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