Huntley Gordon
Encyclopedia
Huntley Gordon was an actor born in Montreal
, Quebec
.
. He began his screen career in 1916 when given a chance by Thomas Ince
.
He served in the Canadian Army during World War I
and began a career in motion pictures in England where he had been stationed during the war. With his suave manner and classic good looks he was sought out in Hollywood, California where he acted in both silent and talking films.
In Hollywood, he appeared in numerous films including starring opposite Gloria Swanson
in the 1923 film Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
. That same year he starred in The Wanters with Norma Shearer
and Marie Prevost
.
For most of his career, Gordon traveled between America and Britain, making films in both countries, appearing in more than 120 films. He was with MGM studios when he retired from film in 1940 and invested in the manufacture of silk stockings, a lucrative business at a time when Canadian and British women could not get them due to the rationing brought on by the Second World War. Although he no longer made motion pictures, Huntley Gordon remained active in the world of network radio.
Huntley Gordon died in Van Nuys, California and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Profile
Gordon was educated in both Canada and England. He had various jobs including working in a bank, in a silver mine, contracting, as a commercial traveller, and being a cigarette factory owner before settling on the stage and at one time acted with Ethel BarrymoreEthel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
. He began his screen career in 1916 when given a chance by Thomas Ince
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"...
.
He served in the Canadian Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and began a career in motion pictures in England where he had been stationed during the war. With his suave manner and classic good looks he was sought out in Hollywood, California where he acted in both silent and talking films.
In Hollywood, he appeared in numerous films including starring opposite Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
in the 1923 film Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife is a 1938 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper. It is a farce about a millionaire banker and his wife...
. That same year he starred in The Wanters with Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
and Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost was a Canadian-born actress of the early days of cinema. During her twenty year career, she made 121 silent and talking pictures.-Early life:...
.
For most of his career, Gordon traveled between America and Britain, making films in both countries, appearing in more than 120 films. He was with MGM studios when he retired from film in 1940 and invested in the manufacture of silk stockings, a lucrative business at a time when Canadian and British women could not get them due to the rationing brought on by the Second World War. Although he no longer made motion pictures, Huntley Gordon remained active in the world of network radio.
Huntley Gordon died in Van Nuys, California and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Selected filmography
- 1919: The Glorious LadyThe Glorious LadyThe Glorious Lady is a 1919 silent American drama film directed by George Irving. A copy of the film survives in the Nederlands Filmmuseum.- Cast :* Olive Thomas as Ivis Benson* Matt Moore as The Duke of Loame* Evelyn Brent as Lady Eileen...
- 1923: The Famous Mrs. FairThe Famous Mrs. FairThe Famous Mrs. Fair is a silent drama film produced by Louis B. Mayer, distributed through Metro Pictures, and directed by Fred Niblo. The film is based on the Broadway play of the same name by James Forbes that had starred Blanche Bates in the 1919 theatre season. This is now considered a lost...
- 1924: Married FlirtsMarried FlirtsMarried Flirts is a 1924 film starring Pauline Frederick, Mae Busch, and Conrad Nagel, directed by Robert Vignola. Screenplay by Julia Ivers based on a Louis Joseph Vance best seller. The 'sophisticated' drama was considered quite daring at the time, of husbands being lured away from wives...
- 1925: Never the Twain Shall MeetNever the Twain Shall MeetNever the Twain Shall Meet is a 1925 silent south seas drama film based on the book by Peter B. Kyne, produced by MGM and directed by Maurice Tourneur, starring Anita Stewart and featuring Boris Karloff in an uncredited bit-part. Remade with sound in 1931 at MGM by director W. S. Van Dyke...
- 1926: The Golden WebThe Golden WebThe Golden Web is a 1926 drama film directed by Walter Lang and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Lillian Rich - Ruth Rowan* Huntley Gordon - Roland Deane* Jay Hunt - John Rowan* Lawford Davidson - George Sisk* Boris Karloff - Dave Sinclair...
- 1927: Sensation Seekers
- 1928: Our Dancing DaughtersOur Dancing DaughtersOur Dancing Daughters is a 1928 MGM silent drama film starring Joan Crawford and John Mack Brown , about the "loosening of youth morals" that took place during the 1920s. The film was directed by Harry Beaumont and produced by Hunt Stromberg...
- 1930: New Movietone Follies of 1930New Movietone Follies of 1930New Movietone Follies of 1930 is a 1930 American musical film released by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Benjamin Stoloff. The film stars El Brendel and Marjorie White who also costarred in Fox's Just Imagine in 1930....
- 1932: Sally of the SubwaySally of the Subway-Cast:* Jack Mulhall as Ludwig* Dorothy Revier as Sally* Blanche Mehaffey as Angela* Huntley Gordon as Gordon* Harry Semels as Von Trump* Crauford Kent as Moffit* John Webb Dillon as McMillan, Henchman* William P. Burt as Scraggs, Henchman...
- 1932: From Broadway to Cheyenne
- 1932: The Midnight Warning
- 1933: The Red-Haired Alibi
- 1935: Murder by TelevisionMurder by TelevisionMurder by Television is an American mystery film starring Bela Lugosi, June Collyer, and Huntley Gordon. The film is also known as The Houghland Murder Case...
- 1937: Stage DoorStage DoorStage Door is a RKO film, adapted from the play by the same name, that tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier,...
- 1937: Idol of the CrowdsIdol of the CrowdsIdol of the Crowds is a 1937 drama film starring John Wayne as an ice hockey player.-Cast:* John Wayne as Johnny Hansen* Sheila Bromley as Helen Dale* Charles Brokaw as Jack Irwin* Bill Burrud as Bobby* Jane Johns as Peggy...
- 1939: Mr. Wong in ChinatownMr. Wong in ChinatownMr. Wong in Chinatown is a 1939 American mystery film directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Boris Karloff - Mr. James Lee Wong* Marjorie Reynolds - Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan * Grant Withers - Police Capt. Bill Street...
- 1940: Phantom Of ChinatownPhantom of ChinatownPhantom of Chinatown is a 1940 Chinese American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen starring Keye Luke.-Plot:In the middle of a pictorial lecture on his recent expedition to the Mongolian Desert, Dr. John Benton the famous explorer, drinks from the water bottle on his lecture table, collapses and...
See also
- List of Quebec actors and actresses
- Canadian pioneers in early HollywoodCanadian pioneers in early HollywoodMotion pictures have been a part of the culture of Canada since the beginning.-History:Around 1910, the East Coast filmmakers began to take advantage of California winters and after Nestor Studios, run by Canadian Al Christie, built the first permanent movie studio in Hollywood a number of the...
- Huntley Gordon at Findagrave.com
- Huntley Gordon 1924 portrait(Univ. of Washington/Sayre Collection)