Editing Gladys George

{{Short description|American actress (1904–1954)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Gladys George
| image         = Gladys George 2.jpg
| caption       = George in 1937
| birth_name    = Gladys Clare Evans
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1904|09|13}}
| birth_place   = [[Patten, Maine|Patten]], [[Maine]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1954|12|08|1904|09|13}}
| death_place   = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
| occupation    = Actress
| years_active  = 1918–1954
| spouse        = {{Plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Ben Erway|1922|1930|end=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|Edward Fowler|1933|1935|end=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|[[Leonard Penn]]|1935|1944|end=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|Kenneth Bradley|1946|1951|end=divorced}}
}}}}

'''Gladys George''' (born '''Gladys Clare Evans'''; September 13, 1904 – December 8, 1954) was an American actress of stage and screen. Though nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for her leading role in ''[[Valiant Is the Word for Carrie]]'' (1936), she spent most of her career in supporting roles in films such as ''[[Marie Antoinette (1938 film)|Marie Antoinette]]'' (1938), ''[[The Roaring Twenties]]'' (1939), ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941), ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' (1946), and ''[[Flamingo Road (film)|Flamingo Road]]'' (1949).

==Early life==
George was born on September 13, 1904<ref name="Family Tree Legends">{{cite web| title=Family Tree Legends| url=http://familytreelegends.com/records/39772?c=search&first=Gladys&last=Evans| access-date=December 1, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=August 8, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808062707/http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39772?c=search&first=Gladys&last=Evans| url-status=dead}} lists Gladys Clare Evans born September 13, 1904, Maine - died December 8, 1954, Los Angeles, California.</ref> in [[Patten, Maine]] to [[British people|British]] parents, Sir Arthur Evans Clare, a "noted Shakespearean actor", and his wife, Lady Alice.<ref>{{cite web | title=SIR ARTHUR EVANS CLARE; Actor, Father of Gladys George, Is Dead in Hollywood| newspaper=The New York Times| date=October 26, 1939| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/10/26/archives/sir-arthur-evans-clare-actor-father-of-gladys-george-is-dead-in.html| access-date=2020-07-18| url-access=subscription| page=O29}}</ref><ref name="bde">{{cite news| title=Gladys George Made Her Hit, Had to Run| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4526471/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle| newspaper=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle| date=May 12, 1940| page=E7| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> Another source indicated "Gladys was born in a little town in Missouri, where the troupe her parents belonged to happened to be stranded at the time."<ref name=cdm/>

==Career==
George went on the stage at the age of 3 and toured the United States, appearing with her parents, who were British actors.<ref name="cdm">{{cite news| last1=Tildesley| first1=Alice L.| title=Are You a "Yes-Woman"?| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4526691/the_charleston_daily_mail/| newspaper=The Charleston Daily Mail| date=November 8, 1936| page=76| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> She starred onstage in the 1920s, and she had made several films during the early part of that decade. For her role in the film ''[[Valiant Is the Word for Carrie]]'' (1936), she received a [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] nomination at the [[9th Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web| title=The 9th Academy Awards (1937)| url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1937 |website=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences| date=8 October 2014 | access-date=September 19, 2019| archive-url=https://archive.today/20141112173406/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1937| archive-date=November 12, 2014| url-status=live}}</ref> 

Other roles were in ''[[Madame X (1937 film)|Madame X]]'' (1937), ''[[Marie Antoinette (1938 film)|Marie Antoinette]]'' (1938), ''[[The Roaring Twenties]]'' (1939), ''[[The Way of All Flesh (1940 film)|The Way of All Flesh]]'' (1940), ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941), ''[[The Hard Way (1943 film)|The Hard Way]]'' (1943),  ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' (1946), ''[[He Ran All the Way]]'' (1951), ''[[Detective Story (1951 film)|Detective Story]]'' (1951), and ''[[Lullaby of Broadway (film)|Lullaby of Broadway]]'' (1951). 

