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Gertrude Howard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gertrude Howard
Howard in Peck's Bad Boy (1934)
Born(1892-10-13)October 13, 1892
DiedSeptember 30, 1934(1934-09-30) (aged 41)
OccupationActress
Years active1925–1934

Gertrude Howard (October 13, 1892 – September 30, 1934)[1] was an American actress of the silent and early sound film eras.

Biography

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Born in 1892, Howard performed in the chorus of The Wife Hunters (1911) on Broadway.[2] She broke into films in 1925, appearing in The Circus Cyclone, directed by Albert Rogell.[3] In 1927, she played the wife of Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin.[4] In 1927, The Pittsburgh Courier stated that she was the "highest salaried colored actress in Hollywood".[5] She appeared mostly in minor or supporting film roles, such as Queenie in the original version of Show Boat (1929),[6] and Martha in Christy Cabanne's Conspiracy.[7]

Her appearance as Beulah Thorndyke in I'm No Angel (1933), led to her being forever linked to Mae West with the famous line, "Beulah, peel me a grape".[8]

In Howard's short career she would appear in twenty-two films. That career was cut short by her untimely death in 1934 at the age of 41. Mae West helped raise funds for her funeral.[citation needed]

Filmography

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(Per AFI database)[9]

References

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  1. ^ McCann, Bob (December 21, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7864-5804-2. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Gertrude Howard". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "The Circus Cyclone details". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  4. ^ "Uncle Tom's Cabin details". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "Colored Stars Selected For Ince Production". The Pittsburgh Courier. July 16, 1927. p. A2. ProQuest 201878258. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Show Boat details". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  7. ^ "Conspiracy details". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  8. ^ "I'm No Angel details". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  9. ^ "Gertrude Howard profile". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
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