden
(1926)
The Cheerful Fraud
as Rose
(1926)
Tell 'Em Nothing
as Mrs. Gladstone
(1925)
Ship of Souls
as Doris Barnes
(1925)
The Charmer
as Bertha Sedgwick
(1925)
Kentucky Pride
as Mrs. Beaumont
(1925)
Borrowed Finery
as Maisie
(1925)
Stage Struck
as Lillian Lyons
(1925)
The Reckless Sex
as Lucile Dupré
(1925)
Satan in Sables
as Dolores Sierra
(1925)
Laughing Ladies
as The Married Man's Wife
(1924)
The Torrent
as The Cast-Off
(1924)
(1924)
Secrets
as Mrs. Manwaring
(1924)
Broadway or Bust
as Mrs. Dean Smythe
(1924)
(1924)
The Silent Watcher
as Mrs. Steele
(1924)
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River
as 'Kansas' Lou
(1923)
Hollywood
as Gertrude Astor
(1923)
The Wanters
as Mrs. Van Pelt
(1923)
Rupert of Hentzau
as Paula
(1923)
The Ne'er-Do-Well
as Edith Cortlandt
(1923)
Alice Adams
as Mildred Palmer
(1922)
The Kentucky Derby
as Helen Gordon
(1922)
Beyond the Rocks
as Morella Winmarleigh
(1922)
Seeing's Believing
as Aunt Sue
(1922)
The Ninety and Nine
as Kate Van Dyke
(1922)
You Never Know
as Miriam Folansbee
(1922)
The Impossible Mrs. Bellew
as Alice Granville
(1922)
Hurricane's Gal
as Phyllis Fairfield
(1922)
The Wall Flower
as Pamela Shiel
(1922)
Lorna Doone
as Countess of Brandir (uncredited)
(1922)
Skin Deep
as Mrs. Carlson
(1921)
Her Mad Bargain
as Ruth Beresford
(1921)
The Concert
as Eva
(1921)
Through The Back Door
as Louise Reeves
(1920)
The Branding Iron
as Betty Morena
(1920)
Occasionally Yours
as Mona
(1919)
The Delicious Little Devil
as Auditioning Dancer (uncredited)
(1919)
Loot
as Lady Gwendolyn
(1919)
What Am I Bid?
as Diana Newlands
(1919)
The Wicked Darling
as Adele Hoyt
(1918)
The Girl Who Wouldn't Quit
as Stella Carter
(1918)
The Brazen Beauty
as Mrs. Augusta Van Ruysdael
(1917)
Bucking Broadway
as Gladys (uncredited)
(1917)
Polly Redhead
as Lady Caroline
(1917)
The Lash of Power
as Phyllis Ward
(1917)
Cheyenne's Pal
as Dancehall girl
(1917)
The Rescue
as Mrs. Hendricks
(1917)
The Devil's Pay Day
as Hazel Davidson
(1917)
Bondage
as Eugenia Darth
(1917)
The Girl Who Won Out
as Mrs. Walsh
(1917)
The Little Orphan
as Emmeline Warren
(1917)
Bombs and Banknotes
as His Daughter
(1917)
The Price of a Good Time
as Mis Schyler
(1917)
The Scarlet Crystal
as Helen Forbes
(1915)
Under Two Flags
as Venetia