George's Broadway credits include ''The Distant City'', ''Lady in Waiting'', and ''The Betrothal''.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Gladys George| url=http://www.playbill.com/searchpage/search?q=Gladys+George&sort=Relevance&shows=on&qasset=00000150-ac83-d16d-a550-ecbf017b0001| journal=[[Playbill]]| access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Gladys George was married and divorced four times. All of the unions were childless.{{Citation needed |date=June 2024}} 
* On March 31, 1922, she and actor Ben Erway eloped and were married by a judge in Oakland, California.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ben Erway, Oakland Actor, And Gladys George Are Wed| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4526946/oakland_tribune/| newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]]| date=April 1, 1922| page=4| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> "They were remarried in San Luis Obispo August 3 of the same year. They separated September 14, 1930."<ref>{{cite news| title=Utah Actress Asks Divorce| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4527006/the_ogden_standardexaminer/| newspaper=The Ogden [[Standard-Examiner]]| date=September 20, 1930|  page=1| agency=[[Associated Press]]| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> The couple divorced in October 1930.<ref>{{cite news| title=Star Divorced| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4526974/oakland_tribune/| newspaper=Oakland Tribune| date=October 8, 1930| page=1| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref>
* Her second husband was millionaire paper manufacturer Edward Fowler, who walked out in 1933 after finding the actress in the arms of her leading man [[Leonard Penn]]. At the time, George was playing a nymphomaniacal star in the Broadway hit ''[[Personal Appearance (play)|Personal Appearance]]''.<ref>{{cite news| title=Must Wait 3 Years to Wed in N.Y.| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19350827&id=RnUfAAAAIBAJ&pg=5403,4152882| access-date=5 March 2016| newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel| date=August 27, 1935| page=18}}{{dead link|date=August 2020}}</ref>
* George and actor Leonard Penn were married in a probate court in New Haven, Connecticut, September 19, 1935.<ref>{{cite news| title=Gladys George Marries Actor Named in Suit| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4527189/the_salt_lake_tribune/| newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune| date=September 19, 1935| page=8| via=Newspapers.com| agency=Associated Press| access-date=March 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref>
* Her last husband Kenneth Bradley, whom she married when she was 41, was a hotel bellboy 20 years her junior.<ref name=tcm>[https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/70073%7C62112/Gladys-George/ Gladys George] TCM. Retrieved 26 December 2019.</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Gladys George Is Married| newspaper=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/07/10/archives/gladys-george-is-married.html| date=July 10, 1946| page=19| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Illnesses and death==
George was afflicted with numerous ailments, including throat cancer, heart disease, and [[Cirrhosis|cirrhosis of the liver.]]<ref name=tcm/> She died from a [[cerebral hemorrhage]] in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, aged 50, and was interred in the [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Burbank, California.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilson|first=Scott|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3rd ed.|publisher=McFarland|year=2016|pages=275}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+ Film
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| ''[[Red Hot Dollars]]'' || 1919 || Janet Muir || film debut
|-
| ''[[The Woman in the Suitcase]]'' || 1920 || Ethel ||
|-
| ''[[Below the Surface (1920 film)|Below the Surface]]'' || 1920 || Alice ||
|-
| ''[[Homespun Folks]]'' || 1920 || Beulah Rogers ||
|-
| ''[[The Easy Road]]'' || 1921 || Isabel Grace ||
|-
| ''[[Chickens (1921 film)|Chickens]]'' || 1921 || Julia Stoneman ||
|-
| ''The House that Jazz Built'' || 1921 || Lila Drake ||
|-
| ''[[Straight Is the Way]]'' || 1934 || Shirley ||
|-
| ''[[Valiant Is the Word for Carrie]]'' || 1936 || Carrie Snyder || Nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. Only Academy Award for which Gladys George was ever nominated.
|-
| ''[[They Gave Him a Gun]]'' || 1937 || Rose Duffy || Co-starred with [[Spencer Tracy]].
|-
| ''[[Madame X (1937 film)|Madame X]]'' || 1937 || Madame X / Jacqueline Fleuriot / Miss Pran || Only film starring Gladys George to have been released on VHS.
|-
| ''[[Love Is a Headache]]'' || 1938 || Carlotta 'Charlie' Lee || 
|-
| ''[[Marie Antoinette (1938 film)|Marie Antoinette]]'' || 1938 || [[Madame du Barry]] || First time Gladys George portrayed a historical figure. First supporting role since Oscar nomination.
|-
| ''[[I'm from Missouri]]'' || 1939 || Julie Bliss || 
|-
| ''[[Here I Am a Stranger]]'' || 1939 || Clara Paulding || 
|-
| ''[[The Roaring Twenties]]'' || 1939 || Panama Smith || [[James Cagney]] film with one of many substantial early supporting roles for [[Humphrey Bogart]]. 
|-
| ''[[A Child Is Born (film)|A Child Is Born]]'' || 1939 || Florette Laverne || 
|-
| ''[[The House Across the Bay]]'' || 1940 || Mary Bogel ||
|-
| ''[[The Way of All Flesh (1940 film)|The Way of All Flesh]]'' || 1940 || Anna Kriza ||
|-
| ''[[The Lady from Cheyenne]]'' || 1941 || Elsie ||
|-
| ''[[Hit the Road (1941 film)|Hit the Road]]'' || 1941 || Molly Ryan ||
|-
| ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' || 1941 || Iva Archer ||
|-
| ''[[The Hard Way (1943 film)|The Hard Way]]'' || 1943 || Lily Emery ||
|-
| ''[[The Crystal Ball (film)|The Crystal Ball]]'' || 1943 || Madame Zenobia ||
|-
| ''[[Nobody's Darling]]'' || 1943 || Eve Hawthorne ||
|-
| ''[[Christmas Holiday]]'' || 1944 || Valerie De Merode ||
|-
| ''[[Minstrel Man (1944 film)|Minstrel Man]]'' || 1945 || Mae White ||
|-
| ''[[Steppin' in Society]]'' || 1945 || Penelope Webster ||
|-
| ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' || 1946 || Hortense Derry ||
|-
| ''[[Millie's Daughter]]'' || 1947 || Millie Maitland ||
|-
| ''[[Alias a Gentleman]]'' || 1948 || Madge Parkson ||
|-
| ''[[Flamingo Road (1949 film)|Flamingo Road]]'' || 1949 || Lute Mae Sanders ||
|-
| ''[[Bright Leaf]]'' || 1950 || Rose ||
|-
| ''[[Undercover Girl]]'' || 1950 || Liz Crow ||
|-
| ''[[Lullaby of Broadway (film)|Lullaby of Broadway]]'' || 1951 || Jessica Howard ||
|-
| ''[[He Ran All the Way]]'' || 1951 || Mrs. Robey ||
|-
| ''[[Detective Story (1951 film)|Detective Story]]'' || 1951 || Miss Hatch ||
|-
| ''[[Silver City (1951 film)|Silver City]]'' || 1951 || Mrs. Barber ||
|-
| ''[[It Happens Every Thursday]]'' || 1953 || Mrs. Lucinda Holmes ||
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Alistair |first=Rupert |title=The Name Below the Title: 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age |chapter=Gladys George |pages=101–103 |year=2018 |edition=First |type=softcover |publisher=Independently published |isbn=978-1-7200-3837-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |title=The Real Stars: Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players |chapter=Gladys George |pages=88–102 |date=2015 |edition=Sixth/ eBook |orig-year=First published 1969 |type=softcover |publisher=CreateSpace Independent |isbn=978-1-5116-4485-3}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{IMDb name|0313438}}
* {{IBDB name}}

{{Portal bar|Biography}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Gladys}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Maine]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:People from Patten, Maine]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in California]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. contract players]]